It's already Friday of National Collection Week. That's crazy. For the past two years I would already be at the Processing Center in Baltimore right now. This year we decided not to work there for the season and as I looked at pictures of the PC on Facebook yesterday I felt waves of sadness.
I wish I was there. But, on the other hand, I'm glad I'm here.
We've enjoyed visiting Operation Christmas Child drop-off sites this week and cramming in a last-minute flurry of shoebox packing. Each time I visit one of our sites I want to do three things: pray with them; take a picture; talk about recruiting prayer partners. Yet, at not one place have I remember to do all three of those. As I talk with our amazing coordinators I get excited and forget those basic things, usually remembering only one or two at each spot.
It's been a bustling time with plenty to do this week. Still, in a strange way, all is calm. I've been sleeping great this week. This week's a respite from my ongoing leadership angst. This week the focus is on watching the harvest come in.
National Collection Week is a prime time for recruiting new prayer partners and team members...but I mostly have to trust that to others who are at the sites. I'm just traveling around and soaking it all in-- the Jenga-like tangle of boxes being put into cartons, the excitement of little children who are bringing their carefully chosen gifts, the thrill of seeing cars packed to the roof with gospel opportunities.
Next week I'll start evaluating again. I'll be scouring the drop-off logs and wondering about churches who didn't participate this year. Even as I make Christmas plans I'll have goals for our 2017 ministry plan running through my head.
Ahh, but not this week. This week, though I'm bustling on the outside, on the inside...all is calm.
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