I turned 57 this week. Seven years ago, shortly after my 25-year marriage ended, I turned 50 in Thailand – at a missions conference. There were so many unexpected things about that. I hadn’t expected to be single at 50 – but I was. With the end of my marriage I assumed my dreams of traveling would have to end – but someone covered my airfare to the conference. I didn’t necessarily expect my dreams of ministry to grow or b
e possible in this new stage – but there I was with missionaries and missions-minded people from around the world.
I had the sense in Thailand that the Lord was whispering (or maybe shouting) at me: “See, I know the desires of your heart. This is the start of a new stage for you but I am very much in charge of it.” Around the same time, two sets of friends prophesied over me that “the second season of my life would be more fruitful than the first season”. There have been times when believing that has been hard, but my spirit sensed it was true when it was spoken and so I cling to it as a promise – a promise of restoration and joy and significance for the Kingdom.
There are a lot of people writing about the “second season of life” these days and I’ve read some of them. I’ve picked up a few things here and there. I felt my spirit stir when I heard a Christian leader in his 60s state that he and his friends had vowed to make their next 5 years the best ministry years they’d ever had. I want that to be true for me as well.
But my journey has been more intimate than books or talks. And it’s been about more than just trusting Jesus. It’s been about the courage to dream dreams. Dreams that I have been afraid to tell anyone in a long time. Dreams that were abandoned long ago – out of fear, out of shyness, out of “circumstance” or “necessity”. Dreams of mattering and making a difference. Dreams of exploring and adventuring. It’s not as if none of that had happened before my 50s (e.g., I’d always dreamed of being a mom), but there was still the restlessness of a few unlived dreams.
And then it’s been about being willing to be honest with the Lord about those dreams. Risk aversion comes more naturally to me than risk taking. There is a tendency in me to not ask the Lord for something until I’m sure He wants to give it to me. I know – it’s bad theology and embarrassing to admit. As a gentle Father, as someone who loves me and who cares about my dreams, He’s been encouraging me to bring those dreams to Him. Not necessarily as a request but as a sharing of my heart. I’m a mom. I know how much I love it when my kids put their fears – or even practicality – aside and just joyfully dream. In that moment, it doesn’t particularly matter whether that is “the dream” that will unfold for them. It’s about the joy of sharing possibilities and hearts. So I’m trying to do more of that with the Lord.
I’m not all the way through this decade, but I think I’ve learned some things about what God might do in your 50s:
- We hit a point of realizing time is short and we don’t want to waste it. We want what we do to matter. We have less patience for some of the “okay things” of the past. They just don’t satisfy us as much as they used to.
- Complacency can be a very real enemy, telling us that we’re doing good enough, have done enough, have been through enough. That we’re entitled to slow down. That we’re too tired or too old to tackle new challenges. That it’s not our job to do it. That we can’t really make a difference anyway.
- It’s an ideal season of life to expect God to speak about transition, new stages, reviving forgotten dreams or birthing new ones. Along with that comes the need for a new season of courage and obedience – especially for us risk averse types. Being empty-nesters brings a type of freedom. Ask the Lord what He wants you to do with that.
- We may be in very different places regarding our own health or family situations. Caring for elderly parents may be very much a part of this decade. But for many of us, our 50s are a season where we are still healthy, where our kids no longer need the same kind of care, and where our parents do not need us full time either. Don’t waste this window if it exists. It will be gone at some point. Don’t look back with regret.
- We may need to look for new sources of identity – particularly those of us who felt our primary identity was as a parent.
- “Letting go” of adult children forces us to trust God in new ways. The relationship changes but it’s a good thing. The faith that is built through letting go of your children builds faith in other areas of your life as well. It’s a transferable “life skill”.
- Loss may be more real – we lose parents or maybe even children, long term marriages end, businesses fail, some dreams die, medical issues may surface. In all of these, we have the choice to run to Jesus or to blame Him. It’s in these tough days that we discover whether or not Jesus is enough. Head knowledge and the things we have said all our lives are tested and move more deeply into the heart.
- Mistakes or failures may still hurt or immobilize us. But it’s not too late to grieve them well, find healing and grace, and move beyond them.
- What we care about, and what nourishes us, may change. For me, I’m less a reader of theology than I used to be.
- Friends are crucial. Continue to invest in friendships and community.
- Things become less personal, less about me. I’ve become more pragmatic and more peaceful about the hard stuff – the hard conversations, the appropriate confrontations, the lines that need to be drawn, the questions where I’m afraid of what the answer will be. I used to agonize over those things. Getting healthier – emotionally and spiritually – makes them easier.
- The world needs you. The Kingdom needs you. The people affected by injustice and oppression need you. We have a lifetime of resources – perhaps financial but also experience, connections and wisdom and it’s time to use those for the Kingdom, even if you feel you’ve never done that before. “Secular” jobs are full of Kingdom opportunities. Be intentional about having a Kingdom mindset.
- It’s never too late.
- God is faithful.
How about you? For those of you who are experiencing (or have experienced) this decade of your 50s, what has God done? Where is He stirring you? What is the Holy Spirit nudging in you? What is it time to deal with? Or do?
First of all, Happy Birthday Betty!! I also turned 57 this past week. What a wonderfu message to share. Thank you!
Donna Darnell
Mother of lindsey Darnell on the I Team
…you are an inspiration. Thanks.
Happy Birthday! And welcome to 57 – I turned 57 in December.
I resonate deeply with all you have to say. God has been at work in me in the past few years in ways I didn’t expect and couldn’t have planned. He gives me opportunities to encourage, teach, share, challenge, serve, love, pray, and wait with a crazy mix of people, in a diverse array of venues. In all of it, I see him at work, inviting me to trust more deeply. I love what you have to say about dreaming dreams, sharing those dreams, and expecting to live these next few years (decades?) in new, adventurous ways. Thank you!
What day? Mine is the 12th.
I’ve been enjoying the issues that are stirring in you these days. Seems to be part of what so many of us “at this stage of life” are discovering – that there are new things to stir us, or that it’s time to engage more deeply in those things. I would really love a chance to catch up in person. Any chance you ever head toward Atlanta? Or what about a Jekyll Island reunion at some point?
Happy Birthday Betty. I have a few years on you, having just turned 69. Ouch!But since my daughter Drea has been on the WR, July 2012, I have started to know who I am. I’ve experienced the fact that although I am widowed & an empty nester, God has been giving me a sense of caring for others more than myself. What I am seeking is to being comfortable in believing that I’m never alone since God is ever present to guide my days whatever I am feeling. My dream is to be able to connect to Him for insight into not wasting the remainder of my life in exchange for knowing HIS PURPOSE for me. I pray for wisdom & courage to be part of His plan! Blessings to you , today, & each step along your way! Your blog has been an encouragement to me. Thank you for what you do for the WR parent group!
It’s a hard balance isn’t it, at times? There’s the very real loneliness, the missing of a flesh and blood person to share things with. But there’s also the sweetness that can come from pressing into Jesus for those needs. It’s not the same as a “real” person though and so we still feel like something must be missing. And then there’s the freedom to not have to plan our lives around a spouse but it’s a freedom we wouldn’t necessarily have chosen. I hope I get to hear how some of these things unfold in the coming months and years for you.
We are in our 50’s as a couple, have 5 kids and our baby is a Sr. in High School. We have a nice big home, had a secure job in a ministry that we discerned God wanted us to leave after 17 years. Rick resigned on faith in August with no job lined up. That was a first and not typical of us! However, we have never been more open and had more of a sense of the urgency of spreading the gospel and equipping believers as well to sell out for Jesus than what we are experiencing now. My husband is a passionate communicator of God’s word and has a heart for loving people and connecting them to the heart of christ. We struggle at times with what have we done! Who wants a 54 yr. old pastor when there are so many gifted young guys? Well….Jesus does! He isn’t finished with us yet. Currently Rick is ministering for a short time with a church plant encouraging them to reach out and impact their community. I have a prayer and mentoring ministry and my passion is using my gifts of exhortation and mercy to build up the kingdom. We don’t know where God is leading us during this transition time but we know that while we are waiting to hear from Him we will just continue to minister in His name! As long as we have breath we want to glorify HIM and that will continue until He calls us home! If we can encourage you, I have posted 4 of Rick’s sermons on youtube! The Christmas one on Luke is probably my favorite!
Thanks to you Betty for encouraging all of us and for listening to the Lord and totally letting HIM use you for HIS glory! What an awesome ministry you have for building up the body! Many, many rich blessings to you dear sister! There are great, great things that God is doing! 🙂
A Jekyll Island reunion sounds wonderful. Tell me when – my life is a little more flexible than yours these days.
What you have written is extremely timely.
The Holy Spirit has been bringing me through all kinds of transition of purpose, of identity, of relationship, and of the future. I have been a widow for seven years and have 12 children. Most of them are grown, several are married or getting married soon, several have families. One is on the World Race (she knows how to keep me praying!) All are involved in some form of ministry, and thankfully, they all love Jesus. I still have children at home. We do school five days a week. The dynamics of my family and life are changing all the time. My life is very different now—but not COMPLETELY different.
In all of this, I have changed, maybe more than I know. I am more upfront dependent on God rather than being the recipient of my husband’s decisions as directed by Jesus. I have more confidence because of my dependence on God’s constant provision in every area of life—and the experiences of seeing His faithfulness in each situation.
Lately, the Holy Spirit has been speaking to me alot. Just last week, He showed me that some of those vague dreams I had as a teenager, the ones I buried when I got married, as a sacrifice to the Lord, as a way of putting priorities in line—-THOSE dreams are not dead. He has been showing me that HE put them there and intends to fulfill them.
Last week, I was pondering a desire I have always had to be a singer, a kind of a wish that I didn’t dare to take seriously. I tried not to care if it ever happened. I only allowed myself to hope that I could improve my skills. But in the middle of whatever I was thinking, the Holy Spirit invaded my thoughts with “It will happen!” It actually startled me! Did I just “hear” what I thought I heard? I know it wasn’t my own thought. People who sing a thousand times better than I do are a dime a dozen. Yet, God spoke so clearly to me. What encouragement!
I have been filled with joy over and over as I have come to realize that God is more bold in what He wants to give us than we are in hoping for it. He is so good!
He never lets us dry up and wither away. He has a plan and a purpose for every one of His children—and at every age.
Thank you for sharing your thoughts. This is a witness to me of what God as said to me also, in my fifties.
Your comments are timely for me. I am unsure about my kingdom assignment right now. The church that we have attended for twenty years seems irrelevant to my wife and I right now. We have been praying for an assignment from God for our future. As veteran school teachers, we have spent a a combined 70 years working in that ministry. We still do that but on a reduced schedule for a number of reasons. We have tried to mentor kids over the years and we are still doing that. Helping our son, Joey, get on the race was a great experience. Pray that God would reassure me about my future assignment and that I would be more Godly in dealing with getting older issues.
Betty, this is one of my favorites of your blogs. thank you. I’m in the shady 40s, but i still think on these things a lot. I appreciation your articulation of these thoughts.
Wow! What a big step of faith. Some of my best friends did a similar thing – left a long time ministry position in his 50s and just waited for God to open the next door. I’ve actually had a few friends who, in their 50s, left “secure” ministry for something new and I think that’s part of why I was able to leave CT and move to GA a year and a half ago. Their courage rubbed off on me a bit.
How exciting! And how grateful I am that you would share that dream here. I know that, for me, publicly announcing something like that is another step beyond just dreaming it.
I believe God will honor your heart and your desire to know your next step in serving the Kingdom. I don’t have any way of knowing what that might be, but there’s a persistent thought that I’ll go ahead and mention. Since the World Race is now part of your journey, maybe there’s an encouraging role there – one that fits with whatever “getting older” issues you are facing. A lot of Racers do not receive encouragement from their own families and those of you who follow blogs and comment minister to them far more than you know.
Betty, I too think this is my favorite so far! I relate to it completely! You are amazing and I love you!
Thank you. You are also an inspiration to me and I’m so glad you’re part of what the Lord had in store for me in Georgia.
Thank you. You got “pushed out of the nest” earlier than I did in so many ways and even in the year and a half I’ve known you, I’ve seen you wrestle with so many of these things. Can’t wait to see what your 50s will look like!
Hi Betty. Thank you for sharing. I turned 50 on March 11th and soo excited knowing God has so much more for us. We are “empty nesters” as of January when Wes left for the WR. a lot of changes, but trusting in God to “Let God and let go” everyday brings a thankful heart. The best is yet to come!
I love you too! You’ve been so much a part of this journey. I think back to when I first met you – I believe at Thanksgiving 1977 in Vienna, VA – and it amazes me that God has unfolded things for both of us that we couldn’t have imagined then. You are one of God’s great gifts to me.
Amen!
The truths you have shared here resonated greatly with me as they mirror my life and experiences in many ways. My husband, Ed and I reached true empty nest status last July as our daughter Joan left with her beloved G-squad on the World Race. Previously her 4 brothers had all moved away, some farther than others. As a full-time mom for most of my adult life, it has definitely been a time of transition and redefinition. It has been a chance to re-examine our passions and gifts and how God might be calling us to use those as we move into this next phase of our life. And for us to step out of our comfort zones, even though our bodies are dealing with aches and chronic pain, and see how God blesses us when we do, just as He did when we went to Kenya on the WR Parent Vision Trip! God is allowing me to see that those kids we raised are eagles, soaring to amazing heights. And all the while I thought I was a mother hen. A mother hen does not raise eagles. A mother eagle does. Our nest is now empty. It is time for us to take to the air and soar also!
I love that! “A mother hen does not raise eagles. A mother eagle does.” I wonder where you are going to soar?
“…look for new sources of identity…” That’s the first step my 50s brought me as my homeschool-mom era winds down. My Lord is the same as He always has been (as you said, God is faithful) even if some days I’m not sure who I am! Still, the breadth of opportunities to branch out, to live a new kind of life, to serve different people out in the big wide world can be overwhelming and exciting at the same time.
I too, am noticing the shift in what matters. I sometimes feel I’m learning what matters awfully late in life, but again, like you said, it’s never too late!
Wow! I’m inspired! Encouraged. Blessed. Thank you!
Liz – I sometimes feel that “lateness” too, especially as I see the Racers and others who seem far ahead in some of that stuff. But I think it really is a matter of seasons and we’re entering a new season, a prime time to ask God what is next.
Alice – I absolutely agree that not everyone is called to a drastic life change or overseas missions or even “full time” ministry. But I do believe everyone is called to grow in their Kingdom mindset and to give the Lord permission to speak into new seasons of life. There have been times though where I ask the Lord what He wants to say – and then breathe a huge sigh of relief when he doesn’t ask anything drastic!
Thank you, Betty. I think you gave great insights and inspiration about life in our 50s. Appreciate your honesty and openness and the work you do with the WR. My son, Benjamin, is on the I team.
Well, Rick and I both celebrated birthday’s this past week – Rick on the 16th and I on the 12th of March – so we are born on the same day! We are going through many changes in our lives – Rick has been with out permanent work since before Christmas and is now on job share – one of his dreams for years has been to start his own business. As a result of being laid off he has been able to access some help through the federal and provincial governments where they have allowed him to enter a course to learn how to start his own business on April 29th. The provincial government administers the course and the federal government will pay him employment insurance for 36 weeks while he is starting a business in custom furniture. Although it comes with it’s own uncertainties we are trusting God to work out all the details and have people that will want his services.
I continue to work in a local public high school with special needs students as a educational assistant. I find that we are definitely fighting many spiritual battles and so i find the need to trust God in so many areas.
We have been empty nesters for some time but with one son on the world race – nooma to nations, another leaving for Nigeria in May with Wycliffe Bible Translators and another son and his wife living on a farm 9 hours away Jesus keeps me on my knees ALOT! I do have an ill mom waiting on open heart surgery but God does allow me to reach out to people in our community for which I am grateful!
Rick and I are part of a prayer group for parents of adult children – We share together and pray for our children – It is one of the best things we do! My other ministry I have started recently is working in the nursery / toddler area of our church at the reception desk – I have found it so wonderful to be able to encourage parents that our bringing their children to church. Yes, being 51 comes with it’s own set of privileges! May God grant us all strength to be examples of Christ to our children!
To where are we going to soar? Great question. The Kenya trip was a great start actually. I will have to send you the a copy of one of the poems that Joan gave me before she left on the race. It is about just this subject. It is something she had “spoken over” me as she left and has become a word of prophesy in my life. It is not only about physically going places, but more importantly the moving forward spiritually, emotionally, artistically, mentally as well. The facing of things that we see as limitations and challenging that thinking. The rebirth of dormant hopes and dreams and talents. We gained so much respect in the eyes of our adult children when we got on that plane for Africa, went out our comfort zone, and against our pain, and challenged ourselves to trust God to see us through. And guess what? We came home renewed, strengthened, and revived not only in our walk with God but in our physical bodies as well. We climbed a mountain, literally, climbed a mountain. Despite the altitude and the fact that I have asthma, I climbed that mountain. Despite my arthritic hips and back, I climbed that mountain. Nevermind, that Ed had a migraine earlier that day, we climbed that mountain! And at the top we overlooked the most beautiful valley and looked down on eagles in flight! If I had not been so out of breath, I would have started singing “Wind Beneath My Wings” to my daughter! She was so glad I did not do that! haha! Back home I have found renewed strength to take care of our aging mothers for the few years we have left with them. I have found that by allowing myself to go, I can entrust their care to others occasionally and “let go.” I am finding that my new found fight patterns are many and varied. But the one thing they have in common is freedom. Freedom from control, worry, and fear. And freedom that is what soaring is all about!
What you said!!! It made me think of a letter I have that my mom wrote titled “Thoughts on Turning 50”. She died when she was 52 (I was 23). My dad died when I was 13. I’m thinking 50 must be a milestone for these thoughts! I know I’ve chased the dreams a bit harder wondering if my time would run out before I could catch some of them. 🙂
There’s a lot more to this story of mine from 23 to 53…but in the here and now I feel my heart stirring, like you say Betty, for what HE wants to do with the rest of my story and make all of the failures and successes count. The way I use my time and the people I spend it with become more important to me.
Do you know of the book, The Secret? I used some of those concepts to bring about a dream or two I’d had. I read it with an open mind to correlate it to biblical views, but I’ve used the concept and it worked for me.
I’ve read the Dream Giver by Bruce Wilkinson…great book…
He talks about his book on this site..
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kIgurgXMyZA
I’ve been exploring One Life Maps…process to see where God has been in my story and where He will take me from here. I’ve been wondering if God wants me to help other women understand God in their story. (The process is for both men and women). I’m not sure if this is the direction he’s taking me right now…but researching it. Looking to see if I can extend it with low income women in an area of our city our church is adopting. I’m in the redirection process, I guess!
I’m restless with wonder and expectation of what He has for me and want it to be what HE wants. This year some events have transpired that allowed me to vividly see how God patterned some things in my life….not the way I had planned, but his plan. It makes me confident that HE will show up and help me figure out the path!
http://www.onelifemaps.com/
Great article…and insightful for words for us “Fifty Somethings”!
You put everything I’ve been experiencing into words!
Thanks…
Great post Betty! I am only 48 but I was at a men’s retreat that challenged me like nothing ever has in my life. My daughter Kirsten is currently on the Race with Squad N and team Favoured, but while it is amazing hearing and seeing what she is doing for God and what God is doing in her, what God is doing in the lives of the young men is even more amazing. Our retreat last year talked about the absence of the Patriarch in our society, that the mentor was almost noexistent, Adolescensce is creeping up to 30+ and down to our single digit years. Our boyhoood years are being lost and becoming men is also becoming lost. I was given the dream of being a youth pastor while I was engaged and then came kids and the dream got put away. Lately though this dream has reemerged but in a different form. I know now that God had planned this all out and in His time as I am currently working on being a mentor to “youth” (ages 22 to 35). It is amazing to see young men follow the bible “and to put childish things away”. Thanks to God for how he is using the World Race to make boys realize they are men. I know this next season of my life will be the most fulfilling one I have had yet. Don’t quit dreaming and telling God about your dreams. Sometimes He will fulifll a dream in ways you never dreamed of.
Ted – The theme of initiation into manhood is a big one for Seth and for Adventures. Our culture has lost essentially all of our initiation rites and the Race is intended to help change that. Have you read Seth’s book “Kingdom Journeys”? If not, and if you are interested, let me know and we can get you a copy. I think it will fit nicely with the process you are going through.
Betty, I got the book at January 13 lauch in DC. It was totally read within the next week. Since then my wife and I are particapating in a small group and are at least 20 years older than everyone elase in the group. My men’s group “Men of Character” is studying Daniel right now and I am in the midst of reading Bonhoffer right now. I know God is showing me that young boys need men to lead them into manhood and for the last two years God has been showing me that. We do “God moments” to start our weekly small group and it is absolutely amazing how young men ages 19 to 35 have more “where is God moments” than seeing what God does. I would not be surprised at all to see some of them on the Race in the next few years
Thank you for sharing this post Betty-It is being used by God to help give more resolve to a decision for Him that my husband and I are in the process of making-a decision for the Kingdom. We met at the January launch where we sent our daughter out on P squad- Our lives have been changed since encountering the WR and we don’t want it to ever be the same. Thank you for the way you serve this extraordinary ministry!
Hi Betty, Thanks so much for your blog- I am turning 50 in October and your words mean so much to me! My son Blake Meehan is on the World Race now and to watch what he is doing is awesome! I want to be where God wants me to be! I
Betty,
Th ankhs for sharing and Happy Birthdays. Mine is in Nov. Too. I could also connect with what you shared .
Perri ( Devon’s mom on K team)
This is a great blog. I will turn 56 on November 26 – just a few days from now and my fifties have been a decade of becoming someone so totally new in the Lord. While my daughter is on the World Race loving people in every country, God has sent me to downtown Jacksonville, FL to love on the homeless community. It is a journey that is constantly making me question who I really am and what I am really supposed to be doing with my life. It is a glorious experience.
I loved the season of raising my children and love having adult children now, but my world is growing as I see God showing me how to love like Jesus in a hurting world. My children encourage me in this as does my husband – which is so gratifying – they all see that this is where I am supposed to be just as they are all called to different people and places. So being in my 50s has been a gloriously, joyfully hard decade! Amen!
Great message Betty. What a challenge for us Parents. I was skeptical in Sept when you and others told us this would be a journey for us as much as for our Racers. Your Blog title caught my eye and resonates with my own journey. Looking forward to PVT next month and continuing to see what God’s got in store as I move through my 50s!
Ross – I’m so happy you found this and I’m glad it resonated with you. PVT will be great!
Dear Sister in Christ, I hope I get to meet you at the PVT in Romania. I’m a little ahead of you in years on earth, my twin sister and I turned 60 June 5th…..but I wholly agree with your blog. I’m so thankful that my kids (A.J. Lownes is the one on the race right now) and my husband challenge me to see if I’m doing what I want to be doing in life. I’m so glad. First things first, I don’t believe that believers ever retire from God’s work….it may change, but we don’t stop…and thankfully God doesn’t put us on a shelf….we put ourselves on the shelf for our own reasons…again, He may decide you need a different area to serve in, but the worshipping and adoring of Him through what we do should never end. I am so grateful for women ahead of me in this life who serve without stopping and bless me by letting me see how wonderful God is, How His plans of adventure, and fun and fellowship with Him and others is so much better then we could ever think. Thank you for being so transparent and for allowing us to see the Joy of Jesus even through the hard unexpected spots in life. His Grace still amazes me! Exectations fulfilled through Christ’s plan for each and everyone of us…oh it may be creative, but He as the artist and creator of our lives, knows exactly what would be more then we could ever imagine. Keep on Keeping on Friend! Blessings, joan lownes
Dear Sister in Christ, I hope I get to meet you at the PVT in Romania. I’m a little ahead of you in years on earth, my twin sister and I turned 60 June 5th…..but I wholly agree with your blog. I’m so thankful that my kids (A.J. Lownes is the one on the race right now) and my husband challenge me to see if I’m doing what I want to be doing in life. I’m so glad. First things first, I don’t believe that believers ever retire from God’s work….it may change, but we don’t stop…and thankfully God doesn’t put us on a shelf….we put ourselves on the shelf for our own reasons…again, He may decide you need a different area to serve in, but the worshipping and adoring of Him through what we do should never end. I am so grateful for women ahead of me in this life who serve without stopping and bless me by letting me see how wonderful God is, How His plans of adventure, and fun and fellowship with Him and others is so much better then we could ever think. Thank you for being so transparent and for allowing us to see the Joy of Jesus even through the hard unexpected spots in life. His Grace still amazes me! Exectations fulfilled through Christ’s plan for each and everyone of us…oh it may be creative, but He as the artist and creator of our lives, knows exactly what would be more then we could ever imagine. Keep on Keeping on Friend! Blessings, joan lownes
Hi Joan – Thank you so much for finding this, and for commenting. I’m actually now in my early 60s and absolutely agree with you!
Thank you Betty! I needed to hear this being in my mid-fifties myself and divorced Anastasia my life in a place in my life I never thought I would be. This was so encouraging! My first mission trips is going to be this parent trip to the Philippines.
Mary – Thank you for letting me know! I certainly understand this season of life not looking the way we expected it to. And I’m excited that you’ll be heading to the field for PVT.
You are such a special person. You have been obedient to the call of the Lord. Continue in his works. Not everyone is called to mission. I hear your joy in your words.