We are winding up our time here in Palawan, just six weeks left as I write this. I alternate between being excited and sad and the closer it gets, the more I realize how difficult it will be to leave the Palawanos. They have welcomed us into their lives with open arms. Quite often someone will ask, "When are you leaving?" and since their sense of time is vague, I've been answering, "Not for a long time." For most people here, one or two weeks is a long time. They view life as cyclical. There is planting season, harvest season, and rainy season. Unfortunately the incoming and outgoing of student missionaries is cyclical too. With five of us leaving on the same day, I'm sure word will get out as to when we are leaving. You might wonder why we don't want to tell them. I think I've mentioned before that when someone leaves it is like a funeral to them. One of my Palawano friends asked me, "Do you have a house and job in America?" I said no and she said, "Why would you leave? You already have a house and job here." Hmm. It made me think. But we have earnestly prayed and feel like our next step is to pay back Chris' student loans. After that, who knows where God will send us. It is tempting to feel anxious and scared about the future, but we know God has a plan for us. We don't know where we will live or what kind of jobs we'll have, but God has provided for us in the past and we trust He will provide for us in the future as well. A song we have come to love is "Day by Day." The first verse reads:
Day by day and with each passing moment,
Strength I find to meet my trials here.
Trusting in my Father's wise bestowment
I've no cause for worry or for fear.
He whose heart is kind beyond all measure
Gives unto each day what He deems best.
Lovingly, it's part of pain and pleasure,
Mingling toil with peace and rest.
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