A Thousand Gorgeous Days

When we moved to the northeast in 1994, our Brazilian friends were amazed that we would willingly move to the desert region of Brazil. It took us a while to adjust to the hot temperatures, but when a pastor’s wife asked me how we could stand it, I told her it was hard to complain with blue skies and sunshine every day.

Later we moved to Cuiabá, one of the cities that is regularly on the TV news as the hottest spot in the country.  Again, we had an adjustment period, but learned to love living there.

Here in Brasília we are coming through a dry spell. After two months of no precipitation everyone is looking forward to rainy season.  It’s been hard to gripe, though, since the weather has been clear and sunny every day. All this bright weather has made me reflect on our years of our ministry in Brazil. We have had our share of struggles and heartaches, but above it all has been almost endless sunshine.

When Dan was so ill that we had to return to the U.S. for a leave of absence, someone encouraged me to keep a gratitude journal. Daily I kept a running list of answered prayers so that I wouldn’t become overwhelmed with the one “unanswered” one, Dan’s continuing illness. That thank you journal kept me afloat as I saw God’s hand at work in our lives in countless ways. It showed me the blue sky over all our dark clouds.

Just as the sun shone relentlessly in the various cities in which we were living no matter what challenges we were facing, the Lord was covering us with His grace even when we were experiencing crises in health and ministry. His love and mercy were just as unwavering. How we praise Him for those thousands of gorgeous days that were constant reminders of His faithfulness.