BEFORE I BEGIN

Thirty years ago I graduated from a small Bible College in western Massachusetts with no idea what my next step would be. My diploma (not an accredited school – so no degree) was in Christian Leadership, but I had no plans at the time to lead anything. I did feel like I wanted to join a "church planting team" somewhere. I wanted to see a church grow from the beginning. I wanted to be a part of nurturing that growth.

A pastor in New Mexico tried to recruit me. No thanks. I didn't know what the plan for my life was yet, but I was convinced God wasn't calling me to minister to rattlesnakes, scorpions and gila monsters. Ugh! Next I considered Montreal. I had studied French from 3rd-11th grades in school. I had a French Bible. I wondered if God had been preparing me to go to Canada. I decided converting the French Canadians was best left to French Canadians. They just really don't like Americans. Too many levels of persecution.

While I was praying about my options, an acquaintance from Bible College – who had joined a team in Hawaii about a year prior – contacted me. Hmm.... "suffer for the Lord" in Hawaii? Actually, it wasn't the beaches but rather the newness of the church and the integrity of the young pastor that encouraged me to pack my bags and fly out of Boston's Logan Airport to Honolulu. It seemed a fitting challenge spiritually, mentally, and emotionally.

I'll leave my first impressions of Hawaii for another time. I will say that the pastor was very late meeting me at the airport. It would have seemed an inauspicious beginning if not for two things. First, just before we landed at Honolulu International, I saw a full-circle rainbow out the plane's window. It was an awesome sight, and although I am not prone to seeing "signs" in everything, I did believe that God was confirming His promise to care for me in Hawaii. Second, when we landed I had the sensation, not of coming to a new place, but of coming home.

Well, that's a brief background to set the stage for the blog to come. What will it be like going back home after 30 years? What will it be like to start over again at 55 years old? How difficult will it be to re-connect with family? And how will I handle the first morning when I have to dig my car out of that despicable snow? Stay tuned and find out.