The Ride Called Faith!

Wednesday, September 21, 2011

 

We were recently told the story of a long-term missionary family that lost everything that they owned, not once but TWICE!  The first time they were evacuated due to instability, so only had enough time to take their most important documents and leave quickly from what became their home for a number of years.  The second time they lost everything due to a fire in their home.  After the first loss, it would be easy for a person to evaluate a situation, and wonder if they are supposed to continue as missionaries.  It is time to evaluate your call, and make sure you are hearing from the Lord the correct way to move forward.  After the first loss, they family worked to raise additional support to help them purchase new things, and basically raise support to start over.  After the first loss, I would think that your faith is already shifting, with many what ifs and what is the next step.  This family had enough faith to push forward, despite their difficult situation, raised the support, moved to their new assignment and well…started over!  Now, I don’t know the length of time from their displacement, until their new assignment.  I also don’t know the length of time from when they started their new assignment, until they lost everything a second time in a home fire.  After the fire, I am sure there were a lot of questions going through their minds regarding why us, why now, why again…you name the question, I am sure they were asking it.  As if losing everything that you own one time isn’t enough, now they are in their second time of needing to raise support and start over.

 

One thing I have learned over the last 1 year and 9 months as a missionary is that you have to be sure you are regularly seeking the Lord for guidance, and regularly evaluating your call as a missionary.  Blake and I have had some very difficult struggles, some days you feel alone, you feel disconnected from who were once your closest family or friends.  Some days you find yourself homesick for “comforts” or you just find yourself homesick for familiar relationships.  There are even some days; I don’t want to hear any other language spoken except English.  It is during those times, that you have to really rely on the Lord, and listen to his voice, that from the beginning called you to this very situation.  If this were just an everyday job, it would have been easy months ago for us to leave Africa to return to the states.  But our work in Africa is much deeper to us then just another job; it has been shaped and formed by the Lord since before we could have known we would be here.  The Lord trained us, prepared us, equipped us, and then called us!  Not once has he turned his back on us, nor changed his mind, nor left us stranded.  Instead he has faithfully provided for us for not one, but two international moves.  But yet I hear a story about this family that has lost everything twice, and I ask myself, would I have enough faith to start over?  Would I be strong enough to deal with a situation like that and still be willing to obey the calling of the Lord?

 

More than 2 years ago, Blake and I began evaluating all of our “stuff” and began narrowing down the things we would need in Africa, and once we were completely packed with what we would take, we sold or gave away most everything else that we owned.  That process was a learning experience in itself, as I found myself clinging to nothing more than just things.  I have learned to live with less, (and trust me, for a girl that likes to shop, that was a MUCH needed lesson) and found myself realizing that we didn’t bring things we have not used, and we didn’t find ourselves wishing we would have brought something different.  Yet, the thought of eliminating more makes me want to cling harder to the things that I do own.  So, I find myself now asking the question, do I have enough faith?  Do I have enough faith to release my hold on the things that I own, and being willing to believe that the Lord would continue to provide for me in my time of need?  Do I have enough faith to believe that now that I am obeying the Lord’s call on my life, I can survive any trial that may come?  Do I have enough faith, to be willing to always obey the Lord wherever he may call me?  I think I may have just entered into a new lesson.  Hang on tight for the ride called faith!