Change
By Laura Armstrong
Change is something that every person
experiences. The Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary has several definitions for change but one that best describes the type of change I am discussing is: to undergo transformation, transition, or substitution. We all go through changes that metamorphose us in someway. These changes can be as simple as a new hairstyle or a modification of class seating arrangement to something more complicated such as moving or death of a loved one. Some changes seem rather inconsequential, as they don’ t have a huge impact on our lives while others leave lasting impressions and shake our very being.
April 24, 1990 was a day that changed my life forever. It was a choice that my husband, Nick, and I made together, trusting God’ s leading. On that day, bright and early, we stood in line to check-in for our very first flight to Indonesia. When I got on that plane, I was 27 years old and to be honest, had no idea what we were heading into. Was I afraid? Of course! Did I know much about Indonesia? Not really. Was I excited? Very! Did all those feelings matter? Yes, but as I look back at that experience now, I am so thankful that we listened to God’ s calling and made the choice to come.
The change was intense at first. We had to get used to the tropical heat, the call to prayer, especially the very early morning call, a new language, and a totally different way of life. There were times during that first year when I wondered if I would make it through. I just wanted to cry and was so homesick at times, wondering to myself,“ Why in the world would I choose to put myself through this?” One
“ Our time in Indonesia has given us so much.”
thing I was so thankful for was that when I was d o w n a n d f e e l i n g e x t r e m e l y homesick, Nick would usually be feeling okay and is able to keep me moving forward. Many times, I was that for him when he was experiencing the intensity of the change we were going through. God had provided for us comfort and hope through our marriage and continued to be faithful through those first years of being here.
Now it is twenty-three years later and we are embarking on another change in our life that is also God-directed. Our time here in Indonesia has given us so much. It’ s not only been an external change where we can now speak the language, we understand more of the customs etc., but it has primarily been an internal change. God most importantly, through this change, has worked in our hearts and perspectives. We no longer see things only through a Western / American viewpoint, but now we see with eyes open to different cultures and ways of thinking. We better understand( but not fully) what it means to love one another and to love those that are different from us. It is with sadness and heavy hearts that we leave Indonesia and once again walk through another transition but it is with hope that once again, this change will transform us and bring us closer to our faithful God.
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