After a year and a half of living in Belize, Central America, my husband and I have returned to the United States…a bit sooner than expected, and a bit surprised to be coming home pregnant! We have been back for over two months now, and have had time to reflect and be present (my word for 2015!) with family, friends, ourselves, and each other.
When we left for Belize to run a study abroad program, we said goodbye to our beloved house and much of our material goods. It was difficult, sad, and also strangely unburdening. I wrote a post about the process at that time. We were able to bless other people by doling out our stuff at that time - books, scarves, dishes, clocks, even boots! When we came back home to visit this past July, it was fun to see our clock hanging on a friend’s wall, another friend using a special mug.
Why keep meaningful objects in storage, when someone else can get some joy from them? <<Click to Tweet
At the time we left, I wrote, and truly believed, that when we returned back home for good, we would find provision, though we gave up so many of our material things. What I wrote back in the summer of 2013 in another post still feels true today:
“This is the way God’s kingdom is supposed to work, right? We give or loan out that for which we have no present need. We are blessed, and others are blessed in turn. We trust that our needs will be met in the future. We hold our material goods lightly, because we cannot take them with us.”
Recently, a dear friend returned some winter boots that had been on loan while they were unnecessary for me in tropical weather. Now they were needed again in the cold Pennsylvania climate. I joyfully reminded her of how this simple action reflects God’s kingdom - as she pointed out to me when I was leaving - our burdens become others’ blessings. As my friend begins her own process of moving just as I am returning, she is happy to give up the extra stuff she no longer needs. This is the way is should be!
We left for Belize trusting in God’s provision, and we now return trusting in the same provision.
God has not disappointed us.<<Click to Tweet
Over and over again in these past two months, we have been provided for by family, friends, and even strangers. We were able to live with my parents for about a month, which gave us time with family in New Jersey and space to relax after a fast-paced year and a half in Belize. Then, we moved to Pennsylvania and began house-sitting in a beautiful home owned by a family from our church who is in Kenya for five months. This house has been a huge blessing. We haven’t had to furnish a new place, take our things out of storage, or purchase new stuff. People have already given us necessities for the baby and have offered to throw showers for us. Though it was a stressful process, we received health insurance just before I had my first prenatal appointment back in the U.S. And though I am over seven month’s pregnant, I recently began a part-time job that seems just perfect for me and the life changes that are ahead.
While this could have been a scary time - impending birth, no jobs, inadequate health insurance, no house, readjusting to life in the U.S. - it has been a time of joy, reuniting with friends and family, and reminders of God’s provision at every turn.
This season hasn’t been perfect, or without any struggles, but God has been faithful, reminding us that we are cared for in large and small ways all the time.
Micalagh Beckwith Moritz is a social worker, writer, wife, sister, daughter, community member, continually learning how to do a better job at each of these roles. She is always contemplating how to love others better and to enjoy the small things of life; to see God in everything and everyone. She is passionate about caring for the environment, experiencing new cultures, and also important, eating cheese. She currently resides in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania.