Continuing on the boat theme in our newsletter…
Capsized. A funny word with possibly serious repercussions. It is usually used in reference to boats and ships overturning, upset, turned over. No one is quite sure where the word originated, but it may be from Spanish (capuzar) or Catalan (cabussar), meaning to thrust (the head) underwater. It is not normally done on purpose.
After six years of living here in Virginia and many years of sailing dreams, Tom finally got to take his tiny boat out. He and our friend Riely set sail last Saturday. Riely is in the Coast Guard and Tom is experienced with boats so we would have been fairly confident…except for the leaky condition of Tom’s bargain boat. And sure enough they capsized, not once, but thrice! And on turning for home when they realized the hull was filling with water, the tiller broke. They survived to tell their soggy tales. At one upset they realized it was shallow enough to stand. And even when out of their depth they were able to get the boat upright. They had some good sailing moments and came into the dock in a style reminiscent of Jack Sparrow in Pirates of the Caribbean when his boat sinks as he steps onto the dock. But men and boat made it home. Wish we had photos.
I share this story, partly because it is humorous, partly because Tom finally got to sail! And we are grateful to the Creator of winds and waves, sailors, and seas for safe passage. We often capsize on life’s journey. Sometimes we land on our feet, happy to touch sand. Sometimes we thrash about and struggle to come right again. Often, we remind ourselves that our boat could be in better shape. And then there are times of serious struggle when only God can see us safely to shore. We are lifted on His mercy, carried by His grace. Our current capsizings are small, and sometimes even humorous. Often, we are more swamped than overturned. But we know many around us near to home and across the globe are caught in storms, gasping for breath, holding on for dear life…or learning to let go. Whatever our situation, how glorious to know we have a God who watches over us, who stretches out His hand, who holds on even when we can’t.
Well, we have done a bit of traveling besides Tom’s Boating Adventure. Thanks for keeping us in your prayers! Tom spent a week in Peru last month, participating in the Wycliffe Global Alliance Americas Area meetings. It is such a blessing to be meeting with colleagues face-to-face again! There’s a new Area Director and numerous new team members so it was a great time of building relationships and looking to the future. The Bible translation movement is capturing the hearts and enthusiasm of churches across Central and South America. There are 39 Wycliffe organization in the Americas Area, which also includes North America and the Caribbean, all working to see translated Scriptures available. You can meet the new Director, David Cardenas, and get a glimpse of what’s going on in the Americas at Setting the Table - Wycliffe Global Alliance. Tom was privileged to help with Spanish to English translation, catch up with colleagues he serves with his tech skills, and visit the land of his birth! (He was born in Peru, but the family moved to Bolivia when he was just 9 months old.)
I didn’t travel near as far, but spent a week in Orlando for our first Global Leadership Team face-to-face meeting in 2 ½ years! What a blessing to meet with colleagues new and old and to talk through how we see God at work and look to His guidance for the future of the Alliance. You can always learn more about the Alliance on Wycliffe.net, too. There’s too much to tell in our newsletters! In October, I’ll be traveling to the UK for meetings with colleagues at the Oxford Center for Mission Studies. More about that next time.
We mentioned in our last newsletter that Josh and Heather and the girls were going to be moving out here. They did! What we didn’t mention, because we didn’t know it yet, is that they are expecting a baby in October! No surprise to them, but it was to us! No wonder there was a sudden urgency for a bigger than 700 sq.ft. home! We are all very excited and are also enjoying having them just 40 minutes away. Pray as they continue to get settled. It was a big move after all their years in Colorado and it is taking some adjustment to being homeowners, of course! I spent a week in New York with Kate and Jordan and family earlier this month. They are all doing well in the midst of a challenging ministry in challenging times.
We saw my parents earlier this summer. Mother continues to teach a Bible study and Daddy lends a hand in the landscaping efforts where they live. We also saw more family this month when Tom’s sister, Ali, husband Steve, their adult kids, Jack, Mark, and Kelsey and her husband John and their three kids all came to visit! Such a treat. Kate and Jordan and crew came down, too, and stayed at Josh and Heather’s. So, we had a real family reunion. A rare thing with everyone so scattered and busy!
Thank you as always for your prayers and support. You help keep us afloat! We are so grateful for each one of you and keep you in our prayers. Do continue to pray for the ministry of Bible translation as we participate together in God’s mission to reach the world with His Word.
So much to learn and so much to live! As I close this letter, I have just now discovered that Spurgeon wrote a grand sermon called There Go the Ships, based on Psalm 104: 26. “Here is the sea, great and wide, which teems with creatures innumerable, living things both small and great. There go the ships, and Leviathan, which you formed to play in it.”
“That is how the ships go. There are many mysteries about them, and there are many in us. God makes us go by the gales of his Spirit. Oh, that we may be trim for going buoyant, and ft to be moved, and so make a grand voyage to heaven with Christ at the helm” Charles Spurgeon
Giving glory to the God of the gales and of the capsized,
Tom and Susan
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| the Alliance Americas team, meeting in Peru |
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| reunion |
