Giving Up What We Cannot Keep to Gain What We Cannot Lose

Our family [Identities disclosed for security reasons] has been called by God to serve as international missionaries. Our passion is that there be no place left where people have not had an opportunity to respond to the gospel in an understandable way, and it is this that has led us to pursue a career of lifelong missionary service. We will be moving overseas in in the middle of October. This is an extremely exciting but difficult season for our family. There are many goodbyes happening. There have been many moments during which we have realized we are maybe saying goodbye for the last time, and we may never see many of these people again. We are coming to grips with the reality that we will miss many of our close family and friends' births, celebrations, weddings, funerals, and more because of the call God has placed on our family. 
            With this in mind one might ask, "Then why move away from these close family and friends for your last 6 months in the states to help with a new church in Charleston, SC?" This is a very valid question and the answer is two-fold.  The first part of our answer is our calling. The same call that is leading us to serve a lifetime as missionaries internationally is what has driven us here to serve at Uptown Church. A call by God to reach the people that are far from God is not limited by any governmental boundaries. Our call doesn't begin when we get on a plane to a foreign land. Our call is in the DNA of our family. It is who we are, and we know no other life to live that honors our Lord and God. 
            The second part to our answer is preparation. What better way to prepare to engage people who are far from God in an international setting than right here at home? When people move overseas they already have many new things to learn. They have to learn the language, the culture, how day-to-day life works in their location, and how to establish relationships in a completely new environment. So why would one want to throw learning how to reach people who are far from God and starting churches into the already stressful mix? This season is meant to allow our family to implement this calling, learn more, and prepare more for reaching the lost. 


Photo taken from redzenradishphotography.com