Change, Undo

You know the "undo" button on document creators like Microsoft Word? Sometimes we need to press that in life too, although it is often scarier and more complicated and not always quite as effective at completely erasing what we have just done... So maybe it's not the best analogy.

What I'm trying to say is that we very nearly made a change. We set plans in motion. And then we realized we had made our decision out of fear, and we had to follow God and press "undo." In February, we reached a breaking point and decided to return to the States in May. We were going to get on a plane 2 days from now, actually. But God gently worked on our hearts (mine took a bit longer than Nick's) to show us that He isn't finished working through us here. All of the items on my "I can't" list are actually, "with God's grace and hard work, I can."

God is amazing. He used our fear-based wrong decision to reveal His love to us. As we announced we were leaving, we quickly realized how many people here care about and value us as part of their community. Knowing that helps us to feel much less isolated. Having the intention to leave opened doors for discussions about the future of Emoyeni, and we have such hope for the work this mission will do in this community. All in all, we know it will require hard work to live here, but we are so excited for this next season.

So it wasn't exactly an "undo" button. We are left with knowledge that is so helpful to our family as we continue on in this mission field. We are left in awe of everyone's understanding, grace, and support. And we are left with plane tickets to use next year on a visit to Massachusetts!