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Sunday 27 February 2011

in memory of my grandma


This is what I shared at the memorial service for my grandma today:

Reflections of a granddaughter:

My grandmother has gone to be with Jesus. When I saw her this past December, she told me she was looking forward to Heaven. She had lived a full life.

She was a great example to me of a woman who never stops learning. The sheer number of magazines, leaflets and books that she owned was a testament to her desire to learn all she could on a subject.

I cannot fathom the number of new inventions that my grandmother learned to use in her life:

Band-Aids, frozen food, traffic signals, spiral bound notebooks, stereo records, ball point pens, silly putty, the microwave oven, Tupperware, Teflon cooking pans, audio cassettes, the food processor, computers and cell phones... to name a few.

As is typical of those who grew up through the great depression she was very very careful to save and re-use everything. This seems strange for my generation.. While I may not wash and re-use plastic bags 10 times before throwing them away...  I do take from this a principle of not wasting resources.

My grandmother was intelligent, gentle and strong. She knew her Bible and was always willing to help others. Her example of helping others is also in my mother and I hope and pray that it will always be a priority in my life.

I have never doubted that my grandmother loved me. She was not an "out of sight, out of mind" person. Whether it was sending settings of silverware or a note of the latest health newsletter or information about a subject she knew you were interested in... She was thinking about others a lot.

Because of her care for others, there is always room for one more person at
the dinner table. I wish I knew more stories of all the people who had dinner over at the sales house. And I am grateful that this practice continued with my mother so I could meet many interesting people.

Several years ago I found her notebook that had a list of all of her grandchildren, their birth dates and their children's birth dates. No grandchild or great grandchild was left off the list. Family was very important to grandma.

I loved that grandma and grandpa would both get on the phone when I called them. I loved knowing that I was important enough to warrant their time on the phone talking with me. Even when I moved overseas and the time zones were more challenging, they would both get on the phone when I called and want to know how I was doing.

When God called me to be a full time missionary, Grandma was one of my biggest supporters. She wanted everyone to know what God had called me to do. She prayed for me and called others to pray for me. Her support for me is already greatly missed.

Most of all...I am so grateful to the Lord for a grandmother who loved Jesus. And I look forward to seeing her in heaven where she is not experiencing any more pain.

Tuesday 15 February 2011

My grandma


 Today my dear Grandma Sale went to be with the Lord. She would have been 92 this year

Saturday 12 February 2011

Church history

I have spent the past week in Florence, Italy with staff from Italy and some friends from Kandern, learning about church history.
It is incredible to have lived and worked in the very places that defining moments in church history have occurred. I find myself so grateful for the people who fought and gave their lives so that that I can read the Bible in my own language and so that I am free to go to an evangelical church. 
I just moved from the country where a majority of battles and arguments between protestants and catholics were held. The effects of the centuries of battle are still obvious today in Germany. 

I am also overwhelmed at the weight of the history that I step into in Rome. 

I am sure I will write more on this in my next Musings. 
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Sunday 6 February 2011

Andiamo a Firenze

Today we are going to Florence, Italy. I am so blessed to be able to drive up there with one of my roommates and a couple who has become dear to my heart. 
Why are we going to Florence? 
Because we are going to be taking a seminary level class on Church History this coming week. 
Campus Crusade requires that those of us who join staff will take seminary level Bible classes. We are also required to take a day with the Lord each month. I feel so privileged to work with an organization that requires and provides space for me to be more grounded in truth.
It will be a challenging week but it will be different than the challenges of learning a new language. 

I am looking forward to the week not only because of the chance to learn, but because I get to be with dear friends from all over Italy and some friends who will be coming down for the class from Kandern. God is good!


New Roommates

 I am blessed to have two new roommates. Amy (on the left) and Beth Ann (on the right). It struck me yesterday as we discussed cleaning the flat before we are all away this coming week. It has been 5 years since I had other people to share cleaning with! GREAT! 

And Beth Ann's cat Amelia adds lots of exciting moments to our lives.