This to is missions!

When I think of missions... I have this picture of reaching out to the lost souls and seeing them come to know the Lord. Holding and comforting widows and orphans...
I know it is a little strange that I think like this... I know that missions is more often just every day life, cooking, cleaning and relationships with people all in a different country for me! There are those spectacular moments but you have more often just a lot of normal ones! It is all about perspective I am learning...

Recently I am learning just how desperately our building needs to be repaired, updated, fixed...etc...  and how our property is slowly looking worse for wear.... I wake up and hear the gushing water or as I walk in the dark and step in another puddle... I try not to curse and swear as I go get the mops, buckets, towels and if possible, some help! Or even now, as I hear the rain on the window I wonder if the roof is going to start leaking this time or if the basement is going to flood. I stand and look out the from our balcony and wonder how we got so many weeds... I was sure that last year we had grass.
SO... the question needs to be asked, what needs to be done about these things? But, what is so surprising is that people are asking this and then they are looking at me. I sit there in an uncomfortable silence crying and yelling on the inside "I DON'T KNOW!!!!!!"  I have been asking God to take it away... I even tried to convince myself and others we should sell this place and buy something new... God has different plans!
I am starting to come round to the idea though, out if necessity of course but it is happening. I do daily checks on those problem areas to make sure all is still standing. I am already planning in my head about when the gas man needs to come and check our lines because I know there will be some problems there. We are working on protecting the buildings foundation with some fancy concrete thing that is to help with water (I still do not know the proper name of this thing in either Russian or english yet!) I am happy to say with this project we have got someone else handling the daily work - PTL! (Praise the Lord). I am also picking fruit, people have pointed out more fruit trees on our property then I like to think about or have ideas about what to do with.

I am learning that these things to are missions! Taking care, watching over this building, this tool that the Lord has given us. A home, a place to host guests, conferences and more. Caring for our lawn and fruit trees so that our territory looks pleasant to ourselves and for others to enjoy. Yes, honestly these are not the things I want to be focused on... I would rather be out hanging out with my homeless friends, or encouraging people at the rehab center or challenging local youth to get involved in missions.... and I do, we do! but there are these every day normal things as well.

Thats all for now!