My favorite thing to do back at base camp. Hanging out with my boys!
Right before we (meaning camp staff) were to return to base camp, we were visited by a couple of young ladies from our mission organization. They were on assignment to interview and video the training of the church planters at bush camp and the work of my son’s team in general.
These two young women were a delight to get to know and I admired their independent spirit and their passion for God. Here they were traveling all over the place doing interviews, taking pictures and videos of the work of missions in some of the most exotic places on earth. National Geographic photographers have nothing over these two gals.
As we piled into the my son’s truck to return to base camp, our spirits were running high. I confess, I was anticipating the luxury that was about to be mine–eating delicious food my daughter in law and others would be preparing for us, (rice and beans are good, really good, but a steady diet of it gets old you know), enjoying the convenience of an in-house bathroom, sleeping on a soft and comfy bed and getting more opportunities to make memories with my baby grandson!
But something unique began happening to me on the drive home. I do believe it had something to do with the praise my son gave to all of us in the truck for our efforts in helping out with the training at bush camp.
He started with me by saying that I got the most improved award! An award which I gladly accepted because, my dear readers, I was down pretty low; up was the only place I could go at this point. My teacher friend and I received a lot of praise for our efforts and I confess it was very motivational and reassuring.
The laughter and enthusiasm of my two new friends were contagious. As we rolled into town, I realized that for the first time since I had begun my teaching at base camp, I felt a subtle but noticeable change in my spirit. Up until that moment, the word ‘crushed’ would have been the adjective I would have chosen (you’ll realize why in a bit).
That’s a wonderful feeling! And it’s odd too, because I was 30+ years older than most everyone in that vehicle. I began to forget how old I was and found myself joining right in with their silliness and good humor. Ah h h, just what I needed.
God has some good words to describe what I was feeling:
A joyful heart is good medicine,but a crushed spirit dries up the bones. Proverbs 17:22 ESV
Being the Mom of a Missionary 
Leave a Reply