BRITTON CURRENT EVENTS: Meeting Shaun White on Furlough!

Well, not really. But, I was reading a newspaper article this morning on the X Games and Shaun’s recent stellar feats which mirror my own. (Because I’m such an intense snow boarder! HAH!)

Believe it or not, Shaun’s words resonated deep in my soul as he described the humbling experience he goes through during competition and as Jason Blevins, the writer of the article, attempted to explain to me what exactly it was that Shaun did on that mountain earning him a coveted gold. “With a 21-foot air on the first hit of his first spin down the pipe and a series of technical tricks--including his famous double McTwist into a stylish alley-oop backside rodeo . . . On his second run, White upped his game with an X Games-record, 24-foot backside first hit and stuck a momentous run culminating in a frontside double-cork 1260 to earn an unbeatable 98 points.” To which Shaun said, “I felt the hang time, I got to the top and was still kind of going . . .The heavy part of that is you come out of that with an amazing amount of speed.” Ok, so I’m reading English, but I have NO IDEA what Shaun just did!

And how does that even remotely parallel my own experience? Let me ’tempt to ‘splain. When we’re asked about what we do in Uganda and how our life intertwines with the children and staff at New Hope, our answers are sometimes met with that “deer in the headlights” look. Our words alone seemingly don’t connect with the listener. For one, so many hold us in such high esteem, as if we’re on some loftier plane, that they keep themselves from fathoming our work. To top off the disconnect, we’ve just come out of Uganda “with an amazing amount of speed” and landed in the zone of a different culture. So, when we fervently desire to relate with friends, family and churches about the past six years of our experience, it’s often more difficult than expected.

“Six years . . . it’s a pretty humbling title to hold. Next year, going for the seventh is going to be pretty intense too,” Shaun articulates his snow boarding career, but we could say the same about our last six years. The same amount of time Shaun has been honing his skills on mountains, we’ve been sharpening our focus and commitment to the children and staff at New Hope Uganda. I feel like saying simply, “Yeah, what he said.” Yes, six years on the mission field is pretty humbling. The spills, cultural crashes and faux pas, hurts, disappointments, victories and blessings all rolled into one big experience--too big to adequately explain. And the title, “missionary” does all kinds of weird things in the mind of the hearer who often tries to categorize us when they meet us. It ranges from “Wow. You’re so amazing. I could NEVER do what you do,” to an unresponsive indifference.

Last week on our flight to Los Angeles, Geoff and I met a judge for the Lake Tahoe HuckFest Big Air Series for amateur skiers and snowboarders. As he described what he does on the mountain and we answered his questions about New Hope, we were all enamored at each other . . . he at us for what we do, we at him for his skill. Yes, we found ourselves guilty of elevating each other above where we belong. And that’s what we do as human beings don’t we? We skew our comparisons to favor either one another or ourselves. Yet, creator God is the author of all our lives. The Master Gifter. The Master Planner. The Master Weaver. One gift or plan is not truly more valued than another, for we’re all created for good works and to glorify Him. Where He chooses to place us for that task is not a matter of status, but of His intricate design--weaving each thread into the over all pattern of His Kingdom work. Do what is designed and planned for you and don’t feel less, don’t feel greater. The 70s cliche “bloom where you’re planted” comes to mind as well as the apostle Paul’s words in Corinthians, “The whole body can’t be an eye for where would the hearing be?” So, having said that, individually we are of equal value, though our specific forte in this life usually looks very different. Where we are, what we do and who we affect should be God-driven. God does not demand any of us to do anything other than what He’s planned. Whether at “home” or abroad, on the slopes or in the office.

Every two years we come home to the U.S. with enormous anticipation of seeing people--sitting down to catch up--”what’s been going on with you???” And also, admittedly, the hopes of sharing what’s been going on with us. In the six weeks we’ve been in the U.S. so far, we’ve observed many of your activities/lives here and said, “Wow. That’s amazing! We couldn’t do that!” And you know what? We’re not asked to. Nor are you asked to do what we do.

Reconnecting and strengthening relationships with so many people is a contest of X-Game proportions! Not just because of the “language” and “comparison” challenges, but also the schedule. We have five months here. One and a half months are already vapor. In our hearts is the desire to see EVERYONE and talk, share, laugh, pray and make new memories! We make plans and sometimes they materialize beautifully and other times they disintegrate. Like this past weekend. We were to spend the entire weekend in Pueblo, CO reconnecting and celebrating with friends, but a 48-hour virus that ran through our boys infringed on set plans and derailed the schedule. Other times, schedules seem ill-matched from the get-go and it’s impossible to meet up. Then there is the whole geography thing. America is a big place and, even in five months, we can’t travel the whole length and breadth.

And so, having said all that, and WHEW I am wordy today (!), we long to be able to see and truly connect with so many, but find that impossibility exasperating. Often, having set a schedule, it can be daunting to realize how much movement here and there will be required to keep the schedule. Please know that if we can’t connect this furlough our hearts have desired it to be otherwise! If we DO get to spend time together, let’s endeavor to hold each other in the esteem God has given us--His beautiful creations each uniquely gifted and suited by Him.

You know how I love to include pictures, so just because I don't have any to "fit" the blog doesn't mean I can't throw some in anyway!

We got to spend two days in late December with some cousins and had a great time! This was an unexpected AWESOME dinner at Slattery's in Denver--a must if you're in the area!