It's been
awhile since Captain Jack Sparrow made an appearance in the blog.
This line
comes from the second movie. Captain Jack has been having a bit of trouble
deciding where he wants to go. His compass leads him to whatever he wants most;
the problem is he can't decide. It's not so much that he doesn't know what he
wants, it's more that his concentration is slipping. There are too many other
things vying for his attention.
Enter miss
Elizabeth Swann. She has sought out Captain Jack in order to convince him to
help her rescue her beloved Will Turner. Contrary to Jack, she knows exactly
what she wants. Seeing this as a golden opportunity, Jack gives her the
compass. He sees that she has a definite direction. She provides his clarity;
he calls out "Mr. Gibbs, we have our heading."
We have our
heading.
We just
returned from a week at Pioneers, working through our final trainings and requirements
for the mission. It was truly an amazing time. Last time we were at Pioneers,
it was a different feel. That time was essentially a week long job interview.
We spent the first four days in anxiety, wondering if they were going to accept
our application. While we were able to make some connections, it was a lot of
stress.
This week
felt very different. Instead of a bunch of people together trying to get a job,
we were a bunch of people together who are waiting for the chance to put the
call of God into action. We went from a group of strangers to a family in just
a few short days. There were three other families that we had met when we were
at our previous Explore gathering two years ago, and it was really nice to
reconnect with them. They're all headed to the Middle East. But we also got to
meet several new families on the launch pad. Two families we got very close to
will be heading to Southeast Asia and the Pacific. Our boys became friends with
a young man who will be only a few hours flight from us when we finally arrive.
They're already making plans to visit each other. We met folks that are waiting
to go to various parts of pretty much every continent.
The
difference for us is that there is no confusion over our heading. We know what
we are called to, and where we are called to. But there have been a lot of
changes that have come upon us in the past several weeks. Along with everything
else, this week renewed our clarity. It renewed our strength. Meeting with
other launching missionaries is the boost we needed.
We have completed everything the mission requires of us
prior to departure. All that remains now is to raise the remainder of our
funding, and await the readiness of the team. We have Visas and other official
paperwork to apply for (timing is critical, not too soon and not waiting too long),
and immunizations to get (somehow that sounds better than shots). And we have
goodbyes to say to friends and family. All that amidst the excitement that we
really will be going.
We have our heading.
