Skip to main content

Saying Good-byes...

Last night with our 11 summer interns
...saying good-bye can be a mixture of emotions that can make life messy.  But saying good-byes I have learned since childhood is very important in order to bring closure.  Not saying a good-bye can make saying hello even harder.

It is hard to believe that another group of summer interns have come and gone in my three summers of living here in the Dominican Republic.  These 11 young people have had such a passion for serving and obeying our Lord that they came to the Dominican Republic to do just that...obey and serve.  I have enjoyed getting to know them and to hear their hearts and how God has been using them, changing them, transforming their own lives, and being a light to the kids and our staff and our missionaries.

God had me share a passage of Scripture that I have meditated on since I was at Cherry Run Camp last summer through a message by Pastor Stan Key.  God is good through Exodus 15:22-27.  God leading the Hebrew people to the Desert of Shur and bringing them to the waters of Marah.  The intentionality of God leading his people through a desert without water for three days, yet when they arrive to the waters of Marah, the Hebrew people are mumbling and grumbling because they are thirsty, probably hungry, and the water of Marah is bitter.  How God intentionally leads us through deserts to test us, are we willing to be faithful, trusting in God and obedient to him???  Sometimes it is God taking us away from all the distractions of this world and life to be with God, in his presence, to hear his voice.  When I grumble and mumble not only do I have a physical need of quenching my thirst and hunger but also a spiritual need to quench my thirst and hunger for God's Word and being in His presence.  Moses cried out to God for help and God answered by showing Moses a piece of wood to throw into the water.  The wood turned the bitter water sweet.  When we taste of only the world it tastes bitter or leaves a bitter taste in our mouths.  But when we taste the Lord, He is good.  He is sweet.  Since we have tasted of the Lord and know that He is good are we craving Him - pure spiritual milk (2 Peter 2:1-3)?  If you have ever craved from something and when you ate it.  Did it bring you pleasure, joy?  Or unfulfillment and dissatisfaction?  At the end of the Exodus passage, Moses leads the Hebrew people to Elim, and oasis with 12 springs of water and seven palm trees.  A place of beauty, refreshment, and blessing.

God wants us to taste Him and know that He is good (Ps. 34:8).  God wants us to crave pure spiritual milk (2 Pet. 2:1-3).  What desert is God leading you into in order to test you?  Are you grumbling and mumbling and complaining?  Or are you being refreshed and restored?

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

October Newsletter

  SHANNON’S CORNER The Saga Continues… The trip to Malaysia consisted of a two-day spiritual retreat with the theme of ‘Come Away With Me’ and a six-day conference with about 230 missionaries who serve in some aspect of translating the Scriptures. One of the many people who I met was a missionary who served in Cameroon for many years and now is in a new role. As he was sharing, most his words were very negative and depressive. I encouraged him to sign up for a time of prayer and care. At the end of the retreat, this missionary shared with me that he did have a session and I could see that his whole countenance changed, and he was hopeful. His new word he used to describe where he was now is ‘delightful.’ Our time there was creating a safe space for these missionaries to have a place to share what they are struggling with and to connect with Jesus. One missionary is at a crossroads in her life. Another finds himself in the midst of betrayal. A missionary is in a new role as a caregi...
Post a Comment
Read more

September Newsletter

SHANNON’S CORNER Connect. Nurture. Grow. Thank you for your faithfulness in praying for this ministry.  Each debrief is a sacred invitation—a chance to step into someone’s story, even if only for a short stretch of the journey.  It feels a bit like being allowed to glimpse a painting still in progress.  We may not yet see the final picture, but we trust the One who promises to complete the good work He has begun until the day of Christ Jesus (Phil. 1:6). Recently, in an online debrief, the missionary shared: “ I am in a much better place since our initial meeting.  Taking the time to process my lived experience overseas and to grieve the losses, I now feel I have the capacity to move forward here in my new season of life. ” We also had the joy of walking alongside three third culture children. To see their eyes light up as their stories were received with understanding and care was priceless.  These children do not often have many who truly grasp their unique li...
Post a Comment
Read more

June Newsletter

  SHANNON’S CORNER Connect. Nurture. Grow. Building connection and trust are important in any relationship and especially when wanting to create a safe place for people to share and process their stories. Sometimes with kids and teens it can take a bit of time to foster those connections and trust. A question that is implied is, “Are you safe to share my story with?” Often it is through play these connections are built. Both families who I debriefed serve in Uganda, they serve with different organizations in the capital of Kampala, and both families are in transition. The one sibling group were ages 3, 6, and 8 years old and as I worked with them, I was able to apply some of the principles I learned in play processing. The other sibling group were ages 5, 7, 13, and 14 years old which was a bit of a challenge for me with the large age span. The main thing for all of them was saying goodbye to friends who have come and gone while they were the ones “left behind”, and for the one sib...
Post a Comment
Read more