A Note From Tom: May 6th, 2011

Ciao a tutti!

E’ stata una settimana bellissima ma siamo contenti di essere finalmente…

Opps. Sorry, everybody. I’m a little confused and jet-lagged after a week in Italy…Let’s see…Today is…uuhh…Friday and so, we’re in…America! So….

Hey, everyone!

Hope you’re having an awesome, praise-filled, restful, unjet-lagged day, full of …full of…fu…zzzzzzz…….zzzzzz….

Huh?

Oh. Sorry again everyone. I’ll get it together here in a day or two…

Anywhooo…We had an awesome week in Italy with the Young Life and MCYMers (Ministry to Children and Youth of Military) in Pisa! We got to give it our best shot at encouraging a bunch of amazing men and women of God with Young Life and Youth For Christ together, who are giving their life and their all to reach kids of US and NATO soldiers and officers on our US military bases across Europe from Great Britain to Turkey. They are unbelievable! It was such a humongous honor to hang out with such devoted and gifted folks! Kids who have an unusually difficult and complicated life most of the time…because of the sacrifices that their parents are called to make… will never be the same forever because of hearts that care for them and because of so many who give so much to reach and encourage them!

 
We were soooo thankful to be there with them…and on time! Somehow we were rushing, hurrying, sweating and running through airports all the way to get to them!  If you have a little delay at this airport and a half hour on the runway at that one , before you know it, you’re running like a nut to not miss the last one! And your legs are so cramped from the last flight, it’s tough to really hit your stride! Airplanes were made for Ken and Barbie…with little Ken and Barbie food…Ken and Barbie bathrooms…and if Ken and Barbie were as cramped as you feel in the Ken and Barbie seats, they could just take their legs off and hold them if they wanted to!


Anyway, there were moments when we were haulin’ it through the Paris airport when we were wondering if we’d really make it to Italy. We did! Our bag didn’t however. Had to wait to the next day for our underwear to catch up with us!

Did you know that if Delta loses your luggage, they give you a little bag with a “survival kit”? It has a Ken and Barbie toothbrush with K ’n B toothpaste and a K  ’n B comb. No t-shirts,  boxers, or socks included in the kit, however. Ken’s wouldn’t fit anyway.

But I think…in fact I know…that the reason we made it on time is that we have a Great Shepherd Who makes sure we’re where we need to be, just when we need to be there! If we had missed our flights, we would have known that He had a reason for us to be in  an unexpected place. If we find ourselves in a tough spot we would have preferred to avoid, He knows why! And He never leaves us there alone! Psalm 121 says He “will watch over your life; the LORD will watch over your coming and going both now and forevermore.”

So even if you don’t realize it, you’re just where you need to be…right on time! Even if you’re baggage isn’t. Sometimes that’s what it’s all about anyway…getting rid of some of that!

And one day soon, He is going to come…with the shout of the archangel and the trump of God! And right on time!…without delay!...without the little speech about cabin decompression (because we’ll be breathless in the beauty of Him!)…we are going to take off and fly away home!

And we won’t give a thought to all that baggage at the baggage claim!

We’re just gonna leave it all behind!