Time

It’s Almost Coming Home Time

I’ve been thinking a lot about “time” as it was about this “time” a year ago that we received an email from Wycliffe Associates about the possibility of coming to Africa for six months.  I have to say that at that “time” being gone for six months, gone from home, seemed like a very “long time” to us.  And now here we are – almost time to go home.  Has it really been six months?

This opportunity to come to Niamey, Niger, also seemed like a “window of time” for us.  We are, we thought, too old for doing this - but if not now, when?  We would say the “time seemed right.” 

We all receive the same amount of time in that 24 hours is 24 hours whether you are in the United States or whether you are in Africa.  Time is funny though.  There are times when time moves really slowly – like if you need boiling water right this minute, it seems to take such a long time for it to boil.  Sometimes time seems to stop, like when there is a crisis or bad news.  Time seems to fly when you are having a good time and you say, “where did the time go?”  We have certainly had times when time moved very slowly but now as we get close to going home it feels like – Where did the time go?  And we are praying all our planes are “on time!”

It is said that time can heal.  Taking time to rest is good when you are sick or have bad knees, like Elgin has right now.  For him it is time for a shot in his knees.  And the truth is time isn’t the healer – it may take time to heal but time doesn’t heal.  

We talk about how we spend time.  How much time do we have?  Or how much time will it take?  What time do you need to . . . go to the store or any number of other things?  Sometimes we ask, is this a good time for . . .?  Other expressions of time - now is the time - the time is coming -time marches on.

There is also Africa time and Minnesota time.  I can say for sure that time seems different in Niger than it does in Minnesota.  Time moves more slowly in Niger (see Elgin’s blog on waiting.)  The pace here is slow, much slower than the pace at home.  Actually I like “time” here and am wondering how I will adjust to the faster pace – where every minute needs to count for something – when I get home. 

Sometimes we experience that it is “time for change.” 

The Bible refers to time in many ways.  Creation is described in segments of time (days).  Events occur in time and even a person’s age gives things context.  And as Ecclesiastics says:  “There is a time for all things under heaven.” 

I guess this was our time to come to Africa.  We are grateful we were given this time and grateful that it is time to come home.

So thinking about our time here and time at home I have tried my own rendition of the Ecclesiastics passage.

There is a time for hellos and a time for good byes.

There is a time for bon jour and a time for au revoir

There is a time for French and a time for English.

There is a time for Africa and a time for Minnesota.

There is a time for new friends and a time for old friends.

There is a time for Nescafe and a time for Starbucks.

There is a time for sandals and time for boots.

There is a time for sand and a time for snow.

There is a time for hot and a time for cold.

There is time for a slower pace and a time for a faster pace.

There is a time for sand roads and a time for interstates.

There is a time for Merci and time for thank you.

But there is always time to say thank you God for this “incredible time.”