Friends, that was hard. Reality is beginning to set in and we have moments where we look at each other and say, “It’s going to be okay, right?” And we both know that it is and it will be. But, it’s still hard.
Our kids sense it, feel it, and know it. Sometimes they want to talk about it, sometimes they just cry, and other times they behave really poorly and we all know why. When we were in the planning and paperwork stages of this change, we knew that it was going to be hard. We knew there were going to be sacrifices and changes. But, when you watch your child hug a special cousin and say goodbye and you wonder if they’ll even know each other when they meet again, that is hard. When you snap a photograph of your 8 surviving aunts and uncles altogether in one place and you wonder if you’ll ever get to see them again this side of heaven, it’s hard.
But the fact that it is difficult does not change our call. If anything, it strengthens it. The other night, when one of our children was really focused on counting the cost, we sat down and showed him this map. We looked at the USA and then we scrolled over to the area where we’ll be living. We asked him to find the name of our host country and of course, it was buried under orange dots. Orange dots that represent entire people groups who are unreached and unengaged. People who desperately need to know the Good News of Christ. We explained to him that it was likely that every person that lives in Nana’s town or Grandma’s town probably has at least one person in their life who knows Jesus, at least one person who can share the gospel. At least one. But there are over 3,000 people groups, many of them in Sub-Saharan Africa, who have NO ONE telling them. NO ONE. And then resolve strengthens, the goodbyes become worthwhile, and enthusiasm is refreshed. Then it makes sense again.
In between those moments of sadness, we did find lots of fun things to do. We spent a couple of days at the cabin where the kids played with cousins in the creek and on 4 wheelers. Back in Hazard, we got to spend a day swimming in Uncle Chad’s pool with some cousins. It was perfect weather for swimming!
We enjoyed a trip to the Challenger Center at the college one day. The kids got assimilated in with a local school’s class that was there on a space mission called Rendezvous with a Comet. It was very cool. We got to spend part of our time in “mission control” and part of our time on the “space station.” Our task on the space station involved using robotic arms to measure radiation amounts on filter samples. It was a very unique experience. They certainly have a better understanding of space exploration after that day.
When we left Hazard, we headed west and spent a couple of days in the Mammoth Cave area. We have some very close friends from college who live there. We spent the days exploring the area while they were at work, and in the evenings we swam together at their pool and laughed, just like old times. Our kids had a great time hanging with their kids and it was just a nice couple of days.
Tony and Della, our dear college friends. This picture was taken about midnight, so while we have aged a bit in the last 18 years, this certainly doesn't help!
While we were there, we took the kids to see Abraham Lincoln’s Birthplace. They decided to do the Junior Ranger badges there, so they learned a lot about his “Kentucky Years.” My favorite item there was his family’s Bible, which is on display in the visitor’s center.
The next day, we headed to Mammoth Cave. The kids were not so sure what could be so exciting about a cave that they would make it into a National Park. I tried to remind them that they had said the same thing about a “hole in the ground” just before we got to the Grand Canyon. Once again, I got the satisfaction of being right as they all oohed and aahed while walking 3/4 of a mile through a small portion of the world’s longest cave system. We spotted bats, cave crickets, and a variety of amazing cave formations. They all agreed that it was worth it.
The last couple of days, we’ve been up in the Cincinnati area, where I was raised. They were having a retirement/birthday party for one of my aunts. She just finished her 38th year of teaching and is stepping away from the classroom. It gave us a chance to say goodbye to my mom’s side of the family, which was a blessing. I got to see my oldest brother, all of my aunts and uncles, and many of my cousins. Not to mention, we managed to cram in all of our favorite Cincy foods too! 
My moms 8 living siblings. It was such a treat to see them all!
Yesterday, we decided to go back to the church that I attended from about 3rd grade until I left for college. I hadn’t been back there in about 10 years. Lately though, I had been thinking of them and what a profound influence that body of believers had on my life. We decided to go, but I wasn’t even sure that I would know anyone there anymore. I truly believe that the Lord ordained that hour for me, because I was able to see and thank 3 women who invested in me as a child. The first was the woman who transported me to and from church for at least 4 years. The second, was the president of the Women’s Missionary Union who always had encouraged me in my heart for missions, even when I was a young girl. The third was the mother of my childhood Acteens director and I was able to share my story with her, so that she could communicate it to her daughter.
It was much more emotional for me than I expected it to be. I couldn’t help but think about how a young girl like me who caught a ride to church each week so that I could hear the stories of Jesus was going to get the privilege to serve as one of the missionaries I had read about in my G.A. missions magazine each week. I know that if not for the grace of God, I would not be walking with Him today. This is not my heritage. I don’t have a lineage of preachers, Sunday School teachers, and missionaries. But, I am a child of God and I am humbled that I have the opportunity to serve Him as a wife, a mother, and now a career missionary.
3 comments:
Oh Christy.........
the emotions, the map, the "old" friends, the home church....WOW! Thank you for the swift kick to keep loving on children!
Love you guys much!!
I've laughed and cried in the time it took me to read this. Now we're going to look at the map. Praying for your family!
what Sabrina said! Thank you for sharing this experience through your blog. It really brings home the cost of following God's calling, but also His provision and sweet blessings.
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