bu·oy
ˈbo͞oē,boi/
Noun - an anchored float
serving as a navigation mark, to show reefs or other hazards, or for mooring.
We are here, in Brookings OR, on the Southern Oregon
coast. And when I say on the coast, I
mean it. Some friends have given us
their vacation rental for a few days overlooking a cove in the Pacific. The views are just spectacular. Because we are in a cove, and because we are
near a reef, there is a buoy sitting, oh 500 yds offshore, swaying and ringing
in the surf day and night. It is one of
the most beautiful sounds I’ve heard. A
deep ringing bass of a bell, that warns boats that they are nearing a
reef. A warning of danger. A navigation mark to say “you are here,” as
buoy is marked on the navigational charts of these waters. The thing about it is this: you can’t always hear the buoy, at least not
where we are. The surf and the noises of
the day combine to drown out this important navigational marker and warning
during the day. At night, ah, at night,
all is calm in this little cove and the buoy just sings us to sleep and
continues to serenade us when we wake in the night – reassuring us that it is
on watch and that all is well. This buoy
is an excellent reminder of what makes furlough a good and necessary exercise
for us a family and for me personally.
You see, at the hospital, the “surf” and the “noise of the day” so often
drown out God’s warnings and God’s navigational markers that I miss them.
I don’t hear them. And so, just
like the nighttime here on the coast, being away from Balfate allows me to hear
God’s warnings and see God’s navigational markers much more clearly. “You’re getting near a reef (danger), steer
away!” “Sit down and look at the map –
you are here.” Having time to stop and
consider what things I need to steer away from and where “I am” with family, my
responsibilities, relationships – it is valuable beyond words. I’m sure that we all need times like
this. Furlough allows us to build them
into our life as missionaries.
And so, as we consider week two of our eleven week 2015 furlough,
I thought it might be good to take some time each week and expound on why we do
furlough. The buoy isn’t necessarily the
most important reason, it is just the one that came up first in my mind last
night as I woke up and listened to the bell that I hadn’t heard most of the
day. By the way, my final analogy on this topic is this: I hear the bell more now, on the second day
because I heard the bell last night, when it was quiet, and I know what to
listen for. I pray that as I return to
Honduras and to the crazy chaotic life that we lead there, that I’ll hear God’s
warnings and navigational messages better when I get back because I’ll know
better what to listen for.
I’ll end with a quick report on week 2. We left Northern Washington and headed down
to the southern end of Washington (Vancouver) near Portland. Week 1 ended with the incredible privilege of
being included in the huge Johnson family reunion at Big Lake WA and being
adopted for a weekend by this wonderful family.
Week 2 began with a trip to see my mom’s oldest sister, Aunt Sarah, in
La Conner Washington and my cousins Billy and his wife Norma. We really enjoyed our brief visit with them
and stories of my mom, who passed away in ’95, and my grandparents. The majority of week 2 was spent with another
amazing couple, who are the sister and brother in law of our dear friends John
and Penny Alden. We toured
Portland. I met with several contacts regarding
new funding sources for the hospital. I
worked one day. We had an amazing homemade Mexican dinner one night with our
sister in law Patsy’s side of the family.
We had a wonderful Argentinian supper
with a family that had been down to the hospital a couple of times. We then moved down to Jacksonville OR for
some quality time with our “family” from Jacksonville Presbyterian Church. Dr Rich Owens and his lovely wife Stacey are
our hosts for the end of week two and part of week three and they have provided
yet another sanctuary home for us to stay in and just relax and enjoy
ourselves. More on week three and more
reasons why we do furlough in a few more days.
May God grant you the peace to hear the buoys that he has set out for
you in your life!
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