These last 3 months since my last post (sorry about that) have been a time of incredible change in our lives. We continue on our journey serving God through Two Tunics but on 11 November 2009 we left South Africa to return to the USA for an undetermined length of time. All the final details leaving Africa, both personal and organizational were quite hectic. But once we left the pace of change began to accelerate even more. In the first week there were stops in New York, Minneapolis, Spokane and finally, with a U-Haul truck full of household goods, arrival at our new (and as yet unseen) home in Renton Washington.
That was followed by unpacking stuff not seen for 4+ years, making room for a second truckload of stuff from Spokane and more unpacking, sorting, selling and giving away. During the first month in our new rented townhouse we were able to celebrate with family our first Thanksgiving Day in 5 years, Mikah's 3rd birth day, Robin's birthday (who's counting?) and Christmas. Robin jumped right in helping with Mikah's daycare 3 days each week and it has been a blessing growing our relationship with our delightful and beautiful grandson.
As I said at the beginning, the theme of our lives these last 3 months has been change. We miss our friends, work, church and lifestyle we had in South Africa these last 4 years. We are trying to adjust to living in an area we have never lived before without friends, a home church or family other than our daughter, son-in law and grandson. And in a way we are grieving the loss of the lifestyle we had previously here in the USA before I left my practice at the VA.
One of the books I read during this transition and highly recommend is "Wide Awake" by Erwin McManus. One of the chapters entitled "adapt" has definitely encouraged me during this time. As McManus says, "You can't model your life after Jesus and be unwilling to adapt." The incarnation makes anything we have to adapt to pretty minor in comparison. He also points out that "the Bible is all about change. Transformation means change. Conversion means change. Repentance means change. Sanctification means (yep you guessed it) change." And following and obeying means change.
It is so easy for us to get comfortable in our life. As a result we often resist change. In South Africa I had become comfortable even with the difficult things I often had to deal with day to day. Sometimes I long to go back to that comfort, that known, rather than face the uncertainty of my future here. But Christ calls me to adapt.
How can I do that? I think McManus gives us the answer to that as well. It's all about another Biblical word that has to do with change - love. "Love transforms." "When you are loved, you no longer fear change nor are you afraid to change. When you love you are willing to embrace the sacrifice of change..." God, thank you that you love me so much. So much that I am free to change. And God help me to love enough to embrace the sacrifice of change.
