July 2009 Newsletter

Life is full of paradoxes. The good comes with the bad, sorrow intermingles with joy, fear coexists with courage. My training this month centered around learning to live in and appreciate the new paradoxes that come with living cross-culturally.

As I leave for Rwanda, I’m experiencing so many paradoxes:

♦ Trading the known and comfortable for the unknown can be exciting and adventurous, while also being unsettling and anxiety inducing. Corrie Ten Boom said, “Never be afraid to trust an unknown future to a known God.” While the unknown is scary at times, I’m finding more comfort in getting to know a God who can be known.

♦ The feelings of incompetence that come with learning a new job, a new language, and a new culture coexist with a love of learning newthings. I was reminded in training that I will be an agent of cheer to the Rwandan people as I butcher their language and commit major social faux pas. It’s not a comfortable role for me, but what a perfect opportunity to relax a bit, learn to laugh, and understand more fully the adequacy of God.

♦ Saying good goodbyes allows me to say good hellos. I hate goodbyes.
They are so sad and I’d rather avoid them altogether out of self-protection. Saying good goodbyes means honoring the people who love me by mourning the separation, remembering, and affirming how valuable they are to me. Good goodbyes allow me to say good hellos. It allows me to keep my heart soft and my mind open to new friends and new ways to draw near to old friends.

In acknowledging the paradoxes of life I’m finding the freedom to mourn and grieve, the freedom to rest in the midst of both the good and the bad, the freedom to hope, and the freedom to move forward into the unknown.

Thanks for your thoughts and prayers over the last month. It’s been a great month of training and saying goodbyes. I’ll arrive in Kigali, Rwanda, on August 10. Please pray for me through the transition.