Two weeks from today I’ll be heading half way around the world to Uganda. I’m leading a team of 12 other guys to go and help build the Village of Hope. I challenged all the men a couple weeks ago to make sure they documented everything important, have a will made if they haven’t yet, and maybe even write some things to the significant people in their lives just in case we didn’t come home. It would be presumptious to think flying somewhere in the neighborhood of 20 hours each way that nothing could go wrong! Plus, this is Africa, TIA as they day in Blood Diamond! So, over the last couple days I’ve been writing notes to Gayle, Jennifer, Lisa and Timothy, Jessi and Bella, My Mom and Mother-in-law, my brother and sister, Willie P, the Bay Life Men and a few others to be read if something happened and I don’t come home. Wow, you talk about emotional! I sat there writing these thinking about the impact on my family and friends if the unthinkable happened, it was tough fighting back the tears. It was interesting too that I had a desire to encourage them to know I’d be waiting on the other side and it won’t be that long till they get there! Then I read them all to Gayle and we were pretty misted up together! She said if anything happened she’d have hers laminated and sleep with it! The point is, I’m planning on coming back but really we don’t know from day to day that we will live another week or day for that matter. It was as if I was present at my own funeral service in some ways. It was the most I’ve ever entered into the fact that one day I will die. It was interesting because everything in me wants to live, yet the idea of getting there and being there to greet my family as they joined me in heaven was pretty exciting too. So, I live with this tension, to remain here is better for my family and ministry but to go and be with Christ is far better. I’d encourage anyone who reads this to do this exercise. Write a note to your loved ones as if you would be gone in a month. It will change your perspective on life, I guarantee it.

 

Scott