argh...

There are some things going on with me that I am so NOT okay with right now.

I brought some baggage into this trip, hoping to leave it behind, and find myself healed and lighter. It's not happening, though I haven't completely given up hope that the healing is coming.

There are things that I am picking up here that I am able to carry, and there are things that I am picking up that I have no energy left to bear, but must carry anyway.

I'm tired (the storm the last couple nights has prevented much sleep), and that is not helping my perspective very much.

The spiritual atmosphere of this nation is having an incredible effect on my physical body. I am experiencing a vast magnification of certain manifestations that I have experienced at home in Canada from time to time. Things that are easy to ignore when they happen once every two or three days or even less often, but are far more difficult to ignore when they happen a half-dozen times in the space of ten minutes, and occur nearly constantly throughout the space of my days. The manifestations frustrate me, because I don't understand them. I can't explain them. They don't fit into my logical and controlled world. I am experiencing physical pains that seem to be strongly connected to various spiritual things at quite regular intervals as well...

I'm coping. Kind of. I continue to feel a deep sense of the peace and shielding of the Father over my life - promises that have been spoken over my life the last couple years, and are now being fulfilled. I do, however, have to remind myself of those promises at every turn, as they are easy to lose in the midst of the intensity of the moments that are filling my days.

Apparently we're going to visit one of the refugee camps tomorrow. Not sure I have the energy that that is going to require of me, but needing to go... Had to ask someone tonight for a logical reason for me to go to the camps tomorrow... cringed when she actually came up with one... guess I'm going...

Keep praying for us. For unity of hearts. For protection against fears.

Flashbacks

There are three of us sleeping in a laundry room on the roof of the house here.

Let's just say that we didn't get much sleep last night. Any of us.

I'm having flashbacks to a camping trip our family once made on the beach of Prince Edward Island. A trip that has become legendary in the Pippus family lore. A trip involving a tent, and gale force winds, and a thunder and lightning storm.

The doors of the room we were in last night were rattling in the wind. It howled and whipped and shook all night. I think I slept maybe two hours.

So, we're tired, and we're pushing through a lot of things. Keep praying for us. Things have been somewhat intense these last few days, and we could definitely use your prayers.

hmm...

So, we're all here now. The last two team members arrived at 2:30 this morning. Since they were jet-lagged and thought it was 11pm, and Marty and I were wide awake with a second wind, we did a little bit of touring. I've now seen the ancient city of Mdina in the middle of the night - very cool!

Yesterday was definitely a more intense day - not sure how I feel about that as I'm sitting here at the breakfast table this morning. Could definitely use a slower day, but not sure that's going to happen for the next little while.

Dar just headed out to enjoy a couple hours on her own in the prayer room, so Bree and Nate are hanging out with me for a while...

I need to get outside for at least a little while at some point today...

Okay... my brain is not very functional today, so I think that might be it.

Sleep is as rare here as it is at home, but the intensity level is higher, making less sleep a more draining sort of thing.

A Few Quick Pictures

Kari and I at the spot where the Magna Carta was signed - during our 10 hour layover in London.
The church in the centre of Siggiewi - the village where we're staying.

Andy, Kari, Dar and I at the Valletta City Gates. Bree took this photo for us.

With Bree and Luke at the Lower Gardens - Grand Harbor Valetta - a quick stop on a horse drawn carriage tour of the city that Dar and I took with the three kids....

More thoughts coming soon... Prayer room kicked off today - went great - looks great. Thought you might like to see a few pics in the meantime...

Kicking things off...

It's just about midnight Friday night here. Most of you will read this sometime on Friday during the day I would think - maybe Friday evening. How funny is that? I already know how Friday is going to look because it's 20 minutes from ending, and you're still in the midst of it.

Tomorrow at noon the prayer room opens. We're going to gather as a team for communion, and to pray together and celebrate the opening. Later, at 7, we'll gather again for worship and community prayer - we're expecting quite the crowd for that event. Then, down into the nitty-gritty of filling time slots and covering 13 straight days around the clock with prayer.

I'm excited - a few finishing touches tomorrow, and then we're there. Just the little "atmosphere" things - candles, final decorations.

Kari and I are covering the night shift on Sunday. So, with some combination of sleeping and waking, we'll fill the hours from midnight to 7 am, then drag ourselves out to catch a 7:30 bus back to our hosts home and catch some sleep. We're excited to do it though. Before coming, we had both toyed with the idea of letting the night shifts slide if no one expressed interest. We realized, though, that we were willing to let them slide because we really didn't want to do them. So, we've decided to do at least one, and probably two together. 3 and a half hours or so alone with God in the middle of the night - intense but so good.

I'm actually feeling pretty tired right now. Jet lag has worn off, I'm settled, and the exhaustion from the people and things I've carried so deeply these last six months or so has begun to surface. It's taking time and tears and long conversations, and moments of just sitting, and journal entries to slowly release them into the atmosphere and allow myself to be fully present here.

Lord, help me to be present here. Be present with me.

I'm finishing each day with the last several verses of Psalm 91 - promises that have become so deep and real to me over the course of these last months. Promises I need to remind myself of here.

"Because she loves me," says the Lord, "I will rescue her."
"I will protect her, for she acknowledges my name."
"She will call upon me and I will answer her."
"I will be with her in trouble."
"I will deliver her and honor her."
"With long life will I satisfy her, and show her my salvation."
(Psalm 91:14-16 - with personalized pronouns courtesy of Dana!)