Pushing Through

Since my last post we've performed twice.  Once in Antalya and once in Manavgat.  Our Antalya performance had some "glitches" that we as a team had to work out.  The result of us working things out was a much better performance the next day.  each day we received dozens of survey forms that were filled out and a lot of good contacts.  Yesterday we drove from Manavgat to Istanbul, a 15 hour drive after all of our stops.

We are now in what I feel is the home stretch.  I have to take that perspective because I need to know when I will get to rest.  The next five days are scheduled with late nights, early mornings, five performances (some are not full 90 minute concerts) two 7 hour drives, debriefing, last minute souvenir shopping (because you can never have enough scarves), an early morning drive to the airport and a 13 hour flight home.  Hopefully you'll understand if I don't get a chance to write another post soon.  As it is I expected to be asleep now, but I woke up early.

"...[W]e rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope."  There comes a time in most tours where I think, "I'm exhausted, but it's only a few more days.  I can make it."  I haven't hit the point of exhaustion yet, and hopefully I won't have to.  My "sufferings" are nothing compared to what Paul was referring to when he wrote that quote in Romans.  This just means the development of my endurance, character, and hope are also nothing when compared to Paul's.  But, even so, I cherish it.  I'm praying that God will help me not just to endure, but to finish well.  It's not enough to just survive through these next few days.  I need to flourish.  I came here to serve this team, and there have been times when I haven't done that well.  My patience has worn thin on occasion, or a request comes up and I'm just feeling lazy.  Granted it's 100degrees and 80% humidity, but that's no excuse to slouch when you've come halfway around the world to tell people how much God loves them.

All this to say pray for us.  Pray for our endurance, character, and hope, Pray for the effectiveness of our communication in word and works, Pray that we will finish well, and Pray that nothing else gets cancelled.