Every month I build a new family and friend group. Every month I give my heart to a new culture and country. Every month I try to quickly figure out how to adapt to a new place. Every month I feel like I start to embrace that way of life.
And every month, I leave.
It's by far the worst part of the race. I hate saying goodbye and leaving people so frequently.
Imagine moving to a new place every month. You build relationships, you connect with a church, you figure out how to get around, you adjust to cultural norms, and then you leave. You leave and you start all over again from square 1.
You have to do it all over. You have to give all of yourself again. You have to invest fully in people. You have to figure out how to communicate with them. You have to learn a new way of life.
It's hard. It's exhausting. It's a lot.
Going from Rwanda to Kenya was definitely the most difficult transition on the race.
I really connected with the family, church, and culture in Rwanda. I didn't want to leave. I felt like we were only there a few days and then we were saying 'good bye'.
I entered into Kenya not having fully grieved leaving Rwanda. Automatically, I had this spirit of comparison between the two countries. I kept thinking about how things were in Rwanda and how I missed that.
I quickly realized that I had to stop thinking that way. God has me in each place for 1 month, that's all I get. I get one month to share His love with a new people group. I have to use that time respectfully. I have to be fully present with the people I am around. I have to make sure I am leaving a good impression of what a commited follower of Christ looks like. I have to make sure I am absorbing every thing the Lord has to teach me in each season. I have to fully press in where I am at.
It's hard, it's not easy, but it's so worth it.
Every month I end with a bigger family than before. Every month a piece of my heart stays in another part of the world. Every month I leave knowing the Lord did and is continuing to do BIG things. Every month I leave knowing that God used me to spread the most powerful words this world has ever heard. Every month I leave molded a little more into His image. Every month I am blessed with even more incredible people to miss.
Somehow, the end of every month makes the beginning of every month…worth it.
