Purpose [His purpose, that is...]

When life has meaning, you can bear almost anything; without it, nothing is bearable --Rick Warren, Purpose Driven Life.

It was hot all the time. There wasn't any heating or A/C, only the blanket draped over the bed or the open windows. We had issues with our power, internet, hot water (in that we had none), bugs, & smells. We missed our families terribly. We had to learn another language (which one day was easy & the next, not-so-much). We got dirty, worked in really poor areas, ate some fabulous, & not-so-fabulous food (though most the time it was fabulous!). We had no TV. Oh, and did I mention that we missed our families terribly?

But we had PURPOSE. We knew what we were there for. We were there to build relationships with people who were rejected within their own society & help lead them to Christ. We were to be light in a dark world. We were to get physically dirty so we could provide spiritual cleansing. We were to guide college students through the calling God had on their lives.

We had PURPOSE.

And with PURPOSE, all those other things didn't matter. The heat, smells, power issues, even missing our families. It's not that they didn't matter, but they were bearable. In fact, they were more than bearable. They were an honor, because we knew we were living out God's PURPOSE.

And now we're home. And we aren't quite sure what we're doing here. I am beyond blessed with an amazing job where I still get to impact the mission field from right here in Southern California. We get to spend endless time with family & friends. We get to be a part of a healthy church community. We get to speak our own language & not have to run conversations in our head prior to having them. Heck, we even have TV.

But even with all of these things, (as well as hot running water, power and internet, electricity & central heating & air), life back home can seem unbearable. It's not because we aren't grateful to be here, because we definitely are. Or that we don't enjoy spending time with friends & family because we definitely do! But we feel like our PURPOSE is to be on the mission field, serving the poor.

We are blessed. We actually know the PURPOSE God has for us. Some people live all of life trying to figure it out, never feeling like they've quite tapped in. But Matt & I know. And for that, we are blessed. But now we need to figure out what His PURPOSE is in this season in our lives. He called us home & we came. We know that He has PURPOSE in this season, but we are those people trying to tap in.

And when I think about the possibility of leaving family & friends, running water, & reliable power behind, sometimes it's not that appealing. But when we are living out His PURPOSE, all of these are bearable. Even an honor.