Last Thursday, I hauled nine boxes of my law & theology books up to the shipping company's depot near the airport. On the advice of one of the office clerks and with the assistance of the owner's son, I placed all of the books in plastic bags and re-packed them for their sea-going voyage. Although I was frustrated by the need to repack the books, the extra time on the shipping dock gave me the opportunity to speak with Brandon. He had studied philosophy and ethics at university, so the conversation took us into considering questions like how to best live life in our contemporary world.
Over the weekend, Sandy and I enjoyed a wonderfully refreshing time on retreat in the Arkansas Ozark's at the Little Portion Retreat Center outside of Eureka Springs. Michael Card led the retreat on the theme "Hesed: A Portrait of God." Hesed is the Hebrew word that is often translated "loving-kindness" or "mercy" as in "Let us give thanks to the Lord, for His mercy endures forever." (Psalm 136) Here's a pic I took during our final session. Look carefully in the upper left corner -- yes, that's Sandy signing as Michael sings his new song "A Better Freedom." http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HxxcTvtURP4
Not only did we experience an abundance of blessings from God's hand through Michael's teachings on hesed, we also had the pleasure of unexpectedly seeing friends from my time serving with the Christian Legal Society. Unbeknown to us, Sam and Jill Casey as well as Dave and Jean Allen had planned to attend the very same retreat. Sam is now General Counsel for Advocates International, an organization of Christian attorneys from over 100 countries. I also learned that Sam is planning to come to Handong in June 2010 to teach a course on Jurisprudence. God has gracious ways of confirming His direction in our lives!
Finally, upon our return to St. Louis, I found that my E-1 visa had been delivered to our house via Fed Ex from the Korean Consulate in Chicago. I also received my residency certification from the IRS. These were the two remaining key documents I needed to have in hand before I could depart; so now I'm fully documented and readied for travel. Today, I spent packing my bags and enjoying the fellowship of my family at a bar-b-que hosted by my daughter and son-in-law. I was even enabled to see my grand daughter Taya off on the school bus that took her to her first day of kindergarten. Tomorrow morning -- final packing with departure set for the evening hours.
All in all, I've sensed God's good hand as He has been graciously and mercifully watching over "my going out . . . from this day forward" (Psalm 121) even as the journey continues . . .
