We have been in a season of waiting for four years. Actually, there have been many seasons within that time period. The season of waiting for the pandemic to pass while living in a country that took it to the extremes. The season of waiting for work and team life to return to “normal.” The season of waiting for the kids’ school to go back to the thriving community it was in the previous twenty years. And most recently, a surprise season: waiting for a new life to join our family. Each of these seasons has brought frustration, impatience, and discontent . . . but also joy, adaptation, and expectation.
The three years of living out the pandemic in a country where we didn’t know what regulation would slam down next were some of our toughest years. Everything felt out of control. We saw every single teammate and friend who decided to leave, not be able to return. Our small Remnant Team dug deep to support one another on the darkest days. There were pockets of light and hope that appeared just when we thought we couldn’t take it anymore. Deep trust was built with our Father as we had no choice but to live with hands open, having faith he wouldn’t leave our side, no matter what happened.
After our team took a much-needed break in our passport countries, we returned last year with the hope that life and work would be back to normal, although we also knew it would be a new normal. Our team was a fraction of what it used to be, and so we waited for others to return. Currently, we’re still much smaller than we were pre-pandemic, but we’ve found our groove, functioning in multiple roles to keep everything afloat. Work life is a longer, different story. We had to pause nearly all work during the pandemic and, upon returning, continued to run into doors that had been forced close. Why would the Father miraculously help us return if we couldn’t even do the work we were called to? We continue to wait for that answer.
The kids’ school was an amazing little place that had served our org’s families for decades. We were thrilled to have teachers come and serve in this capacity so that we parents could focus more on the work we were to do. But just like so many other aspects post-pandemic, we have struggled to find a teacher to return and have just had to piecemeal ideas together to make the school function at partial capacity. We continue to wait for a teacher to return our once-vibrant school to normal.
On April Fools‘ Day, I found out I was pregnant! I had recently turned forty and we had no plans of adding a fourth kiddo to our family; our other kids, who are fifteen, thirteen, and almost ten, joined in our complete shock at the news. We’ve been waiting with anticipation the last several months to meet our new baby girl. This is the first time I will give birth outside of the US, so you can guess the cultural and language issues we’ve run into. But the Father has been faithful each step, calming our fears and deepening yet another path of trust.
Those of us who serve overseas have had to flex our adaptation muscles again and again. New scenarios, changed plans, and unexpected situations are thrown at us daily. You’d think I’d have a decent rate of acceptance after living this life for fourteen years. But these last four years have thrown more curve balls than I could’ve imagined, making it hard to keep up. But the Father saw it all. He knew it would be a challenge for us to wait for his plans to be unveiled and to see how quickly we would turn our shocked emotions to trust, peace, and even joy at knowing he was the one in control, not us. He has also taught me that “normal” as I know it now won’t last forever. He is continuously at work, shifting things to fulfill his purpose. I shouldn’t hold so tightly to what I think is “normal” at the moment. New norms are constantly on the horizon.
I love this quote from Bo Caldwell’s book City of Tranquil Lights:
“We often wait for God with hope. But sometimes we must wait for hope. We may feel nothing, but we do not rely on our feelings. When we don’t feel hope, we wait for it, and it always comes.”
As we all encounter seasons of waiting and change, may we aim to be remember who our Father is, to remember his promises, and to anticipate the plans he has laid out perfectly for us. Only then will we encounter the joy and peace he desires for us!
For some musical encouragement, check out this song from Elevation Worship & Maverick City: “Wait On You.”
What are you waiting on right now? What helps you wait well?
