New Directions

A lot has happened over the last couple weeks. In addition to cramming in a number of condensed Jan-Term classes, we spent a number of days working with MTW in Atlanta, GA to hammer down a few new thoughts about how and where we are going to fit into the organization. Linds and I had a pretty good idea of the where all the pieces were going to settle, and we were really excited about it! The week was a pretty exciting one, we got to make some pretty good friends while we were there, we had the opportunity to get to know some of the more experienced missionaries with MTW, and we got blasted by an ice storm that froze us into the hotel the whole week (Atlanta has only 8 snowplows. Yeah, 8) - the picture above is a piece of ice I peeled off of a holly leaf.

However, at the end of the week, we sat down with some of the other planners, but we didn't get the news we were expecting. Don't get me wrong here, we are still on board with Mission to the World and with the Global Youth and Family Ministry, but some of the directions that Linds and I were expecting to take did not quite work out. It was a hard conclusion to be met with, and to be honest we were really caught off guard by it. While it doesn't really change much about the ministry itself, it does change a lot about the ways Linds and I were expecting to engage it.

When I was a kid, I recall standing in the basement with my Dad talking about something that had to do with understanding God's plans. I don't really remember why I was asking him about that, but I do remember his response. He told the that as far as he could figure out, the best way to discern God's will is to look around at the opportunities you have in front of you, choose which one looks best to you, and then pray saying, "God, I've chosen what I think is best here, and I am going to pursue it with all my heart. If this is what you have for me, please bless my efforts, but if it is not, please close the door and point me in a new direction."

God closed the door for us on this particular plan. However, though it was rather confusing in the moment, the more we have reflected on it, the better we've felt about the situation. First of all we trust that the Lord knows what we need and desires to care for us! We trust the people who made the decisions, we see the wisdom in their reasoning, we felt very cared for by those who made the decision, and we have felt even further affirmed in our call to next generational cross cultural ministry. It is hard to shift tracks, but as we are beginning to explore some of the other doors that have remained open, we are also beginning to catch other visions of ways we can continue to serve. Again, though we might not have arrived at them ourselves, we trust the new directions we have been given, and we are excited to see where God will lead.

Please pray for us for wisdom, discernment, and patience as we begin to formulate new directions.

-Drew