Les & Diana Morris

What many people think of when they hear the word abandoned is a far cry from the rich depth we want to express here, a far cry from what we are experiencing.  You see, the world has images that come to mind with this word “abandoned.” Often they are negative feelings, full of sadness – period.  They see a ghost town, a ramshackle house falling apart, or a person left utterly alone.

But there is much more to the word abandoned.  Webster’s Dictionary defines it as “wholly free from restraint, given up.”  John Michael Talbot wrote the song, “I Abandon Myself.”   The words to his song include,

I abandon myself to Your will

Do with me whatever You want

Without condition and with confidence

Because You are my God

I will only be grateful for whatever You do

I’m prepared for anything at all

These words represent the Merriam-Webster definition – to abandon ourselves.  It’s a choice, and not just a one time choice, but a continual choosing.  But most importantly, we are reminded that this letting go has more invested in it than just open hands.  What’s most important is not WHAT we let go of, or even who we let go of, but WHO we release it to!

As we start checking off our checklist’s final details as completed, all the things necessary for our imminent return to Costa Rica, we find ourselves having to also start letting go of so many things -beautiful things in our New England culture,  a New Hampshire rock wall (if you’re a New Englander you understand how beautiful these are); friends and the relationships that are like well loved clothes, they’re comfortable and they fit so well;  family who is nearby making last minute plans to be together, just because we can; family who is no longer nearby, but in the US so somehow they just FEEL so much closer and so we make this work too; we let go of grocery items and purchases that simply aren’t available in Costa Rica.   But we abandon ourselves TO the Lord.

Streams in the Desert included a poem the other day that expresses this so well:

Abandoned Utterly abandoned to the Holy Ghost!

Seeking all His fullness, whatever the cost;

Cutting all the moorings, launching in the deep

Of His mighty power—strong to save and keep.

Utterly abandoned to the Holy Ghost!

Oh! The sinking, sinking, until self is lost!

Until the emptied vessel lies broken at His feet;

Waiting till His filling shall make the work complete.

Utterly abandoned to the will of God;

Seeking for no other path than my Master trod;

Leaving ease and pleasure, making Him my choice,

Waiting for His guidance, listening for His voice.

Utterly abandoned! No will of my own;

For time and for eternity, His, and His alone;

All my plans and purposes lost in His sweet will,

Having nothing, yet in Him all things possessing still.

Utterly abandoned! It’s so sweet

to be Captive in His bonds of love,

yet wondrously free;

Free from sin’s entanglements, free from doubt and fear,

Free from every worry, burden, grief, or care.

Utterly abandoned! Oh, the rest is sweet,

As I tarry, waiting, at His blessed feet;

Waiting for the coming of the Guest divine,

Who my inmost being will perfectly refine.

He comes and fills me, Holy Spirit sweet!

I, in Him, am satisfied! I, in Him, complete!

And the light within my soul will nevermore grow dim

While I keep my covenant—abandoned unto Him!

~author unknown

And so, like John Michael Talbot’s song, we CHOOSE, JOYFULLY, to abandon ourselves to HIS will.

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HAiGAyp22JI[/youtube]

Reimann, Jim; Cowman, Mrs. Charles E. (2008-09-02). Streams in the Desert: 366 Daily Devotional Readings (pp. 163-164). Zondervan. Kindle Edition.

We are preparing to return to serve in Los Anonos, Costa Rica.  We’ve been preparing ever since we left language school and came back to the states.  First we had wonderful opportunities to visit with each of our children and all but one of our grandchildren.  Then, Les underwent surgery for prostate cancer and recovery.  Next, it was time to share our vision and hearts with individuals and churches, in order to raise support, partners in prayers and finances.  There are so many details to see to, so many things that have to be researched, followed up on and they all have to come together at the right time.  It’s like building a giant domino design – the ones where you carefully line up each domino so that when you push the first one they all fall down, one at a time, each fall pushing the next thing down in perfect order.  You have to be very careful to get everything positioned just right so that nothing falls early, so that when the time comes, everything falls exactly into place.

So we work hard and place our trust firmly in God, as we make arrangements for shipping our car, coordinating this at both ends, in English and Spanish with the help of Tico friends, purchase the airline tickets, get international travel approval and paperwork for our much loved Labrador Retriever Lindy, purchase and pack things that are hard(er)/impossible to come by in Costa Rica, wire money  into the right account for a deposit on a house rental … and so many, many other details – all while praying for the financial support needed to make everything happen and communicating with our supporters.

By faith Abraham, when called to go to a place he would later receive as his inheritance, obeyed and went, even though he did not know where he was going.  Hebrews 11:8

“Streams in the Desert March 16 said:  Abraham did not know where he was going- it simply was enough for him to know he went with God.  He did not lean as much on the promises as he did on the Promiser.  And he did not look at the difficulties of his circumstances, but looked to His King- the eternal, limitless, invisible, wise, and only God- who had reached down from His throne to direct his path and who would certainly prove Himself.  O glorious faith! Your works and possibilities are these:  contentment to set sail with the orders still sealed, due to unwavering confidence in the wisdom of the Lord High Admiral; and a willingness to get up, leave everything, and follow Christ, because of the joyful assurance that earth’s best does not compare with heaven’s least. ~F. B. Meyer”

And so, we keep on keeping on, missing our NH family already.  Does this surprise you?  It’s not all wonder and excitement, although there is certainly plenty of that.  When my grandson hugs me and tells me he never wants to let me go, because he knows I’ll soon be leaving … those are certainly heart wrenching moments that haunt me as I fall asleep at night.  But we have made up our minds in whom we trust and so we choose to trust each of our children and their spouses and each of our precious grandchildren into His capable hands – the same hands we trust our own lives into.  But oh there are days this is so hard!

Nevertheless, God is good all the time.  He has provided a house to rent.  It is a very large and wonderful house (that we have only seen pictures of and received a good report about from Harvest Hands Ministry, whom we will be working alongside of).  This will be a Community Discipleship House that will enable us to have interns (2-4) and residents (6) from Los Anonos. It should also offer more than enough space for areas to set up for teaching and training.  As by now most of you know, our hearts are (and thus our plans) to work with the young adults of Los Anonos, to help them achieve M O R E:

Modelling Christian family

One life at a time (to impact one life at a time)

Restoring (helping them get their GED)

Equipping (providing basic Bible School Training, through the cooperation of Vineyard Bible Institute, learning ESL)

Here are some pictures – 1 of the  house and 1 of the view from our balcony overlooking a portion of the Los Anonos “precario.” We thank God for His faithfulness and goodness to us!  When everything is in place, that first domino will come down and the next leg of our journey will begin.  It looks like this will be the 4th week of May!

Like Paul and Timothy in Philipians 1:6, we can say that we are confident of this for both our lives and yours:

… that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.