“Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows.” James 1:17
I love this verse as it reminds me of the goodness and faithfulness of God. And I need that reminder. The verse tells me He is consistent. He does not change like shifting shadows. In uncertainty He remains the one certainty. And all good things come from Him, He is more than simply the author and giver of life. He is the author of good things, He is the ultimate source of goodness and blessing.
Life is a little uncertain right now. Who knows what the future holds? Who knows how I will get through the next few months - there is a lot on my plate, lots of things to juggle, deadlines approaching as our time in Madagascar draws to a close, while at the same time planning projects for Benin and Cameroon with deadlines for those rapidly approaching too. I am on route from the ship in Toamasina, to the capital city Antananarivo about to start the last of our training courses. Normally the flight goes direct or takes a minor detour via Isle St.Marie. But with the airline Air Madagascar nothing is ever certain. There are frequent changes. The first one was that instead of a brief stop in St.Marie I now have 6.5 hours. But then an hour ago that changed and the delay is now only 5.5 hours.
But I am reminded that God knows all things and I decided to visit a local hotel and wait there as there is very little at the airport - is not staffed all day! So I am sitting writing this at a beautiful place called Princess Bora hotel. And they have been very generous and actually given me a room to use while I wait. The room is free of charge and is stunning! They love Mercy Ships and this is their way of contributing to what we do. What a blessing, and a good reminder that all good things come from God. I needed the space today. Space to think and read and recharge my batteries!
A few days ago I had spent several days visiting three other towns in Madagascar where we have done ‘checklist training’. But then more uncertainty. The weather here was terrible, so the tiny Mission Aviation Fellowship (MAF) plane could not take my friend and I back to the ship in Toamasina. Instead we ended up in the capital 8 hours drive away, and uncertain how to get home? MAF could not take us back the next day or the day after, we didn't have passports with us so couldn't get a domestic Air Madagascar flight. So we took a car and arrived back at 1am. Uncertainty. I missed some meetings, still struggling to reschedule one of them, and I was tired but at least I had 24 hours on the ship before heading back to Antananarivo – hence I am grateful for a few hours in a beautiful hotel today. A very tangible reminder of God's goodness.
I am reminded that God knows what we need. And as this field service draws to a close I am incredibly proud that we have trained over 1500 people, and operated on approximately 1400 patients. That is a lot of lives impacted by our small and dedicated team. No wonder we are tired. No wonder we need a break. But every moment was worth it, every late night, every tear shed when I had moments of uncertainty, or not sure how we would pull something off, or not sure what was the best decision to make. And I know God’s goodness in it all. His goodness to me, to the people we trained, to the patients, to my family and supporters.
“Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows. He chose to give us birth through the word of truth, that we might be a kind of first fruits of all he created” James 1:17+18
Thank you Lord God that you give me life, and that I can offer it back to you.
