Hurry Up and Wait!

by Chaplain Kevin Trimble

NOTICE OF A NEW PLACE OF DUTY FROM THE DIVISION CHAPLAIN;WAIT...

RFO (REQUEST FOR ORDERS); WAIT...

ORDERS TO A NEW DUTY STATION; WAIT...

WAIT...WAIT...WAIT...

FIND A NEW HOME, CLEAR NEW DUTY STATION; MORE WAITING....

From the initial call to inform me that a new duty station would be in my future until we finally arrived at our destination, six months passed. During those months of preparation prior to our move, we were able to spend time reflecting on where our family had been and where we were going.

We had been involved in a chapel service at Fort Campbell, Kentucky. ChapelNext is a contemporary service that chose us. When I deployed to Afghanistan in March 2010, our chapel service was a traditional service held at the Memorial Chapel. Upon my return, I learned the Army had “volun-told” the congregations they would combine. Imagine your congregation being told they would merge with another congregation next week!

A great friend, CH (MAJ) Stan Arnold and I worked through the change and built a great team. My wife Darla volunteered for the children’s church program and became the leader. In one service alone, she had 38 pre-K children in her class. She is incredible, and children are drawn to her. In just over a year, God graciously allowed us to grow several groups together, build a team of numerous volunteers, and move into a multi-million dollar, state-of-the-art chapel.

Where are we going next?

I’m not sure. Currently, we are looking for a place to serve at Fort Riley (Kansas). We are hungry for a local church, but the chapel ministry that requires a majority of our attendance is in need of people to step up and carry the gospel.

Will we lead services, be the administrative pastor, or help with children’s church or Club Beyond (youth group for the entire post)? We don’t know, but we do know wherever God places us will be the right place. We will serve, lead, teach, and lead others regardless of the direction.

We have been located close to our family for several years, and this has changed. Our son is moving to Fort Hood, Texas, and we left our daughter in Nashville, determined to be on her own. Leaving family is much harder than we thought. When Darla and I slow down long enough to talk about it, my eyes well up with tears if I am not careful. We are truly empty-nesters.

But God sets the direction for our family. He knew years ago where each of us would stand, where we would live, and He knows everything about us. Nothing lies beyond God’s grace or knowledge. Even as our family has been spread out, I find comfort in knowing that others have gone this way before us. I know both Darla and I had to leave home to become the people—no, the servants—He wanted us to be. Once again, I’m not sure of the destination, but I do know that God is leading.
In our previous assignment, we enjoyed a fellowship of friends in our battalion, in the community, in the chapel, and within our neighborhood. The hardest part of this new direction is that Darla gave up the friends she had invested in deeply so I could follow the orders of the Army.

When we moved to Fort Campbell, Darla moved to Nashville to work at Welch College, and we had two homes for a time. We began to build such deep and rich friendships with the people of Cross Timbers FWB Church and loved, even hungered, for the worship and preaching there. When I deployed, Darla moved to Fort Campbell alone and began to look for ways to build friendships. We found ourselves in a sea of people much younger than we were, and she began a ministry of hospitality, teaching other women how to be successful mothers and wives. With new orders, that facet of her ministry is gone, and our direction has changed.

A New Assignment

Our new neighborhood is Junction City, Kansas. We live off-post and have already met numerous neighbors. Would you believe many of them need a mentor? Many of them are struggling with relationships, money, kids, and the balance of work and life. Once again, God has placed us in a place where we can be effective.

While I could continue my play-by-play coverage of what we have left and where we are going, our lives are no different than many of yours. In this economy, people change jobs and move, pastors leave, and families grow. We are constantly changing direction. Still, the Word of God has the answers. The words of Jeremiah 29:11 remind us, “For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, saith the Lord, thoughts of peace…to give you an expected end.” Here are a few tips that might help when God changes your direction:

• Sometimes a change in direction comes with warning…but not always. The Army has a system of letting the commanders know when orders are changing. This document is a WARNO. This “Warning Order” lets you know change is coming. In life, we often feel God moving, or we see His providential hand at work in other ways. At other times, as with a tornado, we have little warning. Yet, God is still in control. We often forget life is about change. Sometimes, when I think about people who are born, live, and die in the same town, I wish that were me. But that isn’t God’s calling in my life. The tip: realize God’s hand is guiding your direction.
  
  God knows our direction even when we don’t. How often have we read of Joseph, Daniel, Moses, and Abraham as God led them into unfamiliar places and left them with multiple unanswered questions? You can rest assured God knows where you are going long before you get there. The tip: enjoy each day of opportunity, whether in the desert or the garden.

• God gives direction when we seek Him. Isaiah 58:9 tells us, “Then you shall call, and the Lord shall answer; you shall cry, and he shall say, ‘Here I am.’” The ways of God are not hidden; simply ask, and He will give you direction. The entire plan? No. God wants us to depend on Him each day as we take steps in the changes of our life. The tip: have a daily conversation with God about where you are going.

• Remain pliable to the changing direction. The Army has a training program called combatives that teaches soldiers to succeed in hand-to-hand combat. During training, you know someone will hit you, knock you down, and do some level of harm to your body.

The person who stands rigid will sustain greater injuries than a person who allows the blow to move them in a new direction. What a skill for life! The tip: be flexible. Life changes, God changes our direction, and we change. If we follow Him, we will always land on our feet.

The old song, “He Leadeth Me,” written by Joseph Gilmore reminds me that regardless of where God leads me, it is His hand that does the leading. So far, we love Fort Riley, and as long as God is leading, we must learn to simply follow Him. Each day will hold both challenges and rewards, and as I listen for any new direction, I realize I am held in His care.

About the Writer: CPT Kevin Trimble is stationed at Fort Riley, KS, where he serves as chaplain for the Aviation Battalion. Kevin and his wife Darla have two adult children, Nathan and Rachel. Learn more about the Free Will Baptist Chaplain service at www.homemissions.net.