This week we are here in Philly undergoing assessment and preparing for
possible orientation (should we be approved.)

The process involves understanding the organization and its history, meeting
all of the staff at the sending center and going through team building
exercises. Of course there are lots of interviews to talk through our
application and the results of the phsychological and personality tests we
have taken over the last of several months.

The process of interviewing is an interesting one, on the one hand, a really
neat opportunity to speak with interested and informed people about all the
amazing things God is doing in our lives. Chances to share our vision for
ministry, our understanding of grace, and personal call are always welcome,
especially when the audience are people who really “get it”. On the other
hand, interviewing can be unnerving, threatening, and difficult, as the same
couple of issues are dragged out over and over again and reassessed by
people who barely know us. There is a great deal of vulnerability and
openness on our parts merely in filling out the applications along with a
personal bio and then of course in being willing to answer question after
question related both to the bio and our own marriage, weaknesses, faith
history, etc.

Of course this is all water under the bridge anyway as we are here in
response to God’s call on our hearts, in full trust of His plan being the
best, and with a heart to receive from Him what the staff here has to say.
Should we not be approved or approved conditionally, we can be thankful that
once again God is speaking into our lives and offering us His best as we
lean on Him. This all started with Him, it can all end with Him.

Of course once you are this far into the whole thing, jobless (David retired
from the Navy two weeks ago), already divesting possessions, home in the
process of sale, it is hard to imagine receiving a negative response. Not
to mention how many people have heard our story and know what we expect of
our future. From a mere standpoint of pride we have much to lose should the
staff here not feel us ready for or called to the field.

Again that is where trust comes in, where the faith life is lived. Where we
know that His opinion of us in the one opinion that truly matters. Where we
remain thankful to hear from him despite whether or not He is saying what we
expect.

God spoke to me this morning from quite a few verses in Isaiah but I would
like to share just a few:

“But you are my witnesses . . You are my servant. You have been chosen to
know me, to believe in me, and understand that I alone am God . . . . You
are witnesses that I am the only God. From eternity to eternity I am God.
No one can oppose what I do. No one can reverse my actions.” Isaiah
43:10-13