Tea Time Friday

In Philip's role as Missions Director, he spends his days assisting missionaries. Sometimes that means talking with current missionaries about decisions or projects, or guiding new missionaries through preparation and training, or keeping up with security trends, or transferring money around the world where there are ongoing ministries.  All good work, but it is Fridays that are my favorite.

Friday mornings he pulls his charcoal and his African tea set onto the front porch, much to our North American neighbors' amusement. As the tea brews over the span of a couple hours, he calls African friends and co-workers just to check-in, as is their culture. (In Africa the phrase "no news is good news" does not apply.) These mornings are decidedly inefficient and unapologetically relational. They are the rhythm in the week that make everything else make sense. 

I liken what Sabbath is for Christians to what tea time is for Philip's work.  It doesn't make the to-do list disappear, but for that day or that morning, we live by the rules of another place. When Christians set aside Sunday to worship and laugh with the Father, the rest of the week makes sense. When Philip laughs and chats with his friends who are sitting under their mango trees across the ocean, the rest of the work makes sense, too.  I just love Fridays.

Tea, anyone?