Mari Isaacson

It’s amazing how that old lady gets around. After we left her in Canada, she showed up some years later in Austria. By the way, she did show up at the Bible School a few more times for different events. One time Kelly and I were just trying to bring a little laughter into the High School girls dorm. They were tough girls. A lot of those girls on our floor (we were High School Resident Assistants) didn’t really want to be there. Thus, study hour time was a challenge to say the least. We tried. So, the old lady moved on to different lands….

The first time the old lady was requested to show up was for a game during a 5-Day club was in Burgenland. It was a scavenger hunt. There was a long list of interesting things the children needed to find. One of the items was my signature. Well, children love such treasure hunts I have discovered. So, we decided to add a little twist to the hunt. I would dress up as an elderly lady and walk around the church grounds. What added a bit of spice to the occasion was that a neighbour lady was also outside. Another elderly sort. We stood out there in plain site for all the children to see and chatted for almost an hour. The entire time children were racing past us looking for this and that. It was rather hilarious. In fact, we broke out in laughter a few times as we caught bits of conversations where the children were looking for me. We were even asked a few times if we knew my where-a-bouts. My only response was, sorry. After all, if I said more I would have to lie. That wouldn’t be right.

One boy got smart. He was around 10 or 11 years old. He kept coming by and looking at me real hard-like. Finally he came up and asked me for my signature without even asking if I was who I was supposed to be. Who might that be? I asked him how he knew. Easy. My hands gave me away. They weren’t the hands of an elderly lady. Ah, perhaps there is some merit in those dishwashing soap commercials after all.

His group was the only group that won that day.

Then there was the time with the Junior girls in Villach. It was another type of hunt. This time all they had to find was me. The rules were easy. They broke up into three groups. Each group had a Teen who was only there to make sure nothing went wrong. Oh yes, each team had to have the cell phone. They were to call me every 15 minutes and ask me where I was. Not too hard. The boundaries were set and the girls were off.

Again, I needed to add a different twist so that it wouldn’t be so easy for them. In one of the restaurants I changed into my costume. Out came the old lady again. I had borrowed different parts of my outfit from different elderly women in the church. Even a decent wig I was able to scrounge up from some hidden corner of a second hand store.

The calls started to come but none of the groups were in sight. I wasn’t moving very fast. Sometimes I even stayed where I was to see if they would show up. Nobody. Finally I get the call that one of the girls was getting a heat stroke. It was really hot that day. My costume didn’t help me any, I was sweating up a storm. That group was heading to McDonalds to get out of the heat. Ok. I then told the other two groups of the new destination and started heading there myself.

Along the way, one of the groups passed me, almost running me over. One girl looked back. Probably to see if I was still on my feet. I felt sure she had recognized me. But no, she turned and kept on going.

Some of the girls were at the counter when I arrived at McDonalds. I slowly went up to them and placed my hand on the shoulder of one of the girls. She turned and looked at me with such a frozen expression as if I were some kind of monster. Another turned to see what the matter was. She too had a terrified look on her face. As if I were in the position to really do any of them any damage. I couldn’t believe it. The situation was so hilarious that I broke out in laughter and couldn’t stop. They all turned then. Everyone in the near vicinity was watching with curiosity. Finally it dawned on each of the girls present who I was. Some of them even started laughing. The two who were terrified finally breathed deeply. The one closest to me exclaimed that she thought I was going to fall on her or something. They were still having a hard time believing it was me. Without my laughter, they would be stumped.

Well, the others in the group were already upstairs with their food. It was time to test out their reactions. I headed for the stairs. Before reaching the landing I noticed an empty chair at one of the tables where some were sitting. I filled it. Everyone stopped talking and looked at me strangely. I was sure the seat was meant for one of those down ordering their food, but no one trusted themselves to say anything. They weren’t rude or anything, they just didn’t know what to do with me. One actually said hello. I kept thinking, come on you guys, look at me closely. Finally I had to laugh, which of course, gave me away. One of the girls dropped her salad on the floor in reaction. Another stared at me with open mouth. Several others started talking at once.

Once the others joined the group and I had also ordered my food, we talked about the situation. We did a lot of laughing during that meal.

It’s an eye opener to see how different people react to the elderly. Some people just don’t have the time of day for this age group. Others don’t know how to relate so they tend to shy away from them. For the most part, the elderly are overlooked. That is sad.

The elderly have lived through so much, they have lots to say. If only someone would listen. Even just taking the time to smile at them when passing on the streets can change the outlook of their day. I love smiling and greeting the elderly when I am in the city. Some of them are just as grumpy looking as if I hadn’t said anything at all. Then there are the others. Most of them have a massive change of countenance, like a rose that has budded in the sunshine. It’s a beautiful sight.

Try creating a flower today. Make a few minutes for the elderly. Even if it is just a smile, it can change someone’s world.

It’s amazing how we often take our friends for granted till they are no longer there. Settling in here in Edmonton has not been easy. No friends here! Well, not yet. Friendship takes time, but do we take the time to make friends?

Being here so close to Three Hills brings back many memories of treasured friends. Let me share a bit of the past with you, for it has to do with some of you, my dear friends!

In Bible School you sometimes do really strange things just to take the pressure off of all the studying and piles of books to read. Well, I loved to dress up. I have loved dressing up since the first time I was old enough to go trick-or-treating. It then carried over to my Jr. High and Sr. High days. Our school was always having opportunities to dress up. Most of the time it was to show our support for the different sports teams. But sometimes it just had to do with the season. So, whether I wore red and white, my clothes backwards, an Indian costume that I made out of a burlap bag, or some other crazy costume, I was always totally engulfed in each opportunity that came along.

In Bible School such opportunities rarely presented themselves, so one had to be creative and make the possibilities happen. On this particular day I was totally stressed out and needed some kind of outlet. A fantastic idea started to form and I went to the Tilly to search for the needed items. Now the Tilly was like a second-hand shop there on the school premises. You could either buy things like clothing, books, extra blankets, fun stuff, and even costumes really cheep, or borrow them. My plan took shape as I found the needed items.

Back in my room I put on the costume and looked in the mirror. What looked back at me was a fragile, elderly lady who was looking for some adventure in her every-day coexistence. She was equipped with cain and one of those hats with a net in front hiding part of my face. The grey wig and gloves added to the effect immensely along with baby powder and facial lines made with mascara. I was set to try out this new look. It was dinner time. Destination: the dining hall.

Now I must say, I have been plagued with back problems my whole life. Problem which, when I am in great pain, affect the way I walk. Therefore, my plan was reinforced with the fact that I knew exactly how to walk like an elderly woman. I had had much practice.

I arrived at the dining hall, none to quickly I must add. The distance between the girls dorm and dining hall was normally around 5 minutes. Normally. First I had to wait till there was no one in the hall, then I managed to my friends room undetected. It was all set up that I would have a co-worker in crime. Kelly was to tell everyone who asked that I was her great aunt who had come to visit. Paul, her then boyfriend now husband, was also recruited in the scam. With that all set, we were on our way. Nevertheless, it took almost a half an hour to actually get to the dining hall once we left her room.

We arrived and Paul was there to meet us. It was amazing how convincing we actually were. I was sure that everyone would recognize me. Very few. This was just too true to believe. I always wanted to be an actress but never got the chance till now. I was enjoying this roll immensely. The best was yet to come.

We were sitting down at one of the tables in the midst of the big dining hall when our, already nearly full table was graced with another. Charlie. (Charlie is not his real name, but we will call him that for this article.) Charlie was an elderly, single gentleman who loved to flirt with the female students. He was always careful though with whom he chose to flirt with. Charlie was my friend. We had lots of fun together. Now here would be my biggest test.

Charlie didn’t waste a moment. He wanted to know all about me, where I was from, who I knew, what I was doing here, if I was single, what I thought about life… Charlie didn’t waste any time. He was flirting with me like I had never seen. Go figure. He thought here was finally someone in his league. Whatever. Do you know how hard it is to disguise your voice when you are trying to keep from going into hysterics? It isn’t easy. Paul and Kelly were having a difficult time with it as well. At least if they laughed, it could be attributed to something else. As time went on, it was getting more difficult to control myself. I was grateful for the fact that the netting from my hat was somewhat covering my face. Finally he was just getting too personal. I broke out in laughter.

The transformation on his face was priceless. Puzzlement. Recognition. Then, that serious look. Charlie could never keep a serious look very long. He just didn’t have it in him. Thus, he didn’t succeed here either. After that “oh, Mari!” exasperation, he joined us in laughter as well. If we hadn’t been friends, I think he would have been clobbered me.

Friends. Friendship is a real treasure from the Lord! It is an extra blessing to have friends who are willing to stand behind you when you try out your crazy ideas. It makes me think of Jonathan and David. They were the best of friends. They were kindred-spirits. Jonathan knew David would be the next king. That alone could have caused enough jealousy to break up the friendship. Jonathan didn’t let that happen. He was behind David 100 percent. That’s friendship. I am so grateful for the special friends God has brought along my path at different intervals of life. It has been such friends who have made me a better person. For this I am eternally blessed.

To ALL my friends: YOU HAVE TOUCHED ME, AND I HAVE GROWN! THANK YOU!

Let a friend know you appreciate him/her today.

Blessings my friend.

mari

This year I had the awesome privilege of being a part of CYIA in Alberta, Canada. It was a totally new experience for me. Not only was it the first time for Canada, it was also the first time I was a co-worker and not the missionary the summer clubs would be praying for.

CYIA stands for Christian Youth In Action. It is the opportunity for teens and adults to get training on how to do 5-Day clubs and then teach them during the summer. It is awesome. It is challenging. It is draining. It is a blessing.

It has been a very long time since I last wrote an article… sorry about that. Thus, I thought I would share with you an incident that took place a few years ago at CYIA in Washington.

It was Christian Youth In Action (CYIA) and I was having a great time with the kids and CEF Staff. Being the “special” person of the week, the missionary, has a way of boosting ones spirits and getting one more involved with the program. I do have a tendency of sitting back in the shadows, making myself unnoticed in new situations. At this camp I just wasn’t given the chance, not that I wanted it anyway.

Seeing a bunch (over 100) young people really wanting to be used by the Lord is a very motivating and moving thing. These kids were dedicated and worked hard at preparing for summer ministries. They motivated me. Perhaps that is why I jumped to the challenge of going on the zip line. Incase you don’t know what a zip line is, it is a cable extended from a high platform to another tree some distance away. I never did find out how long the cable actually was. That just wasn’t the problem anyway. The problem was I was afraid of heights! Let’s put it more in perspective, I am terrified of heights!

Perhaps it was the excitement of the moment, or the challenge itself, or the fact that the platform didn’t really look that high up from where I was standing. No matter, I agreed to do it and the kids were excited. Only problem is, once I was up on the platform I really started to freak out! No exaggeration there! But now the kids were looking forward to it, and were even letting me be the next in line… the privilege of being the special person of the week! I didn’t think I could go thru with it, but I knew I had to. Fear had such a grip on me that I was afraid I was going to have a real heart attack. This information slipped out and the boys around me really picked up on it. They definitely wanted to be in my will if I was going to kick the bucket! They were starting to make their claims on my possessions. “Can I have Willie?” was the first. Everybody loves Willie. Willie is my puppet, but you can’t tell him that. He hates that “p” word as he calls it. Willie can say things I wouldn’t dare say. I plan on saying one thing and he comes up with something totally different! People laugh at what Willie says. I’m not such a witty person myself unless he is along. It’s an amazing phenomenon. It’s no wonder he’s the very first thing on these boys list! Then came some more of their requests. “Can I have your money?” To him I replied I’m a missionary and don’t have any money! “Can I have your car?” “You’re too young to drive!!” “I’ll save it for when I am old enough.” There were more, but those were the best. I hated to break up their fun, but now it was my turn to get fastened in. Some how being attached to three different safety lines just didn’t do anything to reduce my fear. Now came the moment of truth! I really thought I was going to die of fright. But I had already decided, for the kids, there was NO turning back. Therefore, I needed help! Not that I hadn’t been praying since I first arrived at the top of the platform and looked over the ledge. I prayed for a courage that I really didn’t believe I had. It had to come from God otherwise I was not going to make it.

The lady informed me I could step down on the first stair and then go from there, but I knew that if I was going to do this, I was going to do it right. At first I thought I needed to do this for the kids watching. But I knew now I needed to do it for myself as well. Perhaps I wasn’t Daniel facing the lions, or his 3 friends facing the fiery furnace… I wasn’t Esther going before the king without a summons or Moses walking up to a burning bush that wasn’t burning. I wasn’t even Joshua going around Jericho on the seventh day or Peter when Jesus told him to step out of the boat and come to him on the water. Nonetheless, those lessons taught of courage. How often had I told the children that God gives us the courage we need for whatever task… now I needed to live what I had been preaching all these years.

“Do you want us to push you?” That actually wasn’t a bad idea! “Ok, after I count to ten.” I counted to ten but no one pushed so I grabbed that courage and ran off the platform… screaming!

It was amazing. After the initial jump the ride was actually a lot of fun. Fun that ended much too soon in fact. After going back and forth a few times I stopped in the middle of the cable where the real test of my courage would be proven. I had to stand on a ladder in order for the lady to unhook me from the security lines. Ladders and I just don’t have a fondness for each other. I remember one time in Burgenland I wanted to rescue a bird that was hanging from a gutter on a roof. It’s foot had gotten caught in some kind of thread and wasn’t able to break free. Birds have a very special place in my heart so I bravely got the ladder and headed up the rungs. No love in the world was able to take me up that ladder to resuce the bird. Fear had only let me get half way before reminding me very clearly that the ladder was very old and wobbly and could fall apart at any moment. It was only waiting for the right moment which was probably when I reached the top! Luckily someone else came along who could rescue the bird. For my part, I usually avoid ladders at all costs.

For the first two lines she stood on the ladder opposite me. Things were going ok. Then she informed me that she would have to go down the ladder and come up behind me to unfasten me from the last security line. I panicked! Yelling down to the kids below I told them to hold the ladder in place. They obliged but I still didn’t feel safe till both my feet were on the ground. Courage. I looked back up the hill at the platform I had just jetted off of. If it hadn’t been for courage, I would never have made it. Now I felt like I could really identify with some of those men and women in the Bible who had to find their courage when there were no other options. Sure, I did have another option. I could have backed out, but that really wasn’t an option. Thank you, Jesus, that I went through with it and that you gave me the lesson in courage that I needed.