Eddie and I have been sensing that a big change is coming for our family. If you've followed our updates and this blog, you know that the past 5 years have been a journey of faith, frustration, waiting and seeing God show up in unexpected ways. You have walked with us through the uncertainty of moving to Central America, the isolation of the Covid years, and you've prayed for and encouraged us along the way.
In five years we have established a life here in Belize. Our kids who were 9 and 11 when we moved are now in High School- AJ is a senior! We support our local church by leading the youth group and preaching (Eddie) once a month. Eddie leads Christian clubs at several schools, as a staff worker for International Fellowship of Evangelical Students. I am working with Agape International Missions to open the first-ever residential facility for underage survivors of sex trafficking in the country of Belize.
Despite being solidly settled here, we are sensing that God wants to shake things up. There are things behind the scenes that aren't working. Things that we know would help sustain our time here long-term. Things that we have neglected, like self-care, fundraising, and doing the internal work that God is putting his finger on.
Living in a foreign context can be exhausting, even if you've worked hard to build relationships and adapt to your new home. Self-care is important, but often takes a back seat to ministry and family responsibilities. When finances are tight, it's hard to prioritize date nights, gym memberships or family getaways, even if you know the health of your marriage and family are critical in the long-run.
I mentioned in a previous post that God has led me to join a Celebrate Recovery group, to work through habits, hurts and hang-ups that I've developed over my 43 years. If I'm going to continue living here and doing the work I'm doing, I need to be as free from baggage as possible.
Matthew 5:13 “You are the salt of the earth. But if the salt loses its saltiness, how can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled underfoot.
Eddie and I have been experiencing symptoms of burn-out. We're here to make a difference, but if we lose our passion, what's the point? We need to shake things up, allow the Lord to renew us from the inside out and make changes that will sustain us emotionally, physically and spiritually for the next 5 years. We don't fully know what those changes will entail, but we are looking at our fundraising, potentially developing an advisory board, dropping this website and other changes. Please pray for us. We know that God isn't done with us in Belize and we want to adjust to any changes well. We want to thrive on the other side of this shakeup.
Yorumlar