Difrent's Detachment - Attempts at It, Anyway

[DifRent]

Heavy - Her primary love language is touch, but service is right behind it. Wanting to "take care" of us is my real W. While her flip/flop made me laugh for several reasons, the fact is, the woman who wanted to put money in our account is the real her. She loved feeling responsible for all of us, even though we were both responsible, of course. Definitely a good sign.

Cali - yes, she's much more eager to share things with me than I am to share anything with her, and I agree that's another good sign. I know I can be patient. Wanted to share a story here with you and Heavy about how much I know prayer and fasting work, and how trusting in God's timing rather than our own preconceived notions of timetables is what's important.

Last year, W was running a bank based in Kabul, and the Taliban was wreaking some serious havoc in the early part of the year - taking hostages in guest houses, setting bombs all along the roadsides, and mowing people down in Western styled hotels and restaurants. This was a very stressful time for both of us, but probably even moreso for me, being so far away and feeling so helpless. She was literally living in a bunker, and sometimes, she had to go hide out in the safe room, even in the midst of a Skype conversation.

So I decided to pray for God to get her out of Afghanistan somehow, and I prayed through fasting - nothing but water, for 21 days. Counting ahead, I saw it just so happened that the 21st day was April 4, the day of the presidential elections over there, and I felt compelled to pray and to fast for that long. Everyone, including my W, thought I was crazy and asked me not to, but I got started.

After the first day I was never hungry, but by about day 7, I was feeling quite weak. I worked from home, so it was okay, I would just sit on sofa with my laptop and refrained from going up the stairs. On day 10, I had to take the car to the shop, and while I waited for them to finish, I walked slowly around the shopping center. At one point, I just got this overwhelming sense - you know when God wants to make something very clear to you? - that I was to end the fast. I was disappointed, but said, "Okay God, I really wanted to make it to election day. But I'll break the fast if that's what you want."

I came home, cut a small slice of watermelon, and called my W on Skype. "Look," I said. "I feel called to break the fast. I know this will make you happy."

(Made me happy, too, to be honest. Watermelon never tasted so good!!!)

"Thank God," she said. "And guess what! I just got out of our board meeting, and they decided things are bad enough that they are going to evacuate me first thing in the morning."

Yep. That board meeting was happening right when I got the message to break the fast. Gave me chills.

My mom - her godmother - is such a saintly woman. At Mass yesterday morning, she was crying after communion - and I know why. It was for my W. We talked about all this last night for a while, and she just said with such conviction, "I know this isn't going to last. I know she will come out of this. I just know she will. God did not bring her this far, right to her long awaited baptism, for her to throw it all away. We just need to keep praying."

Well, that's not necessarily part of the DBing strategy, but prayer is powerful. Tomorrow, I am starting with a group of people around the world a St Monica novena, and fasting again - with my job, I can't do a water fast, but I will do a juice fast for the length of the novena, which ends - again, not on a day I had planned for - on Mother Teresa's birthday, my W's fellow Albanian and patron saint.

Thanks for letting me ramble. It was good to remember in writing the power of prayer. Saying a prayer of thanks for all the good people on these boards, and prayers for peace for your spouses, too.