Unbelieveably, that was today's weather forecast in Atlanta. It was sweltering hot. From the time I was young, I really got into enjoying the weather and weather changes. I think this partly comes from living in the Midwest, and living amongst the Ringsmuth family. Us Ringsmuth's really seem to get into reporting weather-related events and of course, most of us record every new event with massive amounts of digital photography. The Midwest region of the US is known for things like huge thunderstorms, tornadoes, hot summers, and cold winters.
Bev and I (see above picture) talked a lot about the weather when I visited her in Scotland. I think it is a common thought amongst most of northern Europe. I believe the forecast in Scotland is typical also across this region of Europe: generally cold, overcast, and slight chance of showers. I can't report on the temp because it's in celcius and my American mind can't compute that well.
I think having sun to Scots is like the fish who is obsessed with finding bubbles in the aquarium treasure chest in the movie "Finding Nemo". Without warning the chest will open and bubbles will poor out for a brief moment. This particular fish will then dart over to the chest and yell "BUBBLES!!! Bubblesbubblesbubblesbubbles. MY bubbles," and slams the lid of the chest down to protect what little bubbles are left. The sun doesn't come out much, so when it does you take advantage and make the most of it.
The weather definitely plays a role also in ministry. You know how it feels when you wake up in the morning and the sky is overcast and it looks like rain. You want to stay in bed with the covers over your head. It can be the same there. Of course they have to force themselves to still get up and do things, but it can be hard. Especially in the winter when the nights are long and the days are short. I believe they only get about 5-6 hours of daylight in the wintertime.
Weather is just one of the challenges that faces Christian workers in those regions of Europe. Postmodernism, atheistism, spiritual apathy, and decomposing families are all barriers to people experiencing a real relationship with Jesus Christ. The workers there that I was able to fellowship with offered great insight to these challenges.
On the plane ride home I tried to digest my experience as much as possible. Surprisingly, I found myself feeling thrilled to think of the prospect of someday getting to live and work among these seasoned laborers. One of the things I am the most passionate about is that Jesus Christ is relevant to all of us in our daily lives. He is real. His love is real. His forgiveness is real. His desire to have a relationship with all of us is real. I think that in Europe, that is what is lacking. A real experience with our Creator and Father. When I get there I'll just have to remember to dress warm and bring an umbrella.
I signed up for classes today at PSI. I'll be taking "personal and spiritual life of the psychotherapist", "ethical, legal and professional standards", and "methods and models of integration." I'm nervous but really excited too. Especially about being able to walk on this new path, and experiencing what God ultimately has in store for all of this.
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