Being Fully Present

 I just listened to a devotional about being fully present wherever you physically are. It talked about the specific struggle for cross-cultural workers who are pulled in different directions between different places, countries and cultures. It recognized that we are often in one place, but our minds or focus is somewhere else entirely. 

Sun setting over kids' boarding school

 We felt this struggle in the US. Usually when we are in the US, we try to really shift our focus to the people we are seeing. This means intentionally separating ourselves from everything going on in the islands and really trying to engage with the life and rhythms of where we are in the US. But this time we didn’t do that in the same way we have in the past. Partially it was because we were in the US for such a short time, but also because our purpose was much more focused on our kids and preparing them for the upcoming transitions. So while we had good time reconnecting with different people in the US, it didn’t feel like we got to be fully present in normal life with them. It felt like a pass-through, even as we were entering their world, we already had a foot exiting. 

I (Megan) was just at our kids’ boarding school this whole past weekend for their New Student and Parent Orientation. The boys and I were surrounded by other families coming from various countries across Africa and also coming from various passport countries across the globe. Several times we saw families that we rarely see, and while we made some efforts to chat and catch up, there was a sense where we weren’t fully present with each other. We were there for our kids and this big transition, so it was with no hard feelings that parents often broke off chatting to refocus on their kids. 

Right now our family is split in two different countries and in not too long the norm will be three different countries: our daughter in the US at college, our boys at boarding school in mainland Africa, and us on the islands. 

I wonder what it means to be fully present on the islands with all our kids far from us. In a very real way, our loyalties are split. As much as we love the islands and islanders, our hearts will also be with our kids. We still want to be available and accessible to them— we don’t want our kids to feel isolated from us, but we also don’t want to be absent with islanders when we are there. 

I think the devotional wanted to challenge us about where our minds and focus is during a specific conversation—which is perhaps easier to deal with.  Are we focused on the person we are talking to or are we partially looking at our phone or going over our to-do list? But as we expand the idea of being present to a bigger scale, we ask ourselves— how much are we engaged with what is happening in the “here and now” rather than in some other place or time? Are we fully committed to what God is doing with us right here and right now or is our focus really on our next chapter or on what is happening back home?

Megan getting boys settled in for new school year

The lesson may come back to contentment and trust— do we trust that God has us in this place, at this moment with these people for a purpose? Are we ready to be fully present where God has us in each moment or season? It means being content with where we are and to trust other places/people/circumstances into God’s hands. It’s something I need to grow in. 

The beautiful thing is that God is fully present everywhere and with everyone. May He help our distractible hearts to see where He has us and to be guided towards His purposes. 

PRAYERS ANSWERED
Megan and the boys made it safely to mainland Africa and got the preschool shopping/errands done before the school orientation. The orientation went well and both of our sons seem to have great dorm parents this year. We are very thankful for the school and the amazing staff there. Megan is also very glad to see and reconnect with lots of old friends and colleagues while in mainland Africa and to hear how God is moving in their lives and places of service. We are very thankful for the additional week that Tom and our daughter have had with friends and family in the US. We rejoice also that after an appeal, our daughters medication has been approved by insurance! 

PRAYERS REQUESTED
Today is the first day of boarding school— pray for our sons as they transition to this new school year. Pray especially for our youngest, that he would make some good friends and that he wouldn’t find the academic or school schedule too overwhelming. Pray for Tom and our daughter as they travel back to Minnesota to settle her in at college this week— pray that she would find a great community there. Continue to pray for her medications— though approved by insurance, she still doesn’t have them in hand yet. Pray that would be figured out without any more frustrations or obstacles. Please continue to pray for the big translation workshop happening on the big island— they have done one week and have another one to go. Pray that the checking and training being done would bear much fruit both through the lives of the participants and also in the ultimate translation. Pray for a quick recover for Megan’s back— after all the travels, meetings and moving boys into their dorms, she is quite stiff and uncomfortable.