Bushera Island-Lake Bunyonyi----=Heaven On Earth

Here I go again, applauding the beauty of Bushera Island, Lake Bunyonyi-Uganda, as “Heaven On Earth”. But do we really know where heaven is or even where the Garden of Eden was? Is it not possible that it is right here in this spot where mans intervention has only made it more amenable to we wimpy humans without marring it’s exquisite beauty? Yes, I could dwell on that thought all day, but the answer to that and far more immediate questions lie in my being still and simply being in the Presence.

I arrived here yesterday about 1:30pm and will leave 48 hrs/ later with all the answers to all the problems that have eluded the world since creation. Ha, okay, perhaps I am over reaching a bit—how about “What does God want me to do with the rest of my life?”

I have been in Kisoro, Uganda, at St. Francis Hospital-Mutolere for 2 and ¼ years ,with my three year commitment ending early next year, so the time has come for me to consider if I will renew my contract with Lay Mission Helpers returning to Uganda after a brief visit to the States, go back to my little home nestled in the Arkansas woods or do something altogether yet un-thought of at this time?

I am so content sitting outside my tent, drinking mint tea and viewing the assortment of birds that are sharing my birthday bread that I feel I could stay here forever and perhaps write the Great American novel (or at least, read ” War and Peace”-smile). But there I go digressing again: Hum, let’s see where was I again? O, yes, “What does God see as my future?”
In order to see my potential future, I need to review my past right up to this moment in time. No fear, my dear friends, I shall not bore you with these ruminations but will take that journey alone with only Jesus as my companion to keep my thoughts from straying and my memories focused and clear.

_______MUCH LATER IN THE DAY:

Gorgeous, as always here, but a tad bit chilly, so black tights under my beige shorts are the fashion statement of the day. The Swedish girls wear this look all the time but at 24 yrs., they look cute, which I doubt can be said for me. I am warmer but wish I’d remembered those cozy socks.

In Sue Monk Kidds “When the Heart Waits” she relates various stories, biblical or personal, that helped her in the process of : “Letting Go”. I can personally bear witness that “Letting Go” often feels more like –giving up---or ---giving in---not quite as high falutin’g (as my mother used to say) as the spiritual concept of moving our ego-selves aside to make room for the Divine.

The included "Handing Yourself Over" spoke to me, so I've included portions of it should there be a word or two that speaks to your heart,:

I came upon an event in the Bible that also had the effect of moving me closer to letting go. Jesus' arrest in Gethsemane. Reflecting on it Henri Nouwen wrote;


.The central word in the story of Jesus’ arrest is one I never thought much about. It is “to be handed over”. Judas handed Jesus over……… the remarkable thing is that the same word is used not only for Judas but also for God. God did not spare Jesus, but handed him over to benefit us all (See Rom. 8:32). So this word “to be handed over” plays a central role in the life of Jesus.




I realized that both waiting and the life-giving transformation that came out of it began for Jesus at the very point when he handed himself over, just as they begin for us when we hand ourselves over. We are meant to live the Christ-life, including his waiting and his passion. We are meant to hand ourselves over, so that we can wait our own wait, hold our own tensions, enter our own suffering, emerge from our own tomb and know aliveness for the first time.
This way of thinking about and dwelling in Jesus’ passion unlocked new courage in me. I felt myself drawn into the deeper experience of waiting, of “handing myself over”, even though at times I seemed to be doing so in bits and pieces.