This week finds us being caretakers of one of the OMF holiday homes. And to be honest when we were asked last year to step in and help with this vacation house for about a year, we were not thrilled....to say the least. We actually even mustarded up the courage to say a polite and apologetic "No". But when no one else could be found, the sense of duty seeped in and we reluctantly said, "Ok, I guess so...".  There really wasn't any reason that we couldn't. We just didn't want to. We felt Jesus stretching us, yet again, to be willing to serve our mission and mission workers in ways that we wouldn't necessarily choose. 

Isn't that life though? No matter how "old" we are in serving-Jesus-years or how much serving mileage we have accumulated; we still need to be willing to serve God in ways He chooses, rather than ways we choose. Don't get me wrong. I am all about boundaries and building margin into our life....about finding ways that fit our gifting and vision...and about saying "no" to the good so we can do the best. But I think there are times when God has some extra work of humility and self sacrifice to do in our self-absorbed, prone-to-wander hearts and heads. And for us, this seems to have been one of those times. 

So we are cutting back bamboo, sorting and tossing clutter, fixing drains and de-bugging. (We even helped to get  rid of a massive hornets's nest under the eaves as you can see in the above picture.) And we are enjoying the autumn leaves and cool brisk air of the beautiful Nagano hills. Even though our attitude still needs an adjustment now and then, we have been blessed as we've chosen obedience and service, not our way, but God's way.