On a recent flight back from Africa via Europe, I was talking with the man sitting next to me who was returning from a business trip in Poland. He shared that all his family, with grown kids and their families, lives close to him and his wife in rural Oregon. I shared how our family is quite different, with all of our kids living in various parts of the U.S., spread all over the map, and before long they likely will be living in diverse parts of the world. While there is part of this truth that grieves the heart of Hollymama, who is not thrilled at this new stage of “empty nesting,” yet there is another part that does thrill us as our “kids” are independent, launching out in their global ministries and professions in service to our global God.

For example, at this particular moment, Holly and I are both in Olympia, WA (although in a few days I’ll be heading to rural northern Rwanda, East Africa). But our kids are spread out from New York to Kentucky to Hawaii.

I guess the spreading out of our kids should not surprise us, since we both launched out from our parents homes at early ages, and have traveled to and lived in many global locations. Technology helps us stay connected with each other. But we did enjoy a delightful time together as a family when we were all under one roof for a couple weeks over the holidays.

Part of our service for the King is releasing our grown children to fulfill God’s callings on their lives. We pray for them fervently, and support them in doing their part to fulfill the Great Commission, “making disciples of all nations.” Adam and Sofia will be going to Indonesia for a couple months this summer, and Alyssa will be helping lead a separate team to a different part of Indonesia at the same time. Right now Alyssa is working with an evangelistic group sharing their faith in New York, while Andrew is growing his “cross-cultural skills” in the Pacific. 😉

We are grateful for God’s call on our lives to be global ambassadors for our King, striving to advance His glory to the ends of the earth (Habakkuk 2:14). But we also cherish the times when we can all be physically together, sharing, laughing, praying, encouraging each other. We don’t deserve the good life we have received, but God’s grace is abundant, and we thank Him for it.