You should be downsizing, people in my age group are told so I decided to go through the toy and book cupboard, as my grandchildren are now past the age of using much of what I had saved from my children's childhood. And what fun was that.
I found a game of 'Pin the Tail on the Donkey' so had a 'Back to Childhood' birthday party so I could use that game and it proved to be such fun. However the best surprise in the cupboard was re-reading the children's books which I had either kept from my childhood/teen years, or I had purchased for my children. Some were rather dated which is to be expected, but the ones I really enjoyed were from the Jungle Doctor series.
Dr Paul White, an Australian Church Missionary Society missionary in the 1950s, set up Mvumi Hospital near Dodoma in Tanzania and was assisted by a nursing sister Dorothy Hughes who was from my childhood church, not that Sister Dorothy features in the books. When Sister Dorothy was on furlough, I was able to hear first hand how they managed in those days eg - boiling surgical instruments in a can over an open fire- and making do in all sorts of ways because of the lack of services available. I loved those stories and so have always been interested in overseas missions.
However, the thing which struck me most from those books, was the absolute love which Dr White had for God and for those whom he served. Having re-read some similar books which were interesting, the love which came from Dr White's books was tangible. The conditions under which he preformed his medical tasks was incredible by today's standards, yet this was his God given task, to be a physical and spiritual healer to people who were most in need. I felt really inspired reading those book, and they are staying on my bookshelf to be read again another day.
But it wasn't just downsizing which prompted this blog - I have received some delightful emails from a Pentecostal Pastor in Tanzania and the love from those emails is also tangible - a love which knows no cultural or physical boundaries, because of our love in Christ.
Downsizing is a good idea, especially when others are left to work out what to do with all our 'stuff', but downsizing can have other good outcomes as I have had the joy of discovering - God's love is real, tangible and knows no boundaries.
Go for it!
I found a game of 'Pin the Tail on the Donkey' so had a 'Back to Childhood' birthday party so I could use that game and it proved to be such fun. However the best surprise in the cupboard was re-reading the children's books which I had either kept from my childhood/teen years, or I had purchased for my children. Some were rather dated which is to be expected, but the ones I really enjoyed were from the Jungle Doctor series.
Dr Paul White, an Australian Church Missionary Society missionary in the 1950s, set up Mvumi Hospital near Dodoma in Tanzania and was assisted by a nursing sister Dorothy Hughes who was from my childhood church, not that Sister Dorothy features in the books. When Sister Dorothy was on furlough, I was able to hear first hand how they managed in those days eg - boiling surgical instruments in a can over an open fire- and making do in all sorts of ways because of the lack of services available. I loved those stories and so have always been interested in overseas missions.
However, the thing which struck me most from those books, was the absolute love which Dr White had for God and for those whom he served. Having re-read some similar books which were interesting, the love which came from Dr White's books was tangible. The conditions under which he preformed his medical tasks was incredible by today's standards, yet this was his God given task, to be a physical and spiritual healer to people who were most in need. I felt really inspired reading those book, and they are staying on my bookshelf to be read again another day.
But it wasn't just downsizing which prompted this blog - I have received some delightful emails from a Pentecostal Pastor in Tanzania and the love from those emails is also tangible - a love which knows no cultural or physical boundaries, because of our love in Christ.
Downsizing is a good idea, especially when others are left to work out what to do with all our 'stuff', but downsizing can have other good outcomes as I have had the joy of discovering - God's love is real, tangible and knows no boundaries.
Go for it!
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