Category Archives: Children

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)

That Loving Touch

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Having been here in Florida all week, I’ve been having a great time getting acquainted with grandchild #11 – Baby Nelson Aaron. So far, at twelve days old, he’s proven to be a mellow little fellow. Coming fifth in his family line-up, he’s going to be raised in a pack of lively siblings and will one day know how to hold his own. But for now, like all newborns, he’s completely helpless.

Touches from IsaacOne of the things he can’t regulate is the flood of love pouring over him from the other children. Each of the baby’s siblings relates to their new little brother in different ways. But one thing they all have in common is wanting to touch him — kisses on the head, pats on the tummy, strokes on the hair, pokes, and taps.

Though Baby Nelson generally bears up well, he does have a limit. “Enough already,” he says, by way of a pinched face. “No more.” It’s then that Linnea puts a halt to any further “loving” touches on easy-going Nellie.

Touches from SkylarThe baby’s objection to those generous touches reminds me of how I sometimes respond to God’s touch. Though he loves me with unfailing love – always and ever – sometimes I object to how it feels.

For example, he might touch me with a sadness of heart for a friend in crisis, coaxing me to get involved. That, in turn, might lead to a broken heart as I get deeper into her situation.

He might withhold a good opportunity I desperately want, even need, because the right timing hasn’t yet come.

He might allow a trial that feels like too much to handle, because he knows I’ll move closer to him as a result, maybe even be a good example of how to endure.

GetAttachment[1]All of these things are motivated solely by his love, coming by way of specifically chosen circumstances, which translates to divine touches. We might say, “How about feeling a divine touch with a few unexpected checks in the mail or euphoria in every relationship?” And sometimes those things do happen. But we usually scrunch up when his touches feel too rough or too abrupt.

C. S. Lewis wrote, “We are not necessarily doubting that God will do the best for us; we are wondering how painful the best will turn out to be.”

But that’s the undercard of God’s true love. He doesn’t want us to doubt that he loves us dearly, but he wants us to also acknowledge that painful experiences can be initiated by his love, too. If we, like Baby Nelson, scrunch up our faces and tell God “enough already,” he’ll continue loving us – always and ever – but might withdraw the perfect chance for us to love him back.

The Touchers

But if we love the Lord, we’ll accept his touches for better or for worse. And in the end, we’ll find out that it all lined up under unfailing love.

Though he brings grief, he will show compassion, so great is his unfailing love. (Lamentations 3:32)