Desert Day

In our training with Family Missions Company, we are taught to make sure that one day a week we take off and get away from our home, ministries and have a day of recollection and fun.  We are very thankful for the wisdom of this.  Everyday, except one, we have some sort of ministry and it is nice to have a day to look forward to to spend with just the family and our missionary partner Sidney.  We have not always been able to go off premises for this day, but we hope to make this day our “beach day”.

The name comes from FMC’s mission base in General Cepeda, Mexico.  There, they literally go into the desert as a mission team.  Each person finds a spot where they can be by themselves.  They pack a lunch, bring their Bible and a journal and spend time asking the Lord to speak to them.  After at least an hour, everyone comes together and shares what they feel like the Lord spoke to them.

Here are a couple of posts from some of our other missionaries and their experiences on a desert day. James and Erika

And here is our Desert Day

We left the house at 8:30 and walked for an hour.  Usually the walk is only 45 minutes but we had a couple of rain showers that we took cover for

When we arrived, we gathered everyone together to pray morning prayers.

Then we let them loose to play for a few hours.

Then we gave them their lunch before they set out on their own for their time of prayer.

Around 2pm we packed up and got a bus ride home. As part of our evening prayers we each shared what the Lord had been speaking about.    

                                       

The First Few Days in St. Lucia…

One of the first things we are taught to do is to commit ourselves to the place we are sent. John Paul II, the great missionary Pope was known for his embracing the places he went in this way. (this is behind our residence)

Here we are with Archbishop Rivas, Mr. Frank Summers (one of the founders of Family Missions Company), Sr. Rosemary (a medical student from Tanzania) staying with the Carmelite Sisters that are hosting us on the bottom floor of their convent.

You can also see Sr. Mary Phillip with us and Sidney our mission partner. Our little chapel is, through the gate around our residence about 50 meters down a slight slope.

A very interesting fact about the house we are staying in: it was originally intended by the Bishop as a house for…..wait for it…….Missionaries! This is one of those things that teaches us that just because we feel we are to do something for God, for a certain purpose, and it does not happen in our timeline….well that does not mean we were wrong when we tried to do what we felt the Lord was asking us. We may not have understood His timeline or maybe He just did not tell us His exact plans, but He just wants us to do what we understand to be His will and keep seeking Him.