One Crazy Week

It’s been one of those crazy weeks in which I’ve learned to not be surprised at anything anymore.

Here’s a rundown of some things that have happened.

-Smoky weather that gave Brad some stressful flying days, then caused him to have to stay interior one night. The smoke is caused by farmers in the jungle burning their fields to clear their lands, and it covers this entire region for weeks. In another parts of the region, the smoke is so bad that people can only see a few feet in front of them.

-An Indonesian military airplane that was flying right behind Brad in line to land in Tarakan crashed right after Brad landed. It reminded me to pray for my husband’s safety daily.

-An Indonesian friend of mine was disowned by her parents because of her faith. Her struggles this week have been heavy in my heart. I admire her greatly and am amazed at what she is giving up for her beliefs.

-An Indonesian man exposed himself to twice while I was on my morning run. The first time he did it after stopping to urinate on the side of the road in front of me, calling out to me to look at him. Then he got back on his motorcycle and followed me, then stopped and exposed himself to me again, calling out to me to look. I was thankful that others were around that second time, so he left me alone after that. I am very thankful nothing worse happened.

-I learned that a neighbor’s young child died of dengue fever last month, around the same time that my 1-year-old son had the sickness. Thankfully, my little boy is doing fine, but this neighbor’s news hit me hard.

-On a good note, our son, Evan, has really started walking all the time now. It’s amazing to see him learn this skill.

-I saw an Indonesian friend of mine who now lives on another island, but is visiting this one. She was good friends with another friend of ours who had died over a year ago in a motorcycle crash. This visiting friend hasn’t been here since that happened, and her visit has brought back those emotions of sadness in losing our friend.

-I hosted a meeting of Indonesian women in my home, but was so tired that I forgot many of my Indonesian words. I have no idea what I said or if anyone understood what I said. Thank goodness, they are kind, gracious women.

Throughout this week of being a bit overwhelmed by bad news, lots of activities, and not getting enough sleep for various reasons, I end the week being very thankful to God for His protection, faithfulness and goodness in my life.