From the Archive

Because tomorrow at sundown begins another Yom Teruah (Day of Blowing), I thought I would repost something I wrote a couple years ago relating to this day. It was one of those "aha moments" for me in the desert. Maybe it will speak to you as well.

I had a memorable experience as I was making my way back to the US from Kenya. I needed to get to Nairobi from the remote area where I had been, which was about 16 hours by land vehicle, but only about 3 hours by plane. A Mission Aviation Fellowship plane made a stop every Tuesday and Friday at Korr. The missionary I was visiting had one of the ambulance drivers take me to catch the 6-seater propeller plane. He drove me two hours in the sand and heat to Korr.

I was told that the plane could arrive anytime between 11 am and 1 pm (typically). We (the ambulance driver and I) got to Korr a little before 11 am. For the first 20 minutes or so, the driver took care of a couple errands and I visited with someone I had met a year earlier. I was a little nervous because I didn’t know exactly where the plane would land, and I didn’t want to be preoccupied with something else when it came. My driver assured me that we would know when the plane arrived. Nevertheless, I told the driver that I wanted to wait close to the airstrip. He drove me to a Catholic compound, which was right next to the airstrip and where there was some shade. We sat and waited. I looked in the direction of the "runway," or where I was told it was. It just looked like a flat open space of sand right next to another flat open space of sand. Cattle were walking along a path near it.

As I sat in the dusty heat in a Toyota Land Cruiser ambulance waiting for the little propeller plane to appear in the clouds, I began to doubt. Airplanes in the northern desert of Kenya are not a common sight. The only things I saw in the sky were a few clouds, birds, dust, and the hot sun. I kept watching the sky while I listened for an airplane. I started to wonder if it was really going to come. You never know in Africa what type of delays can take place and there is no fast or reliable way to communicate a delay in that part of the country. What an unlikely place for an airplane to land--in the middle of the desert. Still, there shouldn't have been much reason to doubt since I arrived in the same place two weeks prior in a plane operated by the same organization. It was only 12:20, so it was still within the expected arrival time, but for some reason, I was really starting to worry. How long would I wait? What if it got to be 2, 3, or 4 pm and it hadn’t arrived yet? At what time would I decide to quit waiting? Then what would I do?

I started thinking about how much faith it required for me to believe that the plane would actually arrive. It was much more difficult to believe it here in the desert than at “real airports” where monitors list the expected arrival time and gate agents assure customers that the plane is coming. This time I was trusting the word of a person I talked to a week earlier on a satellite phone.

As I sat there and looked at the sky, I realized that it was just a few days before Yom Teruah or Day of Blowing (Sept 2006), where we look forward to the day when the trumpet will sound, the whole world will hear it, and the Lord will return in the clouds. I was actively listening & looking at the sky waiting for a plane...do I wait and watch as intently for the Lord to return? Do I believe God's Word that the Messiah is coming again? How often do I grow impatient and start thinking that maybe He really isn’t coming?

Suddenly, the driver said, "It's coming. I hear the plane!" I didn’t hear anything. But as I listened I started to hear it. The driver heard it much sooner than I did because his ear was trained to hear the plane. In a similar way, I want my ear well-trained to hear the Lord.

I was reminded of these verses:
“But do not overlook this one fact, beloved, that with the Lord one day is as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day. The Lord is not slow to fulfill his promise as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing that any should perish, but that all should reach repentance. But the day of the Lord will come like a thief, and then the heavens will pass away with a roar, and the heavenly bodies will be burned up and dissolved, and the earth and the works that are done on it will be exposed. Since all these things are thus to be dissolved, what sort of people ought you to be in lives of holiness and godliness, waiting for and hastening the coming of the day of God, because of which the heavens will be set on fire and dissolved, and the heavenly bodies will melt as they burn! But according to his promise we are waiting for new heavens and a new earth in which righteousness dwells. Therefore, beloved, since you are waiting for these, be diligent to be found by him without spot or blemish, and at peace.” (2Pe 3:8-14 ESV)

Great Orchestration

I think of when I was in concert band in high school and the marvelous feeling that I felt when the band was "on" --the timing and notes were right. It was a feeling of awe to be part of beautiful music when we played our parts according to the direction of the conductor. I felt a similar awe over the last few days as I traveled to little Helena's funeral and then visited my family. I saw how the Great Conductor was orchestrating people to intersect at the right time, how weather was changed in a moment, and how seats on a plane opened.

One notable happening was when I was returning home last night. I had a small little paperback book that was evangelistic in nature. I was wondering who the Lord wanted me to give it to. I wasn't sure, so I kept it in my hand rather than put it in my backpack as I got off the plane. I was talking to the man who had been sitting next to me on the plane as we took the train back to the main terminal. He asked me, "What is that book that you have in your hand?" I said, "Do you want it? Here you can have it." He was a little surprised at my offer but gladly took the book. How easy was that? May the Lord work in that man's life.

I wasn't booked for that flight but I got on as a standby passenger even when one of the agents told me that my chances of getting on were slim. I see it as the Great Conductor doing some intricate orchestration. I am left with a sweet feeling of awe.

Back at home

So now I am back to the northwest United States after being in Finland for a couple weeks, and it feels like spring here. After being in the cold and snow, coming back to 50 degrees feels very nice. It has even been a little sunny. The worst part about traveling is readjusting. A 10-hr time change can have a dramatic impact on a persons physiological responses. I am now very tired early in the evening and fully awake at 6 am. Is that what it's like to be a morning person? I am not quite sure what to do with myself so wide awake at that time in the morning. The other part of readjusting is catching up with things at work. So much to do...I even tried to keep up a little while I was away.

Such is life--full of adjustments. We like to be in a routine and tend to be creatures of habit. It is really amazing how God created us to have bodies that are programmed according to the sunrise and sunset. Physiologically we adjust to the world around us. At the same time, we have been created to be able to adjust to changes as well. There are always changes (seasons, weather, etc.) around us, which provide interesting variety. However, it nice to know that we have a God who is constant.

"for 'All flesh is like grass and all its glory like the flower of grass. The grass withers, and the flower falls, but the word of the Lord remains forever.' And this word is the good news that was preached to you." (1Pe 1:24-25 ESV)

Some Finnish Observations

I have been enjoying my trip to Finland. It has been interesting to see it now with new perspective. The last time I was here was in 1996. Below is a brief list of some of my current observations (although my window of observation has been only one week).

1. Finnish people are very punctual--much more so than Americans. We attended a conference this past weekend, and I couldn't believe how every session started and ended on time (to the minute). It seems that every conference or retreat I have attended in the US starts a little late and the sessions and breaks go overtime.

2. Finns are direct and to the point. They say what they mean without beating around the bush. They don't waste a lot of time with flowery speeches. This probably helps them to be punctual.

3. Finns take hospitality very seriously. People go out of their way to make their food look beautiful and taste wonderful. Coffee is served with home baked goods and served in a creative way. Last night I got to eat smoked reindeer baked with cheese and onions on a rye crust--it was excellent. Tea and coffee is always accompanied with nice breads, cheese, meat, and some vegetables (usually cucumbers, tomatoes, and red peppers). Coffee also usually includes multiple dessert options with perhaps some sort of tort, cake, ice cream, chocolates, fruit, etc. Of course they are served with the proper silverware and dishes. A guest feels quite special here.

4. Traffic seems to be remarkably light here. I have a hard time believing how such large cities could have such little traffic. Cars, parking fees, and gasoline are not cheap. In addition, public transportation is readily available. When I think about it, much of American life is spent in an automobile. I think about all of the time per week that I spend in my vehicle going from place to place and sitting in traffic. It seems that the radius of daily activity is much smaller here than in America.

5. Design is sleek, simple, efficient, of high quality, and practical. This makes me feel quite at home. I like the sensibility of being efficient, practical, with a streamlined pleasent appearance in households and clothing. Wood, glass, and brushed metal are common materials.

6. Finns appear to be as informed and maybe more informed about American politics than the majority of Americans. In nearly every conversation I have had, one of the first questions that comes up is related to the Presidential candidates. They all want to know what we think about Hillary and Obama. The general thought here is that Obama will win (probably because of the media hype in the US about him). I of course let them know that I support Mike Huckabee. Many say they like him, but have not heard much about him (that seems to be a consensus in the US as well). One man told me that he heard that Huckabee has some ancestors who were from Finland. I have not been able to confirm this, but that would be pretty cool. I had one man ask me to help him understand a caucus, a primary, and super delegates. Most Americans would probably have the same question. Finland currently has a female president, so they are of course interested to know if the US will vote one in as well.

Below are a few pictures from my trip thus far.

Above is a pen pal from when I was about 8 years old who I was able to visit. She is a 3rd cousin once removed who found me a few months ago on Facebook after over 20 years. It was a lot of fun to meet her husband and to stay at her home (the conversation and hospitality were delightful).

Above are photos of a newly installed sauna that uses fiber optic lights in the ceiling. The design was very nice.

Above is a photo of the coffee table at one home. This woman does some catering, so her spread was a bit more extravagant than at other homes, but here you can get the idea as to some ideas here regarding evening coffee.

A little family history

Today I had a chance to see the hotel that my great grandfather helped to construct in the late 1880s. I understand he was some type of foreman or construction manager for the Hotel Kämp in Helsinki. Now this is considered as one of the top hotels in Helsinki. They have restored it, and it is quite impressive. It was a lot of fun for me to see how he left his mark in this part of the world. As I looked at the columns, stairways, and exterior, I thought about how much effort he put into getting it all looking so beautiful. Above is a photo from inside the lobby.


Above is a view of the stairways upward from the lobby.
My parents sitting in the lobby. Below is a view of the exterior of the building.

Waiting for a plane

As I sat in the dusty heat in a Toyota Landcruiser ambulance for a little 6-seater propeller plane to appear in the clouds, I began to doubt. Airplanes in the northern dessert of Kenya are not a common sight. Actually, in the village where I was waiting, one plane lands and takes off only two times a week (Tuesdays and Fridays). The town was about a 2 hour drive in the desert from the village I had been visiting. I was looking in the direction of the "runway," or where I was told it was. It just looked like a flat open space of sand right next to another flat open place of sand. The cattle were walking along a path near it. I guess the people around know that they should chase any animals away when they see the plane.

I was told that the plane could arrive anytime between 11 am and 1 pm (typically). You never know in Africa what type of delays can take place and there is no fast and reliable way to communicate a delay in that part of the country. I got to Korr at a little before 11 am, and we began waiting. I stopped to see someone I had met a year earlier, so I visited with her for about 20 minutes. Then my driver drove me to wait near the airstrip at a Catholic compound where there was some shade. We sat and waited. I kept watching the sky and listened for an airplane. I started to wonder if it was really going to come. What an unlikely place for an airplane to land--in the middle of the desert. There really shouldn't have been much reason to doubt since I arrived in Korr two weeks prior in a little plane operated by the same organization. But for some reason, I really started to wonder. How long will I wait? What will I do if it doesn't come? I started thinking that it really takes faith to believe that a plane will actually arrive. At other airports, a person sees the little monitor telling the arrival/departure times of the plane. We know that those times are obtained through radar tracking and communication with the pilot. I am usually fairly confident that what I see posted on the screen is fairly accurate (unless the word "delayed" is posted behind the flight). This time I was trusting the word of the person I talked to a week earlier.

I realized that day was just a few days before Rosh Hoshana (Sept 2006), where we look forward to the day when the trumpet will sound and the whole world will hear it. I was listening & looking at the sky waiting for a plane...do I wait and watch as intently for the Lord to return? Do I believe God's Word when He says He is coming again? Suddenly, the driver said, "It's coming. I hear the plane." As I listened I started to hear it, but he heard it much sooner than I did. His ear was trained to hear the plane. I want my ear trained to hear the Lord. What a great lesson to learn in the desert.