Waiting again and again!

Websters dictionary defines ‘to wait’ as….to stay in place in expectation, to delay until something, to remain ready, to look forward to, to be available,

We found ourselves waiting a lot at the beginning of this week. On Sunday morning we were waiting to chat with a couple of our pastors. We waited with a little anxiousness knowing the language would present it’s usual challenge for us. But we were surprised, and the brief encounter we anticipated went extremely well. Sunday evenings we wait for our Hope House family as they come by after their youth group meeting to eat their snack before heading back home. We wait with some quiet expectancy as we love having the girls here and they are always so animated, demonstrative and wide-eyed as they look out over our balcony, or look at some family pictures we have in our house. We wait to hear our names called from the street below. There is hardly a day that passes that the Pat’s Place mothers and children, or the neighborhood children (Fernando & Natalie) across the street, don’t call, and call, and call “Papa Don & Momma Joy” until we respond with “hola” and a wave of the hand. Throwing kisses and wildly waving is what brings reason to wait and satisfaction.

Monday we waited to hear from Martin. It was disappointing to not be in touch with him until late that afternoon, as we had expected him to call or visit and we had questions that needed answers. Since he is one of our translators, we depend heavily upon his being available. Our friend Richard was on a mission for Don and was trying to find some much-needed materials for a project Don is working on. So, we waited for his return one day. Richard doesn’t speak English. We were not sure he even communicated when he would return and it had been a few days since he was off on his search for Don.

Last night we waited for dinner. We waited longer than usual. The propane gas tank went dry as I was cooking our meal. Then we had to wait for the propane gas delivery. This morning we waited for Pastor Jonathan to come by as he called last night and made arrangements to do so.

Today we are waiting for friends who are coming to visit. No we are not on vacation, but a pre-planning trip for a summer mission team. We anxiously await Jan and Mary because we look forward to time with them, the fellowship, and lively chatter in English we anticipate! For now though we wait thinking of their flying, making connections, getting through customs, and the final moment we see them emerge from behind the scenes at the airport. The waiting in this case is exciting! Much preparation has gone into their trip from their point of view as well as ours.

In thinking about your daily activities…waiting in carpool, waiting for a meeting, waiting for the doctor’s appointment, waiting in line at the lunch counter, deli, bank, grocery store, gas station. Maybe you are waiting for the washing machine to finish so you can pop the load of clothes in the dryer before you run out the door. Possibly you’re waiting for a repairman to arrive, or someone to install something for you. All this waiting, remaining in place with expectations, being available, delaying until something happens, can lead to frustration, can begin to develop a laid back attitude, can provide extra time to be productive, or time to be quiet and relax.

I just asked Don what he was waiting for. His answers were interesting. He’s waiting on the Lord for answers to questions, inspiration of ideas, direction and clarity to a few projects he’s working on. I ask myself that question, and my answer is that I’m waiting for the Lord to show me which way to go and how to progress with transferring the AWANA Commander responsibilities and fundraising to the Peruvian Christians. I’m waiting for the next 2 months to pass quickly so I can see my children and grandchildren.

The important question here is, “what do we do while we are waiting?” WOAH – you want me to be honest? I mean, really! I guess it depends on the day and all, but I certainly don’t have this one under control all the time. At the present moment, both Don & I can say that regarding our ministry visions, we are talking to Peruvian Christians we respect, and praying for discernment.

Just recently a friend of ours in the USA was diagnosed with cancer. He has shared with his friends through his drawings over the years, but in this past week he has shared through his writing. He wrote about the squandering of time throughout his life. Let me quote something he wrote….
“I am also thankful for the time God has blessed me with. Time, however, is something I have often squandered in my life. There have been so many instances where I have not used time wisely. For the most part, I took time, a precious gift of God and used it selfishly to my own frivolous ends and purposes. God forgive me. None of us know how much time God will give us. What I have often failed to realize is that it is not my time at all. Time, like everything in this life, belongs to God. Of course, God is mindful of the time we must dedicate to our families and our livelihoods. God does not begrudge us time to take pleasure in this life He gives us. Ultimately, however, we must realize that time in the here and now is finite. So let us spend more time with God. Then, however many seconds, minutes, hours, days, weeks, months or years God may give us, that time will be blessed and not wasted."

Journal excerpt from Tom Carpenter via CaringBridge

The other important question is, “am I waiting for Jesus return?” If, so, what am I doing while I’m waiting? Is the waiting leading me to experiencing frustration, being laid back, being productive (even in the ministry) or being quiet and relaxing? Only you and I can answer these questions for ourselves.