JAN 19, 19 .. AN UNDERSTATEMENT : WE NEVER REALLY KNOW DO WE?

Tomorrow Mike and I take a train East from Novosibirsk to Mariinsk. We’ll stay there four nights leaving next Thursday the 24th for Tayshet.

This simple fact makes today, Saturday the 19th of January, ‘The Day Before I Travel’.

Basically I DO NOT EVER allow for any plans on a day before I make a trip. I need to focus on getting packed and ready for the trip the following day. Sergey pleaded with me to speak at His Home Group meeting this afternoon at 5pm. I agreed to do so. I lay down to rest at 3:30pm. At 4:15pm Mike woke me and said that the car was here to take us to the meeting. So at least I got 45 minutes of rest. Off we went at 4:40pm and arrived at the meeting location about 5pm basically on-time.

Some of you may know that December 22nd 1992, in Calcutta, West Bengal, India, I met and worked with Mother Teresa. I also worked with Mother Teresa in 1996 (Patti was with me!) and in the early part of 1997. Mother Teresa passed-on September 5th, 1997, my 61st birthday. I have a real connection with, and fondness for, her Religious Congregation, The Missionaries of Charity. Her congregation wears a very distinct blue and white habit.

Now I have got to be honest here. I was not particularly happy having to speak at a meeting on this the day before a trip.

We never really know do we? Who (certainly NOT me) would have thought the below gift was about to be set in front of me?

Into the church we walked. I was suddenly stunned beyond belief  to see a sister wearing a Missionaries of Charity habit. I grabbed Mike and said, “Mike, please tell the sister that I knew and worked with Mother Teresa in Calcutta.” It was already too late for Mike to even think of responding because, in perfect English, the sister exclaimed how special it was to be able to meet me. I pleaded with her to come up to the meeting room so I could get into my wallet and show her a photo with Mother Teresa and me. She happily followed us up into the meeting room and (wonder-of-wonders) I actually found my photo with Mother Teresa and showed it to her. She was really pleased to see it and to be meeting me.

I stood and spoke at the head of the table-string. The three sisters attended the full meeting and they sat where I snapped the above photo.

Before the meeting began, or as it was time for me to share, (I was given the floor for the entire meeting) I asked the chairman about time. He was polite but firm saying that I could speak until 6pm. Then we’ll take questions and we will adjourn at 6:20pm. All of you are already expecting us to adjourn at-you-know-when and our actual adjournment time was NOT at 6:20pm. I, your Captain, ran-out-of-steam at 7pm and I, your Captain, thanked them all for helping ME to stay sober and I sat down with a body-language all of those in attendance knew, the clock had struck midnight.

During my talk I made reference to the sisters in attendance, especially when I talked about God’s Will for us and discernment thereof. After Mike read how Bill Wilson got sober, I took the reading back to them so they could read it themselves and fully understand that Bill Wilson was touched sober by Our God of Abraham.

“What’s that Patti?”

“Didn’t I get at least one photo with my very special Missionaries of Charity Sister?”

Before the meeting began, I had Patti on the phone chatting with the sister. I kept Patti on my cell phone so that all in attendance could sing out a rousing .. ” Hi Patti!”

And?

Without further ‘ado’ just look below Patti!

My romance with Russia just keeps ramping-up!

There’s more but I don’t have much more energy left so ..

THIS WILL BE IT FOR NOW.

Cap and Patti who herself met Mother Teresa with me in early 1996.

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