I wish I could individually send this out to every parents who is putting their biggest blessing on a plane to start this journey called the race. But, I wanted to take the time to share with you here on the blog.
Mom and Dad:
Yesterday you said goodbye and won’t see him for 11 months. Today, you woke up with a part of your heart missing; a part of you is different today than yesterday. Yesterday, you were given an honor that thousands of parents have had, but millions will never experience: You became a parent of a missionary. You put your biggest blessing on a plane and told God a lot of things, while trying to reassure them that you would be strong and that you were praying for them every step of the way. You told God that you’re happy and sad at the same time, and that you want him to succeed but didn’t know it would cost you this much. The cost of following Jesus is often far more than we ever expected. And the cost of watching your children follow Jesus holds a significant blow for the ones that get left on American soil.
There is the thing about missionaries: missionaries are the kinds of people who find their home in the sky, in the air of change. They are the ones who will break your heart because they leave, but they have the best stories around the dinner table when they get back. He will one day share with you the man they baptized in the river, and the orphan who stole her heart. He’ll be the one who will learn to have tough conversations, and the value of relationship, despite being thousands of miles from everything he’s ever known. She’ll teach you more about following Jesus this year; I promise you that.
And it will teach us all that the cost of following Jesus is nothing in comparison to the life we get when we do.
What I can promise is that the days will go slowly but the months will fly by. You’ll be reading emails from Month 1, then you will see emails about booking flights home following final debrief. You might be planning a party for the people who loved all of you well in this season or just thankful to know that the one you put on a plane 11 months ago is now settled back into the bed they left months ago.
But one day, along the way, you’ll find someone who’s right where you are right now. Someone who needs a hug, a cup of sweet tea, and a friend. You’ll find someone who’s walking through sending their own child on the race, and you’ll be the expert, instead of the student. You’ll share stories of God’s faithfulness and grace, and tricks of how to make WiFi connections stay connected. You’ll tell them of the time he called at 3a because he forgot that you lived in a totally different time zone and the day you laughed so hard you cried. You’ll remind them that in the scope of eternity, 11 months is a short time.
And in all of this, you will find a relationship with Jesus that will leave you never the same if you look to him for the answers to all of your questions. The trust, the growth, and the value of this season for you will leave you thankful that you became a parent of a missionary. Thank you, beautiful parents, for being charged with such a privilege. Thank you for giving something of yourself, so that other people can find Jesus.
Heaven will be such a sweet reunion of those whose faces you learned, but never got to hug in person, all because you released your blessing into these nations to be the hands and feet of Jesus.
Kristy Ramsey
3rd Gen P-Squad
