The Process

12 more wake-ups until I leave for this new adventure. 12 more. I am feeling all the feels. Excitement to see everyone again and to be back in my second home. Anticipation for beginning a new way of life. Sadness, knowing I am going to have to say some tough “see ya laters” in the next 12 days.

To top all of my feelings off, my favorite one of all is the feeling of contentment. I am completely blown away with how normal and natural this all feels. From the beginning the Lord has been orchestrating this process with tenderness and love, and I couldn’t be more grateful.

How it all came to be

It all started on July 28, 2019. I know, it’s crazy I remember the exact date! I was at church worshiping with my family. It was then that I felt an overwhelming feeling from the Lord – He told me that I would have to say goodbye to my family again, soon. In that moment I wasn’t sure where He wanted me to go. Sharing with you my most human type of mind, I believe my conversation with Him went something like this:

God: “You will be saying goodbye to your family again, soon”

Me: “Uhh, ok God…but where are you sending me? Back into the mission field? To Uganda? Wait, no that can’t be – when I was there this summer I even wrote in my journal that I thought it would be too hard to live there again. Do you want me to go to Thailand – flights are cheaper, and I bet the food is really good!”

*in the midsts of my chaotic thoughts* God: “….Yes, the mission field…”

Me: “Are you sure I can handle the mission field again? I was kinda hoping I wouldn’t have to do that alone, again. Where do you want me to go?”

God: “Uganda”

Me: “Well, ok Lord. Send me.”

My eyes were filled with tears and I continued through the day in a fog. Later that night I began applying for volunteer positions with various organizations in the Jinja area. Jinja is the town that I lived in originally (in 2014-2015), so I knew of a few places that I would love be a part of. In the next couple of days I had some phone/video calls with a few organizations. I was overwhelmed with the thought of making such a big change!

FAST FORWARD to Saturday, September 14, 2019. I woke up to the most devastating text messages from two of my friends, letting me know that a dear friend of mine passed away in a boda (motorcycle taxi) accident. I was wrecked. Eric was a great friend and an even more wonderful role model for the boys at The Street Child Project. My heart hurt for the loss of a friend, but even more for the boys that saw him as a father figure. Knowing that they were hurting and I couldn’t hug them, physically hurt me. So I booked a flight. It was going to be the quickest trip of my life, but I felt like it was exactly what I needed to do.

Unfortunately, I never made it. My flight out of Grand Rapids had mechanical issues, and we were asked to go back into the airport. I sat at the airport for hours, re-booked my flight itinerary multiple times, arranged for guest house stays, and different pick-ups, cried, made friends over it, cried some more. I knew it was the Lord’s plan, but it still hurt.

This ugly process brought clarity to the unknown. Through all the flight mess, I realized how much my heart longed for my family at The Street Child Project. In this moment, I knew I found where He was calling me. A few weeks later I got the call. I accepted.

WITH A GRATEFUL HEART, on December 21, 2019, I left my special education teaching position at Hudsonville Public Schools. I have been blessed with a 1 1/2 year leave. [THANK YOU to those of you who made this possible & supported me through the process.]

And now

In 12 days time, I will be traveling across the world to serve with the Street Child Project as the Director of Child Advocacy and Education. I hope that you will follow along with my journey. Subscribe at the end of this post to get email notifications when a new post is added.

grace + peace,

Kendall Rose

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