I Did It My Way?

Regrets, I've had a few.

There are so many things that I wish I had done since we moved away from our village  a year ago. Some examples are:
0. Gotten Mariama braces. That poor baby's teeth just do not fit in her mouth.
0. Let William take surfing lessons.
0. Taken the kids to do pottery on a regular basis, even if it was all the way across town.
0. Had Mariama get guitar lessons.

It was so hard to think about starting those things, when we never knew how long we were going to be here in the capital before going to our next location. When we did find out, it was like a fast moving train and holding on for dear life to stay on board.

There are so many reasons to be glad that we have been here for this transition time.
0. Getting used to city traffic. While here may not have the traffic of our next location, just by shear numbers of people, it is considerably closer I suspect than what traffic was like in our village. (We might need a defensive driving class when we go back to the states and not need to drive our first week or so, after driving offensively overseas.)
0. We have finally been able to make a shift from buying groceries for months at a time to weeks.
0. I had one type of attire in the village. I have been able to transition to a variety of clothing options while here in the city dependent on where I am going, what I will be doing, and with whom I will be doing it. This will be important in my next location as well.
0. Kids have been able to attend school for a semester. While there are those activities that I wish I had done, this has offered them a lot of extra activities as well. Not the same activities, but still good. Girls have been able to do pottery, and William has been able to learn more about computers. William has done archery and Mariama is learning to play volleyball.

Jesus told us to not worry about tomorrow, for today has enough trouble of its own. Looking back is good to learn lessons, but dwelling on it will not change anything. While there are things I often wish I had done differently, the only day I can really do anything about is today. While there are lots of things I wish I had done, most days I can look back and say, "I listened to His voice and cared for my family, doing the best I could do." Today is a gift, which is why it is called the present.

But (I hope) I did it His way.

More than 11 down, less than 3 to go.

Eleven months ago, we left our home down south. While the event that prompted the timing of our move was sudden. The Lord had been working in our hearts before that day.

We returned to the field in September 2015. When we did so, we did it with an impending feeling of urgency. We did not know if it was because of my cancer possibly returning or some other medical issue. We did not know what was going to happen in the months to come, but both Rich and I sensed the need to be busier than ever before about the work, making the most of every day. I spent a lot of time trying to pour into "Jennifer" as well as some of the other ladies, while Rich was empowering the men believers and encouraging the pastor. As the months passed by, the feeling got stronger. When a lot of changes happened in our company, we assumed the move would be related to some restructuring in connection with the changes. However, without any real reason to think the move was imminent other than our gut feelings, we still made some changes to our home to prepare for the coming hot season.

Then April came. In the first week, we went from helping one young man to him giving us a clear sign that it was time to leave, now. So we came to the capital and for the next few days talked and prayed through what we were to do next. The clear answer we got was to not return to our home. Where were we going to go? We did not know that, but we knew where we were not going.

In the last two months, I have been rereading through Acts. I realized again that God does indeed prevent going to certain places, even when we do not understand why. God also made it clear to Paul when it was time to leave a place, but before he left, Paul would encourage the brethren. God had lead us to encourage the brethren before we left and was leading us to leave.

Over the next few months, some possibilities presented themselves. Some were great options to use the languages we already have but did not meet my new medical needs. Other options that would meet our medical needs were not the best fit for our languages. Still other options would meet our medical options but the obtaining of visas was sure to be challenging. Finally, we were presented with the position to where we are now going.

Rich has always enjoyed playing devil's advocate, finding out why people believe the way they do. In fact when we were dating, road trips were filled with conversations in which " because the Bible says so" was not quite enough. I had to be able to tell him where it said it and how it related to other verses that seemingly contradicted whatever I said I believed. Since a young teen, I have been burdened by those who say they believe but walk contradictory to what they say, though not always perfect myself, or claimed to turn to Jesus with some other motivation. When we were presented with the opportunity to work with churches who are in desperate need of discipleship, the calling was clear. Living in a city where over half of the population is under 18 would also give opportunity for me to use that Masters in Religious Education focusing on Children that has been "on the shelf" for the last thirteen years.

Between living in a town of less than 100,000 and moving to a city of 12 million, we have been living in a city of 3 million. While not the same size, it has been a good transition time for us. We have had to get used to this type of traffic again. We have gotten used to being able to blend in more than we did in our "small" town. The pace of life is much faster. The kids have been able to attend school this semester, preparing them for whatever the next thing is for them. We are starting to figure out how to buy groceries for a few weeks at a time rather than a few months.

With less than three months left to our move, we are beginning the process of imploding. (That is what has to happen after you explode living in one place for over 11 months.) Pray that we will learn French well and finish our time here strong.