Walking into...

It's Friday afternoon.

This morning Nathan and I had a final exam in Shqip II.  Sorry Dad, Nathan didn't get his test back  yet so we don't know who scored better. ;-)

As always, I try to look at the exams as a means of seeing what I need to study harder.  Apparently I could use some work this summer on my verb endings, 3rd person singular, simple past and future tenses specifically.

We are headed out the door soon for three nights in Vlashaj.  Soon it will be for much longer! I'm getting excited about that transition coming!

But I'm also leaving for the village today knowing we will be walking into lives full of struggle that I can't 'fix'.

Last weekend after church I had a couple of good conversations with ladies completely on my own (i.e. sans translator).  Of course I'm sure my grammar was ugly, but I understood them and they understood me.  But more important than my ability to speak words and understand theirs was the content of what was shared.  And what was shared was heavy.  A simple question on my part led into a story of heart ache and uncertainty.

Getting a glimpse into another's struggles is wearying.  And the needs here seem overwhelming.

In the meantime, we share Hope and that is why we have come. Hope that He can work all things for good for those who love Him. Hope that He can redeem pain and restore relationships. Hope that we are not alone in the burdens we carry, but that we can give those burdens to Him.

{posted 24 hours later}

The calendar may not yet declare it's summer, but the temps have officially crossed the 30-degree centigrade mark so now it's the season for cold refreshments!  Mirupafshim coffee 'til fall!  What do you think of my hospitality team?  Engrossed in some game, obviously.  It's just as well or we'd run out of cookies before the sermon finished!