Loving Our Kids Through Transition
By Lilly at Velvet Ashes?
“Mom, I really miss my friends.” We’d moved to the Middle East a few months before, and my oldest – then 3. 8 years old – was really struggling with leaving our old life behind. Her downcast look made my heart sink.
“Oh sweetheart, I know. I miss my friends so much too…” I wanted her to know she wasn’t alone. But I also wanted to guide her heart to the One who comforts us. ”
Please read the rest of Lilly’s great article on how she helped her girls through many transitions from place to place. She has wonderful ideas of ways to smooth the transition and help her daughters feel a part of the process of moving. Velvet Ashes
Discover and Rediscover
I am fascinated by how God works in our lives to make us useful and productive for His kingdom. Even more so when I see how different we are in personality, temperament and background.
Our life as cross-cultural workers is full of discovery. Whether we have been doing the same thing the same way for a very long time, or never get to settle for long in one place, God wants us to depend on Him. He has many surprises for us along the way. And He knows just what it will take to enable each of us to do our part in his eternal mission.
New Attitude, New Door
Sometimes it is just a change of attitude that opens a door to much greater opportunities. I think that is what happened to Peter in Acts, Chapter 10. Peter’s attitude towards the Gentiles underwent a major transformation. When his attitude changed, he could see the new door God had opened, but not until then. Our attitude adjustments might not be that dramatic, but they can create openness on our part to new open doors.
New Hunger, New Door
Sometimes the Spirit creates a hunger in us for something more, or greater, or different. That kind of hunger is never born from human restlessness or a desire to prove our worth. It always comes from godly passion- a deep, intense, abiding desire to see God’s will accomplished in some new ways. It leads us to pray, and that in turn can lead us to a new strategy or emphasis.
When is it Time to Go Home?
Is it time to go home?”
That question has come up frequently lately, both in personal conversations and in blogs and articles I’ve read. This is not just a question for those who have spent their whole adult life in His service to the nations. My family faced this question after two years of international service, and again after four years on the field.
We had pastored for 11 years before going to Africa. Though we loved the work in Africa, it was not the right fit for our family. We believed God was sending us to Asia, but needed approval from our board to make such a drastic move. Our board told us we could sell our belongings in Africa, but with the agreement we could buy them back, if we should return after meeting with them. We didn’t know if our time overseas would be over should we decide not to return to Africa. After meeting with us, they agreed to let us move to Asia, though it was a very unusual move. Who changes continents after only two years?
Then, after two years in Asia, we were scheduled for a furlough. We had only been able to stay in our Asian country by leaving every three months and getting a new visa upon return. That was very unsettling. So troubling in fact, that we wondered if we would return there after our home leave.
Leap of Faith
This month we have a guest writer sharing her story. Shelly Miller tells about her biggest leap of faith and challenges us to take a good look at our lives and see if anything is keeping us from making a fresh leap of faith.
Diane
It must have been at least twenty minutes before my husband and I realized we’d been staring silently at strangers pulling carry-on luggage past us in the terminal. Seated against the wall, coats draped over our laps, we were waiting at the gate for an early morning departure from Dallas, trapped in a torrent of thoughts. While children were flitting through rows of seats to look at airplanes out a nearby wall of windows, we were making mental assessments, replaying the past 48 hours.
“What have we just done?” I said to him with a deadlock of focus on a piece of bubble gum stuck to a pillar.
He shook his head like awakening from a trance.
We were in Dallas at the invitation of my husband’s boss. He assumed we were coming to scout neighborhoods and schools for relocation, but we surprised him with some news after lunch.
We’ve sensed God is telling us this season of leadership in the church planting movement that we love is over. God is calling us to England.
Truthfully, that was the extent of our knowledge; we had no idea what that meant. For the first time in twenty-four years of marriage and ministry together, God was asking us to let go and take a leap of faith before knowing details and outcomes.
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