Our decision

Some decisions are easy aren’t they? Like chocolate or vanilla? Always chocolate for me-no problem there. Or funny movie or sad? Funny. But other decisions are really hard. Like where to go to college? Or if you should move? Or if you should stay? For us this decision is agonizing! For those of you that don’t know, we had to make the decision this week if we were going to stay for another year or come home. We wanted to make the decision as a family so we included the kids and their thoughts and feelings. We spent a lot of time looking at the big picture of what it means to be here and not just going by our feelings. It makes it harder that it is the holidays and we are all really missing family and friends. It would be fantastic to jump on an airplane and go see you all right now! I wish we weren’t three days apart from each other. I want to thank you for being a part of this great adventure. Your letters and prayers and financial support are priceless, just like you are to us. We treasure you and think you are very special.
Therefore, after a month of talking to the kids and talking to people at home and people here and praying, we have decided to stay another year. Now I know that some of you are excited for us and some of you are saddened by this decision. I am sorry. But you have to trust us and know that this is the best choice for our family right now. God is really using us here . Yes, I know that we could be making a difference back home as well, but right now our place is here. We have seen real growth in our kids as well as in ourselves when we reach out to help others. These dorm kids need a family that will really care for them and help them. We are touching lives at the orphanage and the kids are being a witness to the Indonesians in their school. Sophie told Gracella, a girl in her class, about Jesus last year and the girl has radically changed her life now because of it. We had a teacher stop us and exclaim what a changed girl Gracella is now that she has let God be a part of her life. The teacher marveled at how even a little girl like Sophie is making a difference. Emma has two girls in her class that she has been talking to about Jesus. Wyatt had been a great help at the orphanage playing and teaching the young kids. Even Cale is doing his part by just being here. People flock to us to see him and that gives us a chance to get to know them. And I could go on and on with examples of opportunities God has given us this year.
God can use all of us wherever we are. He has big things planned for our lives. The problem is we get so busy doing our things that we don’t take time to see if He might have another plan for us. Well, as a family we have decided that we don’t just want to be busy doing things…we want to be busy doing what God wants us to be doing. Just because we are obeying His plan for us doesn’t mean it will be easy. He did not promise that. But He did promise that He will never leave us and will be with us the whole way.
So, this is a new year. A new start. What will you do different this year? What changes will you make? I am hoping that we grow in radical ways this next year, and find ways to experience happiness and joy in the midst of a struggling economy. I hope our loves grow stronger and our heart more tender and our faith more real.
Love to you all-
Rachel