Chris leaves this weekend to Mexico on a mission to a town called Vincente Guerrero to build homes for the poor there.
This apparently rubs alot of people the wrong way, given that I am considered to be high risk in the pregnancy, and the complications I had in the pregnancy while Chris was in Ethiopia... but this is something that as a family we have talked about alot, and feel strongly about...So he is going....Why? Here we go.
1. He felt called to do it.
While preparing for the mission trip to Ethiopia, Chris felt highly called to serve with Youth With A Mission in Mexico building houses. This is something that he has always wanted to do, and I encouraged him to follow his calling. Chris feels so much more complete when he is following his calling- and so at peace to be serving as he was meant to serve. We planned for this trip quite awhile ago, before any of the complications from the pregnancy occurred. Chris had talked about cancelling the trip, but still felt incredibly called to go. We are listening to this, and sending him.
2. This is something our FAMILY is devoted to.
Months ago, we spent quite alot of time in prayer and reflection about our families purpose, and our families values. We have a family crest on the wall in the hallway that we worked on first as a couple, and then with Lexsey. We worked on what our core values are, and what we see our families purpose to be. We felt strongly that we are called to love others well, through time, service and actions, as well as to adventure... The combination of things that we value as a family put it on our hearts even more strongly that as a family we are called to mission work.
As we did this activity, it was incredible to see how a (at the time ) 3 year old could be so deeply in tune with the values of her family. Lexsey insisted that it was most important that we love people well, because Jesus loves us. The center of our family is in Christ, and we are called to pick up our own crosses and follow Him...Following Him is not always easy, and sometimes it is the road that seems more dangerous, but the beauty of service is that after the bumps and rough turns, you see His glory in it.
So though it may seem that we are taking a bumpy and dangerous road by sending Chris away on another mission while I am at home 7 months pregnant, this is something that we feel strongly will glorify God, and continue our families road to service and missions.
3. We trust that everything will be ok while he is gone- and trust that God will provide us with safety and health in Chris's absence.
It is easy to spend life focused on the dangers and anxieties of the world. After 3 miscarriages, and now 2 high risk pregnancies, I am very deeply aware of how easy it would be to sit in a corner and rock nervously about the what ifs, and the concerns of the world.
But that is not the life we were called to. We were called to give our concerns and our fears to God, to depend on Him, because we can not do this alone. And so we are. We are giving our concerns to God, and trusting in his providence, his protection and his love in this season in our lives. I feel strongly that God's hand has been in this pregnancy from the very beginning, and that He will provide for safety for both me and Christian through this process- and we need to continue on the path that He has laid for our family- a road of service.
God has always provided for us in our times of need. When I was sick and Chris was in Ethiopia, we were surrounded on opposite sides of the world with prayer, and God healed us, and provided peace for Chris as he was separated from us. When he returned home from Africa sick, and seemingly miserable, and then Lexsey got the same illness, broke her clavicle, and I was diagnosed with Gestational Diabetes and also the flu, it seemed that we were in the middle of a cosmic battle, with one seeking to pull us away from our trust in God, and our calling, to cast us back into fear and doubt. But God prevailed. He healed us all, he healed Lexsey's clavicle so quickly that she isn't even in a sling anymore, and provided me with control of my blood sugars, and peace.
God IS the Great Physician. We trust in Him that my health and Christian's health will be sustained while Chris seeks to serve Him and do his work in Mexico as he was called to do.
We are incredibly grateful for the love and concern that all have shown for us over the last month as we went through our difficult times. The love and prayers and support have been absolutely incredible, and we feel truly blessed to have everyone in our lives. We understand the concerns and frustrations that we have heard about Chris leaving for Mexico...and we ask this...Trust in Him that created us, provides for us and loves us all deeply. We have faith that He will continue to be ever present in our lives...
Thank you all for your love...
No comments:
Post a Comment