As I write this, we have 12 days remaining before we say goodbye to the United States for the next 4 years. Early on January 9th, 2008 our little family will board a plane in Chicago that will take us to a new life of service to the people of Papua New Guinea.
Through all the years of college, specialized training and building our support team, our kids have been right there with us as a vital part of this endeavor. They have learned and grown in many of the same ways we have as parents, possibly even more so. And as such, we consider them to be missionaries in their own right.
Let me give you some examples of the things they have been dealing with just in the past few weeks:
They’ve seen all their stuff, the toys and trinkets treasured by any boy their age, packed up in boxes and put away. Some of these they will eventually see again in New Guinea, others will have to wait until our return.
They’ve said goodbye to all of their schoolmates, cleaning out their desks on the last day of school before Winter Break. And while their friends looked forward to a few weeks off, they knew that for them, this goodbye would be for real.
They’ve given away their pets to caring owners. They’ve gotten Christmas presents that they won’t be able to play with until our crate arrives months from now. They’ve gone sledding for the last time, and thrown their final snowball.
And soon they know that they will be saying goodbye to their dearest relatives, to cousins, aunts, uncles, and grandparents.
And yet, our two little missionaries, our Connor and Jonas, have yet to complain. They’ve not voiced one negative word, not one angry complaint, not one self-pitying moan, and not a single question of why me.
For us as parents, they have been the greatest gift that we could have asked for this Christmas Season. And we thank our God for giving them to us to take care of for a time.
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