Who's got your back?

Today is the last full day my friends Alfred, Ruth Anne and their son Ben will spend in the US for several months. They are on their way to Uganda where Ruth Anne will teach at a Bible college which is currently being led by another seminary friend, Cindy. I am really glad their itinerary included a couple of days in NYC so I could meet up and spend some time with them. Ben, like most little boys, is really into transportation and needed height so he could peer down at some train rails below. Once he figured out he could negotiate his feet between the iron railings, he and his dad walked along the fence line just as pictured above so Ben wouldn't miss a thing.

Of course, riding the subways in Manhattan is more
fun than looking at the rails on Staten Island.

And riding the Staten Island Ferry is some of the cheapest fun in town. I let all the tourists (and there was a lot of them on the ride to Staten Island!) crowd the deck and take pictures of the Statue of Liberty - but I wasn't letting the photo op of a schooner with Battery Park, lower Manhattan and the Hudson River pass me by.

A ferry ride is all the more sweeter with two twizzlers - one for each hand. As an Auntie, I have it on good authority that regardless transportation its the best way to enjoy twizzlers. Ben agreed.

My plans to meet Ruth Anne, Alfred and Ben in the city were only made on Wednesday and firmed up yesterday. They've been planning their trip to Uganda for months. Deciding to go as a family was not made on a whim, either - but after lots of prayer and discussion. Ruth Anne has kept several people updated on their progress through a newsletter she emails. Her testimony of how God has provided at every step of the journey for them is at once amazing and a comforting reminder of God's ever present faithfulness.
Today, I was impressed to hear of a further act of God's faithfulness that was provided through the community. Asbury friend Rick Hutchins drove the family from Lexington to NYC on Wednesday so they wouldn't have to worry about where to store their car for several months. (If you ever drove or rode the 11-12 hour journey, you know what a gift this is!) Remembering Rick is from the metro area reminded me that he had family he could visit - and delivering Ben and his parents to NYC was just as a good excuse as any to make the trip. But more than that, it turns out due to some family medical procedures, this is the perfect time for Rick to here. I love it when God provides like that.
Riding home on the bus this afternoon, I reflected on how God has helped shape this journey for my friends and a refrain of a Celtic prayer attributed to St. Patrick ran through my mind. Alfred, Ruth Anne and Ben don't know what exactly lies in front of them, but they know God is already in the midst of it, preparing the way. They only have to look behind them, to be reminded of how God has already provided the past months. Similar to Ben hanging onto the fence - he felt safe and secure once he got his bearings because Alfred was right there not letting go. So, friends with this benediction and the prayers of so many may your time be blessed in Uganda:

Christ with me, Christ before me, Christ behind me,

Christ in me, Christ beneath me, Christ above me,

Christ on my right, Christ on my left,

Christ when I lie down, Christ when I sit down, Christ when I arise,

Christ in the heart of every person who thinks of me,

Christ in the mouth of everyone who speaks of me,

Christ in every eye that sees me,

Christ in every ear that hears me.

I arise today

Through a mighty strength, the invocation of the Trinity,

Through belief in the threeness,

Through confession of the oneness,

Of the Creator of Creation.

Go in peace.