"BAKA"

Last weekend I went with a big group of Orthodox students to climb into the mountains outside of Addis.  It was a spiritual journey and a reflection time- the semester was finished (“baka.”) We were taking time to reflect on the past several months.

As I was walking, I was thinking about the semester overall, then the two weeks of final exams. As the time ticked down in each exam, there came a point when time was up.  I told the students “baka.” Pencils and pens had to put down. The time was finished. 

Now at the end of the semester, what had been accomplished? What I had I taught? What had my students learned?  What had God taught me?

In many ways, I was relieved the semester was done.  There was much to celebrate.  In other ways, I couldn’t help thinking there was more I could have taught, more love I could have shown, more stories of God’s goodness and power I could have weaved into a lesson plan.

I think a final buzzer sounding can sometimes bring relief.

I remember soccer games when I couldn’t wait until the final whistle blew.  Maybe when our team held the lead by one and we were trying to preserve a win.  Or maybe I was too tired to do more….so I was grateful for the final whistle to blow and the game to be done so I could rest.

I remember other times though when the final whistle blew- that there was heart break. Our team was the team that lost by one.  Or times when God called me to change my “post”- or assignment- or a relationship ended- and I didn’t feel done. I hadn’t maximized the time. I longed for one more day, one more moment. 

Last week, my Dad told me a story that also brought this all into focus.  He went into the hospital on Wednesday for a second back surgery in less than six months. The first surgery in November didn’t work as hoped and his pain actually seemed to increase, so this surgery was scheduled.

The surgery lasted an extra hour which was a scare for us as we waited on news.  The doctors had to do more work than just clearing away bone, they also ended up building a new canal for some nerves. But thankfully, my Dad came through okay.  We gave thanks!

But during his first night in the hospital after the surgery, something went wrong. Around 2am, the machine that was monitoring my Dad’s heart went off. Alarms started sounding.

He said instantly his room was full of nurses and doctors. They told him he might have just had a mild heart attack and they needed to keep him awake and run tests.  My Dad said it was a big scare…and many things went through his mind.  Was this the end?  He said he thought about the previous Sunday in church, even though he had been in a lot of pain, he still went and served- greeting children and parents going into the children’s area.  He was so glad. He thought of my Mom, sister and I.  He had told us he loved us.  Again, he was so glad.

Well, tests later ended up coming back okay and he was grateful. But it put a deeper perspective on moments, on life.  We’re not guaranteed another year, another day, another breath.  Sometimes we forget that. 

When God sounds your final call to home, when He says “baka”- will you have said, done, been all you could have?  When God changes your location, maybe your job, or Jesus returns…will you have maximized your time? Loved as much as you could have loved? Shared as much as you could have shared?   Will you have been a good steward of your moments? Your money? Your talents? Your relationships?

These parables from scripture have been challenging me as I’ve been reflecting this past week…

Matthew 25:1-13

“At that time the kingdom of heaven will be like ten virgins who took their lamps and went out to meet the bridegroom. Five of them were foolish and five were wise. The foolish ones took their lamps but did not take any oil with them. The wise ones, however, took oil in jars along with their lamps. The bridegroom was a long time in coming, and they all became drowsy and fell asleep. “At midnight the cry rang out: ‘Here’s the bridegroom! Come out to meet him!’  “Then all the virgins woke up and trimmed their lamps.  The foolish ones said to the wise, ‘Give us some of your oil; our lamps are going out.’  ‘No,’ they replied, ‘there may not be enough for both us and you. Instead, go to those who sell oil and buy some for yourselves.’  “But while they were on their way to buy the oil, the bridegroom arrived. The virgins who were ready went in with him to the wedding banquet. And the door was shut. “Later the others also came. ‘Lord, Lord,’ they said, ‘open the door for us!’  “But he replied, ‘Truly I tell you, I don’t know you.’  “Therefore keep watch, because you do not know the day or the hour.

Matthew 25:14-29

 “Again, it will be like a man going on a journey, who called his servants and entrusted his wealth to them.  To one he gave five bags of gold, to another two bags, and to another one bag, each according to his ability. Then he went on his journey.  The man who had received five bags of gold went at once and put his money to work and gained five bags more.  So also, the one with two bags of gold gained two more. But the man who had received one bag went off, dug a hole in the ground and hid his master’s money.  After a long time the master of those servants returned and settled accounts with them. The man who had received five bags of gold brought the other five. ‘Master,’ he said, ‘you entrusted me with five bags of gold. See, I have gained five more.’  “His master replied, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Come and share your master’s happiness!’  “The man with two bags of gold also came. ‘Master,’ he said, ‘you entrusted me with two bags of gold; see, I have gained two more.’ “His master replied, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Come and share your master’s happiness!’ “Then the man who had received one bag of gold came. ‘Master,’ he said, ‘I knew that you are a hard man, harvesting where you have not sown and gathering where you have not scattered seed.  So I was afraid and went out and hid your gold in the ground. See, here is what belongs to you.’  “His master replied, ‘You wicked, lazy servant! So you knew that I harvest where I have not sown and gather where I have not scattered seed?  Well then, you should have put my money on deposit with the bankers, so that when I returned I would have received it back with interest. “‘So take the bag of gold from him and give it to the one who has ten bags.  For whoever has will be given more, and they will have an abundance. Whoever does not have, even what they have will be taken from them.

Luke 12:35-44

“Be dressed ready for service and keep your lamps burning, like servants waiting for their master to return from a wedding banquet, so that when he comes and knocks they can immediately open the door for him.  It will be good for those servants whose master finds them watching when he comes. Truly I tell you, he will dress himself to serve, will have them recline at the table and will come and wait on them.  It will be good for those servants whose master finds them ready, even if he comes in the middle of the night or toward daybreak.  But understand this: If the owner of the house had known at what hour the thief was coming, he would not have let his house be broken into.  You also must be ready, because the Son of Man will come at an hour when you do not expect him.” Peter asked, “Lord, are you telling this parable to us, or to everyone?” The Lord answered, “Who then is the faithful and wise manager, whom the master puts in charge of his servants to give them their food allowance at the proper time? It will be good for that servant whom the master finds doing so when he returns. Truly I tell you, he will put him in charge of all his possessions.

Luke 14:15-24

When one of those at the table with him heard this, he said to Jesus, “Blessed is the one who will eat at the feast in the kingdom of God.” Jesus replied: “A certain man was preparing a great banquet and invited many guests.  At the time of the banquet he sent his servant to tell those who had been invited, ‘Come, for everything is now ready.’ “But they all alike began to make excuses. The first said, ‘I have just bought a field, and I must go and see it. Please excuse me.’ “Another said, ‘I have just bought five yoke of oxen, and I’m on my way to try them out. Please excuse me.’ “Still another said, ‘I just got married, so I can’t come.’ “The servant came back and reported this to his master. Then the owner of the house became angry and ordered his servant, ‘Go out quickly into the streets and alleys of the town and bring in the poor, the crippled, the blind and the lame.’ “‘Sir,’ the servant said, ‘what you ordered has been done, but there is still room.’ “Then the master told his servant, ‘Go out to the roads and country lanes and compel them to come in, so that my house will be full.  I tell you, not one of those who were invited will get a taste of my banquet.’

May we maximize each day, each moment until our time on earth is “baka” and we go home or God strategically moves us to a new place!

Onward with you!!!!

Praises/Prayer Requests

--A big praise and continued prayers for my Dad. He is doing GREAT so far after his surgery. As he continues to take things slow and gives his body time to heal, please pray for God’s peace and restoration.

-I’ve had the privilege of hosting my friend Daniel Bachman from Louisville, Ky this week. He’s a medical student about ready to start his residency and had been serving four weeks in Kenya- at Tenwik Missionary Hospital. His schedule allowed him to swing here into Ethiopia for nine days. Please pray for his time here (through March 7) that as he visits clinics and ministries- that God will continue develop his heart for medical missions and show him how to best serve with the talents God has given him, and for all that as ahead for him.

-Please pray for a trip I am taking out of Ethiopia this coming week- a scout trip to South Sudan in partnership with my home church. As plans come together for that, please pray for safety and a blessed time!

-Please pray for me as I clean and clear out of the past three semesters of teaching, that I can prepare the best I can for what’s ahead.  I will be teaching again the coming semester and we start back in less than two weeks.

-Continued praises for my friend Debelle’s wife- she is doing well still, and continue to pray that she recovers to full health.

-Please keep several friends in prayer who are looking for work and applying for international visas- that God will open doors as He will!

-Please keep the country of Kenya in prayers as elections for new leadership in their country beings tomorrow (Monday, March 4). Pray for peace and God’s best result.

-Please pray for the writing of my first book, that God will help me make time to finish it!

THANK YOU FOR YOUR PRAYERS AND PARTNERSHIP!!!