Run With Endurance
For those who have been around for a while you’d know that my husband and I have been slowly and quietly on the lookout for what’s next for us over the last year. We had been brainstorming and researching our next right step in the background of our life, without a specific timeline in mind. Our restlessness was unwavering—we craved change, adventure—but with Kingdom purpose, focus.
In August 2019, a brochure landed in our church mailbox titled: ‘PRINCE GEORGE NEEDS YOU’. The brochure explained that there was a very small Reformed Mission church in Northern British Columbia Canada looking for members, information about the area and more. We were intrigued to say the least and treasured up all the things and pondered them in our hearts. But August turned into September which gave way to October and we were juggling all kinds of other opportunities by that time. Some of you may remember this time of decisions from the end of 2019 to the beginning of 2020... and then Covid19 hit on top of it all.
Most notable of “the season of no’s”—we refer to now—was when my husband and I, in pursuit of sharing the gospel with our lives more directly, applied to be Mission Support Workers in Papua New Guinea. Getting very far in the application and interviewing process (lasting months) with much positive feedback from the hiring committee along the way, it was stopped short and ripped out of our hands and our hearts when our application was not successful in the end (see my ‘NO GO’ post if you want to read more on that story). We invested a lot of emotional energy into it and felt quite deflated. Even so with the no God was good and gave us His peace. But we recognized from that process that we wanted more for our lives.
Another notable no, or perhaps a not yet was that Dan and I were involved with a grassroots effort to split our current large congregation to form a mission-forward Reformed church plant of sorts in and for the community of Grimsby (the small town we currently live in).
Unfortunately, 2 years later the process now goes on without us with very slow and laboured progress with a lot of division on the vision of this endeavor—breaking our hearts with every letter written against the idea.
As time went on, after a few more no’s, the months of clarity awarded us from calendar space, dreaming and conversation during Covid19 allowed us to mentally explore what was next for us. Because of Covid19 travel restrictions, our minds wandered around Canada and landed back again on Northern BC. I lived in Southern BC from the end of 2011 to the beginning of 2013 and Dan lived in Southern Alberta for a portion of 2012 (we were unaware of each other back then), and Western Canada has had a piece of our hearts ever since.
My husband specifically was longing for a career shift in or out of his field and after no responses from the many jobs Dan had applied to in Ontario throughout the year, we initially thought Covid19 put a pause on this curiosity and potential of change. But in the end of October, Dan stumbled on a job in Northern BC he was well suited for and interested in and applied on a whim. From applying to the job and multiple interviews, an offer was extended to him in a few short days. An agreement was made, job offer accepted and with a positive conversation with the Prince George church pastor under our belts, we found a place to rent nearby from someone in the congregation, an 8 minute walk from Dan’s new job.
So, as of early January, it’s come time for change. In His timing—not ours. We so clearly see His hand orchestrating this all together. After months and months of “stay”, He granted and paved the path for us a “go”. --- Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God. Hebrews 12:1-2 | ESV
