“For we are God’s fellow workers.” I Corinthians 3:9

“Now it is required that those who have been given a trust must prove faithful.” I Corinthians 4:2

It was in 1995 that our family moved to the desert.

The journey to our new home was an adventure. We left the southern jungle behind us.

Next, we left the beautiful rock mountains and green trees.

Now, our new brown world opened to us….small villages with mud huts and thatched roofs, goats, herders, bicycles and vast stretches of sand and blazing sun.

The bus and our truck pulled into our new home’s courtyard. 4-year-old Elaine immediately dubbed it “The Crackedy House.” I just tried not to cry in front of the kids.

At that moment, the adventure stopped and the challenges began: language, culture, food, shopping, bargaining, neighbors, laundry, repairs, communications (no internet!), transportation, rules, laws, trash, security…all of this in French.

All this newness was akin to the feeling when you enter a mighty rushing river with the intent to cross to the other side. I often felt myself losing my footing, the sheer volume of the water about to overwhelm me.  It took endurance to survive. It took faith not to lose heart. There were many tears.

There were days that the only thing that kept me there was the fact that I couldn’t afford a plane ticket back to the USA.

Maybe some of you are in the throes of that first year. Give yourself time. Training a good soldier takes time. Don’t make unrealistic goals. God won’t let you get in over your head. But He will allow you to be pushed to your limits. Be a student ALWAYS willing to learn.

It’s an amazing journey that only God would ask you to go on and then provide all that you need. He will be there every step of the way.