In about seven weeks, I will be boarding a plane for Madrid. I must say, after nearly 18 months of praying, planning, and preparing to move to Spain, the events of the past few weeks have made the adventure feel really real. Spain is no longer a place that I am just talking about. It’s the place where I will live in fewer than 50 days.
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The following screenshot is from a text conversation that I had on Tuesday morning (my responses are on the right, in blue):
I had to chuckle this morning at church when a missionary repeated the question that his family had asked him years ago after he told them that he would forego the expected, “safe” route of becoming a businessman, choosing instead to become a full-time evangelist. They asked, “Do you have a backup plan for when God fails you?”
The burning question that most friends are asking me right now is:
With all the chaos that COVID-19 has caused, will you still move to Spain in August?
To be honest, that’s the question that I’m asking too.
Has anyone else felt the weight of uncertainty these past few weeks? I mean, I feel physical pressure on my shoulders and heart every time I hear the word coronavirus.
The entire situation is clothed in uncertainty. At first, we asked Will it come to the US? Then we asked Will it come to our town? These questions were followed with Will schools close? Will churches close? Will I go to work tomorrow? Will the stock market recover? Will I get the virus? Do I have enough toilet paper? Am I willing to pay $30 for 3 ounces of hand sanitizer?
And if you (like me) hold tightly to routines, then you probably felt uncomfortable when you arrived at the gym this morning and found a letter taped to the door.
The greatest symptom of this virus is not a sore throat; it is uncertainty.
My favorite author, Lemony Snicket, writes,
The table of elements does not contain one of the most powerful elements that make up our world, and that is the element of surprise.
During my lunch break today, I decided that God uses the element of surprise better than anyone else.
About 10 months ago (February), I learned that a missionary school in Spain needed a secondary English teacher. Because I have always had an interest in missions, and because I am currently pursuing a master’s degree in English education, I began praying about how God might use me at the school in the future.
Fast forward four months (June), and I was having serious conversations with the mission board about where I could serve.
Fast forward another five months (November), and I was completing an interview with the school in Spain.
Fast forward to today (December), and I am doing pre-field ministry (formerly called deputation) to teach secondary English in Spain. If you aren’t familiar with pre-field ministry, it basically consists of three tasks: (1) attending trainings and workshops to prepare for life as a missionary, (2) doing everything possible to learn about the people and the culture that you are about to join, and (3) raising prayer and financial support for your international ministry. As I prepare to move to Spain next year, I want to give you regular updates about my pre-field ministry.
My middle name is Joye (pronounced joy), but that’s not where this blog’s title comes from, not really. Actually, this blog’s title comes from something that happened two decades after I received my middle name.
Joy Serving Jesus 