Poetry Wednesday, Vol. 64

Growing up, our friends and fellow missionaries, the Blyckers, lived just around the corner. Directly behind us on the next block, in fact. We didn't see each other every single day, but we were together often enough that Jon and Ben play a huge role in my memories of life as a child. Building forts, playing in the dirt park, going to the store, camping, sleepovers, Ben and Jon are right there in my mind. Our families took trips together, vacationed together and worked together. I remember on more than one occasion, locking ourselves in a closet to read scary stories until somebody cried. That somebody was usually Jon.

Ben was quieter than Jon. He had all kinds of interesting ideas. He could find a use for anything and never got rid of things. Something we thought of as junk was useful to him. Coming from the most musical family in the world, Ben played all types of instruments, in highschool I remember him placing his Sousaphone on the floor and bending over it to practice when it got too heavy to carry around.

Time moved on, we grew up as people do, and Ben met Angela. Angel, as he called her, and we began to call her, looked like just that, and Angel. With her tall Swedish good looks and her sweet smile, she did look angelic. And she was, is, sweet and kind and loving.

Ben and Angel and brood visited us on Monday and stayed the night. It was so good to see them and to reconnect. Angela pointed out that last time we saw each other Josie was nursing, and we had never met their sweet youngest. I'll have to admit, I was a bit nervous about this visit. Angela just recently wrote a book, and if I was a bit dumbstruck by her deep thinking and profound love of God before the book, I was utterly amazed by her spirit after reading the book. Go, buy it. I don't think deeply, I don't use big words and I get a bit tongue tied and shy around those who do. Even when those are people I love deeply and have known for a long time - maybe more so.




Why did I worry? Their visit was so good. They were an encouragement and a balm to our spirits. You see, Ben and Angel have struggled for the past 12 years, Twelve years!, to find where they are supposed to be. Ben has so many unique talents and a gift with his hands, Angela has a deep love for writing and for women, and they both have an incredible passion to serve God. We have watched from a distance as the course of their marriage and search to serve Christ took them to different countries, different parts of the U.S. and many highs and lows.

God has taken care of them, though. He has found them the place to be. They are seeing that those past twelve years, the bitter dissapointments, the great joys, the exhaustion of their search has not all been in vain. They have found their place for now. They are serving with New Missions Systems International in Florida; Ben will be responsible for mainting and constructing facilities at the headquarters, Angela working with women and new missionaries with training, research and encouragement. Their work will be so much more, though. They will be, undoubtedly, and encouragement and a help to all they meet. Their place has been found. As an aside, you can see her beautiful painting here.

Right now they are on one of those long support raising, visiting, encouragement trips that all missionaries must do. But more than raising support, I believe they are lifting the spirits of everyone they meet. They most definitely encouraged us and gave us hope for our future.

Pray for them, that they may find financial and prayer partners. Pray they will bless every house they visit as they did ours. Pray for their family, their children and their marriage, that they will remain faithful to their one true Love. They are an amazing couple.

After all that, this poem seems a bit insipid and falls a bit flat, but they can't all be winners, I suppose. This poem would work better with a post that began with - so my dinner burned - and ended with - but we got ice cream-.

I'm so glad all of you are joining us for Poetry Wednesday! Please make sure to click on each name at the bottom of this post to read all kinds of good poetry and meet all kinds of interesting people!

Sometimes

Sheenagh Pugh

Sometimes things don't go, after all,

from bad to worse. Some years, muscadel

faces down frost; green thrives; the crops don't fail,

sometimes a man aims high, and all goes well.

A people sometimes will step back from war;

elect an honest man; decide they are

enough, that they can't leave some stranger poor.

Some men become what they were born for.

Sometimes our best efforts do not go

amiss; sometimes we do as we meant to.

The sun will sometimes melt a field of sorrow

that seemed hard frozen: may it happen for you.