I'm sure Amy Carmichael knew what it was like to be worn out. She lived her whole adult life on the mission field serving others, mainly children in dreadful situations. Travis and I have been on the mission field for almost 11 years now. My husband is like a locomotive moving from one thing to the next without any regard to his tiredness and I have always been impressed with his strength to keep moving on and doing the next thing. He is solely motivated by the Gospel of Jesus Christ and to see those around Him come to know Jesus.
I was called to missions when I was young and it was no surprise to my family that Travis and I were heading to the mission field as soon as we were married. When we arrived here in Kenya I was eager to jump in and do whatever I could to serve. As time past and my girls grew in size and number I began to realize that there was a big task in balancing my family and ministry. Two very big passions of mine.
For you moms, you know that being a mom entails a lot of job titles and I am pretty sure it's like holding down 2 or 3 full time jobs. Then add homeschooling to that and now your plate is completely full and overflowing. But then, I added my passion for missions and to be involved in the lives of the people I live among and to care for them and their children.
To balance all these things is a challenge and some days I fail. I have learned that God's mercy's are new EVERY morning and that when you lay all these things at His feet He will take care of them and show you what you need to do and what can wait.
One of the best parts about all this is we get to do it together as a family. It's not just things that Travis and I are doing but things that the whole family is a part of. It's our life. It's a crazy life of ups and downs and weird things like chasing goats out of the church so he will stop eating the hymnals. It's a hard life of caring for people with real needs and real hurts.
The past month or so has been hard but I have learned so much about my God. He never changes!
He stays the same!
He loves me all the time even when I fail!
He will always pick me back up when I fall or just can't get up.
I love how Corrie Ten Boom said it, "In order to realize the worth of the anchor we need to feel the stress of the storm."
If I could encourage you to hold on to your God the Anchor, He will not let you sink!
