Runs, Mangos and Waves

I fear I sometimes come across on here as if things aren’t good and I am really struggling- I am but I also desperately try to find ways to be balanced and renewed. This weekend I found a little slice of Heaven here on earth. On Thursday after bringing some visitors to the airport Laura and I and 2 other friends headed for a beach retreat! We returned back to the mission this afternoon with sweet memories of eating too many mangos, too much seafood, too much sun, and lots of laughs. It was so refreshing. I was also able to get out and go for a few runs- always healing to my soul. For a few moments, I forgot where I was. It was refreshing!
Here’s a photo of the desolate beach we were on. It is just gorgeous, with wild waves of the Indian Ocean to play in!





Here’s our cute little house we stayed in…



And Laura and I…



Tomorrow starts another week, I am clinging to two bits of advice that I have receive recently.
First- Even though I may feel like I am going through “the valley of the shadow of death, I am just passing through- not camping within!”
And- as Psalm 11:4 says, “the Lord is in his holy Temple; the Lord still rules from heaven.”
No matter what the circumstances I experience (or any of us), the Lord is in his holy Temple! Feel free to remind me of this if I sound as if I have lost this focus.
Thank you so much to those who send such encouraging words! Prayers are keeping me going. Bless you.

Finally, as I struggle to share the depth of my experiences here, Hands at Work has made some videos that may show a bit more vividly, what I am doing. The links are below. I haven’t actually seen them yet but I trust that they will really help you understand the heart of Hands at Work.

One by One- George Snyman (founder of Hands at Work) telling the story of H@W
http://vimeo.com/1920449

My Hands – A variety of Hands at Work volunteers telling their stories
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vp9pdebZddU