Along our mission path we have often heard well meaning comments about perceived loss “you are giving up so much” and “what a sacrifice.” These expressions of love have always confused us. Honestly, giving up our house, position and luxuries do not seem like sacrifices to us. We have been blessed with so much and we feel honored to give it up in pursuit of Christ.
We will miss our family and friends but they will be close to our heart. Technology like Skype and Facebook have helped us bridge the distance in the past. There is always the possibility of receiving friends and family as visitors when we are on the field. We expect to miss the people that God has blessed us with but if past performance is indicative of future results we will keep in touch even over long distances.
Monachopsis:
(n) The subtle but persistent feeling of being out of place.
We have nursed the feeling of monachopsis for the last couple years. When long held thoughts and dreams of missions coalesced into a firm calling we began feeling slightly out of place. When we stepped out of pastoral ministry and began our fundraising travel we slowly felt disconnected. In one sense we are more connected to the larger body of Christ (a fact for which we are eternally grateful) but we have found ourselves sacrificing the close connection found when we are part of the weekly life of a local congregation. Our sense of community is the one sacrifice we have felt.
As a family, we are looking forward to our year of language learning in Costa Rica. We are happy to immerse ourselves in Spanish but we are ecstatic to join ourselves to a vibrant learning community and a local church. In fifteen days we hope to begin shaking the feeling of monachopsis and replace it with a sense of belonging.
Our hope for you this Christmas is that you will feel connected to your family and friends and that connection will not be taken for granted.
In His Grip,
The Downings
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