Gander, NL - Bring on Week 3!

It is quite something to contemplate how time passes us by so quickly - each day, the weeks, and undoubtedly this summer will. I have trouble believing I am entering my 3rd week here in Gander! And as I enter this the 3rd week - let me tell you about 3 lessons I have learned in the last 3 days.

This should be no news flash to you, but here it is...

LESSON #1: Life isn't always *sunshine & lollipops*.

Don't get me wrong, I love life. I love *MY* life. I think that God makes good of every situation - its just that the experience is not always particularly

pleasant. So, Friday night was one of those nights. Nothing specific had happened - but I wasn't feeling very well and I called my sis when I got home because it was my nephew - my little man Rhys's 2nd birthday. And the realization hit me like a TON OF BRICKS - that not only had I missed out on 1/2 of his life since my move to Winnipeg - but that this trend of missing out on my family growing up would only continue. I felt sad about that:(. The idea that I will not be around on a regular basis for the birthdays, the milestones, for the everyday. So in a very atypical, non-British & out of character moment for moi - I had a good cry about it...

Then I was reminded of the *eternal perspective* - of God's big picture plan. Our time here on earth is so short versus eternity, which is an unfathomable quantity of time. I believe that I can be a better aunt, sister, daughter, friend to those I love if I follow what I know is God's plan for my life. And there is no doubt in my mind that I am supposed to be an officer in The Salvation Army. Doesn't mean it is always easy (it isn't, it won't be) - but it certainly makes more sense when I think of it that way.... It made the tears eventually stop as well.

LESSON #2: Crying when you aren't typically a crier can pay off!

I don't really mean that, but it was lovely to hear a knock on the door from Joshua early-ish Saturday morning - who had literally woken up at the crack of dawn and driven the 3.5 hrs from Corner Brook to come and visit me (although not intentional, I think my teary phone chat the night before sealed the deal in his decision to make the trip). In the privacy of this blog, I will admit a little secret - I was missing him as well. But "Shhhhh,... don't tell!"

We had a fun day touring around my new stomping grounds (including a walk around the infamous Cobb's Pond - not where the picture was from btw, but I didn't have any from this particular excursion), my inaugural visit to Jungle Jim's for lunch, and a taste of my first moose burger during supper with the Pinksen crew - which was not meat from one of the 5 moose Josh had seen on his way to Gander let me clarify!?!? After Josh headed home, my day ended with a trip to a nearby campground where we had a campfire (and yummy S'mores)with some Corps folks. Saturday was a super duper day:).

LESSON 3: Change is inevitable!

The weather was questionable Sunday morning - and so the plan for 4 services was re-evaluated and determined that we would go down to 3 since an Open Air in the rain was not considered the most pleasant or practical of options. This meant that my preparation for the evening service could be saved for another week (as we changed the time for one of the services at a retirement home to the evening). I know I wasn't alone in wondering how we could've fit in the fourth by the end of our third service! It is a good thing I enjoy church so much:).

But how different each service was:

(1) our morning at the Corps was lovely as the Twin Ponds camp staff shared with us and with a most memorable Children's Time,

(2) our service at Lakeside was a real joy as one woman beat to her own drum and loudly sang or quoted Scripture by heart literally from start to finish, and

(3) the third service, though we were jammed into a room like sardines, while perched on big, comfy furniture with the temperature escalating, so too did the feeling for me that "where 2 or 3 are gathered, there too is God."

Plans change. Expressions of worship differ. The setting we are in may not be the same. There are two certainties: though change is inevitable, we also serve a God who never changes.