Go or Not Go?

 Sometimes it's hard to know how to divide my time between personal stuff, interior ministry stuff and other ministry stuff.  Choosing is tough.   Oft times doing something different means more preparation and more trouble!  This weekend I got to do something a little different and went to be with some Baptist ladies at a regional meeting.

To get to the host church I had to send Byron on his way to Lage early on Friday where we have Bible studies and outdoor Bible clubs.  Lots of prepping and packing and praying.  Then I had to get myself ready to leave at the crack of dawn to head to a town about an hour away called Casa Nova, and pick up local ladies around Sobradinho.  From there we left my little Fiat Uno and boarded a bus with the women from that church to head to the next place called Remanso.  Thankfully the two lane highway has been recently fixed up and repaved, so our ride was quick and smooth.  Took less than two hours.

The Remanso church is the oldest Baptist church in our region.  They have a wonderful building and around 100 ladies in their missionary society.  USAVASF is the call sign for the regional meetings of the local women's societies.  I've been going to these since we arrived in Bahia in 1994.  Twice a year one church or another hosts a day of food, fellowship and devotions for the area ladies of all the churches.

Was it worth it?  It was.  Seeing the other ladies is always an encouragement.  I was happy to spend most of my lunch hour chatting with someone who has been to Lage and helped in our work there during a School of Missions event.  I'm praying that we can host another such evangelistic campaign in yet this year or early in 2024.

Choosing where to spend time yas a missionary lady is not always easy.  Keeping priorities in check can be tough.  Sometimes we all need a little spark to help us stay in the game.  The speaker for our event expounded on John 15 and Jesus is the vine and we are the branches.  John 15:11 struck me as it tells about the joy we can have in our relationship with God:  "These things have I spoken to you, that My joy may remain in you, and that your joy may be full."  Sometimes we all need to get our tanks of joy filled up.  

I'm glad I went.  Glad to get a little bit of joy in my tank, and was happy to get home safe and sound.