strange scenerio

I had a long facebook messenger conversation with my dear friend, Shelby, about a week ago.  The things we talked about are always weighing heavily on my mind.  I figured I should write them out but wouldn't it be easier to just copy the conversation over?  Indeed. 

In regards to getting off base when we travel to the States:
Great anticipation.  It's bitter sweet.  We'll be gone of for a long time.  It's over a month of missing out on life here with our sweet community.  It's looking more and more like they are going to send families back to the states.  The talk is that it will happen this summer, after school lets out.
Being gone for a month means that much less time with our "family" here.
But it means seeing family and dear dear friends back home.  Very bittersweet.  The HUGE prayer right now is that they won't ship families off, but will just let them pcs out when they are supposed to, like they did at Lajes.  Very different scenerio here, of course, so who knows

Shelby:
Gosh, that's tough. I'm sorry. I did that last summer and it was a hard, hard choice to make. I hate that part of our transient lifestyle. There's always that expense to pay because everything comes to an end. Ugh.
Oh wow, yeah, I'll be praying for that. I hate that you have that hanging over your heads all the time.

Rebekah Storey
Yeah.  😕 I was laying in bed last night thinking about how strange it will be if we ever settle in one place.  How much harder it will be to make friends, and how it will be weird to not have the knowing that we'll be moving on in less than two years.

Shelby Mathis
I am afraid of that already with moving to potentially Austin in a year and a half. FOR FOUR YEARS. What am I going to do?!

Rebekah Storey
They deployed a bunch of Saudis here with war planes.  We now have 5 countries represented on this base.  It's very much a war base.  It doesn't make sense to have families here

Shelby Mathis
Ah. Gosh.

Rebekah Storey
Four years seems like forever!!!
The atmosphere of the base is so so so different from what Wendi always gushed about.
It's not a Mayberry anymore.  It's all business, for sure.
The population increase in "soldiers" instead of families makes it feel oddly less safe
Just kind of eery
But I'll take that over leaving Josh here and being there with four boys alone
Josh's dad has been asked to interview for a position in Omaha.  😕. They don't want to go, but are following in obedience.
If they move there, I will probably end up there with them.  There's no point in going to grand junction if they aren't there.  I'll need the support, as Josh will have to finish out his tour here.  That's another 16 months before we are supposed to leave.
I've been crying (weeping, really) at the drop of a hat lately.  It's starting to feel very real.  You know how it is, the fear of the unknown.  I know God is sovereign. But that doesn't mean it will hurt less.  Ha
BUT, we are praying it won't happen.  Maybe they'll just leave us alone.
My dear friend here is living on 3 month by 3 month basis.  She's our chaplains wife and they got caught in the stop movement thing.
They were told, after all their stuff shipped and they'd sold their car, two days before they were getting on a plane to come here, that they weren't allowed to come with Dave.
He figured out a way to get them on base as visitors, and that's really what they are.
 So we never know when will be our last day together.
It's such a strange life here.  I really should be writing more about it on the website.

Shelby Mathis
What a mess.

Rebekah Storey
It is.
Sometimes I lay in bed and wonder what the Lord is preparing us for.  What kind of ministry he will have us in that has us constantly on our toes, ready to move, not knowing (more than the usual) what next week holds.

Shelby Mathis
I can't imagine. I hate war and I hate WHY that's happening there. I would struggle so much with that. And just the uncertainty alone is enough to drive anyone mad.

Rebekah Storey
That's how Lajes was and now here

Shelby Mathis
I know.

Rebekah Storey
Yeah.  There's a lot of really sad people here.  The constant sound of the bombers flying overhead make it so real.
It's not like at Elgin where they were practicing, or Lajes where they were fueling.  Here, it's the real deal.  They fly out and within an hour they are back and someone is probably dead in Syria.  It's so weird.
People are having to leave their families behind for 15 months.  They are given the option - either take two years and chance that families MIGHT (but probably won't) be able to follow at some point, or take 15 months unaccompanied.
It all feels so un airforce.

Shelby Mathis
Yeah, it;s not Air Force at this point. It's war. It makes me sick. I'm not even there, or in your shoes, but I'm weeping with you. Literally.

Rebekah Storey
And it makes the rest of us wonder, if they are shutting families off for safety reasons, then why are the rest of us still here?
But God is glorified in it all.  He gave us an almost instant REALLY close community of really hurting people that needed a safe place.
He's made our home that and I'm so thankful for it.

Shelby Mathis
That is so amazing.

Rebekah Storey
He has us here right now for a very specific reason and it became very clear very quickly
It's certainly not how we pictured it
We saw traveling to the 7 churches....
Every time I think of that he says to me, almost audibly, "but you are the church.  Why go see the old ones?"
We are being the church the best we know how.
He's blessing it immensely.

Shelby Mathis
Wow. That's just incredible.
Wow.

Rebekah Storey
Yeah.  His timing is something else.
Like I said, I'm really curious to see what our ministry outside the airforce will be.
We see doing oversees missions, but have no idea yet what that looks like
I suppose that is what we are doing now.

Shelby Mathis
That's exactly right. So true.
Gosh, I don't even have words. My mind's a little blown and I'm so grateful for how God's been leading you.

 

It is easier to paste it over than to retype all those thoughts.  I do wonder what he's preparing us for - I do wonder what next week holds

This week or next is the week we'll find out what the plan is for families.  Everyone has a hunch we'll be out of here.  I honestly just put it out of my mind - it makes me hurt to think about it.  I told Josh last night that I really don't feel like I have a category for it in my brain.  We've not had to be separated for more than 4 weeks (for his military training before our oldest was born) at a time.  4 weeks was the longest, so the idea of being separated for 16 months is baffling to me - too baffling and foreign to think about.  I don't feel ready to be done with this season, as always.  I see the desperation on this base- the fear that the war atmosphere is creating and I so badly want to be a part of God's plan to reach the hurting.  Funny how perspective changes.  We were SO excited to travel and see the ancient churches - but anytime I think of it I almost instantly get a "but you are the church - focus on that, not the old ones"
We are following in obedience and loving on those that the Lord has blessed us with to love on for this season, however long it lasts from this day out.   
Goodness. 
It's such a strange scenerio to be living.