Hardships....what do I know about hardships....

I was thinking of different things to write to try to describe the struggles of grieving when you are overseas. I was trying to figure out the different things that were easier and the things that made it harder and put it into words. I was going to write a wonderful blog post to make people see different things missionaries/ military personal go through as they serve overseas and it was going to be a great post.

Then I read Adoniram Judson: Bound for Burma by Janet and Geoff Benge and I realized I know nothing about suffering and giving things up to live far away from home.

*Side note: I HIGHLY recommend the Christian Heroes: Then & Now series and the Heroes of History series all written by Janet and Geoff Benge. They are great biographies that they recommend for ages 10 and up, but I would say you could read them to younger students as well. I enjoy them as an adult and know that many at my school use them for their classes and the students love them!*

We are so blessed to have technology, medical help, and quick transportation if needed. Yes, I am still processing grief and loss far away from my family, but I can communicate quickly if needed. I am also surrounded by so many who have gone through or are going through similar things. They understand, they get it and they are ready to sympathies with me.

I got a great hug from a lady who's father-in-law passed away about 3 months before my grandma. I got words of wisdom from others who had faced deaths in their families in the past. I had people crying even before I could start to cry. Living in a community of believers who have left family and friends behind in another country is an amazing experience.

So instead of writing a blog post about my "hardships" I am learning to count my blessings!

Philippians 1:3-11