I hugged each of the six people leaving our house. As I closed the door behind them, I turned to my husband with a smile. "That was a wonderful afternoon."

From the outside it may have seemed an odd group for Steve and I to be a part of. These folks were a couple of decades older than us, most retired. We weren't related in any way, didn't live near one another. What drew us together was a family on the other side of the globe who needed our support, who waved at us as we huddled around a computer screen just a few hours earlier.

We are the board of Christian Mission for Myanmar. 

A board meeting sounds about as fun as its name. I can feel intimidated at these because I run the finances, yet I have very little experience evaluating or comparing numbers. I simply receive the money, keep track of the donating parties, send receipts. Oh, and I wire money regularly to a third-world country, which has gotten me permanently banned from using Western Union. (I'm such a rebel.)

But as much as I could feel unease by my lack of expertise, I came away from the day with a different feeling: inspiration. The stories shared as we broke bread together gave me a new perspective. These couples around my table had been to places I'd never heard of. They'd served the Kingdom in ways I hadn't imagined. And they are all determined to go above and beyond to help a family who lives a world away—all so that the family can continue sharing God's love in their home country of Myanmar. 

I've gotten to know these brothers and sisters in Christ over the past couple of years. Their consistent faith through tears of sorrow and tears of joy has given me strength. I am grateful we are now connected to one another. 

I'm fascinated by the people God brings into my path. This is just one example of the ways God adds new pieces to the puzzle of my life. Up close at times it seems like jumbled confusion, and the best I can do is cling to the interlocking pieces around me. But I step back and look at the beautiful picture He is forming. There is purpose and meaning I haven't yet discovered. 

See also Wisdom Through the Ages, part 1 and part 3.

Photo by Hans-Peter Gauster on Unsplash