He Goes Before Us

He goes before us--"he" being God, and the "going before," meaning that I've been so aware lately that he does, all the time, and I should really relax more into that! I could give many examples, but I am trying to focus on the main thing, that being our current adventure, and not stray off onto bunny trails.

I, and 14 other team members, are in the process of leaving, over the next three days, for Mishkeegogamang First Nation, which is 2000 north of here, near to Pickle Lake, in north-western Ontario.

Our "lead goose" and trip coordinator, Susan, left this morning by road, with a small convoy following her. Jamie and Kevin leave in the early hours of tomorrow morning, and Paul and I and the rest of the team are flying to Thunder Bay on Saturday morning and will reconnect with the "roadies", then drive together the rest of the way to Mish, arriving late on Saturday.

We have been preparing for weeks, and truth be told, by the time we all leave, we will be a rag-tag and tired bunch; but we have such a sense of anticipation, of excitement at seeing old friends, and of watching what God has in store for this trip, unfold. 

Early this morning Paul and I drove over to Susan and Ron's house, to return the van that is going up, and deliver some last minute frozen casseroles. We found Ron securing a bike to the roof of Susan's car, and Susan on the phone looking for some missing luggage. The impossible has already been done in getting this far, and only in God's strength. We're all depending on him completely for every part of this trip.

We have two churches praying for us and anxiously waiting for news bulletins, and we are carrying the generosity of our surrounding communities in goods and goodwill.

We love the people of Mishkeegogamang. We have been humbled and stretched by them in our 12 year relationship. We just can't wait to be heart to heart again--to play and pray with them, and further our friendships.

Back to what I said at the beginning about God going before us. I have learned that he does, and I think I stumbled on something about prayer as I pondered it. He already knows our needs and is meeting them in advance, so why do we pray? Prayer, I have come to believe, is more about us learning God's heart than tugging on his heart strings. It's about synchronizing our hearts with his. It's about learning to care by walking with him, listening closely, being shaped, humbled and taught as we do. 

So stay tuned. I promise to do my best to take you with us!