Missionary #1 (Stateside)

Three bridesmaids at the wedding of Missionary #1

     I have a friend who is a missionary.  She isn't the traditional kind of internationally traveling missionary whom whole churches support.  But, she does move around a lot with her family and she has a big impact on the people God puts into her life.  You see, this friend is a military wife.  She and her husband and kids have lived all over the United States and have learned what it means to be a military family.  Their children have known the ups and downs of moving around a lot.  And, on top of all that, they have chosen to do foster care too!  This is definitely a friend who inspires me.  She sounds perfect for my blog series of, "31 Days of Friends and Family Who Inspire Me."
     I asked this friend to write and tell me what it is like for her and her family to move around so much.  They move locations about every three years.  She appreciates the opportunity they have to experience so many different places and cultures and historical sights right here in their own country.  Her children have also gotten to know a variety of people from many different cultures.  She writes, "They are very accepting of people who look different than they do because they have lived in so many different areas of the country.  At one duty station, all of our neighbors were foreign military, so our kids were friends with neighbors from Greece, Korea, Singapore, and Saudi Arabia.  It was a good experience for all of us to share their food, listen to their language, and observe their traditions."
     She went on to write, "Our kids are very resilient - moving every few years and having their friends move is completely normal for them.  Because of this, they are also quick to befriend the new kid at school.  But, it would be nice if they didn't have to be resilient.  It is a huge adjustment for them to start a new school year every 2-3 years and to make new friends."  She went on to explain how the biggest downfall to being a military family is being so far away from grandparents and other family and friends.  She wrote, "A 2-week, intense, pack-it-all-in relationship with family is much different than when you are able to spend time more often.  We have a lot of friends, but most of them are long-distance relationships.  By the time we make good friends at one location, either they or we have to move again."  Imagine their list of Christmas cards each year!
     I asked my friend how being part of the larger military family is like a ministry and her answer inspires me.  She writes, "We make new friends and acquaintances and have new neighbors every few years.  This is a lot of people to befriend, minister to, and show Jesus to!  Instead of going out to find new people to minister to outside of our current circle, God drops us into a new group of people every few years.  We also have friends and neighbors at each duty station who deploy.  We are able to minister to the family at home - meals, babysitting, and encouraging them."  
     Sounds like a wonderful ministry to me!  And, her words remind me that God intentionally puts each one of us where we are in order to have an impact on the people around us.  I believe God chooses the children for my second grade class each year, but my friend's words remind me that he has also placed me around neighbors and acquaintances and co-workers for a reason too.  May I show Jesus' love to them!   
    In addition to the ministry she has with military families, my friend also offers herself and her family to the ministry of foster care.  She writes, "We decided to start doing foster care because we love kids and have a heart for kids who need a little extra love.  Our journey started with the intent to adopt internationally, but we couldn't find a program that would accept us - we wouldn't live in one location long enough to finish the long adoption process.  We stumbled (or rather God guided us!) onto foster care online and the rest is history.  This is exactly where God wanted us to be all along!"  I love that story!  There is no better place to be than in the center of God's will!    
    One of the challenges of combining military life with foster care life is that each time they move to a new state, they have to get re-licensed for foster care!  That makes for lots of paperwork and months of waiting for it to be processed.  Despite all that, over the last couple years, two baby boys have lived with them.  My friend writes, "We consider foster care to be one of our ministries.  When we started, we expected to just love on these kids, but as our year with the boys progressed, we realized their families needed love, too.  They wanted to be good parents, but didn't know how, as they hadn't had good role models.  So, we can take care of the kids in our home - love them and teach them about Jesus - and we can also love on their parents.  That is often very difficult, but we might be the only hands and feet of Jesus that they see."  What inspiring words of wisdom!  As I teach students and communicate with their parents, may I remember these words too.  I'm thankful there are families out there, like my friend's family who are willing to give and love and share..... they are the ones making this world a better place!
    Blog readers, remember to pray for military families.  They sacrifice so much!  And, remember to pray for families opening their homes and their hearts to foster care.  It's not an easy job.  I'm blessed by the friendship of Missionary #1, and inspired by her life and ministry.  May God bless her and her family!       

To find out more about the "31 Days of Friends and Family Who Inspire Me" project, click here:
http://journalingjennifer.blogspot.com/2014/12/intro-to-31-days-of-friends-and-family.html