Overwhelmed

You might be thinking that the title refers to the fact that our lives are changing rapidly. You may think that I'm talking about all of the packing, cleaning, and other preparations that have to happen before tomorrow morning. Those would be logical conclusions, but that is not what I'm talking about.

Why am I overwhelmed? I am overwhelmed by the kindness being shown to us by the Christians in our world. The churches who signed on to partner with a missionary family, and are now missional orphans, have been nothing but loving to us. They have sent me constant reminders of their prayers, and those prayers mean a lot to us. In some ways, I feel like we have failed them, as if we performed a bait-and-switch by promising them great works of evangelism, but are giving them another out-of-work minister instead. They don't see it that way, though. They still see our family as a way for them to minister. And that changes the way that we see ourselves.

The missionaries here at the training center are another incredible example of the Body of Christ at work. They have shown us generosity and kindness that we couldn't have imagined. They've taken care of Ella while we went to doctor's appointments with DeLaynie. They've offered to help us pack and clean. They have prayed and cried with us through the struggles, even to the conclusion. Today they prayed over us as a community, and Edwin said that he could physically feel a peace that he hadn't experienced in a while. They surprised us today at lunch by giving us an envelope full of notes and gifts to help us replace the things that we sold in order to go. These are people are going to be missionaries, and they are sacrificially giving to us, who aren't going! That is an amazing thing.

God has used our supervisors and the nurse who has managed our case to show us His love and concern. They have taken hours out of their time to talk to us and take care of us. They have genuinely hurt alongside us. We may have diverted them from things that many would say are more important, but they were there every time that we needed them.

If you don't know Jesus personally, you may have a bad taste in your mouth from past experiences with people who claim to know Him. But those aren't the Christians that I know. These people are genuine, deeply kind, and loving to the point of personal sacrifice. These are the people that Jesus points to when He wants to remind the Devil that he isn't winning the war.

This is the Body of Christ as it should be, and this is one of the moments when I realize that I don't deserve to be called to service at all. If I'm called to serve here, I am privileged to receive that calling, just as I would be privileged to receive a calling to go. This life, the Christian life, is a gift that I could never earn. It's just too valuable. I am grateful for each and every moment of it that I get the joy of living, no matter where God calls me to be. And this life is just the tip of the beginning of the amazing things God has planned. How beautiful is this God whom I call, "Father"?