It’s the last week of school for the girls. That means we’re a very short time away from the family’s move to Philadelphia. And from my (Jen’s) perspective, soon isn’t soon enough. From their perspective, it’s mixed. There’s the excitement of a new place, the anxiety of learning all new people and places, and the sadness of saying goodbye to the things and people that have been “home.” (Tim is ready to come now, but he has the hard work of packing up the remaining pieces of our Orlando life while I’m here, there, and everywhere.)
But back to my perspective …
It’s been 90 days. That’s right - I’ve hit the famous milestone. And it’s been one of the hardest things I’ve ever had to do. Don’t get me wrong. I LOVE my job. I LOVE my team. Yes, we’ve had to do some hard work in these 90 days (and have more ahead of us), but each bit of progress has been satisfying and is laying the foundation for a better future. Lord willing, this is just the beginning of a very long and joyful journey together.
As I reflect on these past 90 days, there are a few things that have made it hard:
First and foremost, being apart from my family is awful. I don’t like it. The effect is compounding. When I got to the airport to fly back to Philadelphia on Mother’s Day, I started tearing up in the security line and thought, “Great, now I’m going to get interrogated for crying in security.” (I did not.) This part of our experience can’t be over soon enough, and it gives me great compassion for all those who have had to work like this for many years or have had to be apart at greater distances to provide for their families. Sure, this is hard, but they’ve had it much harder.
Second, I’ve struggled with the trailing goodbyes. Being straddled between both places has stretched out the grieving process on the one end and delayed the embracing process on the other. Managing the move this way was a good decision for our girls, but it has come at a cost. Aaaand, I’m going to stop talking about that now because I’m getting sad.
Finally, on the work side, multiple people recommended the “First 90 Days” or “First 100 Days” books to me while I was transitioning. The intention was good and right. But if you’ve ever been a pregnant couple reading “What to Expect When You’re Expecting,” it felt like that experience. The start of a new leadership role is relational. It’s messy. There are surprises. There are personalities. Creating a nice, clean, controlled plan sounds lovely, the concepts are good, (and if it worked for you, bless!). But if it doesn’t work for you and your situation, you aren’t a failure. Your real-life situation may mean you will need to adjust your expectations and methods along the way, maybe even multiple times. You should know it’s okay to do that even if it means deviating from the original plan.
Despite the hard parts, we are really close to some of these parts being over. I felt drawn to The Beatles this week, with a little “Here Comes the Sun.” English author Thomas Fuller is credited with the saying “It’s always darkest before the dawn.” But as Matthew 14:25 shows us, sometimes that’s when Jesus shows up if we can recognize Him. So, I’ll look closely for Him these next few weeks as the waiting gets harder, humming a little “Here Comes the Son” to remember that dawn is coming soon.
Praises & Prayer Requests
Praise God that Jen’s travel has generally gone pretty smoothly, particularly the back and forth to Orlando. This season could have been much worse if travel had been more unpredictable.
Praise God for a friend who visited Jen in Philly and gave her a weekend of feeling like life would someday be normal again.
Praise God that the girls are finished with their finals and are enjoying a few closing events with friends. And praise God for how much Tim has been able to move forward with getting the house ready.
Praise God for ABS’ first-ever zero-based budget meetings (IYKYK, right Wycliffe friends?). They seemed to open up people’s eyes to the needs of each other’s departments and what it takes for this to all function the way it should.
Thanks for joining us in prayer for these requests this week.
Jen’s in Geneva at her first Bible Engagement Forum with people from places with similar Bible engagement opportunities and challenges to the US. Pray for good connections, meaningful conversation, and clear action steps.
Keep praying for Tim and the girls in this busy season for them.
The ABS leadership team is still deep in preparation for the June Board meeting, while trying to do a final clean-up around the budget. Pray that we can get everything we need to do completed in time.
Wondering what happens at a Bible Engagement Forum? Stay tuned for our next edition! See you then.
I love this and love you! Thank you for your inspiration and realness... this openness is such a refreshing deep sigh of "I'm not alone!!!" Although very different responsibilities between us two there is so much parallel to what you have been sharing. Thanks Boss Bee! You are the Bees Knees! LOL.
THANK U! Onward!