Home Stretch??

Well, I guess we are in the home stretch. In many ways, this last week has felt longer than the first six. Yes, today marks seven weeks since we left Omaha. Several times this last week, we thought that we could see the end, only to have another paperwork requirement surface, some routine, and some expensive. We have discovered that with the older kids there are "extras" beyond the normal things like property settlements passports and visas. New national IDs have to be obtained in their new names, then new domestic passports with the new names and IDs must be obtained, all so they can be turned in to obtain international passports so they can apply for visas. For Igor, we have to un-register him from the military, get a police background check showing that he is not a criminal and maybe a couple of other things that I am forgetting. All this before the passports can be applied for. At the same time, the documentation for the I-600s should be in Omaha today when they open for business. Hopefully they will email their approval to the National Visa Center quickly so it can be forwarded to the embassy in Kiev. If everything falls into place (I don't know how likely that is.) we could be traveling to Kiev on Saturday or Sunday. That would make it extremely difficult to fly home early the morning of the 29th. The kids have had a lot of good-byes to say and we continue English and Russian lessons. I think I am ready for my exam today. Many days the daily devotional from Henry T. Blackaby's "Experiencing God Day-by-Day" have been exactly what I needed to be reminded of. Here is the one for today:

Tuesday, January 22, 2008

Our Motivation of Love

"O righteous Father! The world has not known You, but I have known You; and these have known that You sent Me. And I have declared to them Your name, and will declare it, that the love with which You loved Me may be in them, and I in them." (John 17:25-26)

You do not “organize” the kingdom of God, you “agonize” the kingdom of God. You cannot be close to God without being affected by His love. The heavenly Father loved His Son with an eternal love. Everything in the heart and life of the Father was released to His Son. As the Father expressed His love for a broken and sinful world, this passion was manifested through the life of His Son. The Father initiated His plan to save mankind, and out of a heart of devotion, the Son accepted the assignment that took Him to the cross.

As Jesus walked among people, the Father’s love filled His Son. Jesus recognized that no ordinary love could motivate Him to go to the cross. No human love could keep Him perfectly obedient to His Father throughout His life. Only His Father’s love was powerful enough to compel Him to commit His life to the saving purpose of His Father. Jesus prayed that God would place this same love in His disciples. He knew that no other motivation would be sufficient for the assignments God had for them. God’s answer was to place His Son in them. It is impossible for a Christian to be filled with this measure of love and not to be on mission with God.

You will be incapable of ministering to everyone God sends you unless you have His love. You cannot forgive others or go the extra mile with others or sacrifice for others unless you have first been filled with the boundless love of God. Seek to know the Father and His immeasurable love, then allow His Son to love others through you!

PS. Does anyone know the proper procedure for bringing hamsters home on international flights?