Our time in Seattle is nearing an end. As I think about what drives the motivation behind our move, I've also been struck by the many reasons why we could stay. These last few weeks have been/will be more emotional for me than I usually am, but I'm trying to allow myself to feel that since I believe that this is a good place to be mentally as I process the transition.
We attend a wonderful church
We attend the North campus of Bethany Community Church in Seattle. This church has really shaped and formed our hearts for God, and we have been blessed to be a part of its ministry. It will be hard to leave this community of faith. Our church also has a lot of wonderful ministries that it supports including Tabitha Ministries and YoungLives. If we stayed, this is something that we could be more a part of.
We have some great friends
There are some amazing moms that I get to hang out with on a regular basis. They are the unsung heroes of this generation who are raising their children to live for the Lord. Living here, we get to "do life" with them in fellowship and encouragement for one another.
There are needs and ministries here
Problems exist everywhere, not just in third-world countries. Even, human trafficking happens here in the good 'ol United States as well. Even in King County. In fact, the Super Bowl is the single largest incident of human trafficking in the States. If we stayed, we may be able to find ways to help in this capacity. World Relief does some great work in Seattle and one of the groups that they work with are Burmese refugees.
Another ministry that would could be a part of would be to host international college-students like many of our friends here do. We've thought about getting a bigger house to allow for this sort of hospitality and to be more open to inviting people into our home.
We can mobilize other people to go
We believe that it is really important to tithe and to give to missionaries. We try to make this a very big priority in our budget. However, as we embark on our own mission, we won't have as much funds to mobilize others since we'll be making less so we can volunteer more. Trying to manage how to best use the money that God has given us will be something that we will need to pray about as we go.
We love Seattle
We love so much about the area we live in. We love the coffee culture, the beauty of nature, the parks, the mild weather (although I'm usually ready for sun by about February). It is a place where a lot of cultures collide, and there is almost always something to do.
We could just go on short-term missions
We had actually thought about doing this more. Now that the kids are older, we had thought that maybe we'd try to spend more time doing shorter-term missions trips with them to help expose them to the greater needs in the world and allow them to do kingdom work both while being stationed here and visiting abroad.
As we prepare to go as God is leading us, I find myself often praying that He will lead us back to Seattle in the future. I don't know what we will be doing 2... 10... 20 years down the road, but I just know that if I keep taking each step forward, He will show us where that step should lead. I'm thrilled about the adventure ahead and am excited to be His servant overseas.
We attend a wonderful church
We attend the North campus of Bethany Community Church in Seattle. This church has really shaped and formed our hearts for God, and we have been blessed to be a part of its ministry. It will be hard to leave this community of faith. Our church also has a lot of wonderful ministries that it supports including Tabitha Ministries and YoungLives. If we stayed, this is something that we could be more a part of.
We have some great friends
There are some amazing moms that I get to hang out with on a regular basis. They are the unsung heroes of this generation who are raising their children to live for the Lord. Living here, we get to "do life" with them in fellowship and encouragement for one another.
There are needs and ministries here
Problems exist everywhere, not just in third-world countries. Even, human trafficking happens here in the good 'ol United States as well. Even in King County. In fact, the Super Bowl is the single largest incident of human trafficking in the States. If we stayed, we may be able to find ways to help in this capacity. World Relief does some great work in Seattle and one of the groups that they work with are Burmese refugees.
Another ministry that would could be a part of would be to host international college-students like many of our friends here do. We've thought about getting a bigger house to allow for this sort of hospitality and to be more open to inviting people into our home.
We can mobilize other people to go
We believe that it is really important to tithe and to give to missionaries. We try to make this a very big priority in our budget. However, as we embark on our own mission, we won't have as much funds to mobilize others since we'll be making less so we can volunteer more. Trying to manage how to best use the money that God has given us will be something that we will need to pray about as we go.
We love Seattle
We love so much about the area we live in. We love the coffee culture, the beauty of nature, the parks, the mild weather (although I'm usually ready for sun by about February). It is a place where a lot of cultures collide, and there is almost always something to do.
We could just go on short-term missions
We had actually thought about doing this more. Now that the kids are older, we had thought that maybe we'd try to spend more time doing shorter-term missions trips with them to help expose them to the greater needs in the world and allow them to do kingdom work both while being stationed here and visiting abroad.
As we prepare to go as God is leading us, I find myself often praying that He will lead us back to Seattle in the future. I don't know what we will be doing 2... 10... 20 years down the road, but I just know that if I keep taking each step forward, He will show us where that step should lead. I'm thrilled about the adventure ahead and am excited to be His servant overseas.
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