Answering the "Why?" :: Part 4

Spring 2011 - catching a family moment on Morgan's senior prom night

Kids... teenage kids... really?  Why now?

Yes, this isn't the typical stage of life to switch careers and begin serving as missionaries.  We totally get that; we had the same thoughts... the same fears.  Are we crazy to think it'll be easy for them to leave their friends, a wonderful school system, community, and amazing family support system?  Yes, we probably are. 

As we were discussing the potential of missions, honestly we did worry about what this would mean for the kids.  It was easy to think that we had provided them the "perfect" situation - a safe, comfortable, loving environment where they could flourish and become all that God would have them be as young adults.  On the flip side, we began questioning ourselves...  Who are we to think WE know what is best for them?  Friends who have been missionaries for the past 20 years in Spain & Portugal have four amazing kids.  Reading about how their oldest daughter has been able to be used in ministry opportunities & leadership roles overseas is so exciting.  I'm sure her world perspective of God's work is much broader & richer because of the many cultures she has experienced first-hand.  As we contemplated our decision, this family's testimony helped to remind us again that God's ways are higher than our own and He has a plan that is beyond our comprehension - a plan for all six of our family members! 

Throughout Scripture we read about how God often asked those who followed Him to do things that didn't seem practical... right... best... good.  But, He asked for faith and obedience.  Think Jonah, Noah, Joseph, David, Paul... and so many others.  I think of the story of Abraham and Isaac.  Wow!  After waiting more years than any of us will most likely even live, Abraham was blessed with a son at 100 years old.  Then one day God asked him to sacrifice his son on an altar.  He didn't even question God, but got up the next morning and set off to obey.  We all know the story quite well... just in the nick of time God provided a ram in the thicket as the sacrifice.

In comparison, it seems like uprooting our kids is a small sacrifice on our part to be obedient to God.  We are holding on to these words that were spoken to Abraham, praying that God will also protect our kids and make them flourish through this experience:

The angel of God spoke from Heaven a second time to Abraham: "I swear—God's sure word!—because you have gone through with this, and have not refused to give me your son, your dear, dear son, I'll bless you—oh, how I'll bless you! And I'll make sure that your children flourish—like stars in the sky! like sand on the beaches! 

~ Genesis 22:15-17, The Message

So, we walk in faith, knowing that God is leading.  Many of our questions are still unanswered that directly affect our kids, but we trust Him and will continue to obey.

Answering the "Why?" :: Part 3

Continuation on God's leading from Part 2...

"I don't think the way you think.
The way you work isn't the way I work."
God's Decree.
"For as the sky soars high above earth,
so the way I work surpasses the way you work,
and the way I think is beyond the way you think."

~ Isaiah 55:8-9, The Message

After all the closed doors to serve in U.S. churches, we shared with the kids about the possibility of missions and asked their permission to pursue this avenue... we received a 75% blessing at the time. :)

1. We reviewed possible options, which led us to talk with Mike Davis of ReachGlobal.   He shared about many Western European City Teams, but thought we may match well with the Lyon City Team in France.
2. We then skyped with Mike DiGena, the Lyon City Team.   What an amazing conversation, and we were so amazed that our gifts and abilities were so complementary to their needs.
3. So... after much prayer, we began the lengthy application process with ReachGlobal, enjoyed multiple interviews, and was amazed when we were invited to the weeklong Readiness Event in February 2011.   There were actually quite a few times through this process that there were "yellow flags".   We really weren't sure if we'd get a "Yes" at the end of the week.
4. God opened the door in AMAZING ways by providing a "Yes" at the end of the Readiness Event, along with an invitation to join the Lyon City Team!

Almost two years had passed from the initial move of God's Spirit within us until THE DOOR swung open leading to Lyon, France!   Even though we never considered moving, let alone all the way to Europe, we know God has directed our steps, and we will continue to walk in faith.

Answering the "Why?" :: Part 2

He creates each of us by Christ Jesus to join Him in the work He does,

the good work He has gotten ready for us to do, work we had better be doing. 

~ Ephesians 2:10

As we sensed that God was asking us to return to full-time ministry, we logically thought that meant working in the local church in worship ministries.  He had obviously chosen that road for us for our first 17 years of marriage.  So, as we began praying for guidance and open doors, we then followed our own "logical" steps.  We searched for openings in churches within driving distance of our home.

No openings.

We talked with the kids about how God was working in our hearts and prepping them for the possibility of a move.  We searched for possibilities and then sent out Steve's resume to quite a few churches in the midwest. 

Closed doors. 

We then questioned God a bit... "Do you really want us to move further away?  What about our house and the poor housing market?  What about the kids' great school and amazing church support?"  We searched for possibilities and then sent out Steve's resume to quite a few more churches throughout the entire U.S. 

Again, closed doors... actually, it seemed like they were locked & sealed.  Seriously.  

We sent resume after resume.  

Nothing.   Nada. 

So, again we waited and wrestled with God to know what steps to take next.  We knew that missions was always a "future" possibility, but struggled to consider it now while the kids were still in school.  Who would choose to pull their kids out of school and move them half way around the world?

Answering the "Why?" :: Part 1

And how much different is it now as you live in God's freedom, your lives healed and expansive in holiness?

~ Romans 6:19

Why have we said, "Yes!" to God's leading to minister in France?  Because God is a God who heals!  We wrote previously about our health (or lack thereof) over the past 20 years, and in those times God continually reminded us of our vows, "in sickness and in health".  Praise be to God for showing up and showing off His healing power in our lives.  (You're welcome to read that previous post for more details.)

"For I know the plans I have for you," declares the LORD, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future."

~ Jeremiah 29:11

We had such naive, idealistically high hopes when we plastered this verse on the wedding bulletin board that humid August morning 20 years ago, choosing for it to be our life verse. Somewhere around years 10-15, we had pretty much given up on what we expected for "future" and "hope" - you know, the kind that we had imagined God would provide.  Since then, we have been experiencing this verse in new and fresh ways, with what we think is a more informed understanding as we see a better picture of what God was really promising.

With God's healing again in our lives, we knew we had to do what we promised we'd do... serve Him.  As we've said before, through the difficult years Psalm 116 became our (for lack of a better phrase) life passage.  It says it so well near the end of the chapter:

What can I give back to God
for the blessings He's poured out on me?
I'll lift high the cup of salvation—a toast to God!
I'll pray in the name of God;
I'll complete what I promised God I'd do,
and I'll do it together with his people.

~ Psalm 116:12-14

This renewed health was the beginning of our journey to seek what God wanted us to do and where He was leading.

Answering the "Why?" :: Intro

Some ask, “Why now?”  Why are you at this stage of your lives doing something so drastically different?  Your kids are all teenagers… ready to leave the nest in a few years.  Then there will be weddings and grandkids (hopefully not for quite some time).  Isn’t going overseas meant for young college graduates or newly married couples?

Yes, logic says that most missionaries are young with their whole lives ahead of them.  And, yes, we are in our mid-forties and our kids are teenagers.  And, life will continue at this pace (the kind of pace that keeps flying by more swiftly each year) and before we know it all of the kids will be gone from our nest and be in their own nest some place.

There are so many reasons why NOW is the right time for us.  To help share our lives – the good and the bad – we want to share with you the many reasons why we believe God has chosen to ask us to make this life-altering change at this stage of our lives, and why we are willing to give up whatever is necessary to do what has been asked of us.

Here is a list of all the reasons we know NOW is the time:

1. God answers prayers
2. God heals
3. God closes doors
4. God opens other doors
5. God’s ways are higher than our ways
6. God wants us to join Him where He is working
7. God will not give us more than we can handle
8. God is good and His love endures forever

“The really important thing is obeying God's call, following his commands.”  ~ I Cor. 7:19

So, how can we NOT obey?!   Over the next few weeks, we’ll share more from our hearts to explain how God has worked through these ways to bring us to this place of release and peace.