One of the most welcome sounds I’ve ever heard was the whooping blades of an approaching helicopter. It was two years ago today that eleven of us were airlifted out of Haiti. There were times when we did not know what was coming next, but we were promised that rescue was coming. It did not come when we first expected it, in fact, at one point we thought we had lost our best chance of rescue. What kept us going was communication from the one who was coming to get us. “We are on our way,” he affirmed, but it required us to wait, and we felt that waiting was all we had done for the past ten days.
In that period of waiting, the worst thing we could have done was to do nothing. Idleness and mental drift are no one’s friend, especially in times when one seriously needs a “light at the end of tunnel.” Thankfully, communication with the “outside world” was still possible thanks to internet connectivity. I still have messages that some of you sent me during that time. You may never know how meaningful they were. But communication was also a two-way street. It was not good for me to just sponge on encouraging words, but to be of service to others too. To stay occupied was vital – not just for the sake of being busy, but to be productive and generous with encouragement – even in times of limitedness.
I just returned from speaking at a missions conference in Recife, Brazil. As the week went on, I got to know many of the missionaries and I realized that some of them were exhausted, some had faced significant loss, some were facing momentous transitions, and still others were dealing with the impact of brokenness. All had busy lives keeping up with the day-to-day in places that do not have the services and conveniences that we take for granted. What was clear is that they loved being together, and they needed the retreat. So, my job was to encourage them with messages of hope and means to persevere.
All of this is part of our waiting. We are not just making it through life – no matter how challenging our circumstances are. Each of us in ministry (that’s all of us in Christ) has the joy and privilege of helping others keep their gaze fixed on Jesus. We do this together and we find that we are mutually encouraged to persevere with joy.
A marathon runner keeps the finish line in mind, a sprinter keeps the tape in view, any athlete keeps his aim toward the objective. Let us run the race that is set before us remembering that it is not an aimless rat race, but we are progressing toward a promised deliverance and reward. For now, it requires hope and faith – trust in the One who has promised – just as it did for me two years ago. When I was finally on the chopper and we crossed into Dominican Republic air space, what I had hoped for became reality. As surely I recount that bit of history, even more so you can count on the One who promised to return for us to bring us to God, that “where I am you may be also”. So, let’s be living for that day.
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