I experienced a Samuel moment this summer while on Sabbatical. Becky, you may ask, who is Samuel and what does he have to do with you? Samuel is the son of Elkanah and Hannah. Hannah had been barren and prayed and petitioned the Lord for a son. She made a promise to the Lord that if she was able to have a son she would give him back to the Lord to serve Him all the days of his life. The Lord answered Hannah’s prayer and she had Samuel. After she had weaned Samuel she took him to the house of the Lord and presented him to Eli, the priest, to be raised in the house of the Lord. One night when Samuel was a child he heard someone calling his name. He ran to Eli and said, “here I am; you called me.” But Eli said, “I did not call; go back and lie down.” This happened a total of three times and Eli realized that the Lord was the one calling Samuel. So Eli told Samuel, “Go and lie down, and if he calls you, say, ‘Speak, Lord, for your servant is listening.’” “So Samuel went and lay down. Then the Lord came and stood there, calling as at the other times, ‘Samuel! Samuel!’. Then Samuel said, ‘Speak, for your servant is listening.’” Following is my Samuel story. For the past year and a half I have been following Sally Clarkson, an American Christian author and speaker, on Instagram. I was first introduced to Sally by reading a blog post she wrote as a guest on Ann Voskamp’s site. Shortly after reading her post I discovered she also had a podcast called At Home with Sally. When I first started listening to her podcast she was living in Oxford. This was about the time Eric and I were beginning to plan our Sabbatical for the Summer of 2020. I enjoyed listening to her describe day-to-day life in Oxford and dreamed about the time Eric and I would be able to experience Oxford for ourselves. Sally and I are kindred souls with a deep love for our Savior, our families and a strong cup of tea. Because of the Covid Pandemic that changed the plans of so many in 2020 our Sabbatical was postponed until 2021. I knew when we traveled to Oxford this past June that Sally was still living there with her husband Clay. Oxford is a city of 151,000 people. What are the chances that my path would cross with Sally’s? As it just so happens :) the first Sunday that Eric and I attended St. Aldate’s Church in Oxford I spotted Sally and Clay across the sanctuary. Now what are the chances that we would attend the very same service? There are four services at St. Aldate’s on Sundays and because of the Covid restrictions in June you need to preregister for service. Eric prompted me to introduce myself to Sally after the service. As only a shy introvert is able, I timidly went up to Sally and introduced myself and expressed my appreciation for her ministry of encouragement to moms. In her very gracious way, she invited me to Monday with Sally’s. Monday with Sally’s was a book study Sally hosted at her home for moms. This past summer they were going through her book Mission of Motherhood. I was not going to pass up an opportunity to be with Sally so I eagerly agreed to come. The very next evening, I put on my raincoat, took my umbrella, and my phone so I could listen to an Inspector Gamache mystery by Louise Penny while I walked the two miles through the University Parks to Sally’s home. As I approached her home I met some lovely ladies also on their way to the study. This was reassuring as I did not have to arrive by myself. Sally had chairs set up in her garage because we could not meet indoors at the time because of the Covid restrictions. She had a lovely tea cart with china tea cups, tea and biscuits. I gathered with women from Oxford and all over the world with the common desire to learn how to be the best mom we can be. What an unexpected blessing for me to be in fellowship with moms while in Oxford. Sally shared from her life experience and from God’s word and prayed over us. What a gift for me! My Sally story does not end there. The study was Monday evening. On Wednesday, Eric and I walked into Oxford to have tea/coffee at the Garden Cafe at University Church with a wonderful view of the Radcliffe Camera. As Eric and I were sitting there enjoying our warm beverages on a chilly morning Sally arrived and sat at the table next to ours. After we had finished our tea/coffee and she had finished her breakfast, I went over to her table so I could introduce her to Eric. She was very kind and after the introductions we sat back down at our table. She approached us before she left to suggest some places in Oxford she thought would be beneficial for us to visit. Okay, I am now sitting at my table asking the question, God, is there anything I should be paying attention to because I keep bumping into Sally in a city of 150,000 people? I appreciate how playful God is with the little and big ways He shows us that He sees us and cares for each of us individually. I am now asking the question just as Samuel did, “Speak, Lord, for your servant is listening.” My interaction with Sally did not end that day. I was able to attend the book study the next Monday too. This time she had a canopy set up outside her home with twinkling lights. It was an inviting welcoming spot with the same tea cart, china cups, muffins and fresh cherries on a cool misty evening. A side note: While walking to Sally’s that evening I realized halfway there I forgot to bring my face mask just in case I needed to ride the bus back to our air bnb. I texted Eric to let him know I would need to walk home because I forgot my mask. I continued on my walk and a biker passed me and stopped. I looked up and realized it was Eric. He had brought me my mask. (Read my earlier blog post to learn about the work we had been doing on our marriage while on Sabbatical.) The time he took to bring me my mask expressed love for me, a simple act from my knight in shining armor riding on a bike through the park to rescue me from germs :) Still brings a smile to my face. Back to Sally’s canopy. It was another lovely evening among moms from all stages of life. There was laughter, there was empathy, there was understanding and there was encouragement to rest in God’s love and care for us women and moms. Before I left that evening I received a warm hug from Sally. My third Sally encounter. As I anticipated returning home I felt the Lord saying, “you can minister to moms like Sally ministers to moms.” I have a gazillion teacups just waiting to be used. I have twenty three years of motherhood experience just waiting to be shared. And, I love to bake, desiring to pamper and care for moms who just need an evening or morning to be encouraged. So, here is my question for you. Are you a mom (with children between the ages of 0-18) who desires to grow? Who has questions about how to raise children in the culture and world in which we live? In our over scheduled lives are you available to meet either once a week or twice a month? Does a morning or evening work best for you? Please respond either with a comment below on this blog post, in a personal message or in the comments on Facebook. I would like to begin a study and I am initially doing a survey to see what the interest and availability of women are.
3 Comments
Megan Moyer
10/18/2021 06:02:39 pm
That would be a great idea! What a wonderful story as well. I would love to be apart of this. maybe morning.
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Asta Lorentz
10/18/2021 08:15:24 pm
I’d love to be part of a Christian motherhood encouragement gathering. I’m most free on Monday or Friday mornings or evenings past 730pm. Beautiful reflections shared and amazing how God works in all countries to speak intimately to us 🥰
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Dawn Flood
10/19/2021 04:09:29 pm
So grateful for you, Becky....your heart for the Lord, your obedience to His call and your encouragement to me. Thank you for sharing your story... I hope its not too long before we can enjoy a cup of tea. May the Lord fill your cup. Love you!
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AuthorI am a woman who loves everything about making a house a home. I enjoy meal planning, cooking, baking, sewing, crafting, and decorating. Not so much cleaning and laundry, but that goes along with caring for a home. I am blessed to be married to a pastor and we have had the privilege of raising two daughters. Archives
July 2021
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