I wrote the following for a newsletter sent to friends and family in the States. I thought I would post it here as well.
As of July 21 our first term will officially come to an end. On that day we will have lived in Western Europe 3 years, 2 months, and 3 days. For the next 6 months we will live in America and return to Western Europe in January, 2010. So in this, our last newsletter before leaving, I thought I would give you a snapshot of our time here.
In our 3 years here no new churches have been started as a result of our work. In fact, no one that we know of has come to faith as a result of our work. Some, especially those from a western culture and mindset might view these results as a failure, or a poor investment of time and resources. We, those of us from the West, tend to be focused on numbers as an indicator of success. We gauge things like salary, number of kids, attendance numbers at church, and number of games won as things indicating success. It tends to be a very pragmatic way of looking at things. It makes sense to look at numbers. If you’re on a football team and you win 3 games and lose 13 you’re not very successful, or so it would seem.
Fortunately, God is not as pragmatic as we are. He sees things a little differently. And He’s given me the strength to look at our time here through a different set of lenses. While I’ve not planted a church, or directly led someone to Christ, I’m closer in my walk with my Savior than I ever have been before. My marriage is stronger than it ever has been before. And my children, understand God’s redemptive plan and life in a different culture. I’ve grown in patience, have developed an entrepreneurial spirit, and have gained a true understanding of what a missional-incarnational life looks like.
I don’t list these things as a way to boast. I boast in nothing but the cross of Christ and Him saving me. I list these things to simply point out that God has a way of getting us to a place in our life where He wants us. It may not “look” successful to others, but I don’t think God is terribly interested in “looking” successful. He is most interested in His glory and our joy. I can leave Western Europe on July 21 joyful, knowing that I have done everything I can, under God’s strength, to glorify Him.
