Transitions

I wrote this a few months ago but didn’t have opportunity to post it. The emotions are still relevant so I wanted to share it with you now. Next month I’ll post about our life here. Thank you for your prayers!

Preparing to start a “new life” is a little surreal. Selling belongings, sorting what to box for storage or take, trying to prepare for the unknown that will soon be everyday life in a week or so, knowing that we are ultimately preparing to leave for another continent as soon as God shows us the way, all becomes a strange mix of a rollercoaster of emotions and just naturally what you’re doing right now. It is definitely exhausting and you feel like your being pulled apart by emotion at times. A friend of mine, who recently left for her second year in a closed country, put it this way, “There’s a seismic shift that happens inside as you begin to release life here and prepare to embrace life across the world again.

I find myself overwhelmed at times with dealing with this shift and all the preparations that go into the adjustment. Something that gives me a lot of grace and stability is recalling that all the process of change is something that is merely fleeting. I do like the phrase, “This too shall pass!” The work that we’re apart of is eternal and all these details once gone are merely passing moments and we can find rest in focusing on the permanent rather than the passing but necessary details of life. May His perfect peace keep you in the journeys you take and the things you process.”

It’s hard and overwhelming to leave family and friends, let go of things we treasure, and say good-bye to an amazing God-centered church. We’ve had to choose to focus on the eternal rather than the temporal and we know, in the end, it’s worth it all, even when our emotions don’t currently line up. Now and in eternity, the life you get from following Christ is, far and beyond, worth more and is more rewarding than everything else outside of His will.

Amazingly, or not so much I’m finding out, God arranged for the last song we sang at our home church, before leaving for training, to be “our song.” It was the song that Lance and I have sung together or played really loud when we’ve gone through really hard times or new life situations. The one we like to start with and end on when we’re singing praise songs together. The one we’ve sung together since we’ve been married, we sang as the last song with our church family before leaving. Though most didn’t know it was special to us, it was a blessing to sing it with them. I’m crying now as I remember everyone we’re so far away from now, so I’ll just leave you with the lyrics from the group Selah and their song, “Wonderful, Merciful Savior.” 

Wonderful, merciful Savior

Precious Redeemer and Friend

Who would have thought that a Lamb
could
Rescue the souls of men

Oh you rescue the souls of men


 
Counselor, Comforter, Keeper

Spirit we long to embrace

You offer hope when our hearts have

Hopelessly lost the way

Oh, we’ve hopelessly lost the way


 
You are the One that we praise

You are the One we adore

You give the healing and grace 
our
Hearts always hunger for

Oh, our hearts always hunger for


 
Almighty, infinite Father

Faithfully loving Your own

Here in our weakness You find us

Falling before Your throne

Oh, we’re falling before Your throne
 
You are the One that we praise

You are the One we adore

You give the healing and grace
 our
Hearts always hunger for

Oh, our hearts always hunger for


 
God bless you,
– Ruth, for our family