So Long, Farewell, Auf Wiedersehen, Goodbye

For those of you who don't get the title, go watch "The Sound of Music." It's a great movie. You'll love it. :)

I do apologize for how long it’s been since my last blog. Time has really gotten away from me, and I’m sorry! But I do plan to make up for it with some quick updates in the next few weeks. So let’s get right to the prayer requests:

Field Update (Prayer Necessities for the Skimmers):

1. Graham, Javier, and Jeff are the current members of the men’s Xtreme Team in Bolivia, and they have recently begun going into two communities of Chayanta Quechua people. The goal is to build relationships with the people and to begin to learn the language with the eventual intention of sharing Bible stories with them. Pray that the guys will learn the language quickly and that the people would have “ears to hear” (Lk. 14:35).

2. Don is the “man of peace” (see Lk. 10:1-12) in the Quchimi community. When he was told the parable of the lost sheep, he recognized that he felt like one of those lost sheep. He is excited about hearing more stories. Pray that God would reveal Himself to Don as “that great Shepherd of the sheep” (Heb. 13:20).

3. “Finally, brothers, pray for us that the message of the Lord may spread rapidly and be honored, just as it was with you” (2 Thess. 3:1). Please pray that the Gospel message would spread rapidly among the Quechua of southern Bolivia. So many of these people – a people who are every bit as precious in God’s sight as your children are to you – have died never having heard that there is a Savior Who lives to give them hope. I beg you to intercede on their behalf before the God of all hope.

Inquiring Minds Wanna Know (Bonus for the Readers):

“‘Anyone who loves his father or mother more than me is not worthy of me; anyone who loves his son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me; and anyone who does not take his cross and follow me is not worthy of me.’” (Matt. 10:37-38)

This passage has taken on an especially poignant meaning to me of late. The end of July and the early part of August were filled with farewells for me, and it seemed that each one got progressively more difficult. Here’s a quick rundown (click here for pictures):

I quit work on July 25, which was also my seventh anniversary there. I will and already do miss the people that I worked with and the patients I got to know. God richly blessed me with that job and, in particular, with the people He allowed me to know there. I have such great friends that I am leaving behind there, and walking out the door for the last time that day was much harder than I had hoped. Thanks for the memories, CHKD crew!

From there, I flew home to visit family in Alabama, and I said goodbye to them on July 30. My parents moved overseas themselves in early June, so I’m thankful that the most traumatic of my farewells was already complete. But it still wasn’t easy to leave my only living grandmother, a variety of aunts and uncles, cousins with whom I’m very close. Getting on that plane was especially hard after saying goodbye to my precious baby cousin, Gabriel. Knowing that he won’t even know who I am the next time I see him is a little hard on the psyche. (Wess, I know you’ll show him my picture on a regular basis. Just don’t scare the little guy by doing too much of that! :))

Then, finally, I returned to Virginia Beach to say goodbye to my church in early August. This blog isn’t long enough to relate how much I will miss the body of believers at London Bridge Baptist. I have learned from them the real meaning of “brothers and sisters” and have seen in them a small snippet of what eternity in the presence of God and His followers will be like. They are truly my brothers and sisters, and I already miss them desperately.

There’s no denying that it’s difficult to say goodbye to family and friends knowing you won’t see them again for a year or even more. I’ve had to face the reality that I may not see some of these people again on this earth. Yes, the cost of being His disciple is high. Jesus never tried to sugar-coat this for us. He demands nothing less than that we surrender our very lives to Him. Through this process, I’ve had to ask myself many times whether I’m willing to do that.

But, despite appearances, this post is not meant to be a downer, and here’s why:

“‘I tell you the truth,’ Jesus said to them, ‘no one who has left home or wife or brothers or parents or children for the sake of the kingdom of God will fail to receive many times as much in this age and, in the age to come, eternal life.’” (Luke 18:29-30)

Whoa. Sweet! Look at the rewards you get in exchange for what you have willingly surrendered. Following Christ will never – and let me reiterate: never, NEVER, NEVER! – disappoint.

My human mind tells me that I am giving up a lot, but the Word of God says I will be rewarded many times over in exchange for the sacrifice. Whether I believe my fallible human thoughts or the completely infallible Word of the Living God is up to me.

I choose to believe Him, even if that takes me to the ends of the earth.

Especially if it takes me to the ends of the earth.

“From the rising of the sun to the place where it sets, the name of the LORD is to be praised.” (Ps. 113:3)