New

I am not sure what thoughts come to mind when you hear the word ‘new’. I think new things tend to scare most of us. It is only normal to be hesitant to change. It is only human nature to react cautiously to things that are new. That was my reaction most of the time growing up. But something has changed within me in these last few years of living overseas. I have come to embrace newness. I have come to look forward to change.

And that is where I find myself currently. I am about to head into a new school year, to meet new students, and welcome new staff members into our school community. But even more than that I will be moving and adjusting to a new house, in a new neighborhood.

And as I embrace all this newness in my life I am reminded that God also loves new things. Throughout scripture there is promise of a new name. New covenant. New life. New commandment. New heavens and earth. There are calls to declare a new song throughout the psalms. One of my favorite promises comes from Ezekiel 36:26, “I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit in you; I will remove from you your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh.”

The one that most sticks out to me today is Isaiah 43:19, “See, I am doing a new thing! Now it springs up; do you not perceive it? I am making a way in the desert and streams in the wasteland.”

God is doing a new thing and is making a way for me. This coming year I will be moving into a kampung (or local Indonesian village/community/neighborhood). I will be living with two other friends and teachers at the school. The three of us got special permission from the school to take this new step, which no one else from our school has done. To be honest I do not really know what this will look like or how it will change my experience in Indonesia. I could speculate for you, but instead why don’t you just come along with me for the journey.

Welcome to my life in the kampung.