Owsleys in Brazil Blog

Surfing Lessons

 

Psalm 69:1-3 reads, Save me, O God!  For the waters have come up to my neck.  I sink in deep mire, where there is no foothold; I have come into deep waters, and the flood sweeps over me.  I am weary with crying out.

Often the storms of live threaten to overwhelm us.  Earlier this year I was encouraged by the words of Oswald Chambers when he wrote, “Huge waves that would frighten an ordinary swimmer produce a tremendous thrill for the surfer who has ridden them…  A saint doesn’t know the joy of the Lord in spite of tribulation, but because of it.”

We have been hit by many waves during these past two years.  Like timid swimmers, we dreaded each onslaught, but the Lord has been so patiently teaching us to “surf.”  Along the way we’ve learned the thrill of what it means to truly trust Him.  The latest piece of hard news didn’t knock us flat because we finally got it through our thick heads that Jesus can get us through ANYTHING.   It’s a joy to rely completely on Him and to watch and see how He’ll help us ride on the crest of this newest challenge.   

 

Does God Care About Our Dumb Stuff?

We left Brazil quite suddenly in June of 2009 because of medical issues.  We mistakenly thought a few months in the U.S. would clear them right up so we left our fully furnished rented house in the hands of a friend who promised to housesit until we returned.

Three months later we received the devastating news that we would not be returning for at least another year.  Unable to return to Brazil, we wondered how to remove our belongings to make room for the next renters.  Thankfully, another missionary couple, the Lamps, said they’d look for renters who might be willing to live with our furnishings.  A Brazilian couple was willing to rent the place, but they did not want all the furniture.  Another Brazilian missionary couple came to town and found housing, but had no furniture so the Lamps loaned them most of ours.  Books and files were boxed up and stored somewhere else. 

As the year went by I often wondered who was using our stuff and where it all was.  “Lord, you know all about it.  You gave it to us and you can give it back if it’s Your will.   If we never get it back, it’s okay, but please help me not to worry about it.”

Recently, when Dan visited Sao Paulo to renew his visa, he stopped at our old house to see if anyone knew about our belongings.  Levi, the present renter, showed him around.  His wife said that when she entered the house for the first time and saw that we had left everything she felt compassion for our troubles and determined to take care of our things as if we were family.  Hence, everything that was stored was carefully stored.  And everything that was used was well taken care of.

When Dan told me this, I couldn’t help praising the Lord for His lovingkindness.  I don’t think God cares about our stuff, as much as He cares about us.  Allowing Leila to watch over it vigilantly was His way of reminding us that He WATCHES OVER US with vigilance.  What a precious reminder! 

 

Job Descriptions

Oswald Chambers wrote that our first job is to know God and all other tasks fall into place after that.  You’d think that after all these years of walking with Jesus that I’d have that figured out. 

Most people have a vague idea what missionaries do.  They live in another country, sharing the love of Christ through preaching and teaching, and then come home every four years for a furlough.  The word “furlough” was misunder-stood to mean vacation so a few years ago the term was changed to “home assignment” to convey the reality that the missionary is still on full-time duty. 

Clearly, when we are in Brazil, we are doing our job and, clearly, when we are on home assignment we are doing it too.  But what about the year we were “on hold” while recuperating from a stressful time on the field.  If you’ve read this blog for any length of time, you know that this time of inactivity was a challenge.  How could we write ministry newsletters when we weren’t “doing” anything?   But as often as I asked the Lord that question, He sent words of affirmation from prayer partners or through devotional books we were reading.

The most recent encouragement comes from Priscilla Shirer’s book on Jonah.  She writes that what we consider to be an interruption to our plans is often just a new assignment.  Shirer says, “God graciously gives divine interruptions to His children.  He presents them an opportunity to partner with Him in purposes they could never conceive.  A life interrupted by a holy God is a privilege.” (p. 16)

So in between our field and home assignment was another one, just as surely a divine appointment as the other two.  He called us who were weary and burdened to come to Him and find rest.  And, yes, it has been privilege.

 

Thoughts on Thanksgiving Week

Two weeks ago we had a mini family reunion in Michigan with many of Dan’s cousins.  This weekend we’ll be in Illinois with his parents and siblings for an early Christmas gathering.  Last week we had the joy of visiting Hope’s family in Mississippi and Kentucky.  We basked in the balmy weather and familial kinship at our first stop.  And although Kentucky weather was colder, we were received with just as much as warmth and love. 

We are grateful to the Lord for His safekeeping over many miles.    And we thank Him for the tremendous treasure He’s given us in our families.  They have loved us.  They have never questioned our call to missions.  Our parents, in particular, have always encouraged us to say “yes” to Jesus no matter what the cost.    We praise the Lord for their tremendous encouragement and support.

Since we spend most of our lives thousands of miles away from loved ones, we cherish the time the Lord gives us together as one of His precious gifts.  It’s a taste of the “forever fellowship” we’ll have when we finally get to Heaven.   There will be no more endless hours in the car and no more goodbyes - only joy in His presence forevermore.  I can hardly wait!

 

Shelf Life

In Brazil we buy milk in one-liter boxes which can be kept on the kitchen shelf up to a year.  It’s called UHT milk because of the “ultra high temperature” with which the milk is heated to kill bacteria before it is put in sterilized boxes.  We like the convenience and look for good sales so that we can buy it by the case.  Of course, with teenage boys around it never lasts long!

 

During these past 18 months in the U.S.  I’ve been tempted at times to feel like we’ve been “put on the shelf”.  Thankfully, I’ve been learning that the Lord has His purposes for making us sit still.  We’ve been blessed on many fronts as we’ve stopped our frenzy of missionary activities and have had time to hear His precious voice.

 

Hannah Whitall Smith wrote, “If the Lord sets you to guard a lonely spot in perfect stillness from all active work, you ought to be just as content as to be in the midst of active warfare.  It is no virtue to love the Master’s work better than the Master’s will.”

 

We are praising Him for patiently teaching us to love His will above all things.

Prevenient Grace

 I wish I could say “We bid a sad farewell to my Dad this past week”, but it wouldn’t be completely true.  Yes, there were tears, but we also had an overwhelming sense of joy that my father was with Jesus.  His  80 years of walking faithfully with God were cause to celebrate. 

We celebrated the Lord’s hand on his life from an early age.  My grandfather abandoned the family when my father was only five.  His mother was forced to work outside the home and no one had time to “train him up in the way he should go.”  But through the years God sent neighborhood families who invited him to Sunday School. 

With very little understanding of spiritual things, my dad determined to live a clean life and to seek the Lord.  The Lord kept him and led him.  By the mid 1950’s he was in training to become a missionary.  Soon he fell in love with Beth Callis, a fellow missionary candidate.   They pledged their lives to God and to each other and served on the mission field for many years. 

Who would have thought that a young boy with such an unpromising future would become fluent in Chinese, preach with such eloquence and win so many to the Lord?  We thank God for my dad’s life, but even more we praise the Lord for the grace that was at work even before Dad knew Him.    

What's In A Name?

    The bird feeder in our yard attracts many lovely birds.  Since I'm an amateur birdwatcher, I keep a guide by the window and leaf through it excitedly when any new color combination of feathers comes into view.  The other day I carefully observed a little fellow with a reddish-orange patch on his head.  He had a thin black “mask” around his eyes which was outlined in white.  Certain that I’d discovered some rare species, I grabbed the book and searched eagerly for its name.  What a disappointment to discover it was only a chipper sparrow.  How could something so beautiful be so common?  Was he really any less beautiful because his name was unspectacular?  Why does giving a name to something increase or decrease its value?   

    The book of John tells us that Jesus calls His sheep by name.  It is an indication that He gives us value.  If He cares enough to give each star a name (Ps 147:4), He certainly cares about the ones created in His own image.  In times of turmoil and change, I’ve been greatly comforted by Isaiah 43: “Fear not, for I have redeemed you; I have summoned you by name; you are mine." 

    Because of verse one I can believe verse two:  “When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and when you pass through the rivers, they will not sweep over you.  When you walk through the fire, you will not be burned.”  Our faith stays intact in difficult times because we KNOW He knows our names.  Praise the Lord that we are precious in his sight (verse 4) and He does not forget us.  

Full Circle

In June of 2001 Dan and I bid a sad farewell to our friends and colleagues in NE Brazil.  We were heading to the U.S. for home assignment and would be moving to a new location in Brazil the following year.  At our final church service in Petrolina the pastor asked our family to stand near the altar.  Then the whole church lined up to give us good-bye hugs.  Each one was bittersweet because we didn’t know when we’d see each other again.  

Only a few short weeks later we were speaking at our first family camp in Alpena, Michigan.   After our first meeting the pastor surprised us by calling our family to stand up front.  He asked the congregation (complete strangers!) to come up and hug us one by one.  As we stood receiving their embraces and hearing their words of encouragement, I knew the Lord had orchestrated the whole thing to show us that He was in absolute control of our lives.  Just as the Lord “takes away”, He also gives.  Blessed be the name of the Lord!

This year we’ll be hitting the deputation trail again. We feel more frail and vulnerable than usual and wonder if we’ll do alright.  Wasn’t it sweet of the Lord to make our first stop Dearborn FMC?  This is the church that loved and nurtured us during our first two years of married life and sent us off to Brazil 22 years ago with their blessing. 

It is also the church that welcomed us with open arms (weaknesses and all) several Sundays ago.   Once again the Lord had brought us full circle.  In all our leaving and coming, He knows how best to comfort and strengthen our hearts.

Beyond Our Wildest Dreams - Part Two

After our fourth son was born, I breathed a little prayer of thanks and said, “Lord, you must know I needed boys.”   Believing that the Lord gives us the desires of our heart, I assumed that I’d get my girls someday as daughters-in-law or granddaughters.  But the Lord so sweetly fulfilled those desires long before my boys were old enough to marry and become fathers.

When Andrew turned three I felt the Lord nudging me to start a ministry for young girls out of our home in Petrolina (NE Brazil).  Although I felt overwhelmed with the responsibilities of caring for my own four young children, I obeyed His prompting and invited pre-teen girls over for “Girls’ Club”.  What a joy to share  with them about our potential to be women after God’s own heart.  The rewards reaped from those classes can’t be calculated by earthly standards.

Now the Lord has given me the desire of my heart once again as I lead a small group Bible study at the university.  Fifteen darling girls meet with me each week.  What a thrill to work with young women who are hungry for God.  Once again I’m humbled that He would give me the desire of my heart long before I expected to receive it.  Praise Him for His loving-kindness!

Libraries and Grace

During our recent transitions I’ve had the opportunity to become acquainted with several libraries.  In California they didn’t want to give me a library card until they had seen my references.  But after that I was given access to an unlimited number of books for a three week period.   Late fees were a mere 25 cents a day.  Later, in Ohio, they reluctantly gave me a card, but only on the condition that I not check out more than two items at a time.  There was a hefty five dollar fine for anyone who, heaven forbid, returned a DVD in the book slot.   I could hardly wait to get to my Michigan library where I would not be viewed with suspicion AND most importantly, where I wouldn’t have to convince anybody I deserved a library card since I already had one.

It was an interesting opportunity to see various levels of grace at work.  The library in Fresno was gracious and friendly once I proved myself worthy of their trust.   The restrictions placed on me in Ohio made me feel unwanted.  (Aren’t libraries supposed to encourage people to read and read and come back for more?)  Later when I arrived in Spring Arbor I breathed a sigh of relief when the desk clerk recognized me and didn’t ask me to prove anything. 

Obvious parallels to the Church come to mind.  Are we warm and friendly only after we find out if someone is a “card carrying” Christian?  Do we hold people at arm’s length until they prove themselves?  I hope that those who walk into our churches feel that they’ve found a place to belong even before they believe in Jesus.   The truth is that none of us deserves a place in the Church. Only by trusting in the gracious blood of Jesus do we “get in”.  May we be generous and gracious to all who come through our doors so that they’ll want to become members of this great fellowship we call the body of Christ.