This week is a transition week for my family. Yesterday we had our last deputation meeting and are now spending a week regrouping as a family: really focusing on refreshing ourselves spiritually and connecting with each other on a different level that can be challenging with a busy travel schedule. We will return home and our feet will hit the ground running as we prepare to leave for Thailand in two and a half months. Sounds like plenty of time right? But it’s amazing how fast two and a half months can fly by when you’re talking about saying goodbye to your home country and preparing to make a new life in a foreign land. I won’t even go into all the details of what must be done, but suffice it to say, we will be busy those two months!
Lately I’ve been thinking a lot about the past year and the busyness it has meant for our family as we traveled the country. And I’ve been looking ahead to what life will look like our first year in Thailand. I guess you could say, this whole year is a transition year! We will be adjusting to the field, learning new languages and cultures, and on top of it all, having a baby in a completely new country! The first thing that pops into my brain when I consider all these things is that I just need to survive. If I can endure that first year on the field! If I can just get through some of those difficulties, hunker down and endure these things, then everything will get better, will settle down, will be somewhat normal. And THEN I can move forward with some goals and focus on our kids, and really get on with life. But this is my flesh and my fear speaking. You see, God hasn’t called me and my family to have a “normal” life. He has called our family to have a life of uncertainty (on the level of a consistent place and schedule), a life of faith, and a life that will look completely different from the average American family.
But the thing is, this is human tendency, to wait until things get easier. You know the phrases, “I will start that new diet on Monday.” “I will wait until the New Year!” Or in my case this year “Once we get home I can really start to incorporate some of these things in my life.” But the truth is, Monday never comes. Oh it comes, but your hypothetical Monday will just be replaced by another excuse for delay in starting. There will always be something that gets in your way. Are you wanting to be more consistent in your personal devotions? Are you wanting to spend longer in prayer? Are you waiting for some event in life to pass to you can do what you know you should be doing?
This is a personal thing! Each of us know what we’ve been procrastinating or putting off with excuses. I remember being in Thailand and learning the language. I was so afraid to speak to others in Thai because of my uncertainty in getting the tone right or getting the word placement correct. As a result, I hardly ever spoke in Thai, other than with my teacher. I lost so much time and growth because of my FEAR! My thoughts were, once I am confident and once I know 100% what to say, I will speak. Truly, it’s pride in our lives that keeps us from moving forward in areas like this. And anyone who has learned a second language fluently knows that speaking it is the key! Oh how I regret lost time and opportunity to really learn that language! I am grateful I will have another opportunity coming up here. (smile)
My reality is, I will NEVER have a normal life. And I praise God for that. It’s what He has called my husband to do and I have the privilege of serving alongside this great calling. If I wait until life has a consistent routine to implement Biblical truth, If I wait until we have a home in Thailand and are settled in, If I wait until I’ve had this baby, I will never do it.
“Boast not thyself of to morrow; for thou knowest not what a day may bring forth.”Proverbs 27:1
NOW is the time to incorporate Biblical truth in your life. Don’t wait for an easier day. Don’t wait until you feel more confident. Think of all the time you are losing by delaying by even a day!
Serving the Lord in the country of Thailand, Alyssa is the wife of missionary Benjamin Hall and mom to five young kids. Each day seems to bring new adventures as she studies the Thai language, homeschools, and ministers to the many little hands that reach for hers. Of course, music is almost always part of the day, whether by listening, singing, or playing and it now echoes through the voices of little ones. Read Alyssa’s salvation testimony here.