Category Archives: Adult Children

Roadblocks

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As Birgitta continues her Discipleship Training School here in Kona, Hawaii, I continue being Emerald’s nanny. Our adjustments have been legion and continue still. But we have pushed past several roadblocks and feel like we’re making progress.

Our first 4 days at the University of the Nations were a blend of sickness and jet lag. One rocky night found Emerald vomiting seven times, keeping both she and Birgitta scrambling for dry bedding and clothes throughout the night.

IMG_1468Emerald’s flu was complicated by exhaustion and lasted 3 torturous days. We were tired, too, and had all we could do to keep up with laundry as we tried to figure out where to find quarters, a wash machine, and time to use it. We couldn’t bring a vomiting child to the dining area so had to figure out how to buy food for the room. It was 4 days before I got a sip of coffee.

During that time I, for one, forgot how to have a normal conversation and could only speak in questions: How do I get into the front gate? Why is there no way to close the room door without getting locked out? Can I have a second key? How might I get one? Where do I collect mail? Is it true we can use bowls and spoons left behind by others? Where are they? Can I take books from the library? How do I get a library card? Is there a preschool playgroup on campus? Would Emerald qualify? How far is the walk to town? What stores are available?

Emerald's roomBut now, after 15 days, the 3 of us have learned a handbook-full of new things as friendly folks on campus have given us the answers we craved. And at long last we are beginning to feel at home in this beautiful, tropical place full of people who love the Lord. Emerald is healthy, and jet lag is history.

Birgitta, as the only mother in her group, has had to adjust to being “odd-man-out” in that regard. Merging Emerald into class sessions, prayer meetings, and worship gatherings has been only moderately successful so far, but that’s why I’m here, at least for now – to pick up the slack.

But we aren’t the only ones struggling with a new start. Everyone comes to such challenges again and again through life. Despite a burst of enthusiasm at the beginning, before long we wonder if we made the wrong decision. Looking back to our previous normal tempts us to quit when things get hard. But then what do we do if we feel God led us to make the change in the first place? Quitting seems like questioning his wisdom.

We don’t have to look very far to get God’s advice on this. He says we’re to blast through every roadblock that gets in the way of doing what he’s assigned us to do. (Hebrews 12:1) This will not only please him but will lead to a good end-result.

FullSizeRender (22)It’s taken 15 days, but today we three are beginning to see the results of persevering. Though we still have questions, following God’s advice is our best option.

May the Lord direct your hearts into…. Christ’s perseverance. (2 Thessalonians 3:5)

Adjusting

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One week ago, Birgitta, Emerald, and I left our Michigan home well before dawn in a car loaded with five bulging pieces of luggage and a sense that God was nudging us to the starting line of a unique adventure. We figured it wouldn’t be easy, but knew it would be significant, because he had been the one to initiate and then facilitate it.

IMG_4871After a grueling travel day of 22 hours, we reached our destination – the University of the Nations, YWAM’s global headquarters in Kona, Hawaii. Welcome baskets and hugs awaited, along with freshly made beds, bubble-stuff for Emerald, and even rice cakes with peanut butter for me. School leaders let us know they’d been praying for us individually for many weeks and that they were “so glad” to finally meet us.

Though our adjustments have been hampered by exhaustion, sickness for Emerald (a violent, 48 hour stomach flu), and steep learning curves on the how-where-when details, we are gradually learning who’s who and what needs to be done. Though the week was dotted with quite a few “lows,” veteran YWAM-ers advised us to delay judgment until the end of the first week.

FullSizeRender (3)So here we are, and they were right. We’ve all adjusted to the change of 5 time zones, everyone is healthy, and we’re functioning successfully within a well-structured schedule. But other categories have needed adjust- ment, too, some by God himself. I think back to that first morning on the YWAM playground, sitting in the warm sunshine with a cranky, sick Emerald as I complained to another nanny about our long travel day.

“Twenty-two hours and three airplanes!” I said, knowing she’d be impressed.

“Thirty-six for us.” she said, “Six planes. Three little kids.”

That two-line conversation taught me two things: (1) There’s no benefit to complaining, and (2) every person on this campus has a fascinating story of how they got here – logistically, yes, but also by way of God’s call.

IMG_1447Our best adjustment, though is the joy we’ve found living in a thoroughly Christian atmosphere — many cultures but only one God. With few exceptions, those on this campus (1200 in all) are here because they either love the Lord and want to know him better, or are sincerely seeking him for the first time. All ages are represented, and young children are everywhere.

So, after this first week, our expectations are high that God will make himself known in new ways – not just to student-Birgitta, but to nanny-Margaret, pre-schooler Emerald, and everyone else on campus.

Let the nations be glad and sing for joy, for you judge the peoples with equity and guide the nations upon earth. (Psalm 67:4)

 

Sharp Turns

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sharp turnIf we were driving, a sudden sharp turn might result in disaster. I remember my panic when I once took an exit ramp on two wheels, unaware of how tight the turn was.

But other sharp turns lead to lovely surprises.

A spontaneous walk around our neighborhood several months ago resulted in a radical turn for Birgitta, which then brought one to Emerald, and eventually, to me, too. None of us saw it coming.

As we rounded the block toward home that day months ago, Birgitta was commenting about the seven month break in her schedule between the end of undergrad college and the beginning of her masters degree in the fall of 2016. As she wondered how best to use that time, Nelson off-handedly said, “What about doing a DTS?” (Discipleship Training School, Youth With A Mission)

FullSizeRender (1) Five of my adult children had been through this spiritually rich program, studying such valuable topics as “The Father Heart of God,” “God’s Nature and Character,” “God’s Intentions for People and Creation,” “God’s Plan of Redemption,” and much more. That’s the first twelve weeks.

The second twelve include travel to a foreign country and mission projects there alongside other missionaries. The DTS motto is “To know God and Make Him Known,” the first part during the lecture phase, the second while on outreach.

Birgitta commented as we walked that day long ago that she didn’t know how she could do something like that with a three-year-old, but before we reached home, Nelson was on the YWAM web site, checking the possibilities.

We learned that young children are welcome, as long as they’re accompanied by a nanny who can look after them when a parent is in class, doing work duties, having one-on-one conferences, doing ministry projects, or meeting with small groups. That’s when God plopped the idea into my head that winter in Hawaii as a nanny might be a pretty good gig for a 70-year-old from Michigan.

FullSizeRenderWhile the students would be working on growing deeper relationships with God, Emerald and I could explore beautiful Hawaii by stroller. And while the students would be learning how to better worship, listen to, and obey him, we could be playing at the park. And while the students would be cultivating knowledge of other cultures and learn how best to relate to the people, we could be swimming with giant turtles at Children’s Beach. It didn’t take two seconds for me to volunteer.

We all began praying about it, and God began doing what he does best – opening closed doors and ushering us through them, one at a time.

This can be an unnerving process. Just like Abraham in the Bible, we were told to “start going” without knowing what was around this sharp turn. But day by day, counting on the Lord for preparation and provision, we arrived at last Thursday, the day we stepped onto the first of three airplanes heading to Youth With A Mission’s University of the Nations in Kona, Hawaii.

Taking off...(….to be continued)

The Lord had said to Abram, “Go from your country, your people and your father’s household to the land I will show you.” So Abram went, as the Lord had told him. (Genesis 12:1,2)