The Countdown is On!

We are just a few short weeks away from returning to China for the third time.  Some of the feelings are familiar, but our situation is not.  When we went to the field as twenty somethings in 2007, we had no idea what we were in for.  We had two small children, and we were full of both idealism and ignorance.

This time (after living there for a total of over seven years) we will not be departing to the foreign so much as returning to the familiar.  We have a teenager now and two who are not far behind; and though the idealism is still there, some of the ignorance has now been removed.

It took so much less faith to leave when we felt like we had nothing to lose.  Now, we are keenly aware of the opportunities and stability we are leaving behind...  our home...  relationships...  career advancements...  aging parents... potential investments for the future...  Yet the call on our lives has not faded with time, nor has it paled in comparison to the security we've enjoyed in the States.  In fact, it has grown deeper, more urgent, more pressing.  Now is the time to leave what we can see, to invest in what we cannot, and trust our good Father as He leads us forward.

We greatly appreciate your prayers as we prepare to take the plunge once again!