Change Is Our Normal

Change happens. This we know for sure. Not all change is bad, although some change hurts. But every change that comes our way is directed by a loving and good God, so we embrace the changes and seek to grow from them.

One change that has occurred in the past couple of months, which I did not feel at liberty to write about right away, is that Kate broke up with Alex. So, no wedding plans. Not dealing with this as a trite issue, but that really is all that I want to say.

Nathaniel is experiencing his own change, as he is moving from Hawaii to Ft. Campbell, KY this month. Sort of a cruel time to move from tropical paradise to winter, but, there he is. Kentucky being a much easier drive than Hawaii we are thrilled with the prospect of seeing more of Nathaniel in the near future!

Another change for which we are preparing, and at times seems like an adventure, is Jim's new job. Working for DHL has been a good run for Jim and the company has time and again shown that they value him and his contribution. Now though, times are tough everywhere, not the least in DHL domestically. His job here would soon end, so when given an offer from the International side of the company, after much prayer and seeking counsel from others, we decided that he should accept the new position.

The reason this was not a slam-dunk decision is that the position is in Dubai, in the United Arab Emirates. Yup, the Middle East. Now, Dubai is not Tehran. The UAE has structured its laws to accommodate the large number of foreign nationals living there, in order to encourage the vast amount of business that now flows through and makes it rather unique in that area of the world. The original offer was for the kids and I to move with him to Dubai. But Jim and I have chosen to keep our family here, where we have just begun to feel settled and not uproot the kids again. Since his new job will require extensive travel we still wouldn't see much of him even if we did live there. So he will move there, and return home for visits as often as he can, and the kids and I may get to visit him there once even!

We have experienced something similar to this once before when, in 2003-04 Jim was in Brussels for 7 months. Being somewhat familiar with European culture helped while Jim was in Brussels, but we mostly know of the Middle East from what we see on the News- and the majority of that is rather unfavorable. So, needless to say, we have been doing our homework and researching quite a bit about this city in the sand, perched on the edge of the Persian Gulf. This article from National Geographic was one of the first I came across. Dubai's own website was also rather informative. Most importantly, we discovered that, as a Christian, Jim will be allowed to practice his faith and attend one of the many churches in Dubai. Whew!

We are trying to view this as an adventure; a bridge to other potential positions in the company instead of just a job on the other side of the planet. Please remember us in your prayers as we work through the remaining details before Jim leaves, (sometime next month).