For those of you who don't already know, I arrived back in the States this past Wednesday. It was a long trip back (as I knew it would be), but thankfully was shorter than it could have been (I did stand-by on an earlier flight back to Raleigh when my plane was delayed two hours). I'm thankful to be safely back in Raleigh, which, as always, seems a more beautiful and vibrant city after I have been away for a while. But I also miss the lush, ancient hills and ridges of Wales, with the nearly endless sea always close at hand. Like when I would leave Abilene for Raleigh (or vice-versa), I always felt I was leaving one of my homes behind.
A lot can happen in a year. I was reminded the other day of a conversation I had with a friend last summer about relationships, marriage, and all that. He was not dating anyone at the time and we mused about what the past had brought and what the future might bring. Now a year later he's engaged and looking forward to marriage. A lot can happen in a year.
That being said, a lot can NOT happen in two months. My parents can testify to my frustration the other day as we drove around Raleigh and I noticed that one of my "favorite" apartment developments in-progress had barely changed at all in the two months I was away in Wales (this is probably a bit of an exaggeration). God and time change many things, but some slower and some faster than we would prefer.
I say all of this, in part, as a reflection on my time in Wales and, in part, as an introduction to what may be next. It appears that I will be back in the United States till at least September. This is not exactly according to my plans or preferences. Newport Church of Christ hosts their Holiday Bible School (HBS) at the end of July with the help of some Lipscomb students and then joins other churches for British Bible Camp (BBC) in early August. I would really like to be back for these two important times, but I am persuaded that my visa paperwork will probably take longer than that. Still, I am more and more looking forward to joining my brothers and sisters in Newport long-term. There is a great deal of opportunity for God's Kingdom to grow and mature there, and I am looking forward to being a part of that in the ways God calls me. I suppose I will have to wait a bit longer yet. Hopefully I will let you know soon what I will be up to this summer, but I will just say for now that I trust God it will be good.
I think I'll close with five lessons I learned during my past two months in Wales:
1. Listening to God is hard work, but it is one of the most important things we can do. To really listen to God takes a lot more work than it sounds like. There are so many things (in myself and outside) that get in the way. Still it is worth the hard work to know God's heart and voice.
2. The Gospel is the core of who we are as Christians. It is both simple and incredibly complex. I spent a lot of time thinking about and trying to understand the Gospel while I was in Wales. It was hard to get beyond what "I already know." But as I did get beyond this with God's help, I gained a better understanding, which I know will be essential to ministry wherever I am.
3. God is faithful, and He expects us to be faithful. God reminded me again and again during my time in Wales that He is faithful. This was so important as I felt quite overwhelmed at times and didn't know what to do. But as I continued to seek Him, God also continued to pound into me that He expects me to be faithful where I am with what He has given me.
4. Hospitality is huge. Not only did I receive enormous hospitality from Christians in Newport/Cardiff, I also saw them extending "excessive" hospitality to others. Surely this is an important part of what it means to live as a Christian, and one that we have not always honored within the American Church.
5. Culture is cool. I continue to be blessed and amazed by the opportunities I have been given to really dig into different cultures, comparing and contrasting their idiosyncrasies and personalities. I look forward to doing this far more in the future.
Sincerely in Christ,
Chris
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