Fears & Doubts

I can't write about our journey to mission service without mentioning some of the fears and concerns that have been in our minds.  

From the very beginning, my biggest concerns about leaving the country were for my dad and our children.  Dad was getting older and I felt a responsibility to be here to assist in his care when needed.  I also knew that it would be very difficult to take our children  away from all of their grandparents.  There were many other reasons that moving our children to Haiti caused me great concern.  So many of the activities that the kids were enjoying and that we encouraged would not be available.  Such a move would mean no more violin, no more piano, no more 4-H, no more school activities, etc...  While we could see some wonderful benefits of raising our family in a missionary environment, I didn't know if I was ready to give up life as we knew it.  

I had to remind myself that our greatest responsibility as parents is to teach our children to have a desire to love and know Christ as their Savior.  All of those other things are great, but they really are secondary.  As we continue in this journey, I hope you can rejoice with us as we see how God addressed these concerns.

We were also concerned about our qualifications to be missionaries as well as hospital administrators. While Rick has many skills and talents that are applicable, what does he really know about being a hospital administrator?  I write this with a smile on my face; for those of you that know Rick well and how he loves a good challenge, this might not seem like much of a concern.  We both have a heart to serve, but serving as missionaries takes serving to a whole new level for us.

And then there are the small things about learning to live in a different and very poor country.  I have joked about Sabetha being "in the sticks" for years, so I guess our move to the mountain country of Haiti is justly due.  The conveniences of daily life will be different, our pace will be different (might be a good thing) and learning to drive there will be interesting.  

The concerns are present, but we are also anticipating the joy of being vessels that God will fill with His Spirit; we want to be open to his work through us.

If a man therefore purge himself from these, he shall be a vessel unto honour, sanctified and meet for the master's use and prepared unto every good work.
II Timothy 2:21