Spent our day @ Magic Mountain, a fun park down the road from the cabins. The kids were nervous about the rollercoaster but didn't want to get off it. They've also enjoyed the toboggan run and water slides especially. Gabi just keeps sliding down and doing the walk back up. The two are called, "Black Hole" and "Doom Tube". The former goes underground and the latter is shorter and faster. You slide on rubber mats, which makes it that much faster. Stayed until close.
More time of tennis and the pool for Gabi. Got takeaway seafood for me and burgers for the kids. Ben loved the chicken schnitzel.
I packed everything after the kids fell asleep so there is minimal work in the morning. A couple of brush-tail possums visited before thet clashed with a Potaroo that was minding its own business. Unfortunately sleep gone a little funny again in last couple of nights so I'm typing this last part of the entry at 2:30am.
Now after 3:00am as I've been reading the book of Romans, with particular focus on ch.8 and 11. The former being the battle I have in current times with v.28, as beautiful as it is. The latter being something on my heart concerning the fate of the Jewish people.
Getting back to ch.8, the age was marked with a handwritten note Maria made on Nov when she attended a talk on healing. Interestingly I'm listening over and over to a track, "Broken but I'm Healed" by Byron Cage, which also covers this topic. I remember our dear friend David-whose wife Cindy had a major MVA while we were in Israel together-said on a visit that should he choose to bestow a miracle on Cindy or Maria (he meant full healing), that he knew it would not go to waste. We'll keep praying it for Cindy.
I'm now rambling but something that has haunted me lately relates to Cindy and Maria, only part of which I've shared with others. What I have shared verbally with others is that when I was driving enroute to the hospital after receiving a confused call from Maria about Cindy's accident, over and over I was told (didn't discern it immediately at the time as I felt it may have been my wish rather than a reality) that Cindy would live. When I got to the hospital and heard that they felt it impossible that she'd live 24hrs, I honestly felt that perhaps it was my emotions (doubt slipping in), albeit what I heard was so clear and definite.
What I haven't shared before is that I sought this revelation for Maria but never received it. Maria also felt the same, so while she (we) continued to pray for supernatural healing, we both felt that God had prepared us as Maria's time was limited. In the early days/weeks of Maria's diagnosis we received notes from people having received "words" or "revelation". We were both very much not up to hearing it as: (a) it was so early and we were coming to terms with the diagnosis; (b) we felt that God would do what He had to, if that was His desire/will; and (c) both felt a strong sense that Maria's time was going to be limited and the gospel had to be preached in a loving way to those who would be placed in our path (I believe this is the nexus with Romans 11). It is important to emphasise that we never gave up hope of her being with us for many years, not until after Maria's last breath on Earth.
Maria's attitude throughout her journey with glioblastoma is evidence of her spiritual healing, with our belief that she is now with God in Heaven (a place of no pain and suffering) which equates to her physical healing.
I know God can mend parts of my brokenness. I know He will. I will never "recover" from this loss, as this loss is not a physical injury that one is expected to get over. What I do know is that He will mould me so I can adapt to this new way of living - to use me in some way for Him. That said, it's selfishly hard to think of actively doing anything for God right now because of my physical and emotional exhaustion, which continues to plague me. Countering that statement, I know nothing is impossible for Him. Nearly 4am - need to get a little sleep as we're on the road in a few hours to make our way to Tuross via Maria's parents.
