Today is a big day for me.  To the best of my ability I have relegated my iPhone to as much of a basic phone as I possibly could.  This is something I have been thinking about for some time now and have told Brooke time and time again I was actually going to go buy a flip phone and just toss this one in a drawer.  Well, I didn’t do that, but today was a breaking point that helped me realize it had to be done. 

I had taken refuge this morning in a room in the back of our house to sit and spend some time reading in 2 Corinthians.  As I was reading I felt myself slowly becoming distracted as my mind wandered.  Before I knew it I had my iPhone in my hand and was looking to see what new Facebook posts and tweets might have happened since I had checked it last (maybe 20 minutes ago).  The first thing to hit me was the thought “Why did I even bring my phone back here?”  I was not expecting an urgent call and I have nothing on my schedule today so I am pretty sure I wouldn’t miss anything had I left it somewhere else in the house.  The second thought was “Why am I even checking social media?  I am the least social media savvy person out there and yet this is like a drug to me.”  So right then and there I made the decision that it was time to get back to basics in terms of my phone.  I looked at the Gmail, Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, games and other apps and I knew I had to cut down to phone, text messages and camera.  That was it.  So I held my finger on the Gmail app until it started shaking and then I paused.  My thought this time was “It is going to be a pain if I delete this because inevitably I am just going to turn around in a few days and re-download it.”  I had already lost the battle before it began!!  I couldn’t believe myself as I sat there and couldn’t bring myself to delete all these apps.  I just kept thinking about how I would have to spend the time reloading them all and rearranging my screen so they would all be back in the order that I like them.  So what did I do?  Yeah, I totally caved and then just started putting them all in a folder and moved it off the main screen.  Luckily I realized that was going to be useless and was a totally uncommitted way to do this so I started to delete.  I now have only the things left that Apple won’t let me take off. 

Now, I know this is not a bleeding edge thing to do.  There are many studies and trends going about on how the smartphone culture has killed our personal skills and ability to actually be truly social in the most basic human form.  Others are undertaking this initiative as well and I think I even watched a couple videos that were posted recently on Facebook about this (through my FB iphone app of course).  The additional sad part of this is the difficulty I had doing this on just my phone.  I am not swearing off social media and deleting accounts or disappearing from the world.  I mean, I'm in the office most days....on a computer....with internet access.  I can check all these things throughout the day very easily and when at home can still use our laptop to “stay connected”.

So am I doing this for a spiritual reason?  Yeah, I think it will impact that.  I think simply having the ease of a distraction removed should keep my quiet time and prayer time less interrupted.  Am I doing this for my marriage?  I hope so.  I hope it allows me to be more present in my conversations and time with Brooke.  That’s if she can put her phone down long enough to realize I am talking to her :)  Am I doing this for my kids?  No doubt.  How many times have I asked them to hold on while they were talking to me so I could finish doing whatever I was doing on my phone; too many times.  Am I doing this for my health?  No probably not. I deleted my fitness app.

My point in writing all this is two-fold.  One to simply give you guys an update on the exciting thought processes of a missionary in South Africa.  Two, is because I know if I write this and send it to each of your emails than there is an accountability level that otherwise wouldn’t have been present.  So when you check in with me ask me how it is going.  But be patient if it takes me a little longer to get back to you.

Tate

About a week ago Brooke and I took some fellow missionaries to the airport here in Cape Town.  Our friends had been serving alongside us at Living Hope for the past 18 months and now their journey was taking them back to the States to continue their ministries in a different capacity.  As we dropped them off I couldn’t help but think about what that time will look like for us when it comes.  Although we have no clue what lies ahead for us in the back of our minds we have always anticipated that we would return to the States to live at some point.  (For inquiring parents and friends....when that happens we don’t have clarity yet. Stay tuned).  As I thought about that return my mind naturally went to all the challenges that re-establishing life in America will bring; finding a job, buying a house, buying cars, putting kids in school, not falling into the same ruts we left, etc.  The more I thought about it the more I realized the task of moving back to the States was so much more daunting to me than the thought had ever been about moving here.  The ideal plan that I was developing in my mind of how this process would look was overwhelming me as I thought about the all the details that would have to come together and in perfect timing.

In the midst of this thought process our family had a great opportunity to get away for a couple of days.  The kids were on break from school for the week and Brooke and I had been saving up for a chance to be able to get the family out of town.  On recommendation from a friend we settled on renting a little guest cottage on an off the beaten path farm about 2.5 hours outside Cape Town.  A brilliant working farm of about 2,000 acres that has sheep, cattle, chickens, olive groves, vineyards and is set up to house a couple of guests looking for a quiet out the way place to unwind.  It was open space that the kids could freely ride their bikes wherever and whenever and a place that they could enjoy the normal farm life activities.  

As we got up Monday morning we went into the small town to figure out what the day would hold for us and decided the first activity would be a hike to a waterfall that had some cascading rock pools.  We found the falls and after a short hike the kids had the time of their lives as we climbed over rocks and swam in various pools fed from the falls.  

But like all good things they had to come to an end and we started to make our way back to the farm for lunch.  That’s when something weird happened.

We had just pulled back onto paved road when I noticed a car behind me and one that was starting to speed up quickly.  Soon I heard their car horn blaring and immediately began to think they were trying to warn me about a tire about to blow or something falling out of my truck.  As I began to slow a little I then heard someone from the other car screaming and when I looked I saw someone hanging halfway out of it.  As the car continued to speed by I looked at this screaming person and thought to myself, “That guy looks just like Joey.”  Joey being our close friend, fellow BBC missionary, Living Hope volunteer and neighbor in Cape Town.  I felt like Clark W. Griswald in Christmas Vacation when he said, “If I woke up with my head sewn to the carpet I wouldn’t be more surprised than I am now”.  Joey was with a group from Living Hope that had been on a field trip that day visiting a farm to learn from their setup for the agricultural training platform. As Brooke and sat there with our mouths open trying to process what we just saw we kept repeating, “What are the odds that just happened?”. What are the odds that 2.5 hours outside our normal area, in the middle of nowhere, without either of us knowing the others schedule, we would end up as the only two cars on the same country road at the same time for this encounter to occur.  The magnitude of this kept haunting me for the following hours to come.  “What are the chances of that happening?” In the five hours that we had been running around that day if either of our schedules had been 30 seconds adjusted in any direction that encounter wouldn’t have happened. That’s when the next weird thing happened.  I heard God. 

Now some of you probably think it is hokey to say you heard God and some of you probably have your own experiences to relate.  Did I say it was weird because God doesn’t generally talk to people; no.  Did I say it was weird because I haven’t truly felt God speak so clearly to me; yes.  In this incident I didn’t hear an audible voice.  I didn’t see any visions or white lights.  I wasn’t visited by an angel or have a sheep walk up and start to talk to me.  No, I just felt the Holy Spirit move and I heard God as he communicated to me “Tate, I can put anything, anywhere and anytime I want.  No more is it a challenge for me to put you where I want you when I am done with you in South Africa than is it a challenge for me to put you and Joey on the same road at the same time in the middle of nowhere.”

You see the issues I was having as I tried to envision what the transition back will look like is because I was trying to envision it in ways that gave me back control of it based on my wants, my needs, my desires, my comforts and my self-interest.  You would think this would be a lesson I would have learned by now as having control didn’t serve me well in the past and I am certain wouldn’t serve me well in the future.  Proverbs 19:21 directs us well when it states “Many are the plans in a man’s heart, but it is the Lord’s purpose that prevails.”

My prayer is that we are all open to God speaking into our lives.  The ability to hear what He is saying is made possible through a relationship with him and through one in which we commit the time and effort needed to get to know his voice.  May we listen well, may we listen intently and may we let his purpose prevail in our lives.

Tate

There are so many things to love about the #2.  The second child is usually the brightest and most lovable kid you will have.  (I can say this because Tate and I are both the second child.)  In this case #2 is good because I have found out the second year of life abroad is so much easier than the first.  

I loved our first year in South Africa.  It was so fun to explore new places, meet new friends, try to figure out what people were saying or not saying, etc.  The first year was hard though.  I had lived in Nashville for the past 14 years so I was settled…I knew place, my close friends, my identity seemed pretty secure…being the new guy was SO hard!  

The holidays rolled around and while it was amazing to celebrate with the warmth of sunshine and swimming and friends and beach days, I felt so alone.  I missed my family but I missed getting CHRISTMAS CARDS!  I know…sounds lame but I loved walking to the mailbox each day and seeing who sent a card, even if it was a neighbor down the street whose kids I saw everyday…I loved it.  The simple fact that I got very few through me for a loop and had me wallowing in my tears of feeling forgotten and alone.  Luckily I have a husband who knows how to deal with me when I get like this but I realized I was so wrapped up in getting my cup filled by others….others making me happy and even define my happiness.  I let the enemy tell me that I wasn't important to anyone because I didn't get a Christmas Card.  Lame…I know!

It's funny how in such simple (and lame) moments…when I take the time to really reflect on what I am feeling how God gently comes in and reminds me who I am in HIM and isn't that all that matters.  

Sorry…I digress but want to share my feelings and the highs and lows of mission work…..if you learn anything from this it's simple…..don't forget to send Brooke a card this year!!!

Seriously though, year number two has been fantastic.  It has been wonderful to be able to grow in the relationships we started last year.  We feel more confident in our work at Living Hope and building on the foundations we began last year.

We have been overjoyed to have more family and friends come to visit to pour into us and just continue to encourage us in this journey.  We are excite to even be thinking about a visit home this summer (winter) for the first time in 18 months.  

I hate that I don't write more often on the blog but maybe thats a joy of #2…we are really doing life here now and it seems we are engaged in life with those around and basically, I just don't have the time some weeks…which is not a bad thing.

Continue to pray for us in our work at Living Hope…for the people in our communities and schools that we come in contact with on a daily basis.  Our mission is to be the hands and feet of Jesus…to be light in the dark areas and hopefully we are doing that each and every day!