GANEIDA'S KNOT.

Go mbeannai Dia duit.

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Quaker by conviction, mother by default, Celticst through love, Christ follower because I once was lost but now am found...

Sunday, March 7, 2010

Maudlin' Monday.


Who, or why, or which, or what, is the Akhond of Swat? Edward Lear.


See it's been raining for a week, 10 days if you like, up here. Melbourne [down south] had a shower & got flooded out. Water, water everywhere & not a drop to drink....What this means in practical terms is the washing is piling up & the whole house feels damp. Ick. Or if your a Melbournite or somewhere out St George way you're scraping mud off the walls & throwing away the family heirlooms.

I was flicking through Sunday's paper, which is a waste of a good tree or two only Dearest feels deprived if he doesn't get Sunday's paper, & what grabbed my attention was not the golfball sized hail that hit Melbourne or the hoo~ha about who can or cannot march with the veterans on ANZAC Day or the media hyped housing crisis, critical as any or all of these things may be. Nope. Tucked away in an obscure corner was this choice little gem: a Korean couple let their 3 month old daughter starve to death while they raised a virtual daughter on~line! Their virtual child was named Anima & they cared for her at the local internet cafe for as long as 12 hours at a time while their real daughter languished un~named, unattended & malnourished in their apartment. How did we, as a people, get so screwy?! How does someone so lose their way between fantasy & reality? This shocks me far more than Haiti, or Chile or the numerous other natural disasters that are plaguing our world at present because this was a choice. This couple chose their virtual *daughter* over their real one. Is it only me that thinks that's more than a little scary?


And while I'm at it, who writes the manual for the parents of missionaries? After a week in Melbourne Liddy was gone all weekend ~ & this will be the case more & more as the missionary fueled wheels grind to the final departure but ~ no~one told us about this. No~one prepared us to lose Liddy before she actually left & I'm just a tad peeved. I'm the gal that needs to prepare emotionally. Don't hit me with unexpected emotional whammies because I don't cope too well & we all know I'm not the practical sort. The practicalities of getting Liddy to Chile never once crossed my mind but we are dealing with those realities now. [& this folks is why Liddy is going to Chile & I am not. Um, yes, it's been confirmed.]

You know I'm an Aussie & there's a little thing about Aussie native flora that gardeners learn real fast if they plan on dealing with Australian natives; you can transplant them but they will only survive if you get the entire tap~root, intact & undamaged. Break that & you will lose the plant! Often that is true for people too. We plan on getting Liddy to Chile intact & undamaged, her tap~root anchored securely in the love we all have for her. Finding ways that best support her is not going to be easy because our concern is for Liddy & all Liddy's thoughts are consumed by Chile & we are all trying to perform our God~ordained role in the process. Where is the manual when you need it?


And last but certainly not least: due to some confusion about who was doing what when on Sunday one of our families was taxied here by another friend & in the general chit~chat that tends to happen at such times some interesting data was shared. Interesting because I can't name you a church on the islands that isn't struggling. They are struggling to get the numbers or they are struggling to get finance or they are struggling to get a preacher or they are struggling with the music , or they are struggling to outreach ~ you name it one or more of our island churches is battling in that area. All of them are small, under 50 regular attendees. There are 3 main ones just on our island: the Catholics & Anglicans [by far the largest group & I'm not going to distinguish because the Anglicans are *high* & as any Anglican will admit that makes them far closer to popish practises than not]; the Pentecostalists & the non~denoms. For all the years I've been here those numbers have not fluctuated much, though the Pentecostal churches tend to start with a boom & end with a bang. We've grown leery of the pentecostalists who arrive here to *save* the island from itself. No staying power. Sad but true. At different times the church we did belong to grew so small it worshipped in believer's homes. What has come to pass, quietly & unobserved, is a whole underground movement of *cell groups*, most of whom know nothing about each other but who are quietly meeting together each Sunday to worship & encourage each other, just as we do. There may be as many as 200 hidden believers. That is phenomenal! Many are disenchanted with regular church but are very committed to Christ. I think that is very exciting. Someone has a vision for bringing all these diverse groups together once a month or so ~ though I suspect their very camouflage ensures their effectiveness.

A lot of people have been praying for revival for a long time but I am minded what a very wise & experienced minister once told his congregation: many of the very ones who have prayed most fervently for revival do not recognize it when it comes or the manner in which it manifests. I think I need to remind myself pretty often not to stand in God's way & let Him get on with it.

5 comments:

Molytail said...

Um, yes, it's been confirmed

How awesome, exciting, and scary all at one time, I bet! You've raised a wonderful young lady there and I'm sure that she'll do very well in Chile ~ though I imagine everyone will miss her so much. Yet, such a beautiful choice that she's making - of course, I get the impression that it isn't really a "choice", so much as it's going where God is leading her!

The newspaper article.. the world is a terrible place, in many ways. There's been a case in the news here about a man whose 16 month old daughter died after ingesting methadone - which is horrifying enough, but apparently he tried to "revive" her by taking apart a lamp and doing something with the wires..for five hours. He was quoted in the news as not calling 911 because "his cell phone was dead". Unbelievable. [yet - believable, because there is so much awful in the world...]

What has come to pass, quietly & unobserved, is a whole underground movement of *cell groups*, most of whom know nothing about each other but who are quietly meeting together each Sunday to worship & encourage each other, just as we do.

Amazing! I've heard rumours of a few 'home church' groups here in town, but haven't actually met anyone who is a part of one..

The kitties look like they're getting ready for a snack LOL *grin*

Anonymous said...

Hi Ganeida,
Oh, Marlo and Kirby look like Heckel and Jekyll, our two boys, Moonlight and Jeremiah. Where one is, you'll find the other no more than two feet away. :D

Our new church is great,and we have great musicians, a pastor who preaches awesome messages and wonderful church fellowship. :D

The story about the little girl sickens me - how can the parents do this to one of their own? It sort of reflects the world in which we live, doesn't it?

Have a wonderful week,
Blessings,
Jillian

Sandra said...

The story about the Korean couple left me cold and feeling empty. What is wrong indeed. Poor baby.

I know how hard it must be to see Liddy leaving the nest (or knot). She has a very strong tap root and will survive the transplant. Her gardener was a splendid one.

The church part I will leave to others who know better than I.

Hug the boys and check the soundness of the boat.

Ganeida said...

Moly: right on all counts. ☺

Jillian: Yep; the boys are never far apart. The church Liddy attends evenings is pretty good ~ especially with the youth. Awesome youth pastor! On the island we have limited choices & spiritual issues a little too complicated to go into here. It's as if God is sending in the guerilla troops & the snipers now. ☺

Sandra: Liddy is tough; I worry more for Ditz who is not & who will miss her terribly ~ as I will. She works on island & comes home for lunch every day. Not having that continual contact will be a shock to the system.

And I don't know what it is about the males of this household & water. The cats are fascinated & even play with the water in their drinking bowl.

seekingmyLord said...

Ganeida, I wish I could hug you, cry, and pray with you all at the same time as I read our your heart poured out on these virtual pages.