Beginning Goodbyes

Update 1/12/2021

Prayer requests:
-Praise the Lord that our house is under contract! We had 8 showings last Wednesday and 2 offers that day!
-Continued prayer for Rebekah’s health. Her vertigo/Meniere’s disease has been miraculously mild.
-Please pray for health for the family. We are under quarantine now until we go to Field Personnel Orientation. If any of us were to get COVID it would cause some travel delays.
-Please pray for the boys: Elijah, Judah, Joel, Luke and Ezekiel. These changes are always hard on them, resilient as they are. Lots of tough goodbyes, a new school/language/culture…

BLUF(Bottom Line Up Front): Even though this move is different from the others, we are moving forward joyfully, in obedience, and looking forward to the second coming of Christ!

The longer version:

This transition is HARD! Our family has made 3 overseas moves and many more domestic moves, so moving isn’t new to us, but this move is proving to be a different animal.

The difference between this move and others seems to boil down to two main differences. The first is the timeline/distance. We will be 8000+ miles away for a period of years. Our ability to travel back and forth will be limited due to the time and cost of travel to/from rural Africa. As we say goodbye to elderly relatives we are realizing that this may be our last goodbye with them on earth. Some of the people we are leaving are experiencing major changes or crises in their lives, and it is painful to realize we won’t be there to walk alongside them in person. God has blessed us with many deep relationships, and we recognize that these relationships will fundamentally change in the coming seasons.

The second difference is the inherent dangers in the work we will be doing. Tanzania is not considered a hostile location and is much safer than many other countries around the world, but there are dangers, nonetheless. We go to the mission field prepared to lay down our lives for the sake of the gospel, and implicit in that commitment is the possibility that we may never again see our parents, siblings, friends, etc in the flesh.

While this transition is different and difficult, we are comforted by these truths.

First, obedience is where we want to be. We don’t know what the future holds, but like Abram striking out into the unknown, we know that we must obey. We are compelled by the gospel. We have no other reasonable option. Like Peter in John 6, when Jesus asks him if he’ll turn away, we ask “to whom shall we go? You alone have the words of eternal life, we believe and know you are the Holy One of God.”

Second, modern technology that allows us to communicate via video and voice over great distances. Facetime, WhatsApp, Marco Polo, and other tools will allow us to stay in touch with our church, family and friends in ways unthinkable just years ago.

Third, we look forward to Christ’s coming as the impetus to Christian living and service. We know that our goodbyes with other believers are never final. Perhaps we will not see them on this side of glory, but that will make our reunion in eternity all the sweeter. On the other side of that coin, we know that our sojourning on earth is limited. Christ will come again to judge the living and the dead, and left us a Great Commission to fulfill in the meantime. Rebekah and I believe with all our hearts that the gospel(the life, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ for the salvation of sinners) is the most beautiful and most precious truth on earth. Our prayer is that God will use our family to carry this gospel to Sub-Saharan Africa, so that He may be glorified. In the light of this weighty commission, what do we have to lose? Our home? Our material goods? A salary? Our lives? On the contrary, to live is Christ and to die is gain.

Please be praying for our family this month! May the Lord bless you and keep you until our next update!

For a more detailed look at the month of goodbyes and to get Rebekah’s take on things, head over to the Midwest living portion of the site.