You may have been wondering where I've been the last few months...
In case you didn't know, my husband and I moved to another state. My husband started a new job, training to become an aviation mechanic through an apprenticeship. Honestly, that's the whole reason we started this blog, to catalog and process this journey of faith in God and following his calling to spread the gospel to all people around the world. God led us to choose the airplane as the means of getting to all those people.
Another major life change happened in the last few months. I found out I was expecting our first child on our anniversary, two weeks after moving to a new town, new state, new everything. Only Walmart was familiar in this new place. I'm grateful we had two previous opportunities to at least meet the people we would be working with in our mission organization. I knew names and faces of the people who would become our community. Still, there have been a lot of people to get to know: neighbors, church members, pastors, doctors, dentists, chiropractors, etc.
There could be a few reasons why I've struggled to post a blog since August. Let's be honest, I've written some but they may never make a public appearance. The most common reason is that I'm not listening. You may have noticed that my blogging style tends to lack the basic details of life, family, schedule, daily stuff. Instead, I unleash my ponderings on the meaning of life and the perspective lent from God's Word to help me understand my life. I like to meditate on the Bible through my writing. The traditional definition of meditate means "to engage in thought or contemplation; reflect". The Bible encourages meditating on God's words day and night. Typically, if there is no blog on my brain and nothing flows from my fingertips onto the screen, I have not been meditating on or listening to God's Word, the Bible.
Another reason that often hinders my thought process is my emotions. Sometimes I've been reading God's Word and trying to listen to what it teaches me about life, but my emotions cloud my perspective and drown out any other thoughts or understanding of life. It's been an emotional transition into these life changes. So much change is demanding and exhausting. Even my new role as a stay at home mom is an adjustment filled with emotions.
Early on, my husband would complement how well I'm adjusting. I think a fellow missionary warned me that the rollercoaster was slow getting started and all the upheaval of these changes may not hit for a few months. We are in the thick of the upheaval now, maybe on one of the downhill sides. The emotions of loneliness, distance and isolation, challenges in a new situation, stress from learning new expectations, and struggling to fulfill those expectations all clamor for attention. God is still there, speaking through his Word, singing to me in a praise song, or demonstrating his love through his children. I just need to stop and listen.
How thankful am I that our God speaks whether I am listening or not. In the Bible, I find many examples of how God spoke to his servants, to those who feared his name and called on him in prayer. Sometimes, God spoke through thunder as the glory of his presence appeared so that all who saw would fear his name. Sometimes, he sent angelic or human messengers to share his plan or bring answers to a specific question. Sometimes, God spoke in a still small voice to reassure his servant of his presence. Now, God speaks through the truth he has preserved in the Bible. His Word is eternal and the truth is unchanging. All I have to do is pick up my Bible and read it, dwell on his words of truth, and allow it to change my thinking, my feelings, and my worldview from lies to truth.
One thing I have been listening to the past six months is how to let the Bible expose lies and reveal truth. I am grateful to have had the opportunity to complete a seven week Bible study with other ladies in my community. We studied the book, "Lies Women Believe and the Truth that Sets Them Free." I was challenged and I noticed my perspective on life began to change as I invested time in replacing the lies that influenced my thoughts, feelings, and actions, with truth from God's Word. One of the results is that I feel my mind is primed to listen once again. I am ready to hear truth from God's Word and be changed.
I'm listening, God...
Tuesday, February 2, 2016
Wednesday, August 26, 2015
Moving in
Whew! We made it.
David, his dad, and I (Allison) drove a moving truck, our SUV, and a utility trailer carrying a motorcycle across the MidWest in two and a half days. We managed to stop only as necessary (with a few extra attempts to resecure the motorcycle). God was so good to provide clear weather, especially no rain. We stayed with a friend the first night and decided not to drive the extra four hours the second night. Still, the Ohio state line was on the horizon the minute we got on the highway the third morning of our trip. We dropped Dad off at the bus station in Columbus with a quick hug. Then, we were headed for Coshocton. We arrived yesterday afternoon and unloaded the most necessary items for camping out the first couple of nights. MMS Aviation will send a work crew tomorrow to help us unload the moving truck with the furniture. We are excited to settle in to our new home! Do you like it?
Praise God for his countless blessings. We are thankful for everyone who helped us pack and who will help us unload, clean, etc. This has been a bittersweet but wonderful adventure full of sweet memories and hard goodbyes. Thank God that Jesus Christ makes it possible for a goodbye to be temporary. We'll see y'all later!
David, his dad, and I (Allison) drove a moving truck, our SUV, and a utility trailer carrying a motorcycle across the MidWest in two and a half days. We managed to stop only as necessary (with a few extra attempts to resecure the motorcycle). God was so good to provide clear weather, especially no rain. We stayed with a friend the first night and decided not to drive the extra four hours the second night. Still, the Ohio state line was on the horizon the minute we got on the highway the third morning of our trip. We dropped Dad off at the bus station in Columbus with a quick hug. Then, we were headed for Coshocton. We arrived yesterday afternoon and unloaded the most necessary items for camping out the first couple of nights. MMS Aviation will send a work crew tomorrow to help us unload the moving truck with the furniture. We are excited to settle in to our new home! Do you like it?
Friday, August 21, 2015
We're Going on a Bear Hunt!
Have you ever read the children's book "We're Going on a Bear Hunt!"? It is a great reminder that you need to be prepared for whatever you may find out on an adventure, like ... a bear!
The children in this story set out with their father looking for a bear. They face many challenges and obstacles, but they persevere through the snowstorms, rivers, and other scenarios. No obstacle can turn them back from their pursuit; it becomes part of the adventure. Finally, they accomplish the goal of entering a bear den when, to their surprise, it actually contains the bear they were looking for! Suddenly, they are faced with object of their adventure only to find they are not prepared for the consequences of their pursuit.
This story reminds me of a statement Jesus made to his followers, committed and uncommitted alike. He told them in Luke 14,
26 “If you want to be my disciple, you must hate everyone else by comparison—your father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters—yes, even your own life. Otherwise, you cannot be my disciple. 27 And if you do not carry your own cross and follow me, you cannot be my disciple.
28 “But don’t begin until you count the cost. For who would begin construction of a building without first calculating the cost to see if there is enough money to finish it? 29 Otherwise, you might complete only the foundation before running out of money, and then everyone would laugh at you. 30 They would say, ‘There’s the person who started that building and couldn’t afford to finish it!’
31 “Or what king would go to war against another king without first sitting down with his counselors to discuss whether his army of 10,000 could defeat the 20,000 soldiers marching against him? 32 And if he can’t, he will send a delegation to discuss terms of peace while the enemy is still far away. 33 So you cannot become my disciple without giving up everything you own."
Jesus said that it is foolish to begin a project without first counting the cost. Or, another way to put it is that you need to make your plan before you begin your project.
Last Saturday, we received the official mail stating we have received $4,815 in monthly pledges. That is $115 more than the amount we were required to raise to begin serving at MMS Aviation in Ohio. God is amazing! Somehow, I feel I should not be surprised that God provided above and beyond the amount we thought we needed to serve him in ministry. It's almost like the children's story in which they run home terrified that they came across the bear they were hunting. Did I set out on this adventure truly expectant that God would provide our needs? I've heard the quote from William Carey many times, "Expect great things from God; attempt great things for God."
Tomorrow (also a Saturday), we are loading our belongings on a moving truck. We are almost packed, and the reality of moving to Ohio is sinking in. We hope to be in Ohio by Monday or Tuesday evening. What an adventure! We only received the phone call from MMS Aviation headquarters, authorizing our move, two and a half weeks ago. Praise God for providing all our support in such a short time. We are blessed to have been able to spend the last eight months sharing about the ministry of MMS Aviation with friends, family, and churches across the US. We have seen God completely surpass our expectations of him. Why did I think God was so much smaller than this?
I am excited that our adventure is not over; it is beginning a new phase of the journey. My favorite part of the story is when we get to the end of this journey and, much to our surprise (or delight in this case), we find exactly what we have been searching for: Jesus. I can't wait to discover more of what he is like. If our God is this amazing when we only know a small part of who he is, who can handle what he is like in full glory and real experience? I might find myself feeling a little of the emotion the children in the storybook felt, but I think instead of running home, I will run right to Jesus. Don't you?
26 “If you want to be my disciple, you must hate everyone else by comparison—your father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters—yes, even your own life. Otherwise, you cannot be my disciple. 27 And if you do not carry your own cross and follow me, you cannot be my disciple.
28 “But don’t begin until you count the cost. For who would begin construction of a building without first calculating the cost to see if there is enough money to finish it? 29 Otherwise, you might complete only the foundation before running out of money, and then everyone would laugh at you. 30 They would say, ‘There’s the person who started that building and couldn’t afford to finish it!’
31 “Or what king would go to war against another king without first sitting down with his counselors to discuss whether his army of 10,000 could defeat the 20,000 soldiers marching against him? 32 And if he can’t, he will send a delegation to discuss terms of peace while the enemy is still far away. 33 So you cannot become my disciple without giving up everything you own."
Jesus said that it is foolish to begin a project without first counting the cost. Or, another way to put it is that you need to make your plan before you begin your project.
Last Saturday, we received the official mail stating we have received $4,815 in monthly pledges. That is $115 more than the amount we were required to raise to begin serving at MMS Aviation in Ohio. God is amazing! Somehow, I feel I should not be surprised that God provided above and beyond the amount we thought we needed to serve him in ministry. It's almost like the children's story in which they run home terrified that they came across the bear they were hunting. Did I set out on this adventure truly expectant that God would provide our needs? I've heard the quote from William Carey many times, "Expect great things from God; attempt great things for God."
Tomorrow (also a Saturday), we are loading our belongings on a moving truck. We are almost packed, and the reality of moving to Ohio is sinking in. We hope to be in Ohio by Monday or Tuesday evening. What an adventure! We only received the phone call from MMS Aviation headquarters, authorizing our move, two and a half weeks ago. Praise God for providing all our support in such a short time. We are blessed to have been able to spend the last eight months sharing about the ministry of MMS Aviation with friends, family, and churches across the US. We have seen God completely surpass our expectations of him. Why did I think God was so much smaller than this?
I am excited that our adventure is not over; it is beginning a new phase of the journey. My favorite part of the story is when we get to the end of this journey and, much to our surprise (or delight in this case), we find exactly what we have been searching for: Jesus. I can't wait to discover more of what he is like. If our God is this amazing when we only know a small part of who he is, who can handle what he is like in full glory and real experience? I might find myself feeling a little of the emotion the children in the storybook felt, but I think instead of running home, I will run right to Jesus. Don't you?
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)