Change can be a really great thing, but change can also have its challenges. Change pushes us in new ways and prevents us from getting comfortable.
I remember moving to college (university as its called here) freshman year, what seemed like such a huge change. Each year, I moved into a new home with new people, each with their own chances for growth and each with their own challenges.
Then four years later, the transition from college to the real world seemed like the biggest change of all.
But this year, change doesn’t come every year or every few years. Change comes every month. New countries, new languages, new people, new ministry, new living conditions, new everything.
Right when we start to build strong relationships, learn a little bit more of the language, master the bus system all by ourselves, become friends with the men and women selling vegetables at the market that speak zero english, we say goodbye. Soon after the month becomes normal, becomes comfortable, becomes home, we have to go. With no promise of return, but hope that we will see each other again.
Hope to see each other again here on earth, but if not here, then in heaven. Where we can talk fluently with no language barrier, no translator and look back on this month and smile.
At the end of every month, comes the bittersweet.
How do you be excited for the next country, the next experience, the next lesson all while mourning the place you are leaving behind, the people that you’ve grown to know and love, a place that has become home in just four short weeks?
A few days ago, I came across this in my book:
“I’ve learned the hard way that change is one of God’s greatest gifts and one of his most useful tools. I’ve learned the hard way that change can push up, pull us, rebuke and remake us. It can show us who we’ve become, in the worst ways, and also in the best ways. I’ve learned that it’s not something to run away from, as though we could, and I’ve learned that in many cases, change is not a function of life’s cruelty but instead a function of God’s graciousness.”
– Bittersweet by Shauna Niequist
Change is inevitable.
At the end of this year, home won’t be in just one place. A little bit of home will be scattered all over the world.
But how?
How do you give all your love month one and still have enough to give ten more times, not to mention when we return home? My prayer is that every month God fills our hearts back up so we have even more love to give than the month before.
Leaving America behind gives a whole new perspective. A new perspective on just how easy it is to go through life in the states without complete and total dependence on the One who created us.
I’m guilty of it too. And it breaks my heart.
Because here, the opposite is true.
I come from a place (Texas) where the majority of people would say they are a Christian. Its the cultural norm in the South. It’s what I’ve always known. I didn’t know this idea of everyone claiming to be a Christian was weird until my college roommate (shoutout out to you Hales) and I were talking about the Christianity culture in California, and how this was definitely not the case. Probably something I should have realized, but having never lived anywhere else, I never thought about it.
Here in Serbia, Christianity isn’t the cultural norm.
Strangers don’t smile at strangers. We asked why. The answer, “people don’t smile much, this country has experienced too much pain.”
Don’t worry, we’ve still tried and we’ve celebrated when we received a smile back. This place is screaming for Jesus.
We’ve been fortunate to get to know some really great people. Serbian and Roma people who are on fire for the Lord and want to share it with the rest of their country. This month, we got to be a small part of that. This month, we had the chance to walk alongside them.
The chance to walk alongside someone in their celebrations, but also in their pain, is a blessing. A blessing that doesn’t always come so easily.
Which takes me back to my original question.
How do you be excited for the next country, the next experience, the next lesson all while mourning the place you are leaving behind, the people that you’ve grown to know and love, a place that has become home in just four short weeks?
Because this year, on the race, change comes every four weeks regardless of what happens during that time. No matter how excited we are for the next country and no matter how sad we are to leave the last one behind.
I’m excited for what’s to come. I’m excited to find what God has next for me and my team.
But leaving is and will continue to be bittersweet.
“When life is sweet, say thank you and celebrate. And when life is bitter, say thank you and grow.” -Bittersweet by Shauna Niequist
Serbia, we will miss you.
We have two more days until this months bittersweet ending. Goodbyes have already started and will continue over the next couple of days. Pray for us as we wrap up month one and travel safely to our next location.
Next month, Albania, is all squad month. We will be living and working with all 7 teams, all 50 people, together. Let the adventure begin.
