Seven years ago, 2012, we were preparing for Chris' retirement from the Air Force. I wrote the following on my facebook page on May 15, 2012, "a bit of excitement, a bit of anxiousness, a bit of uncertainty, a bit of expectation... tomorrow after 23 years of service in the Air Force for Chris and 20 years for us together we begin a new adventure, a new chapter in our lives. I am proud of you Chris Haylett and looking forward to what lies ahead. Gonna be strange seeing you in civilian clothes everyday."
Thinking back on that time, I reflect on God's faithfulness and am filled with gratitude and reminded to pray and trust God in all things. We were getting ready to make one of the biggest changes of our family's life. Then, as always, God was with us, and we could rely on Him. He was leading us, directing our steps, and preparing the way for us. Everywhere God has taken us, through every change in our lives, God has always been faithful.
In life, each of us can make plans, but we can't really see or know what lies ahead. God can, and He knows the plans He has for us. We can and must trust His hand to guide us and take one step at a time forward as we seek to follow Him and be in His will.
I can say with confidence that we can trust God because of all I have seen Him do through the years. It is good to look back and remember what God has done, "so that all the peoples of the earth may know that the hand of the Lord is mighty, that you may fear the Lord your God forever.” Joshua 4:24
In Joshua chapter 3, Joshua was leading his people towards their new home, and they had to cross the Jordan River during flood stage. But as the priests stepped into the water, the water from upstream stopped flowing and they were able to walk across on dry land. In Joshua chapter 4 after everyone had crossed, Joshua directed them to create a memorial of this miracle by taking twelve stones from the middle of the riverbed and stacking them on the other side.
Joshua 4:6-7, When your children ask in time to come, ‘What do those stones mean to you?’ then you shall tell them that the waters of the Jordan were cut off before the ark of the covenant of the Lord. When it passed over the Jordan, the waters of the Jordan were cut off. So these stones shall be to the people of Israel a memorial forever.”
Looking back over the past 7 years since retirement, there have certainly been changes in our family, in our way of life, and in ministry. As I look back, I am reminded of all the great and wonderful things that God has done in the past 7 years. These are some of my memory markers, the ways I have seen Him move and experienced His faithfulness since God took us on this new adventure, this new chapter of our lives.
Life after retirement was different than I had expected, different than we had planned. Our plan was to start a photography business after his retirement, but God had another plan which led us to join South America Mission to serve as missionaries. God led people to give financially and partner with us to help us get to Colombia and to sustain us while we were there. It was and is such a blessing to see how God works through so many people from different walks of life to accomplish His purposes. I have been so blessed to see so many people support us in our missionary service through their finances, but also through their commitment to pray. We saw God do great things through the fsithful prayers of His people. Though it seemed overwhelming at the time, God enabled us to learn Spanish at the language institute in Peru and our kids to pick up the Spanish language quickly, Knyanna was even able to help translate at the end of our time in Colombia. While in Riohacha, Colombia we experienced God's faithfulness through our interactions and work with Colombians and Venezuelans in the church and in the community. We saw Him move in their lives as many asked questions about our work there and the Christian faith, youth and adults came to know Christ, individuals grew in their faith and knowledge of the Bible through discipleship and ministries of the church, as God gave us opportunities to pray with, encourage, and counsel people; and as we developed relationships. I grew in my faith personally as God used me even in my weaknesses, like limited Spanish at first, to minister to women and youth. I was in awe and again reminded of God's faithfulness as I watched my husband depend on God to prepare sermons in Spanish and as God used Him to mentor and guide people through the Bible and God's principles for life as we and they at times navigated through trying situations.
One of those trying times was when our son, James got sick with an infection in his ankle that became septic and needed immediate operation to remove. God faithfully provided just the right doctors, including American military doctors that "just happened" to be in a town about 30 minutes away from us with a humanitarian medical mission as part of Operation Continuing Promise. And one of those doctors "just happened" to be a pediatric orthopedic surgeon who knew right away what was wrong with James' ankle and was able to explain it to us in English so we understood. At the public hospital in Riohacha, God provided an orthopedic surgeon who was from a bigger town 5 hours away, but was in Riohacha for a time and could do the surgery that night. So many things that might have seemed like amazing coincidences all fell into place so perfectly that we could see the hand of God.
When we left the states for the mission field, our youngest daughter, Ashlynn's one disappointment was that she would not be able to continue playing on her highschool soccer team. Then we got to Peru and were told that most girls in Latin America play volleyball so it would be difficult for her to find a women's soccer team to play on. When we got to Colombia, we had a hard time finding a women's soccer team, but one day Ashlynn and Crystal were at the beach and saw a team of girls practicing soccer. They talked to the coach and Ashlynn ended up getting to play goalie for that women's soccer team. God cares about the desires of our hearts. This also led to opportunities for Ashlynn to talk about her faith with the girls on the team, invite girls to church, and make friends with the girls on the team. One of the girls on the team ended up asking me to do a discipleship Bible study with her and accepted Christ as her Savior.
As we made this big change in our family's life moving to South America for missionary service, I saw God's faithfulness in how he took care of our adult children as one by one they left home. For me, at times that was a difficult adjustment as letting go often is, especially being so far away, but also a wonderful blessing to see God's hand in our lives, a blessing I can see even more clearly now as I look back. We have prayed for each of our children from the moment they were born and entrusted them in God's hands, but as they grew into adults, I had to remember whose hands they were in and trust Him to guide them and move in their lives, my prayer life increased as one by one our older kids left home. I am thankful for His faithfulness. Actually our oldest son, Christopher had already left home for college before we left for the mission field, but he was close by, and it was still hard to say goodbye as we moved because it was the first time we moved without our whole family coming with us. It was the start of many changes to our family. I was blessed to see God guiding his steps and keeping him safe as he graduated from college, fell in love with and married a sweet Christian girl, completed a masters in International Business, and was inspired to start a business app, Sixpence. Our second oldest son, Andrew went with us to Peru for a short time, then he was our next to leave the nest as he returned to the states to continue in his college classes on campus which was a hard transition for both him and us because he was going to a place where he didn't really know anyone. But God was so faithful to put people in his life to be his support system, his family away from home. Oh how grateful I was for that! It made it easier to be so far away. And now he has graduated college and is engaged to a lovely Christian girl, ready and excited to start the next chapter of his life. Our oldest daughter, Crystal was with us participating in ministry in Peru and a few months in Colombia until she came back to the states to marry the young man she fell in love with from youth group at our church in Washington before we left for the mission field. While serving with us in Colombia and after marriage, God gave her the persistence and ability to successfully complete an online college course even with the challenges of traveling and moving as we first went into missions, being in a new culture and environment, spotty internet and electricity that was unpredictable, extreme heat, planning a wedding and getting married. She graduated just after the birth of her firstborn daughter and has since been blessed with another daughter. Our daughter, Ashlynn left Colombia for college a year after we arrived. God led her to a college where she was able to get a scholarship to play goalie on their soccer team, which was an answer to prayer for her. There were lots of tears when she left, but I knew that God was going to take care of her like he had our 3 older kids and He has. He put her in a great church, providing good friends, and provided an active and engaging young adults group through her church that she can be a part of and be fed spiritually.
This adventure God took us on has been a blessing. Seven years ago, I looked towards what lie ahead with "a bit of excitement, a bit of anxiousness, a bit of uncertainty, a bit of expectation...". God has done exceedingly more than I could have imagined in this chapter of our lives and taught me to trust and rely on Him even more, and these memory markers remind me of His blessings and faithfulness. These are just a few of the memories we have as we look back over the past 7 years and see all He has done in our lives, in the lives of the people we served, and in our children's lives. And now looking forward to the next chapter He has for us in our second term as missionaries in Armenia, Colombia, I am expecting more great things and more opportunities to experience His work and faithfulness.
Wherever you are in life, I hope that you too can trust in God's direction and guidance as you look back over your life and see His faithfulness in your own life. You can fully trust Him. He loves you and wants the best for you. He is working in your life His good and perfect will.
As we begin this next chapter of the journey God has for us as missionaries in Colombia, we would be honored for you to join with us. Be a part of the journey through a monthly financial partnership and experience God's faithfulness and work in the lives of the people God places in our paths as we go to proclaim the Hope of the Gospel of Christ in Armenia.
Become a partner at this link:https://southamericamission.org/donate/missionaries/chris-cristi-haylett/
Peayer Support
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