“Then I was the craftsman at his side. I was filled with delight day

after day, rejoicing always in his presence, rejoicing in his whole

world and delighting in mankind.” Proverbs 8:30,31

I am trying to imagine God delighting “day after day” during creation

when He made an extra ugly bug, or when He gave the elephant the long

nose, or when he made the edelweiss and put it on the top of the

Matterhorn. It’s like the little girl asked her Sunday School teacher,

“Did God mean to make the giraffe with such a long neck?” Solomon goes

on to say that God delighted most in mankind. It is easy for me to

imagine that God is disgusted with the world. But maybe He is actually

delighted with the world? Maybe He chooses not to look into the

darkness too much, except with the intent of bringing people out and

into His light, where He can delight in them? Maybe God has a filter,

and He is actively seeking out people to delight in?

Jesus says God highly values people with the following characteristics:

-the poor in spirit

-those who mourn

-the meek

-those who hunger and thirst for righteousness

-the merciful

-the pure in heart

-the peacemakers

-those who are persecuted for righteousness

-those who are insulted and criticized because they are Christians

Last Sunday we had a glimpse of God’s delight. We had planned a baptism

and a potluck. We woke up to dark clouds and rain. By 9:30 a.m. it was

still raining, but the first people started showing up. The rain worked

like a filter. Only those who really wanted to came. After a short

service we walked through our fields to the river. The joy of the Lord

was among us. The things of the world grew dimmer for awhile, and the

delight of being with God’s people and in His presence was all around.

After the baptism someone ran for the volleyball and the youth stopped

at the flooded volleyball court for awhile. “Today, the rain doesn’t

matter.” Then we had lunch together. The youth were just acting crazy,

singing Christian songs out loud, no instruments, off key. The word

“carefree” comes to mind. It is kind of like when people first get

saved and the heavy weight of sin first falls away. Maybe the children

of Israel felt like this crossing through the Red Sea. Maybe the

Russians felt like this when the wall came down. Maybe the Americans

felt like this when they burned the tea in Boston. Maybe the pioneers

in Manitoba felt like this when they first got a homestead. For awhile,

nothing matters. Freedom is within sight. This feeling really makes

missionary work feel like a worthwhile endeavour.

For a couple of weeks now a loose paraphrase of Paul’s feelings when he

was before King Agrippa has been ringing in my head. “But for these

chains I wish all people could become what I am.”

…except that I don’t have any chains.

Thank you so much for your prayers, support and friendship, and for

working with us on this missionary endeavour. May God bless you with a

sense of the hope you are giving to many people, and the great

multitudes you will bless through their testimonies and activities in

the years to come.

Rick Bergen.

PS We captured some of the emotions of last Sunday on a four minute

video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WhrqsD6Fkvs .

PPS After watching this video, if you have a youth group who would like

to challenge us to a game of volleyball, please write me an email. Hey,

you might even be able to talk us into a small soccer tournament.