How many times do we need to move in one lifetime? Moving from one place to another is not an easy feat, I can attest to that. Just the thought of packing your belongings and boxing all your possessions is a serious and tremendous work already.
A lot of considerations precede any move. If you are a planner like me, moving can take up a lot of your energy and time. Just the mere boxing and packing of all my things and stuff needs a long planning plus the shipping schedule added to that. I remember the first time I moved out of my parents home or should I say when I became a transient family member; transient because I stay at the hospital dorm for a length of time but I still go home to my mom and dad every so often (like every two weeks) to stay there for the weekend. My next big move was my very first time to work abroad in London, England and then comes the biggest move I have done was coming here in California, USA from London; from single life to married life; from full time, highly focused career life to being a wife, starting a family, being a mother and all.
Our move usually carries or follows a life-changing decision, and you may ask why am I blogging about moving, even? Well, moving for me is always a struggle (all the more made worse by my certain degree of obsessive compulsiveness), mainly because I consider a lot of things, I need to prepare for a long period of time, lay down my plan and smooth things out. My considerations involve not just the usual ones - housing, accommodations, amenities available, etc. It also includes finding a community of Filipinos in the area and a church to be a part of. Now, it is getting a bit complicated, right?
Today I am blogging about what entails the move of a Jesus-following family from one state to another in the midst of this pandemic (more complications, I know!) Let me introduce to you one of our Women's Ministries Bible teacher and is it too much to say, I love and respect her as one of our Bible Study leaders and facilitators. It was a bit sad when she announced that her whole family was moving to Oregon. Darla kindly shared their family's experience with me as they move to Oregon from California, now I am sharing great take away's from their experience with y'all (of course with her full consent)!
SEEK
So Darla shared some questions to ask when we find ourselves in the crossroad of deciding "to move or NOT to move". They are all so good, just ponder on each one carefully.
Are you feeling led by God by some particular reason?
Or do you not want to move, but is this really a calling to move?
Are you frustrated with an aspect of your life that you feel will improve by moving?
Watch out that you aren't thinking that moving will save your marriage or other relational problems.
Be careful of thinking that 'the grass is greener on the other side' cause it might not be so.
"Be careful of thinking that 'the grass is greener on the other side' cause it might be not." -Darla Butterfield
WOW! What a way to start Darla. You got me right on target. This 'greener grass thinking' is a dilemma that most of my Filipino contemporaries have in mind and why they moved abroad. I am as guilty as anybody else thinking about this same thing, that America is the modern day 'land of milk and honey'. As soon as we (Filipinos) finish our degrees, we aim to practice nursing here and in every other country except to serve our homeland and our own people. I will not deny that I do have a comfortable life here but that is because I work really hard (so hard that sometimes it is not healthy anymore).
Moving could be a life changing decision for some; for others it might not be an option but a choice someone needs to make in that point in time; for some it is a temporary move and permanent for others. I moved abroad for work and career purposes; Darla, on the other hand, moved to Oregon as a family decision. Have you moved before wherein the Lord has spoken to you about where to go and what to do with your life?
Let's look at a Bible story of obedience in Genesis chapter 12. Here we read, "Now the LORD said to Abram, “Go from your country and your kindred and your father’s house to the land that I will show you. And I will make of you a great nation, and I will bless you and make your name great, so that you will be a blessing. I will bless those who bless you, and him who dishonors you I will curse, and in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed.” (v 1-3) Imagine if we were living in the Old Testament times and God spoke to us directly about moving, how will you react? How obedient can you be? If you would notice, every time God gives a direction or a command, He asks you to obey and trust Him fully. God commanded Abram to take his whole family 'to the land that I (GOD) will show you'. Nowhere specific, right? Did Abram mumble or complain? No, he did not. Instead he followed God's leading. This is what Abram did: "So Abram went, as the LORD had told him, and Lot went with him. Abram was seventy-five years old when he departed from Haran." (v4). What a great example in obedience!
Sometimes there are things that make moving easier or harder. As Darla put it, harder because we are leaving a lot of things that have been familiar and comfortable for us like friends and family. These two seems to be the hardest part of the decision, I did too. I was an only child and the opportunity to practice my profession called me to move to London at the tender age of 20 just building up my working experience, and had to leave my parents for the very first time in my life. There are also "stuff" that we can not bring but are close and dear to our hearts like community, church, school and neighborhood.
But what can make it easier for us? For Darla, it was knowing that it was God's calling. She said that knowing it is part of God's plan for her and her family and that it is being obedient to our Father, made it easier for her. She is also reassured that God's perfect plan and purpose is in action even through the roughest and hardest times of the moving process. As Christ followers we are to do whatever His will is, for in our joy He will be glorified.
Abram had a chance to prepare everything and everyone he is taking with him in their move to a new land that God promised to give him, he didn't get to plan which city they were moving or call friends and make connection in the new place, or more importantly find a new land and house to live before getting there. These were all out of his plans. They started the journey with no idea which city or which land they were going to. Abram fully trusted God, followed His plan while holding on to God's promise because he knows that God has a purpose for his life. He did find out which land God has promised them.... verses 5-7 said that they passed by Canaan and God appeared to Abram and said “To your offspring I will give this land.” That is something else really. But there were still Canaanites living there that very moment, so Abram built an altar there to remind him where God appeared and spoke to him directly. Then they went on with their journey. He was given a promise and at the same time he willingly waited for God's perfect timing.
"Many are the plans in the mind of a man, but it is the purpose of the LORD that will stand." -Proverbs 19:21
MOVE
I did ask in the beginning, how many times have you moved in your lifetime? Our dearest Darla have moved for the 23rd time in her life. I have only moved a few times, so she is definitely getting the hang of things. Moving does not come without its challenges both physical and emotional. Apart from the literal packing and loading and repacking and reloading, Darla shared a secret: that on every move, 'last minute things always happen' like running out of room on the moving truck; getting rid of stuff last minute (and it is hard to let go); renting out an extra trailer and driving all night to Oregon. But to Darla this turned out to be all good, even to a point of enjoyment and a great adventure for the whole family.
Their move from California to Oregon was a challenge already, add CoViD-19 to the equation (Darla's gotta love this one, as she's a Math teacher!) equals CRAZY MOVE! Complications over complications. Because of the pandemic, Darla did not dare ask friends for help with childcare or any help related to their moving as she knows that a lot of people are unsure of everything (this was during the early months of our lockdown in California). But as sure as the sun will rise every morning, she didn't have to ask. Throngs of friends offered to help in their small ways. Travelling to and from Oregon to sort out their new house was the trickiest of all their activities because of the new and changing rules and guidelines on travelling by air. Mingling with people here and people over the other state was another issue they were considering, she said that everything seems to be taking longer than usual to arrange. Booking the moving truck was more work than expected, a lot of considerations on their end and on the moving business too because of new guidelines set or maybe because there were no clear guidelines then yet. Mere phone calls to businesses was taking a lot of time, like arranging to forward your mail to the new address; changing address with you bank, credit card company, work, and all other businesses they have link with. The usual 30-minute phone call can now take up most of your morning! Oh yes, aren't we taught about patience and a lot of it during this pandemic?
Darla's family came to Salem, Oregon welcomed by all sorts of delay. For example, their fridge could not be delivered in time as a lot of businesses over there were either closed or short of staff or probably just about adjusting to the new normal of their operations. But hospitality of the receiving church community went far beyond what they have expected. One of the pastors literally went to pick up the fridge for them! WOW! that is such a welcoming hospitality that speaks volume of the church community they will be immersed into.
"GOD provided exactly what we needed" - Darla Butterfield
"GOD provided exactly what we needed", everytime! this was Darla pointing out how God works in our lives if we let Him. This and a lot of prayers all through out their moving process. They prayed for their house to be sold, and it sold fast and more than they asked for and for a perfect family too! They prayed for their new home to be sorted as soon as, so they can move in time. They prayed for safety from the Coronavirus which was at the height of its spread during their move. They prayed for God's will over the church that they were checking over the internet. They prayed for their drive to Oregon with the kids and they found a new adventure doing that even. They prayed ....yes, and prayed and prayed every step of the way.
Have you heard the saying, "Change is the only constant in this world"? She was not spared from all the heartaches of change, and of moving to a totally new area. Like most of us would feel, there is that fear of the unknown; the difficulty of leaving a life that you have grown roots on, especially a great community of Jesus followers. Darla's move has also left a big hole in our Women's Ministries' leadership, she was one of our Bible Study facilitator and teacher. I was glad that I was able to join in the Women's small group when we did the church campaign- "The Lord's Prayer" - and she was our study leader.
SETTLE
So why am I writing about Darla's or my experience in moving from one place to another? It has been a burden to me since moving and working abroad how I struggled to find a home church to grow and spread my wings to hopefully serve in some sort of ministry. I have even suggested this new ministry to our North American IEMELIF Conference (NAIC) of helping out people from our church in the Philippines find a church to attend to when they come and work abroad. It is like part of their orientation to the new city, new work and new community that they would belong to. As to this day, this is still an idea but I am praying and hoping I can find time and people to help me make this project a reality.
After nine years of being part of a big community of Jesus followers that has become like your second family, moving to a new place far away from the church your family have grown to would just be so hard. It would be like parting from your family for the first time. This is the same, exact sentiments felt by Darla and her family. Her children have grown in this church. They have made lifetime friends from among the church. They have formed support groups and have served in ministries that helped them grow. Now the task of moving becomes more complicated.
As Christians, I truly believe that considering your place of worship and a church community in your moving process is as essential as all the other preparations we do. I were not a new Jesus follower when I went abroad, I thought I was fully rooted in my faith, but I still found myself wandering off the path because I did not (choose to) prioritize my continuous spiritual growth with my moving plans.
On the other hand, Darla and her husband made sure that finding a church to worship and serve was part of their plan early on. They knew the kind of church community they wanted to be part of: a larger church with strong programs for their kids; a Women's Bible Study and a mom's group; and the statement of faith that agrees with what they already believe. There were a few things they learned through this process like 'not judging a church by it's name' which they had two experiences during this move. They have found a "Fellowship Church" in Salem which has nothing to do with the same church name back here in California or the church they now belong is called "West Salem Foursquare Church" for which the word foursquare bothered her husband to start with. They did not beat around the bush nor rushed into choosing the church to attend to. With the great help of technology nowadays, they were able to listen to sermons online, they virtually locate the nearest churches and get a street view with google MAPS as part of their research, review the fundamentals of the church through their websites or social platforms, even e-mailing and communicating with the church staff and pastor prior to their move. YouTube was helpful as they didn't have to be physically visiting each church to listen to the preaching, instead they explored different churches and listened to each pastor preaching just to have a feel of the church's fundamental teachings. Ooops, like anything else, "too much can be too overwhelming" and Darla reminds us not to get lost with all the reviews we will find. They were also able to see the friendly user church websites by all these web surfing. She also reached out to Moms of Preschoolers (MOPS), for which she was a part of back here, to connect her to the local MOPS over at Salem. Darla and her husband also made good use of the world wide web in finding a church before they even set foot to Oregon.
Darla was so kind to give us a "Sneak Peek" of Salem, Oregon and these are just "views from her window". Just amazing .....
Weeks of research cannot outdo prayers. All throughout the process of moving whether the physical or the spiritual side, the Butterfield's have been diligent with praying and surrendering all their decisions to God's perfect will. They lifted up, not only the search for a new church to worship and serve but also, the literal house hunting, good school for the kids, a great community to belong with nice neighbors and every single detail of their move no matter how big or small it was.
When you pray, ask for discernment as to whether the church you choose to attend is the church you can grow and serve. Be observant too, take an active role of knowing what's happening in the church. To start involving yourself in the church, maybe ask the church staff how to be a part of a ministry or what steps to take in order to be a part of one. These are some of Darla's helpful tips that they themselves did through this process. I still remember an encouragement I received when I first came to GHCC, that "...for me to grow in Christ, I need to put myself out there and participate, make myself available and ask about opportunities to serve..." to be a moving part of the body of believers, to serve and to grow I will need to step out of my comfort zone. And that's exactly what the Butterfield family did, they opened themselves up to the church they wanted to belong to. The church have been very kind to them just like the example earlier about the Pastor picking up their new refrigerator from Lowe's (cause they would not deliver) and on their first week in Salem they did not even have to worry about what to cook or where to eat as the congregation cooked and prepared dinner for them every night.
Because of the pandemic, their new church is only doing "home church" and the Butterfield's attend every week together with other families that have the same needs like them as arranged through the church staff. She met with one of the Women's Ministry leaders and enjoyed a cup of coffee and a great conversation. Like what I pointed out above, if we really want to be part of 'that church' (whichever church you have chosen to), if we really want to grow with and in 'that church' then we need to take a step and participate; as Darla puts it .... we have to make a move!
"Being intentional in reaching out is so important" - Darla Butterfield.
REFLECTION
As I end this blog, I am sharing the Butterfield Family's Bible verse that they held onto as they moved in to Oregon.
"Trust in the LORD with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths." - PROVERBS 3:5-6
Moving can take up a lot of time, a lot of planning, a lot of our patience, a lot of muscle work, a lot of communications, a lot of preparations, a lot of logistics, a lot of friends and families to help, a lot of packing and unpacking, a lot of redecorating (and maybe a bit of yard sale too!), a lot of travelling back and forth, a lot of loving and praying. The most important thing we need to do a lot of is "TRUSTING GOD in the process."
Moving or not moving, we have to keep our eyes fixed on Him all the time, that eventhough we're going through a storm in our life (like the pandemic that we have now) we can have faith and trust God to get us through this. Remember Peter when he was walking on water towards Jesus (Matthew 14:22-33) then he got distracted by that massive wave behind Jesus and he lost focus. Let not our problems be bigger than our GOD in our lives, let us put our trust in our Sovereign God who is powerful and all mighty!
I truly hope and pray that if you are in the process of moving or just thinking and planning about it, that some or part of this blog can help you navigate your way around. Remember to take that brave step, put yourself out there if you are new in the church and would like to serve.
When I first came to GHCC, I could have stayed invisible BUT when someone asked me for me contact details and connect with me; when someone reached out and called me; when someone took time to have tea and spend half an hour to know me; when my son was welcomed in Sunday School; when someone smiled at me...then I cannot just stay invisible! And if we are not the one moving, we can be the one receiving those who have just moved in the community or first visit at church, then we can be very intentional too with our warm welcome and great hospitality!!!
Comentários