Indonesia is absolutely beautiful, and the beaches of Bali are some of the most awe-inspiring in the world. The best part of visiting Bali was that we could just pretend to be normal tourists when we wanted to. But then when we wanted to get a good deal on a motorbike rental for a few days, we could speak the language and show our visas to get the ‘local’ rate, or at least a little closer to it. We did not realize how tired and stressed out we were until we got here and had nothing to do but stare at the ocean. It was wonderful to just step back for a few days and breathe in the midst of ministry. My favorite memory of Bali was going out into the ocean at low tide with Jason’s parents and our one daughter at the time. It was a whole other world as we saw starfish and a myriad of different kinds of shells temporarily stranded. We got to touch and feel the amazing variety of God’s creation, all there right in front of our hotel. Samantha was one at the time and wasn’t quite sure she wanted to touch things, but she loved looking at them. Twice we got to stay in this beautiful place, while trying not to feel guilty for enjoying some of our time as missionaries. Why do we feel guilty when God gives us a good gift and a time of rest?
Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows. James 1:17