Preparing for Change

 The year of 2026 is going to have a lot of change for our family. 

Daughter w/ friend leaving for university

In some ways we are old-pros at changes and transitions. With the amount that we have traveled over the years and had to switch back and forth between cultures— change is a constant. Yet some things have remained the same— especially within our immediate family, but it is those very things that are now going to change. 

What are the things that have been occupying our thoughts? First, our eldest will graduate from high school and go to university in the US this year. Second, our youngest will start at boarding school in the fall— a big change for him and for us as it will mean our house will be without kids for big chunks of the year. 

Over December, we helped our daughter with her college applications and in January we have worked with our youngest son to get his application for boarding school done. So these impending changes are looming in our minds with the question, how do we best prepare ourselves and our kids for these changes? 

Slightly further out on the horizon is another change. We have a young family that wants to join the work on Clove Island.  It will probably be a year or more before they come out. But they are asking us questions: “How can we prepare for life and work on Clove Island?  How do we prepare for this big life change?”  For that we have some answers.  Transitioning to life on the islands is something we have walked with people through on several occasions. So how do we do it? 

We try to set up realistic expectations. We try to give them a taste of what daily life will be like. We don’t shy away from the things that will be hard, but try to highlight the difficulties so they won’t be taken by surprise. We want them to be emotionally prepared for the hard things and help them  realize that such things are normal and expected, and that people get through them!  We sometimes suggest a few skills that can make life easier when they first arrive— like knowing their French numbers and learning how to make meals from scratch.  

At the same time, we also try to emphasize prayer! There are lots of ways that bringing a family to the islands can be difficult, but it does not mean all those difficulties have to happen. We can start praying for success in language learning, for the kids to like the local food, for good health for everyone, for good local friends right off the bat… We believe that prayer is powerful and effective, so as we anticipate potential difficulties, we want pray over them. Prayer also prepares our hearts for the things that won’t go well.  It helps us to weather disappointment, overcome discouragement, and persevere when it’s hard.  

Cookies to celebrate finishing application

As we’ve just considered how we advise the people coming to the islands, we’re left feeling more equipped to face the changes in our own family. There are things we can do to set realistic expectations, to anticipate what will be hard and to equip our kids and ourselves for the changes to come.  There are things we can start praying about now.  

But at some point the change will come. We won’t really know what it will be like on the other side until we are living it. We can speculate, plan and pray, but in the end—we can’t predict everything that will happen. Things will surprise us—some will be good surprises, others will be not-so-good surprises.  There will be hard days. But thankfully we have a God who goes with us—who is bigger than our problems, who knows the difficulties before they come and does not desert us on the hard days.  

PRAYERS ANSWERED
Ma Imani made it to the big island, saw the doctor and has a plan for follow-up care. We’ve had a bunch of rain that brings cooler weather and allows us to be more restful (islanders don’t go out if it is raining hard). Our prospective teammates made it safely home after their site visit and we had a good time debriefing their visit with our teammate. Tom was able to sit and reflect on the teacher training program and think of ways to change it to make it more doable far away (no complete solutions, but some ideas to develop more). Our youngest got his application done for boarding school next school year and our daughter has been accepted to a couple of colleges!

PRAYERS REQUESTED
While all the rain has been nice for us— it also means that farmers are seeing crops destroyed and the boat business hasn’t been able to run (straining their already tight finances). Pray for an easing of the weather so both farmers and the boat can see the fruit of their labors. Mpox has made it to the big island— pray that the cases would be contained and not spread.  A woman that Megan is studying with has expressed interest in being dunked, but Megan doesn’t think she truly understands what that means. Pray for true understanding for her and that her superficial excitement might shift to a fully-informed acceptance.