The bags are pretty much packed and the house has been sorted through over the past few weeks in preparation of heading to the USA for six months. You would think by now that the transition of leaving our home to go visit our home would get easier but that is not always true. As a missionary living in a foreign country, I have embraced Swaziland as my home. Our family is in our seventh year of living in Swaziland and for our children, Africa is more home to them than the USA, where I grew up. Do not get me wrong, I long to see my family and visit with friends but I also do not necessarily want to leave my home in Africa at the same time. I wish Africa was closer to America! :) The Atlantic Ocean is tooooo big!!!!
Through all these mixed emotions, God has been faithful to give me a peace that He is still in control and He understands what I am going through, even on days when I do not! On Sunday, we were saying farewell to a church, Hawane Baptist, that is dear to our hearts as it is the first church we planted and started in our last mission term. The church asked us to greet them and say a few words before Steve began preaching. God impressed upon me to share with my brothers and sisters in Christ that the same God that is here with them in Swaziland is the same God that will be with our family in America. Praise the Lord! It was a great reminder for me, too, that God is not leaving me just because I was leaving Swaziland. He IS going with me and will stay with me!!!
In sorting through several closets and stuff in our house over the past few weeks, I ran across an older issue of Today's Christian Woman. In it, there was an article about a wife that kept struggling with moving all the time due to her husband's job. No, I am not moving all the time but the few key principles that were shared impacted my mind and heart greatly.
1. Dwell in the Land based on Jeremiah 29 - stop wasting time and energy fussing over the loss of leaving and carry on the business of living. Enjoy living in the present and not the past!
2. Learn to be Content based on Philippians 4:11 - be happy and content whatever the circumstances. Focus on the here and now and be thankful for all God has given me...whew!
3. Set My Mind on Things Above based on Colossians 3:2 - Look ahead to the eternal home Jesus is preparing for me in heaven and that is definitely something to look forward to!
4. Be a Living Sacrifice based on Romans 12:1 - I choose to be a living sacrifice - to please God. I desire to place all my different longings on an altar sacrificing them to the Lord.
I am beginning to look forward to our furlough time in the USA for six months. It will be amazing times with our family and re-connecting them with our children. I look forward to worship services in English (rare for us as we are in siSwati language services each week!) and also opportunities for my children to be with kids their ages at church. All in all, it is going to be precious times of rest for my family and truly resting in God's arms as He revives our bodies, minds and souls to continue the ministry He has called us to do for His glory.
I hope to see many of you on my journey as I visit my "other home" and a chance to catch up on all God is doing in our lives.
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Hi Mon! Praying your time in the US is going well. I loved this post. Even though our time in Namibia was much shorter, we still think about it, miss it, talk about it daily and we have been home nearly 5 years!! The way I think about it, my heart still lives in 2 places and I guess it always will :)
So grateful for you in our lives and all of your updates and reminders!
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