Library Airbnb

A prettily made bed, with mosquito netting suspended above it, is nestled into the corner of a literature archive.  The spacious accommodation boasts not only thousands of Christian books, but also a refrigerator, microwave, and sink.  Bathrooms with showers are a short walk away, as is a cafeteria serving gourmet meals three times a day.  What a luxury — my Library Airbnb!

Every year, I carefully consider where I should sleep during our pastors’ conference.  Last time I bedded down in the office with the money I was responsible for, which worked so well that my colleague who is responsible for the money this year decided to do the same.  With hundreds of guests packed into buildings and tents on our eight-acre complex, I then had to ponder where else I could put a cot for myself without reducing the space available for them.

Our year-round book room, with display copies of all our titles, is closed during the conference, when we take all the stock from our storeroom to a big tent for browsing and sales.  Because the thousands of display copies stay inside, the bookshop one of the few rooms we don’t use as a dormitory.  So it was the ideal spot to mount a cot for me to sleep on the site of the event that I’m responsible for.  We even had a refrigerator and microwave available to help me maintain my anti-migraine diet during the long workdays.

I am delighted to report to you that in marvelous answer to the prayers of many, our conference this past Tuesday through Friday was a great success!  As expected, it was also a demanding week for me.  One stressor was that we have a new foreman for the logistical operations of the conference. and he depended on my orientations for matters that the previous foreman had always handled himself without my involvement.  Another was my health:  I had a migraine on Tuesday, then got food poisoning on Wednesday, probably from something which I ate repeatedly because as I write this on Sunday it still has not subsided.

A third stressor was a shipment of 4,000 donated books to give away to our attendees.  The last-minute nature of this surprise blessing created logistical challenges that required much of my time and effort to resolve.  The books finally arrived on Wednesday evening and we passed them out on Thursday morning, with a second distribution on Friday for those who missed the first one, but I still felt bombarded for the rest of the day on Friday with pleas for books from those who missed both opportunities.

Throughout the hectic week, my Library Airbnb was the perfect retreat where I could rest and work in peace just meters from the hubbub of activity.  When my food-borne illness forced me to bed, I still had my computer and phone to continue to direct the event’s logistics.  Though I didn’t find time to read the books surrounding me, the familiar ambiance left me feeling right at home.  How I thank God for that blessing.

One of the best parts of my Library Airbnb was the welcome letter which my thoughtful host (myself) had left on the bed to encourage me during the difficult moments of the week — and it did the trick beautifully.  Quoting a veteran servant of the Lord, it read, “When we consider the sacrifice of the Father’s one and only Son to a cross of God’s wrath against the sin of the whole world, it is our reasonable worship to give Him our all.  What we give Him, we could not keep anyway, whereas He will reward with eternal glory even the gift of a cup of cold water given His name.  He is meticulous in keeping records and extravagant in His system of rewards. Trust Him!  You can’t outgive God.  Take heart and press on. Your suffering is not in vain.”