1) it should be different, set apart: “It has to contrast noticeably with the other six days.”

2)it should be a day of devotion: “It’s meant to be spent in the Living Room. Kitchen duties can wait. This is a time to focus our minds and hearts on God alone.” (Living Room and Kitchen are used in the book to represent intimacy and service).

3)it should be at least partially a family day: “a time spent with our biological families, but also with the family of faith gathered for corporate worship and/or fellowship.”

She gives the example of one family who has set some guidelines for their family’s Sabbath observance. Aside for a commitment to attend church, they “don’t do laundry, clean house, go shopping, or cook elaborate meals. [They] take walks, read the Bible, visit friends, nap, or putter in the garden.”

She does address those who “work on Sundays” for the Lord — those in ministry, whether as part of a church service or in full-time ministry — and suggests that they find another time that they may set apart as their Sabbath-rest. Sine, I fall into this category, I found myself examining my sabbath.

Our staff has Mondays as a “day off”. I try to take advantage of that. I leave my home and go to Arrayanes where I have mentor time with Sandy and then hang out with her family or other friends in the town. Part of this is because I’ll get bored at home by myself and want to do something, which will lead to work on my day off. But if I work on my day off then I’ll also inevitably bug other staff on THEIR day off. So I appreciate the opportunity to get out on that day so as to not infringe on the “rest” of the rest of the staff. But even though that’s my “day off”, I find myself examining if it’s really a true Sabbath for me. In some ways, I’d say it is, but there are many other ways in which I have not taken care to guard a Sabbath rest.

All this got me to thinking about the rest of the AM staff and locations. Is this important (aside from the fact that it’s one of the 10 commandments)? What do you guys do for your “Sabbath”? Would you say that you have kept it holy, or is it only half a sabbath? Or maybe it’s gotten squeezed out completely. What does it look like? What are some things/commitments/disciplines that you have already put in place to set apart your Sabbath from the other six days as far as rest, devotion, and fellowship? What could change or be different? Are we doing enough to teach true Sabbath-keeping to those around us?

“…Then there are the incessant kids. Love em to death. But not on the weekends. I literally have to escape Helene sometimes to say no or to get away.”

This idea of “getting away” seems really important to this conversation of finding rest. She goes on to say…

I think it depends on your situation. Ours in Helene is unique and remote and too close at times which propels us to need time away, especially if we haven’t been raised that close to people or among them (i.e. staff living conditions, full-time ministry). I definitely think “getting away” is important to maintaining your commitment to anything. I mean when you’re teaching students to write or read, you have moments to “walk away” from it and clear your head before jumping in again. Life is no different on or off the mission field. Sometimes just multiplied intensity. So I really feel balance is the key – trying to find where your balance is between doing and being, work and play, giving and receiving, socializing and getting personal time. If you can find that balance in your life on site great!! If you’re not, then you definitely need to get away to recharge. When I think about I kind of refer back to some of John Eldredge’s writings. Yes, I know he can be a little overemo, touchy feely but I totally buy into his premise in Waking the Dead about getting away, getting somewhere you can be still and know God, or just recharging. He uses nature/Creation as his way reconnecting with His Creator but I think it can mean different things to different people.

One example was needing to leave the country every 3 months. That was something I knew I could always look forward to and would not think about work at all while I was gone (or at least would try). Another example was hosting teams. Even though traveling to San Jose and picking up teams was not a pleasure trip and became monotonous at times, I would try to catch a movie at the theater, eat food I couldn’t get in PV, shop at the mall, or just watch tv in my hotel room - things that couldn’t be done in Puerto Viejo. For me, doing something “different” was important.

Overall, I would say that during the calm seasons when life was routine, I learned to enjoy it. Even though I might only have the option of going to the beach, I would try to find a new beach to visit. I would also try to get more involved in town activities during these seasons. And when life was full of changes of scenery, I would do my best to add some fun into the responsibilities.

TJ, thinking back, if you could have done anything ‘out of th ordinary’ to rest in Puerto, any ideas of what it would be? Just curious since Lord willing, we’ll be there soon. I know you said you had a hard time coming up w/ something while there, but perhaps hindsight would help?

I am totally an extrovert and it rejuvinates me to be around others. My husband can a lot of times be the ‘friend’ I enjoy most (and living so far from town & being a homeschool mom of 3, he usually is the one I hang out with the most), but more times than not, I prefer to go have coffee with a girlfriend, or some times just sitting out on our back deck (which I’ll miss tremendously) in the sun, reading a good book or a magazine is very restful for me. Going for a long bike ride is also very helpful in restoring joy to my weary soul. I am certain though that the most refreshing times of rest for me are the times I ‘escape’ on my own & worship (sometimes on a bike ride, sometimes at the beach…one of my favorite places to be).
Spending an uninterrupted time in God’s word on our porch can also do the same for me.

Anyhow, thanks for all your posts. It’s so helpful to be able to relate to the way some of you feel when you don’t get rest & to remember that we’ll need to take times to rest once we get to Puerto, just as badly (if not more so) than we need it here. I really appreciate how “real” all of you are in these posts. Thanks for being genuine
Carol

Rest….there are so many ways of understanding what that really means. I recently read an interesting article on Boundless about the difference between entertainment and recreation, and the difference had to do with the level to which one is being rejuvenated by the said activity or lack thereof: http://www.boundless.org/2005/articles/a0001644.cfm.

When I’m overwhelmed, stressed, etc., my tendency is to check out. To do something that gives me a mental/emotional/spiritual break. I’m such a thinker and yet also very emotional that many times I HAVE to disconnect myself for a little bit in order to later return to the thoughts/issues/etc. at hand and be able to deal with them effectively. This comes in the form of some kind of mental escape: a Christian fiction novel that I’m reading; working on my cross-stitch (which is amazingly calming for me) while putting in a movie that I know so well I don’t have to pay attention to it (for background noise); going and visiting someone because I too am an extrovert, and the lack of sufficient social interaction can many times be the root cause for why I’m stressed, moody, or not handling things well.

Having a day off is also helpful, as TJ pointed out. Ours is on Mondays. I use this time to have mentor time with Sandy in the mornings in Arrayanes, which is actually very encouraging and uplifting for me more times than not. That is a ministry activity for me, but it’s also personal because she is also my friend and one of the closest I have here. Once we are done I just hang out in Arrayanes – no active ministry required! I know that if I go home, then I’ll have nothing to do, and work will creep in and make me anxious cuz I can’t accomplish anything without bugging others with work, which I don’t want to do on their day off. So, we just relax in the hammocks, or we play cards with the younger girls, or we go visiting, or sometimes we just walk around town talking.

Other times I just want to get away, and that’s where I run into problems. I have yet to find a way to ‘get away’ here in Cofradía. To disappear for a little while to a place that inspires me or allows me the space and time to meditate, pray, etc. So, I’m finding ways to create that, be it a fireplace video in my TV with my curtains drawn and my favorite throw blanket, candles, quiet worship music, and my Bible/journal, etc. Sometimes I go up on the balcony over the base kitchen because no one thinks to look up there, and I can disappear for a little while (Cofradía folks needs to immediately forget this statement please). But I find myself missing parks and trail summits, etc. I find myself asking the Lord to bring the atmosphere to me if I can’t go to it.