Continuing to do the impossible

I'm freshly home from having an iron infusion at a doctor's clinic. 

I found out last week that I'm seriously deficient in iron and therefore anaemic. I didn't guess I was low in energy—the result came through a routine blood test required for our two-yearly OMF medical—I don't actually feel as whacked as everyone thinks I should be. This morning I sat in on the bed at the clinic while the nurse injected iron into my vein at 1ml a minute and had a doctor, nurse, and medical student exclaiming over my test results. It's hard to know how to react to that. 

I stopped very briefly at this park for a bite of lunch
on my way home. I just can't get enough of the
juxtaposition of Australian bush on the
amazing blue sky.

The thing is, I'm nowhere near as exhausted as I was throughout each of my three pregnancies. It's probable that my iron has been dropping slowly for some time and I no longer know what "normal" energy is. So I'm looking forward to seeing what that feels and looks like in a week or two. Or maybe it will be a little bit scary!

I'll also need to be making some adjustments to our diet, I"m not sure yet if I'll need to take supplements, though I'm guessing I will. I've got another blood test in a month to see how well today's infusion has lifted me out of the danger zone. And we'll see where we go from there.

I could milk this situation nicely! I don't need to feel guilty that I've been a bit slack recently: at both writing and editing. Truth is, it's not just my body that's made me a bit weary. An international move will do that too, especially with a teenager who is struggling to find his feet here.

Answered prayer

But I do have to give credit where credit is due. Lots of people are praying for us (though not specifically about anaemia, but in general) and God has enabled us through yet another tough period. I'm sure that without God's enabling I'd be in a much worse state.

I had an interesting encounter with a lady a couple of weeks ago that, I suspect, is having a lasting impact. She herself is a relatively new expat in Australia (from the UK). She came here with her family, primary-aged kids, for her husband's ministry. A major change for all. We only spoke twice, for a few minutes, but connected deeply on the various issues and challenges that such moves and a ministry-lifestyle produce. 

As we parted, she said she'd pray that I would be divinely guided to people who would ask great questions and be life-givers for me during this six-months. I think I can say I've seen that prayer already being answered. 

Here's a glimpse of some of the conversations I've had recently (as best I can remember...I should have written more down soon after they happened...that's what happens when I get slack about blogging).

Yesterday I had a conversation with an older lady in our home church about how God's built her "faith muscle" over the years, especially in regards to safety. I came away so encouraged!

Over the weekend we had no ministry engagements, we were therefore free to get involved in our local/home church's events, which included a working bee, a bring-and-share African night, and worship on Sunday morning. That in itself was encouraging. 

At the working bee I worked with a young lady who's interested in youth ministry. She asked some great questions, including, "What do you do during the week?", "Where does OMF work?" and "What sort of medical conditions would stop you from going back to Japan?"

We also were able to host a BBQ here with some friends. I fielded some interesting questions, including, "Where do you plan to retire? Do any Japanese houses have ensuites (bathroom attached to the main bedroom in a house)?" Even—what's it like to live in a snow?

I've had a lot of conversations about whether it's good to be back in Australia. Thankfully most times people have had the patience to listen to some of the joys and the challenges that we experience at such a time and have grown in their understanding that it isn't so simple as they might imagine.

I've had a number of people say they love this blog, love following my journey. One person I met only this year in Japan wrote: "You ... challenge and inspire me in what you write and your passion for God and others around you. I have found myself writing much much more lately and I know that is in part thanks to you ... and so I just wanted to say thank you!"

I was encouraged to hear about the faith of the physio treating my son on Friday (just a bit of re-tuning for this sporty kid). The physio was super excited about us being missionaries and told us about his short-term missions trip to Fiji when he was 18. 

People continue to observe that "I couldn't do what you do", that we look like we're doing the impossible. I've had conversations where I've been able to point out that though what we're doing looks impossibly difficult (especially moving cultures with teenagers), God has enabled us to do it without serious disaster. Indeed our eldest son endured a year here when he was 15/16. It wasn't a fun year, but I think that it helped set him up for a future of living here. The year didn't totally derail him (he settled back into Tokyo really quickly), and he's been successful at both graduating from high school as well as moving to Australia and settling here. All this undergirded with much prayer and God's enabling.

I hope that as we continue to "do the impossible" God will be glorified, for there seems no earthly explanation for why things might have gone so well in many cases. It's not that we're perfectly amazing parents with perfectly amazing kids. Things get ugly (often at home, out of the public's view). Our bodies give way (hence my infusion today). We struggle not to be self centred. Our boys criticise our choices, though we try very hard to be as fair to everyone as our work allows. Some days it feels as though I can do nothing right. There's no way that we're doing all this in our own strength. We're doing God's work with his resources. Praise him!

Isaiah 40:28-31 seems very appropriate:

Do you not know?
    Have you not heard?
The Lord is the everlasting God,
    the Creator of the ends of the earth.
He will not grow tired or weary,
    and his understanding no one can fathom. 

He gives strength to the weary
    and increases the power of the weak.
Even youths grow tired and weary,
    and young men stumble and fall;
 but those who hope in the Lord
    will renew their strength.
They will soar on wings like eagles;
    they will run and not grow weary,
    they will walk and not be faint. (NIV)