“The people ate and were satisfied.”I have realized lately that our Father is not content with just allowing the people to eat; they must be “satisfied.” Our Father is a father of abundant love, extravagant love, and scandalous love. He serves the choicest of wines with an abundance of food. He lavishes us with his gift of grace so that we might realize the fullness of life he offers. His gifts are perfect, and his gifts satisfy.
“Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows.”
Please think about us:
1. Last Tuesday was our final baby check-up in Beijing. Everything went well; the doctor gave Jessie a clear bill of health, signed the clearance for flying, and copied all of our paper work. After our appointment, we spent the afternoon walking through the Hou Hai district of Beijing. That evening we returned to Langfang in time for ice cream dessert with some of our students.
2. Our final morning in Langfang was very hectic, but it was apparent that the Father was using us right up to the end. We scheduled a farewell lunch with students at noon, and it took us twice as long as normal to walk to the restaurant because we were greeted all along the way by students who wanted to say goodbye.
Once we made it to the restaurant, we had a great meal with about 15 of our students and fellow foreign teachers. All of us ate an abundant meal and were satisfied for the cost of about 30 dollars. It was fun to realize that we were eating our final meal at the same place where we ate our first meal in China.
After lunch, pictures, and a tearful goodbye, we climbed into the van and headed for the airport. One of our student friends, Danielle, had asked to accompany us to the airport. As the van rolled along for the hour drive, I was barely able to stay awake, but Jessie started sharing with Danielle about some of the ways the Father has been working in her life. When we reached the airport, we grabbed our luggage and headed for the check-in desk. As we were speaking with the United employee at the desk, I looked back toward our carry-on bags and noticed that Tony was speaking with Danielle. When we returned to our bags, Tony had just finished sharing about our Father and told us that Danielle wanted to be introduced to him. It was amazing! We had less than a few hours left before boarding the airplane, and the Father still had one last surprise for us.
3. Our airplane ride home was uneventful. There were no problems with the plane, and we even arrived about 30 minutes early. It was great to see my parents waiting for us at the gate as we came through customs. After about 19 hours of traveling we arrived at Jessie's parents' home in Thurmont, Maryland. We have spent the last couple days trying to recover from the jet-lag.
4. Tomorrow, I will spend the day lifeguarding, on Tuesday we will visit Cecil County, Maryland for a job interview, on Friday we will visit the hospital for a tour, and on Saturday we will participate in an all-day childbirth class.
Living outside the boat,
Brad
