Like A Flash

Submitted by Jason

     In what seemed like a flash, our transition is behind us. The packing, the selling, the giving away of our "stuff", is all behind us. The driving, the flat tire on the u-haul, the replacement battery in Brendan's truck, the untimely, mid-trip discovery of head lice on two of our children, the rental car representative mistake, the speeding ticket, the cracked tooth...all behind us.
     The last 7 days has been an adventure that we will never forget. Stepping foot onto the cruise ship in Galveston, Tx and watching everything that was once comfortable and somewhat predictable to Francie, myself, and the kids slowly fade off in the distance as our ship departed was a surreal experience. My life thus far played before me like a movie projector as I clung to God's promises in a feeble attempt to keep my composure.
     I couldn't look at my kids without entertaining questions like; "Will we ever step foot in the US again?", "What will become of this nation teetering on the brink of chaos in the face of religious, political and economic turmoil?" and "Why have we felt called to the nations?", to name a few.
     We had some interesting encounters with individuals on the cruise from Galveston to Belize. Everyone from the intoxicated lady laughing hysterically as she struggled to get to her feet in the elevator, to the head waiter at our dining table that made animals for Libby out of her napkins, to the friends that our kids met in their kids groups, to the women that we met that contacted us on board the ship hours before we were to disembark just to give us a book, sow a seed into us and pray for our family.
     Just like that, in a flash, behind us. Such is life. Sadly, these small pockets of time that make up life, happen to pass us by too quickly. Our lives are but a collection of moments. I've determined not to spend my life counting time, but making my time count. Making the most of every moment is somewhat of a new priority in my life.
     Today is our first full day in Belize. We are staying with some friends for a few weeks while our home is being completed. Today, two gentlemen that live in the area stopped by the house that we are staying in on horseback to chat with our hosts. Our hosts invited the men in and they stayed most of the day. We talked about everything from; farming, religion, marriage, our backgrounds, etc... They stayed for lunch and one of the men allowed us to take turns on his horse, even our 3 yr old, Libby, found herself atop a horse for the first time. When the men left, I asked our host, Mark, how he knew them and he told me that he barely knew them. He met them once at a store in the area and they recognized him as they were passing and stopped. Such is the life in Belize. Life is slowed down a bit here compared to the states.
     So, our current task at hand is to plan our homestead. The positioning of the garden, the fruit trees, the chicken coop, etc... The gathering of information and supplies will be at the forefront of our minds in the next few weeks while we hope to, in the process, not look past those moments that make up life.
     On behalf of all of us, thank you to all of you who have committed to pray for and financially partner with us as we purpose to be about the Father's business.