In
the mid-1800’s, thousands of restless people began their journey across the
American continent in search of… room, themselves, a new start. It was anything
but easy; many died along the Oregon Trail. Disease, fatigue, and weather
conditions all conspired to prematurely end the trip for some. Many of them did
make it all the way to the coast. And many others stopped at various points
along the way to homestead, feeling they could go no further and were better
off to stop. At various points from the Rocky Mountains west you can see cities
and towns as a legacy to the Oregon Trail and the push west across America.
We’ve
been on our own Oregon Trail so to speak. Back in July, when we took a vacation
along the I-5 corridor, we all decided that we were being gently nudged by the
Spirit to go to Oregon. And so to Oregon we have come. We have “settled” in
Springfield. And we all feel that this is where we are supposed to be… for the
time being.
Of
those who stopped and homesteaded short of the coast, most were content. They
had made the right decision. But some undoubtedly felt they should have pressed
on. They believed they had fallen short of their goal, of their true
destination.
Springfield
is not our true destination. The trail for us does not end in Oregon. For
whatever reason, God has seen fit to deposit us here, for the time being. But
not to stay, we’re merely to “winter” here. It’s a time to rest, to regroup, to
plan the next leg of the journey. Our trail (for this journey anyway) ends in
Thailand. That has never ceased to be our ultimate goal.
We continue to work
towards this. We’re still working on building prayer partners and financial
partners. We’re still learning about the culture and the issues facing us. And
we’re continuing to press in to God so as to not miss whatever comes next.
