SeekingTheLight
17th August 2007, 10:05 AM
Good morning everyone! Thanks for the warm welcome! Now for my story - and I hope it doesn't bore you to death...ha1
Well, if you've read my profile you'll know that I'm the wife of a minister. My husband and I both grew up in the Church of Christ, and I've always taken my spiritual life very seriously. I remember praying as a young child that I would grow up and marry a minister or a missionary - someone who loved God just as much as I did - and I ended up getting both. (Funny how God answers prayers sometimes). Right after we were married, we attended a seminary together, and he started working as a minister soon afterwards.
About 2 years working with a small church in Texas, my husband got the "itch" to do mission work. Our best friends - who we went to Seminary with - also wanted to do mission work, so together we formed a team. For the next 2 years, we planned and prayed, and after MUCH waiting, we somehow ended up in Estonia. Trust me, it wasn't our first choice, but it's apparent now that God wanted us there.
At the time we got there, there was only one other family working as missionaries in the country, so we were on our own -pioneers of sorts. And it was hard, very hard. We talked to hundreds of people, only to be told that "They didn't need God" or whatever. We struggled, we cried, and we prayed. We didn't know why God would send us somewhere only to have just about everyone basically tell us "no."
After we'd been there for a couple of years, our husbands got the idea that they needed to go visit all the local churches, and see if perhaps they could figure out some "new" way to reach out to people that they hadn't thought of already. So, every Sunday morning (our services were in the afternoon) our husband's visited a different church. Only they went - we stayed home with all the kids, who were small at the time.
Now, in Estonia 80% of the people don't attend ANY church, but for those that do, Methodist and Orthodox are the main ones. After a few months, my best friend and I noticed a trend - they kept going back to the Orthodox church to "visit" and telling us about it. When it became apparent that they were "straying" in that direction, I must tell you that I was appalled. I cried myself to sleep on many nights, because I thought my husband had "crossed over" to some crazy new religion.
This went on for over a year, and throughout that time I just got angrier and angrier. I prayed to God for my husband back, but he didn't give me what i wanted. So then I became angry with Him too. I just didn't understand how he could have me marry such a faithful man, only to have him "turn away" to this "ungodly" religion, with it's ugly paintings, Mary worship, and men (priests) who thought they were God himself. I have to tell you that I've never been so upset in all my life - I really thought I was losing my husband, and I pictured myself taking our 3 kids to church alone.
We stayed in Estonia for only 3 1/2 years, but it seemed like a lifetime. Between missing our families, some problems with our kids, and this church stuff, we decided to come home.
After returning home, my husband didn't feel it was right for him to continue to be a minister, so he worked as an appliance repairman, and didn't go to church. Naturally I was upset, but I just thought he needed time. After about a year of that he finally started going back to church with me, and eventually decided to be a minister again, and that's when we ended up where we are now. Our home is Texas, but we are currently working for a small church in Virginia.
Now, I knew that he was still thinking about the Orthodox church. He'd order books off Amazon etc. At first I just ignored it, but knowing that it wasn't just going to go away I decided that I needed some "fuel" to come back at him with - and that's when God decided it was time to open my eyes. I started secretly perusing the internet late at night when my husband was asleep, looking for counter attacks that would bring him to his senses.
Ha!
Well, I basically ended up converting myself. Yeah, who would've thought? Now, it didn't happen overnight, and it didn't happen easily, but I just couldn't ignore the facts. Orthodox was and is THE church. Now, I was really upset. And scared. What was I going to do? I felt like I'd just wasted my entire life in a "dead" church. So, that's when I confided in my husband. He was ecstatic of course, but I was still angry and scared. I still didn't understand what all this stuff was about - Icons, Mary etc. - even the Eucharist seemed so foreign and weird.
Well, over the last year I've read many books, "lurked" here at TAW, and learned a LOT! I still haven't been to a service, but we're not in any position to. My husband is still working as a minister here, but he's also working part-time as a college professor. We hope by next summer we can transition him out of his ministerial position here, to full-time college professor back home in Texas, and then we can finally find an Orthodox church to attend, and begin our conversion. Our best friends (the ones who were in Estonia with us) are also working toward moving back home to Texas, and hopefully we can all do it together.
Ok, so that's my story in a nutshell. I hope I didn't bore you to tears.
You all are a constant encouragement to me, and I hope I don't drive you too crazy with all my questions. I'm sure I'll have many, although I will try to search the archives before asking something that's already been answered a hundred times. Please be patient with me - I almost feel like an earthling trying to adjust to life on Neptune or something.
Well, if you've read my profile you'll know that I'm the wife of a minister. My husband and I both grew up in the Church of Christ, and I've always taken my spiritual life very seriously. I remember praying as a young child that I would grow up and marry a minister or a missionary - someone who loved God just as much as I did - and I ended up getting both. (Funny how God answers prayers sometimes). Right after we were married, we attended a seminary together, and he started working as a minister soon afterwards.
About 2 years working with a small church in Texas, my husband got the "itch" to do mission work. Our best friends - who we went to Seminary with - also wanted to do mission work, so together we formed a team. For the next 2 years, we planned and prayed, and after MUCH waiting, we somehow ended up in Estonia. Trust me, it wasn't our first choice, but it's apparent now that God wanted us there.
At the time we got there, there was only one other family working as missionaries in the country, so we were on our own -pioneers of sorts. And it was hard, very hard. We talked to hundreds of people, only to be told that "They didn't need God" or whatever. We struggled, we cried, and we prayed. We didn't know why God would send us somewhere only to have just about everyone basically tell us "no."
After we'd been there for a couple of years, our husbands got the idea that they needed to go visit all the local churches, and see if perhaps they could figure out some "new" way to reach out to people that they hadn't thought of already. So, every Sunday morning (our services were in the afternoon) our husband's visited a different church. Only they went - we stayed home with all the kids, who were small at the time.
Now, in Estonia 80% of the people don't attend ANY church, but for those that do, Methodist and Orthodox are the main ones. After a few months, my best friend and I noticed a trend - they kept going back to the Orthodox church to "visit" and telling us about it. When it became apparent that they were "straying" in that direction, I must tell you that I was appalled. I cried myself to sleep on many nights, because I thought my husband had "crossed over" to some crazy new religion.
This went on for over a year, and throughout that time I just got angrier and angrier. I prayed to God for my husband back, but he didn't give me what i wanted. So then I became angry with Him too. I just didn't understand how he could have me marry such a faithful man, only to have him "turn away" to this "ungodly" religion, with it's ugly paintings, Mary worship, and men (priests) who thought they were God himself. I have to tell you that I've never been so upset in all my life - I really thought I was losing my husband, and I pictured myself taking our 3 kids to church alone.
We stayed in Estonia for only 3 1/2 years, but it seemed like a lifetime. Between missing our families, some problems with our kids, and this church stuff, we decided to come home.
After returning home, my husband didn't feel it was right for him to continue to be a minister, so he worked as an appliance repairman, and didn't go to church. Naturally I was upset, but I just thought he needed time. After about a year of that he finally started going back to church with me, and eventually decided to be a minister again, and that's when we ended up where we are now. Our home is Texas, but we are currently working for a small church in Virginia.
Now, I knew that he was still thinking about the Orthodox church. He'd order books off Amazon etc. At first I just ignored it, but knowing that it wasn't just going to go away I decided that I needed some "fuel" to come back at him with - and that's when God decided it was time to open my eyes. I started secretly perusing the internet late at night when my husband was asleep, looking for counter attacks that would bring him to his senses.
Ha!
Well, I basically ended up converting myself. Yeah, who would've thought? Now, it didn't happen overnight, and it didn't happen easily, but I just couldn't ignore the facts. Orthodox was and is THE church. Now, I was really upset. And scared. What was I going to do? I felt like I'd just wasted my entire life in a "dead" church. So, that's when I confided in my husband. He was ecstatic of course, but I was still angry and scared. I still didn't understand what all this stuff was about - Icons, Mary etc. - even the Eucharist seemed so foreign and weird.
Well, over the last year I've read many books, "lurked" here at TAW, and learned a LOT! I still haven't been to a service, but we're not in any position to. My husband is still working as a minister here, but he's also working part-time as a college professor. We hope by next summer we can transition him out of his ministerial position here, to full-time college professor back home in Texas, and then we can finally find an Orthodox church to attend, and begin our conversion. Our best friends (the ones who were in Estonia with us) are also working toward moving back home to Texas, and hopefully we can all do it together.
Ok, so that's my story in a nutshell. I hope I didn't bore you to tears.
You all are a constant encouragement to me, and I hope I don't drive you too crazy with all my questions. I'm sure I'll have many, although I will try to search the archives before asking something that's already been answered a hundred times. Please be patient with me - I almost feel like an earthling trying to adjust to life on Neptune or something.