Missionary Heartbeat
by Rocky Grams 12/02

What is Christmas to a missionary?
Wistfulness and memories.
Longing to see family- to travel over
The hills to grandmother's house.
To have nowhere to go and be able to
Look outside and say:
"Let it snow! Let it snow!"
Brightly decorated houses and
A real Christmas tree for $8.99.
We're here and we're enjoying it
Immensely.

But we're also remembering
Christmas fireworks in
Buenos Aires.
It's mid-summer there.
And a midnight meal with the family.

What is Christmas to a missionary?
To The Missionary it was a
Bloody stuggle toward the light-
A whimper or a cry
As His lungs filled with air-
The next step toward the Cross.





Rocky Grams 9/02

We're back!
We're back home!
Well, let's say we really feel at home.
Predictable driving
And kind bank cashiers
And strangers smiling and
Grassy rest areas with state-of-the-art restrooms
And feeling safe.
Huge meal portions and huge cars and
Huge grocery store aisles with amazing selections and
Huge hugs from friends we haven't seen for a long time.

It's been a full term.
Four amazing years.
Tremendous fruitfulness
And four personal hold-ups.
The lives of hundreds of students
Potentiated to the nth degree
And stress and uncertainty and looting and
Looking both ways when we take out the garbage.

Sure, they're burning tires in the street.
Sure, they've invented the "kidnap express"
A fast-food type cheaper run at a few bucks.
Sure, they're even taking pets for ransom and
Sure it's not that safe right now.

But real soon we're going to want to go back
Back to where our other friends are
Back to try to reach those looters and tire burners
Back to where we're told this is a
Great moment for the church.
Feeding programs with half-hour Bible class first
Encounter weekends where hundreds are mended
All-night prayer vigils and
Record-breaking numbers at the Bible School.
The streets blocked off for Christian rock concerts and
Cell groups proliferating like, well, cells.

True, we're having the time of our lives here, but
Real soon we'll be ready
To scamper home.
Back to the safety of the will of God.