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August 15, 2024

From Jackie Payne

I literally said goodbye to my bed when I woke up very early last Monday. We were headed to the airport for Greg and Olivia to drop off Lucas, Pastor Eileen and me so we could join our Pathfinder group heading to the International Pathfinder Camporee. I knew it would likely be the last time I had a good night’s sleep for almost a week (and it was). Camporee was full of good things, challenging things and some downright scary things, but no matter the experience, there is nothing like going home when home is a safe, comfortable space. I am blessed to have such a home. 

And while my home is a place I enjoy being, as I stood in the Rocky Mountains Saturday afternoon (we stayed there before catching our flights from Denver the next day), Pastor Eileen and I briefly discussed if this is how beautiful our earthly home is, can you imagine our heavenly home. I thought about that for a bit, asking God how amazing heaven truly will be. Will colors be the same? Will sounds be the same? Will we be able to see in new dimensions? Will our senses be so crisp without the constraints of sin that we can experience life in a way we never thought possible? 

My daughter Olivia decided just recently that she wants to read the Bible from the start, so we are in Genesis. Last night as I was reading Genesis 2 to her, I thought about how amazing Eden must have been before sin. What must that have been like for Adam and Eve to call that place home? How will it compare to heaven?

I am thankful to be back home and sleeping in my own bed without water splattering on my head in the middle of the night or being so incredibly cold or hearing full volume conversations from other campers during the middle of the night. But I long for my true home…my home with Jesus. I can’t wait until He comes back! May it be soon.