Respectable

Over the past couple weeks I've had the luxury of spending a lot of time with two men that I continue to gain respect for the more I get to know them. It seems more common to uncover flaws in peoples' character as you learn more about them. But with Brad Frye and Bill Janecke I've been enjoying the opposite experience. Bill is my co-worker and mentor here with Vetred in Bolivia and Brad is my director with CVM who's been visiting from Seattle.

They both strike me as great husbands, fathers, friends, leaders, and most of all servants. I've looked to Bill for advice on everything from car parts to camera parts as I've transitioned into this new city and new culture once again. Wisely, he always guides me in the right direction while allowing me to learn the ropes for myself. That is, until he recognizes I'm nearing my frustration capacity, at which point he faithfully becomes more involved in whatever task is trying to overwhelm me that day. He sympathizes with my struggles without enabling me to get bogged down with them. And then I end up at their home for dinner or games, or just chatting with his dear wife Heidi, and all my worries melt away.

Brad has been my director for years, but we've rarely been closer than a phone call away. This month has been the first time we've gotten to spend an extended period within earshot. As we've been showing him Bolivia, our work, our ministry, and our life here, he's been showing me so much more. Watching him step up to wash the dishes, change the diapers, peel the carrots, pull the weeds, fix the car, hold the dog, lead the impromptu devotional, etc. etc. I've started to recognize how fortunate his huge family is to have him, what a sacrifice it must have been for them to share him with us, and what an amazing example of a servant-leader he must be to his kids and everyone around him.

Bill and Brad have been such a huge help to me in so many ways, but their Christ-like attitudes will continue to influence me long beyond any of their actions or words.

Now, after all this great male role modeling, my daddy will arrive with the family in just a couple days, to continue to impart wisdom in areas in which I'm sorely lacking. Maybe he can even pick up where these guys left off on silencing all the noises my car insists on making...