A Long, Sappy, Conclusion Blog

Things I will miss about St. Kitts                             Things I will NOT miss about St. Kitts

Tropical weather year round                                    Cockroaches
Oceans                                                                 Stinky A/C unit and apartment
Beaches                                                                Rude and ignorant Kitittians
Pools                                                                    Getting hit on by gross men
Crackhouses                                                          Inconsistent food at grocery stores
Neighbors and friends                                             Incredibly expensive groceries
Bible study                                                            Centipedes
Caribbean Christan Fellowship                                 Constantly sweating through clothes
Worship team                                                        Island cars
Kitittian Indian food                                                 Always having to ask people for rides
Snorkeling                                                             Not being able to drive
Shipwreck beach, and their beans and rice               Lack of simple conveniences
Flip flops and sundresses                                       High crime rates
Never being cold                                                    Lack of fast food
Being a desperate housewife                                   Expensive flights to St. Kitts

Things I am looking forward to in Maine                  Things I am NOT looking forward to in Maine

Brand new condo                                                   WINTER
Having a nice car and license                                  Snow
Fully stocked grocery stores                                   Being cold all the time
Couponing                                                             Having no friends
Fast food and Seafood                                            Having no family
Inexpensive electricity bills                                      Being bored
Access to a gym and indoor pool
The Maine Mall                                                      Wow, this list is depressing…..let's move on.

I have been asking myself these questions:  Why did God bring us all the way to St. Kitts?  Why not Medical School in Canada?  Why and how was this part of the plan?  Well, through the 16 months that we have been living here in St. Kitts, God has brought a lot of things to our attention that we never would have realized had we stayed in Canada, and missed out on this wonderful experience God had planned out for us.  Here are some answers!

1.  Stagnant Christianity - Our faith back in Canada was all too familiar and stagnent, so God was clearly trying to get our attention by placing us in a position where we we forced to trust Him, grow in Him, enter into a closer relationship with Him, and engage in a group of believers for fellowship and support.  The good news is, He certainly got our attention!!

2.  People and Wife skills - God allowed me to be in a position where I would not be working much, which allowed for little to no distractions for developing important friend-making and wife related skills that I will use for the rest of my life!

3.  Wilderness season - when we first moved here, we were extremely overwhelmed and were tempted to go back to our "safe zone" of moving back to Canada.  However, God wanted us to realize that he uses our wilderness seasons to develop a more intimate relationship with Him.  Sometimes our circumstances have to be a little overwhelming, difficult, or confusing for us to fully rely on and trust in God's plan for us.

4.  Practicality - God had me realize that although practicality is often a good thing, it can also be a barrier to faith if refuse to step out in faith because it seems impractical.  Fully trusting in God is believing Him regardless of what the circumstances may look like.

5.  Change in Heart - through lots of prayer and faith in God, I was able to experience first hand that God can really change your heart.  He was able to change mine to an appreciation for living in St. Kitts, and I have no doubt that he can change my heart for things of the future such as moving to Maine!

6.  Tropical Weather - Palm trees, sunshine, oceans, pools; come on!  Sometimes God just likes to see us smile!!

7.  Medical School - I left this one until the end, because although it seemed like the most obvious reason for moving to St. Kitts, it is actually second to all of the spiritual and relational growth that God had planned for this stage of our life.

And now that I am fully in love with St. Kitts, why is God making me leave??

Very similar reasons!!  God values our closeness and our relationship with Him above anything else.  He is fully aware of how much I hate change, and that we tend to need a little push, and so He is lovingly forcing us out of our comfort zones into an adventure of a lifetime filled with spiritual growth, abundant living, and strong and continuous faith in the God of the universe.

And at least I know that one thing will never change:  "Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever" - Hebrews 13:8.   Thank goodness!

I also came across something interesting while reading the New Testament; 2 Corinthians 12: 7-10 "...Therefore, in order to keep me from becoming conceited, I was given a thorn in my flesh, a messenger of Satan, to torment me.  Three times I pleaded with the Lord to take it away from me.  But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me.  That is why, for Christ’s sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong.

For me, a fear of change is the "thorn in my flesh" that God has chosen not to remove so that I may learn to fully rely on him in times of need, and so that I may boast of my weaknesses, accept the power of Christ, and witness to the amazing strength that is found only in Christ Jesus.  For it is clearly not of my own strength that I am able to endure these changes, but the power and grace of God that is strengthened through my weaknesses

We leave for Canada tomorrow, and Andee and I were able to get one last taste of our current life before we venture into the unknown.....again!  But not to worry, "What, then, shall we say in response to these things?  If God is for us, who can be against us?"  Romans 8:31.  PTL!! 

Join us next time for "Andee and Diana's American Adventure!!"  Coming soon!!