by Nicole Yeomans, General Baptist Missionary to the Philippines and Niger

Transition is never easy. Whether it’s moving to a new place, changing schools or jobs, or even finding a new grocery store, there are always adjustments that have to be made. Adjustments are not easy. There are times of frustration. Sometimes the frustration is accompanied by tears. It stretches us in ways we don’t ask to be stretched….and it’s painful.  While we are in midst of the transition (and transformation), we sometimes forget that He is still in control and has a plan for our lives. Later on, we can look back and see how God stretched us and molded us for His glory. This certainly gives us comfort as we push thru the challenging times of transitions.

For the sake of being humorous, let’s journey to that new grocery store together.  You are grilling hamburgers and realize you are out of ketchup. Everyone in the family likes ketchup on their hamburgers. So you jump in your car and race to the grocery store. Your regular grocery store has just closed down, so you have to drive farther to the new one in town. You are in a hurry. All of the close parking spots are full so you whip your car into the closest parking spot you can find, which has to be a good half of a mile away, or so it seems. You run in. You are used to the ketchup being on aisle 9. As you enter the new store, you immediately go to aisle 9; only to find that it’s not there. After reading signs and going up and down the aisles, you finally find the much sought after ketchup on aisle 3. But now you realize that this new store doesn’t carry the specific brand of ketchup you are used to buying and you are faced with another unfamiliar situation… Is anyone frustrated yet?

After some time has passed, you fall into a routine. You now know where to find all your favorite, and even those hard to find items. You can speak the local lingo. You know the workers by name and converse with them, asking about their family and the latest happenings in life when you see them. What once was new and overwhelming is now the norm. You wonder how you ever lived without all the benefits this new store has to offer. But then, you find out that this store, too, will be closing.

It is in our nature to resort to doing things the same way we have always done them. In a new setting, that doesn’t always work. You have to re-learn your way around and figure out how things are done in this new setting.

For us, a transition has become an all too often occurrence. It comes with both joy and sadness. Our time in the Philippines was not without frustrations. There have even been a few tears shed. But we have absolutely loved our time here in the Philippines. Now that we are past the adjustment phase, we are beginning to really feel like we belong. We are finding our niche. The girls both have developed deep friendships. Kris and I have built relationships. We are able to appreciate the differences in cultures, not only in the Filipino culture but also that of our Korean and European brothers and sisters. We are learning from other seasoned missionaries and from nationals; things that are of value in our current ministry and that can be applied in Niger. But now….it is nearing our time to leave the Philippines.

I could easily get overwhelmed with everything that needs to happen in the next two months, both in ministry and at home. If I think about everything at once, I do. So I try not to. It’s easier for me to think one thing at a time. Let’s get through this day, this week, before moving on to the next big task. Please pray that we stay on task!

I thought writing about our transition phase would be easy. I was excited about the task. But as I started writing, I realized how personal this task is. It’s real, and it’s raw. Are we excited about the move? Absolutely. We are ready to get to where we feel God is calling us for this season in our lives. Do we hope that God brings us back to minister in the Philippines in a later season in life? Absolutely. Are the girls excited? Yes. They are excited….but there are also times when they beg us to just stay here because they don’t want to leave the friends they have made. For those of you who know what a challenge last year was for Emily, you can imagine how this pulls at a mom’s heartstrings.

We soak in as much of God’s beautiful artwork as we can. The Philippines is blessed with so many natural resources. It is such a beautiful place to call home. We soak in the green mountains and beautiful beaches, knowing this scene will soon be replaced with sand, lots and lots of sand. Each conversation with new friends is ended with a sting of sadness, knowing it will be one of our last. In fact, the simple ability to communicate easily at all will soon end until our French is improved. We eat bundles of bananas each week, knowing the abundance of this sweet, delicious, and cheap fruit that has become a staple in our household will soon end. We pray. We pray for God’s guidance and that we respond in obedience. We pray in advance for safety, for sanity when things get a little crazy, for good health and for the availability of facilities and medicine when we need it, for friends and good education for the girls, for clarity of mind and perseverance to learn a new language, and then another new language. We pray for God’s direction in strategy and for ministry partners on the field. We pray for you, that God will bless you and keep you. We pray for funds, and that we continue to be found worthy of your partnership. We pray that God will transform us all as we continue on this life-long journey of becoming Christ-like. Thank you for journeying with us. Stay tuned for more on the Yeomans’ transition….

– Nicole Yeomans