Thursday, August 13, 2009

Scars

“To be alive at all is to have scars.”
{John Steinbeck}


Scars.

They come from wounds. Wounds that hurt. Wounds that bleed.

Scars.

Heal. Fade over time. But stay as remembrance of the hurt.

Scars.

Tell a story. Show that you have not stayed in your safe bubble. But you have lived.

To be alive at all is to have scars.

I feel as though this year has left our hearts covered in scars. We have been wounded. We have been hurt. But thankfully the wounds don’t stay fresh and bleeding. They heal. They turn into scars. And it is through these times that we can look at our scars and see how God used those times of hurt and pain to change us. They serve as a remembrance of God’s greatness. Of Him revealing Himself through those times of darkness.

We would not trade this year in Kenya for anything. We would not trade the difficult days for easier ones. We would not change it even if we had the chance. We are alive. We have lived. We have scars. We have wounds that we know will heal and will fade with time. God is not finished with us yet.

Please continue to keep us and the AIM family in your prayers. We attended the memorial service for Frank Toews on Tuesday afternoon. It was the most beautiful memorial service and celebration of a life well lived, and a tribute to a man who served the Lord with all his heart. What a blessing it was for us to be there. It was such a God-honouring service. Tiffany and her kids need your prayers as they face the days ahead and make a lot of decisions. Their wounds are still fresh.

We have another memorial service to attend. We will remember Ryan’s life and his service to the Lord on Saturday. Continue to keep Dawn and her four kids in your prayers. God has already been working in their lives in amazing ways, and given them divine peace that we know can only come from Him.

I know this blog has been heavy lately. But it is a reflection of our past few months. Life has felt heavy. Sometimes it feels like it is too much. God is working in our hearts through it all, though, and is continually doing great things.

All we have to do is look at the scars we have accumulated throughout this past year to know that God is in the business of changing lives and is showing us how to live. Truly live. To live, and to hurt, and to bleed, and to heal. And through it all being able to see our great God at work.

Thank You Lord for our scars.

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

May the Lord continue to do HIS work in and through you; that the wounds and scars you have recived in your year in Nairobi will serve to glorify our Lord. I can see how you have changed and thank God for how you are rejoicing, even in such hard, hard times. We are continuing to pray for you, and for the hurting families and friends of Frank and Ryan. We love you.
Mom Neudorf

Dale & Beverly Driedger said...

Thank you for being so real with us Andrea. God is using you in Niarobi to teach us more about himself through your blog. Thank you for taking the time to share your hearts. We praise God for the work He is doing through your willing hearts. One thing that we have learned over and over again over these past couple of years is that God is Faithful Always! We will pray that your hearts may feel the peace that comes only from our Lord and Savior and May He continue surround you with His understanding during this time of sorrow.
With Love and Prayer,
Dale and Bev
God Bless