Listen to this week’s blog:
On the night of the opening ceremony of the Paris Olympics, our family gathered to watch the parade of nations on boats cruising down the Seine River. When the six Olympians from North Macedonia appeared we cheered because that country is special to us. Our daughter, Lauren, serves there in the city of Skopje in North Macedonia, a small country bordering Greece. She is a linguistic consultant with Wycliffe Bible Translators and SIL Global, working with the Roma people. She has lived there for three years but is currently home for a visit.
I have a friend who is amazed that I can “let” Lauren go overseas. She often comments that she wouldn’t be able to sleep if it were her daughter. My feeling is that she is under God’s care, and I have complete confidence in His faithfulness to her, wherever she may be.
But that doesn’t mean Lauren’s answering the call to service is easy. Two years ago our church shared a video of her experience in a message entitled “Counting the Cost.” (Click this link to watch the video.) In it she talked about how living alone for the first time in her life and adapting to that new culture was more difficult than she had anticipated. But she also related how she felt God’s help and guidance.
For us, her parents, having her so far away has been a journey as well. We have had to learn to rely on God for His strength and peace because departure dates loom heavy and goodbyes are hard.
Even while we experience the hard part, we are grateful for how she has been blessed. In Skopje, Lauren has found a wonderful community of believers serving in other capacities. She enjoys being part of an active international church. She is consistently supported financially by friends, family and even people she has never met. Communication by phone is easy through the use of What’s App. (Ironically she has never received any cards we have sent her, though her local bills always find her mailbox.) While considering the range of her experiences, we are learning about trusting God in deeper ways, perhaps the greatest blessing of all.
Twice, I have literally answered a call from unknown numbers where I feel God nudged me to pick up. The first time was when Lauren was with Wycliffe in Tanzania. I was at the Giant gas station in Kennett when my phone rang. A long, strange number appeared on the screen. I said “Hello.” Lauren’s shaky voice replied, “Mom.” She had just had her purse stolen. A person had reached into the taxi she was in, getting Lauren’s phone as well. Lauren was upset, in part because she blamed herself for leaving her purse so accessible. We both felt relief that she was able to borrow a phone to reach me. The items lost were minimal. The opportunity to provide some comfort, priceless.
The second significant call took place last fall on Giving Tuesday. My phone rang early in the evening. I answered, though I didn’t recognize the number. The woman asked for Lauren. She was calling to thank her for a donation she had made. I informed the woman that she was unavailable as she is in ministry overseas. She wanted to hear about Lauren’s work. I obliged, happy to share about her work in Skopje. Then she asked if she could pray with me for Lauren. I was thrilled. She prayed for Lauren, her linguistic work, and for her community there. Then she prayed for us, her parents. This was a gift to me, God’s love delivered at such an unexpected moment. I felt a powerful confirmation of God’s care in my daughter’s life and in mine through this phone call from a stranger.
What I didn’t share during the call was that Lauren was facing a minor medical procedure the next week. She was able to get advice from an American doctor friend and other friends with similar experiences in the local medical system. The doctor offered to go to the procedure with her. This was a second gift to us, revealing God’s extraordinary care for Lauren.
God has given Lauren the opportunity and ability to serve in this way. We get to support her and grow with her as she loves Him and the part of the world to which He has called her. And as we cheered for the six Macedonian Olympians, we cheer for Lauren and all who serve in far away places. We do know the costs of Lauren’s service. Yet in releasing her to answer God’s call, we also witness the joys in seeing her provided for, watching her grow, and experiencing the blessings of both the local and international communities that surround her with love.
ABOUT OUR BLOGGER
Linnea Tideman has always enjoyed sharing stories. Her childhood in New Hampshire and her Swedish heritage have provided her with a wealth of experiences, but also the foundation of her faith. She enjoys creative projects, travel, books, sewing, gardening, but most of all hospitality, often hosting fancy teas and occasionally something grand like recreating dinner on the Titanic. She serves the UrbanPromise and Good Neighbors ministries. Linnea lives in Landenberg with her husband Dave. They have three grown daughters. She hopes that her writing reflects how God continues to reveal Himself to us as our shepherd and Savior.