If I told you that I had once wrestled a baby gorilla, what would you think? Your imagination may immediately conjure up a scene of great toil deep in some dense jungle. A wayward traveler caught in a desperate struggle, man versus wild. Or perhaps you fancy a more picturesque Jane Goodall moment set in an African wild life preserve. Both would be off by a continent or two. The truth is, I did recently endure a physical trial of great intensity, but not one of such epic proportions.
As many of you know, our lives for the last year have been moving toward serving in Kenya. And because working our jobs, raising funds for the mission, homeschooling, participating in church life and preparing our home to sell seemed to be missing a certain element of chaos not inherent to all of those factors, we decided to refinish our hardwood floors. A noble cause, we supposed. One we hope will reap a greater interest in prospective home buyers. And it sounded simple enough. Sand the floor, finish the floor. If the karate kid could do it, so could we, right? My Mr. Miyagi moment came to a halt when I found myself hunched over a silver rotating demon that lurched and howled, grinding anything in its path. The phrase "this is not what I had in mind" made its way to my thoughts. Seeking the wisdom of the internet, I searched for tips from those previously possessed to undertake such a venture. Among them, I found this statement, "Using a sanding edger is like wrestling a baby gorilla." There it was, laid out by an random monikered internet commenter, a perfect description of the task at hand.
Our journey toward serving in medical missions has, thus far, taken a circuitous route. One which feels, at times, filled with pitfalls and detours. Yet, our movement forward is tangible. As is the support that we have experienced from family, brothers and sisters at Crosspoint Church, work mates and friends. We are blessed to have folks partnering with us in prayer and giving to make this vision of being the hands and feet of Christ in East Africa a reality.
Paradoxically, Tracy and I are thankful for all of the baby gorillas that we have wrestled during this time of transition, if only retrospectively. I will tell you that thankfulness is not by resting attitude during many of these times. But the Lord is pleased to lead his children into difficulty in order to exercise our faith. "Count it all joy when you experience various trials," says scripture in the book of James. "The testing of your faith produces steadfastness." If there is one thing we need these days and for our future in missions is just that...steadfastness. And just as we witnessed the layers of scratches, dents and old polyurethane disappear with the application of friction and time, God is using these trials to reveal the unvarnished truth about ourselves. His aim, though is not just to cover up our flaws, but redeem them and make us more like Jesus. The end of this is a greater ability to love Him and love our neighbors, wherever in the world they are to be found.
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