Kuna Indian boys in Panama (I will see them again, soon)
I leave tomorrow afternoon to receive our summer mission teams in Dallas! I can't believe they are already returning! This summer has flown by!
They arrive Wednesday, get debriefed Thursday, and then go home Friday morning. Then I receive my Panama team (of 25) on Friday afternoon. I leave for Panama with them on Sunday, and return the following Sunday.
This trip, I will get to work alongside my nephew and his wife, who are missionaries in Panama. I am very excited about that!
I have NOT passed my kidney stone(s) yet, so I am a bit unsettled. I do appreciate your prayer support on this front. The doctor wanted me to have a CT scan before I left to assure it was of a size I could pass, but insurance issues have held that up. Please pray.
Last week, we transferred one of our daughters phone plans from our family plan to she and her husbands. This was gonna happen sooner or later.
Who knew it would require the involvement of people around the world to make it happen?
It began by a simple conversation between Deanna and Whitney. Deanna then took the project on and began to deal with it.
When we began our family plan, it was listed under my name as the primary. A year ago we had Deanna added as a co-primary, so she could deal with some issues.
When she went to handle this simple transfer, they would not let her. Their memories seemed to have lapsed, and they said I would have to do this, as the primary. She tried to take care of it at a local store for this company, and was directed to call customer service.
Did you know customer service is in India (apparently)?
When I called, a young woman answered the phone and told me her name. There were so many syllables and sounds I did not recognize, that I did not catch it. I asked her to spell it for me. I sat in disbelief as she spelled out the name of one of our summer months. When she said her name, it sounded much more exotic than our months name. It had extra syllables and letters that don't appear in the correct spelling.
Unfortunately, much of our conversation went that way. When I told her I had no idea what she had just said to me, I understood her apology. She began to speak with clearer diction.
My wife's tear stained face (over the frustrations involved) turned to joy as she watched me try to control my laughter in dealing with this friendly woman, whose first language was not English.
I constantly had to process what I thought she was saying. She was SO polite, which I appreciated. I struggled to understand her and kept hoping I wasn't agreeing to signing over ownership of my home, as I said "yes," to her many questions.
My daughter was not available to deal with the issue on her end until two days later. They had made an appointment with me, to call her on that specific day.
That day came, and my phone rang. It was an 800 number and I was busy, so did not answer it. They immediately called back.
Since I was waiting for insurance approval for a CT scan, I decided I better answer it.
It wasn't the same woman, but she sounded EXACTLY the same. I thought it was the same woman giving me a different name. She had the same accent and all. I didn't catch her name. I didn't ask for it, either. I just knew she didn't say the name of a hot summer month... at least it didn't sound like it!
Anyway, they had discovered an extra step was required in dealing with the issue of transferring my daughter onto her own plan. A step that involved my son-in-laws name.
To allow my daughter to be transferred off of my plan, and onto her husbands, I had to approve it.
I am thankful that I don't have to be THAT involved in every aspect of my daughters life. I love her dearly, but I do not want to be that involved in her day to day operations.
It is not that way when my Savior looks at my life. He is very interested in every detail. He wants me to come to Him for His approval until such time that I am so close to Him that my heart beats with His and He shows me what He desires.
I am thankful for that! I need that from Him, in a way that my daughters do not need me to keep a detailed account of their lives.
Perhaps this is why I struggle to let them go, in many ways. I love them so deeply that I am interested in what is going on with them. However, they need less of me as they mature. They have learned more about life and how to live it. They are adults.
While I am an adult, I want my Savior to keep interested in me. I need Him to do so. But, I have to learn to allow Him access to EVERY area of my life. I'm pretty good at thinking I have matured beyond need for His help at times. The sad fact is that its not usually true.
I am thankful that no matter how far away He seems, He always understands my heart. My accent doesn't throw Him. He gets me.
I just have to let Him have me, each moment of each day.
dad
2 Comments:
God Bless,
Greenfield, IN
Dear Higgins family,
I learned of BJ at our camp this summer. Afshin Ziafat was our speaker and he touched briefly upon BJ's story. As soon as I got back from camp I ordered the book. Thank you for sharing BJ's story and for challenging me to take BJ's place. I work along side my boyfriend with our youth at church. These kids take my heart with them daily. We have a group in Hungary right now (one of which is my boyfriend's son) and I can't wait to hear how Jesus spoke through them to others. They are eager to read BJ's story themselves, and I just know that it is going to challenge them even more to go out and bring others to Christ.
BJ walked the daily walk. He let nothing keep him down.
May God bless you and keep you always,
Bobbi Hart
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