#rotd - God Loves Me Through People

One of the running jokes on this trip is the answer to the question: "what are we doing today?"

My response in the past has been to explain that mission trips are very fluid in terms of the schedule.  But this year, in an attempt to do better, I gave promised the team an exact, minute by minute schedule of each day.  Providing they are willing to wait until evening to receive it.  It is much easier to be a historian than a prophet.

Since I am left behind today, I decided to take the opportunity to share with you my daily schedule:

6 am - wake up and be surprised and delighted that I actually got about 4 hours continuous sleep.

6-7:15 - pray and meditate, snooze a bit, listen as teammates rise and get ready for their day

7:15 - wake my roommate and tell him.he is missing breakfast, which began at 7.

7:30 - receive my own breakfast from my roommate, who would sooner go hungry himself than see me miss breakfast.

7:31 - reflect on how God loves me through people like my roommate.

7:32-9:00 - eat breakfast, greet teammates who stop by my room to see how I am, receive enough provisions for several days from loving teammates, reflect some more on how God loves me through people.

9:00 - listen as the team leaves and settle in for a day alone.

9:00-9:53 - update my blog, read Facebook comments and emails, and once again reflect on how God loves me through people (realizing the pattern, I will now refer to this as the "reflection of the day" and abbreviate it #rotd)

9:53 - receive a call from my Swazi son and learn that he will be coming by to visit me at lunch time #rotd

9:54-10:03 - write and send a second blog post

10:03 - read today's Times Of Swaziland newspaper that a teammate brought me.  #rotd

10:25 - receive a call from my Swazi friend Sifiso, asking how I am #rotd

10:30 - miss a call from an unknown number

Approx 10:35 - get a bad cramp in my right calf that I cannot stretch out because of the half cast.  Massage it as well as I can and it eventually subsides

10:48 - miss another call from the same unknown number

10:55 - decide to call one of the nurses and realize I have missed two calls

10:55 - call unknown number and learn that it was my Swazi friend Themba calling to ask how I am #rotd

10:58 - speak to a nurse and decide, with her blessing, to remove my splint and Re-wrap my ankle.  Be told i will receive an ankle boot and crutches tonight, enabling some mobility. Also receive cheerful words of care and concern #rotd

11:00-11:20 - carefully remove splint and Re-wrap ankle

11:20-11:46 - decide to make a blog post about days events for people back home who are concerned and praying #rotd

11:51 - try to connect to WiFi at convent, realize I am too far from the router to connect, consider moving closer to get good signal, decide to not be an idiot and go moving about while alone and injured, instead stay in bed

11:51-12:23 - take a nap

12:23 - pray for my teammates who are out ministering in a town I have never been to

12:50-2:35 - lunch with my Swazi son (he brought me a King Pie! That's steak and cheese inside a flakey crust.  Mmm.)  Enjoy a lengthy conversation. #rotd

2:37 - nap time again

5:00 - wake up from nap, wonder whether team will return soon

5:15 - hear teammates coming in

5:16-5:45 - receive visits from many teammates inquiring after my day #rotd

5:45-6:00 - receive boot and crutches from nurse #rotd

6:00-6:10 - go downstairs.  Yes it takes that long.  Receive help from teammate #rotd

6:10-6:45 - greet guests as they come for farewell dinner #rotd

6:45-9:00 - farewell dinner, singing,  dancing (others, not me), laughing,  worshipping,  praying #rotd

9:00-9:20 - say farewell to my dear Swazi friends until next year #rotd

All day, in many ways, God has loved me through people.  Thank you Lord for this reflection of the day.