Pausing

This is the time of year when many people take inventory of their lives.  The past year is pondered, previous goals are evaluated, and yesterday's choices are measured.  In the OT we see God tell the people of Israel to remember, to look back and see with a freshness all that He has done for them.  It is good to look back, but it can also be difficult.

As we hit the one year mark of life as missionaries, we are also looking back.  We see God's faithfulness to sustain us through language school in Texas and to safely plant our feet on Paraguayan soil.  We see His goodness to provide a wonderful home, great teammates, and reliable transportation through the roughest of terrain.  We see His grace and mercy every time we meet a Paraguayan believer.  We see God like we have never seen him before.

But it has been difficult, and we have struggled.  The Spanish language and accent are very different than what we studied in the States, leading to many unclear, stressful conversations.  The culture is very people oriented which taxes our need to rejuvenate alone.  The daily grind of having unreliable water and electricity makes getting household chores crossed off the list challenging.   These are all stresses we've faced this year head on, running at full speed.

As the months pass by, we are realizing one cannot maintain a sprint forever.  We are beginning to see long term effects of the stress in ourselves and our kids.  Our children are battling with anger about the loss and changes they've experienced this last year.  One child has become very apathetic towards all things and shies away from making any choices.

Proverbs 27:12 says, "The prudent see danger and take refuge, but the simple keep going and suffer for it."  We see danger signs in our family, and we don't want to keep pushing past the breaking point.  We want to be like the prudent and take refuge.

Please pray for us as we pause to receiver God's healing from this past year's stresses and seek His leading into this next year.