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Check out the sermon tab at www.kindersleyalliance.com for two talks given at our church today by Don Love, international worker in Japan.  The talks centered on Japan relief and dealing with grief and suffering.

We are sitting in our home listening to Japanese.  Our international worker, Don Love, is sitting at our kitchen table.  Over Skype he is conversing to a small group of Christians in Tokyo.  I’m not sure I understand the conversation – Don indicated that he would doing some “pastoring” work with them.

There is laughter and discussion.  Sound like a great group.  At one point Jill and I stepped in front of the camera and spoke to the group.  They were amazed to see us in long sleeves (it’s a bit cool here today).  They are in a hot season. 

Their thanks are for our prayers during the tsunami.  And even today we continue to pray for them.

If you would like to hear Don speak a bit about his work in Japan, and some of the relief work he did in the last while – he will be at the Kindersley Alliance Church tomorrow (Sunday) at 11:00 in the morning and at 7:00 in the evening.  Both meetings will include different content – if  you can attend both, please do so!

Lately I’ve run up against the “system.”  There is the inequity of institutions that do not include mercy in their approach.  Loans that cannot be renegotiated, policies that do not allow for latitude, people who work as managers without authority. 

But this morning I was heartened to meet with a manager who is trying to work the system for the good of the people.  She had talked to superiors and they gave some latitude.  Now she would work with a board to see where things could go. 

May we find more people who work for the people and find ways to make the spirit of the law overcome legalism!

As we sat down for lunch in the spacious dining hall at Caleb Village (our local seniors apartment), I glanced out the window.  A block away houses are being built.  And there on one was a figure.

The builder looked to be holding on by the fingertips.  The posture was one of sprawling.  As one would do on ice to distribute the weight and not crack the crust of the ice. 

Except this was probably 10-25 meters up in the air, not flat on a lake’s surface!

We went back to eating and when I next glanced the roof top was empty.  Was this a case of falling from the sky?  Had the worker safely descended, or had gravity prevailed?  Who would know?

Well, not to let the story out of the bag, or to speak of new chicks learning to fly – but I know the roof hanger!  She has been working the last while, with a restraining belt hooked to a “lifeline”.  I texted her later in the day and she indicated that she was still alive (at least she returned my text).

And so, another day passes and she can actually say she was “just hanging around!”