Sisters

In our "line of work" life is pretty unsettled. It seems like several times a year we get to experience good-byes - either we, or our friends are always moving. This can be a rather frustrating aspect of missionary life. You make friends...they move. You find new friends...you move. (And then there's the good-byes to extended family, don't get me started on those.)

I'm not necessarily complaining. This is a part of the cost of our calling. We don't have to like it -and we don't - but we also know that it is worth it. Usually, we're sending these friends off to proclaim the good news in a new area. If we're moving, it's because we feel God wants us in a new place where we can share His love. It's obedience. It isn't comfortable but I find a lot of hope in the fact that Jesus Himself experienced this aspect of ministry. So did Paul and countless others. This obedience thing is messy, hard. Nobody ever said it wouldn't be. It's the simple knowledge that the eternal reward will far outweigh our present discomfort that keeps me going. I couldn't live with myself if I chose to turn my back on the people God has called me to serve just because I was afraid of the good-byes I would endure along the way.

As our girls get older, it doesn't get easier to see them say good-bye to friends. I've seen Brooklyn cry too many times in the past year after saying good-bye to a friend or a family member. She's old enough now to understand what good-bye usually means. It breaks my heart, and yet I see her go ahead and invest in new friendships anyway. I wonder if she'll ever just decide to back off and stop making friends? I hope not! It's our prayer that the "hard" things our family goes through in this missionary life will create stronger, wiser, more loving and compassionate young ladies rather than bitter, unfriendly, socially inept, self-consumed "victims." And I really believe that God is answering that prayer.

Recently, I've become aware of a lovely little gift that God has given my girls as they traipse around the world with their parents.

Sisters.

Sean and I have watched a sweet and unique friendship develop between Madison and Brooklyn over the past several months. It's a beautiful thing. Those two can play for hours and hours together. They still fight. But they have each other after the friends all go home (or move) and it's so fun to see them begin to really love each other the more they play together. They're not real sure what to do with themselves if one or the other isn't around. They share what friends they have. They make cards for each other.

Paige is, of course, a different story so far. She can be a little difficult to be around (as in, she'd sooner destroy your princess castle than play with it) and she isn't quite yet into playing like her big sisters do. But nobody loves Paige as much as Brooklyn does - she's the ultimate big sister. Paige gets a lot of attention from Brooklyn - tickles, chases, kisses. Maddie...well, she's not yet convinced that Paige isn't trying to ruin her life or at least break all her toys. But that relationship will develop. I got a glimpse of it the other day when I watched Maddie actually hold Paige's hand and help her on the playground at the school without me even asking her to. Wow!

There's something very special about the fact that my girls have built-in lifelong best friends in their sisters. I think God knew they'd need each other. I'm so blessed to see these friendships blossom because I know they are the answer to my prayers for great friends for my children despite the many moves and transitions they'll experience in their lives. God has taken something that I imagined being a trial and turned it into something incredible, something better.