The Paradox of Going & Leaving

We pray, “Lord, here am I! Send me! I’ll go!” And, we mean it. Isn’t that sweet? Isn’t that noble? What good little Christians! Right?! 

Oh, the places we will go for the name of Jesus!

Going. Going is fun. Going is adventurous. We are excited about going to Houston. We are excited about the learning experience for the girls. I look forward to turning this into a short-term mission trip. I think it will be fun to live in a little corporate apartment and not have towels and sheets to wash! We will have a pool! We are hoping to visit this awesome Houston Rodeo that evidently everyone knows about except us. It will be fun to visit the Houston Space Center, whatever it’s called, and all the great churches in the Houston area. Walking to the Y? Awesome. I have big plans for the gym, too, let me tell ya! It will be a neat experience to live in a city, as opposed to having a few farm animals and a big yard. Yes! Let’s go!

Turns out, I'm not so noble. I didn’t pray, “Lord, here am I! I’ll leave!”

Leaving. Leaving is very different than going. Leaving is hard. Leaving, even for a short time, is heartbreaking. Leaving is scary, moving into the unknown. Leaving is leaving people we love, a ministry we love, and beds we like a lot.  

Leaving means no one knows that my oldest friends call me “Missy” and our new friends call Mark “Spouse”. Leaving means no one knows that when I say, “I’m gonna take my flip-flop off!” I mean it and I mean it with so much love!  I’ve got to teach these Houstonians quick!

Saying goodbye to Mark’s grandparents and parents is not easy. I did not enjoy the goodbyes with my little circle of friends, let alone my girls’ friends! That was terrible! We have fabulous friends! Old, new and in-between!

Leaving means saying a final “See ya later” to a friend I will likely not see again this side of heaven.   

Still, we said we’d go. We’re going. And, we’re leaving.