Tom Musgrave April 11 1995

That right, I'm back from Africa, sooner than expected, fifteen pounds lighter (not for long!), a darker skin tone, a little wiser, and a whole lot happier now that I'm home with my family.

The most common questions that I am asked now that I'm back is "how was the weather, what did you eat and how many animals did you see." It seems funny to me that it is the things of least significance that seems to make the biggest impression on people. When I tell them about eating fried grasshoppers for several weeks because they were `in season', or about the 65 to 85 degree temperature year round, or about the monkeys and snakes (BIG snakes) that I saw, they are in awe and want to hear more. But these are the things that only matter on the surface, the real story, the real experience of Africa lies much deeper, the real story is the universality of the true church.

I recently visited with Laurie Gapp, who has just returned from a five month journey to Jamaica, and who is now traveling to area schools to share her experience. We both agree that our journeys to "another world" is something that is hard to explain, hard to share, hard to fully grasp, but definitely life changing. We both agree that there is a lesson to be shared through our experience of getting a taste of the "big picture", but I am not sure that either one of us know how to share it, in fear that we will sound too preachy.

There is one main thing that Colleen and I have learned from the experience of our separation that I would like to pass along to you, without going into too much preaching. The fact is that when we say "yes" to Christ and to His Will in our life, it will not always be a pleasant experience, sometimes it will hurt and it will hurt bad. Just remember that Mary said "yes" and gave herself totally to the Will of God, only to have the pain and terrible grief of watching her son die a painful and horrible death on the Cross. Through the "YES" and the sorrow of Mary, the Will of the Father was fulfilled and Jesus was born, crucified and raised in glory -- and we are raised up with Him. We need to trust in what we feel in our hearts is the will of the Father in our lives, and then act on that trust and do what it is that we feel we are called to do, even when it is not convenient or pleasant at the time. Unfortunately we are not always sure of what the Lord is asking of us, but hey, that is where faith comes in! As Thomas Greene wrote in his book `Weeds among the Wheat', "God writes straight with our crooked lines". What ever we do with the mind of Christ in our hearts, God will bless and make perfect for the good of the Body of Christ, and that my friends is "Good News".

Oh, by the way, grasshoppers actually taste pretty darn good, they just have a habit of staring at you while you eat them!

PEACE -- Tom Musgrave