One Epic Week

by - 1:24 AM


Being an adult seems to mean that large segments of your life are now rather monotonous.
Some might even say boring.  

Work for example can vary quite a bit, but overall many days tend to blend together because of how similar (and mundane) they are. 

That is true even when you are living as a missionary in another country.  

But not last week.

Last week was a flash back to the everyday adventuring of childhood.  
My body was quick to remind me that though I may feel like a child at heart, I was no longer so in body.

At the end of September, our Thai staff asked me to plan some outdoor activities for our boys during their school break in October in an effort to keep them off their devices all the time
(can I get an Amen from the parents out there?)

I was happy to oblige.  

One of the things that I have come to appreciate more as I get older is how beneficial it is to have many hobbies.  One the one hand, I am not especially good at any one thing.  A jack of all trades, but a master of none.  I am unlikely to be exceptional at any of my hobbies, especially at my age (40 feels old).  

But it means even if lots of things change, there is almost always something I can find to do and enjoy.  

So I started making a list of some of my favorite outdoor activities in Chiang Mai and then planned to take our boys from Faithful Heart.

Monday was the Grand Canyon Water Park.  

Think ninja warrior on a lake.  Cliff jumping, blob launching, zip lining, water slides, giant trampolines, kayaks.  Needless to say, excited levels were high.  I was only hoping my 40 year old body could still take the punishment.  




Forgive these generic pictures, I always forget to take pictures when I am having fun

Unfortunately for the boys, Tuesday was slightly less exciting: dentist day. 
But to make up for the sore mouths, we did make it to the movie theater that afternoon and consumed two 5 gallon buckets of popcorn. 


Wednesday was Boat Day!  
We Fished, kayaked, swam, and ate chicken, sticky rice, and papaya salad.  









Thursday was Rock Climbing Day.  

We were able to rent shoes for all the boys from Progression Vertical and with the help of a slightly handicapped Devin Hubbard and Joel Maguire, we got everyone who was willing on the rocks!  







Friday I was tempted to take a break.  

I was sore and tired, but the weather was overcast and perfect for hiking.  Following Audrey's wise advice, I scrapped my plans for a more difficult hike, and settled on the main mountain in Chiang Mai, Doi Suthep.  It was 6.5kms to the top, and then we could get a song tao to take us back down.  

Plus there were smoothies at the top.  








We made it!  


On Saturday, we had Sienna's 7th birthday party.  

15 cute girls descended on our Narnia themed home and there were games, pizza, and ice cream cake.  There was lots of fun, and lots of mosquito bites (the zip line was a big hit).  





On Sunday, I was preaching at our Thai church.  

They forgot to tell me until Monday, and as you can see, it was a full week.  But I had been reading the story of Caleb in the book of Chronicles in the Bible during my quiet time with God, and it had really made an impression on me.  

Caleb had a different spirit, and even when everybody else was going a different way, he wholeheartedly followed God.  








I am going to have to thank my friend Bible (a person, not the book) for taking these pictures, he has some serious skill.  

After a week like this, I often feel reflective and grateful. 
How is this my "real" life?
If you were to write a job description specifically for me, it would probably look like last week.

I remember the stress I felt when I first went to college and everyone was asking me what I was going to study, what I wanted to do with my life.

How do you know when you are so young, have experienced so little of life, and know so little even about yourself?

I remember even more stress when I graduated from college, and was asking myself: what am I going to do now?  How will I earn my living?  Where will I go?  

I had dreams of being a missionary; someone who lived in another country and worked for the well being of others, sharing with them the good news about Jesus, hardly knowing what that would be like or where. 

But for the time being, I had bills to pay.  So I kept digging fence posts.  

If I could go back in time, and talk to that stressed young man I would tell him to trust God and not be anxious about tomorrow.  

I would tell him to do the day's work, to dream, to plan, to save, to invest, to grow and keep learning, and following God.  

Because one day God would bring you to a place like Thailand, and a week like this week.  

If you were wondering how the strange combination of experiences, skills, education, and hobbies you have could be combined into a job title, here you go.  

If you were wondering how sacrificing some of the things you loved in order to follow God might come back to you, here you go.  

If you wondered how God's plan for your life could be even better than any of your own dreams for your life, here you go.  

Because it wasn't by achieving my dreams, or getting what I wanted that ultimately lead to a joyful life, but allowing God to lead me into the life He planned for me.  

As C.S. Lewis said, 

"Aim at heaven, and you will get earth thrown in; aim at earth, and you will get neither."

He was following Jesus' own worlds: 

"Seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you."
 
A life that isn't about what we possess, but what possess us.  
A life that isn't merely about getting or giving, but enjoying God and His incredible, extravagant, gift of life together.  
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