Happy Wednesday, Blogging Family! We can’t believe that our long-awaited trip to Australia and Indonesia is just seven days away. As I shared in my first post in this series, although we’ve been blessed to travel internationally several times in recent years through VCS, our plan to visit Ivan’s family shortly after our wedding has been delayed almost a decade. This was originally due to my health and then subsequently to other factors like cost and Ivan’s travel schedule at work. We are so grateful to see God answering our prayers and opening doors to finally make our dream a reality after so much waiting!

One lesson we have learned – and I’m sure will continue learning – from our previous international trips is the importance of preparing our minds and hearts ahead of time. No matter how alluring the destination or exciting the itinerary, the truth is that jet lag, unexpected changes in plans, and (often) trying to navigate in a foreign language bring out our selfish tendencies and unreasonable expectations. Not to mention herding teenagers. We are blessed to be traveling without a group (for only the second time in a decade of marriage!), and at least one of us in a native speaker in both countries we’re visiting. What’s even more exciting is that this trip is purely relational, and has no work obligations.

Nevertheless, we’re both aware that although the circumstances surrounding our journey to Australia and Indo are different, the temptations we usually face will still be active. Since we bought our tickets a few months ago, we’ve been praying that God would help us to view this trip as an opportunity to seek to bless and encourage everyone we’re visiting. We’re praying that He would continue reminding us that this is an opportunity to serve His kingdom and is not a vacation meant to gratify our own desires, and guard us from disappointment if things don’t turn out exactly like we hope. One passage God has been bringing to mind recently is the opening to Colossians 3:

“If then you have been raised with Christ, seek the things that are above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth.  For you have died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God.  When Christ who is your life appears, then you also will appear with him in glory.”

Col. 3:1-4

Setting my mind on earthly hopes is a giant temptation for me with this trip, given that we’ve been praying for an opportunity to take it for many years and don’t know if or when we’ll be able to do it again. I’m also praying that, in addition to helping us focus on Kingdom priorities, God will help us to view each other with extra grace and compassion, and believe the best about each other in difficult situations (1 Cor. 13:7). When things don’t go as planned, it’s tempting to blame the person closest to you, whether or not that is the loving, biblical response.

Thank you so much for your prayers and walking with us, and I look forward to sharing more when we get back!