Paid to have tea

Every time David is asked what we will be doing in India he waxes eloquent on the needs associated with installing third world water and sewer systems and his experience with coordination and design. If anyone is courteous enough to query what I will do there is an admission of awkward uncertainty. Pastoring? Chaplaincy? There's no position yet, but they'll make one (we hope). It's been a point of discomfort. Especially delicate is the looming question of what I will do during his 7-10 days a month spent on the road touring building sites and doing inspections. I haven't been looking forward to those trips.

A phone call from Maranatha today settled the awkwardness better than either of us could have hoped. A sudden vacancy in the media department has created an immediate need for a journalist to prepare human interest stories for regular television features and magazine articles. "Would I, could I, maybe possibly be interested in trying..." the request was cautious and apologetic. Would I! You mean I get to travel around, have tea with people, write, and get paid for it? This isn't pastoring or chaplaincy in the traditional form at all but who would pass up the opportunity to have tea with fascinating people from all kinds of different places and cultures and then share that with others? "So, I asked casually, is this the kind of thing we could combine with David's inspection trips so we could travel together?" "Oh, of course. I mean, we didn't plan it that way but it just makes sense." YES! Thank you LORD!

I'm getting paid to have tea with people. That's almost as good as being paid to be a pastor, maybe even better, because I don't have to talk as much. Teachers and professors have been suggesting publishing to me for a long time and this is a perfect way to get some experience. If all works out you should see some of the new friends I am going to make show up on 3ABN and in Maranatha magazine soon.