The Life-Change Scale

Transition, adaptation, adjustment...how does one even begin to articulate the massive life change that has happened over the last month and a half since being here?

That said, you can imagine the hundreds of things, big and small, that are new. And I'm not just talking about weird spiders or rainbow-colored locusts

Let me begin by saying that so far, we have been adjusting well to this new life. It's beginning to feel like home, even as we wait for our longer-term home to be ready for us. We have been blessed with plenty of electricity, which is not taken for granted, and even when the propane was hard to come by, we found creative ways to keep cooking (see our team blog post for more on that!).


Without listing every detail that's so completely different, let me attempt to shed some light and offer some perspective.

Have you ever heard of the "Stress Scale" (also seen as "Life Change Index")? It's a system used by health care professionals to measure someone's stress and the potential health risks associated by putting a value to the "weight" of different life-changes that have recently or are currently happening.

For fun, I plugged in our numbers (I did this one) and we "scored" well into the "high-risk" category for becoming sick in the near future as a result (proactive prayer request?). I'm not overly concerned about becoming ill, but I did look a little more into it.

As it turns out, there is some interesting research that missionaries (especially first-term missionaries) are in a whole other category when they take these tests. They typically hit well beyond the highest levels in the first two years on the field, and consistently live in the "high-risk" category for years beyond that*.
It kind of makes sense when you consider all the "normal" things that are so different. I could make a pretty long list here, and we will have some fun sharing stories in months to come. For starters, driving around here is not for the faint of heart. There are certainly new and unusual "bugs" - both illnesses and creepy crawlies! Add to that constant language barriers, unfamiliar cultural differences....even the simple things like cooking with new ingredients, or figuring out what to do when resources are unavailable! This doesn't even begin to touch on the things Jesh faces every day in the hospital...

Overlooking our little community of Kibuye

For now, it makes me realize that our life, sometimes even the very basics, can be a wild ride. It helps me see the need to hold onto God, and truth found in His word, all the more in the months and years to come. And it serves as a reminder to intentionally find ways for our family to rest (is that even possible with a nearly-two-year-old running around?!?).

In the end, I don't believe that these stressors mean poor health will follow, but I think we'd be crazy not to acknowledge that it all has an impact on our lives. In all this change and transition, I pray we will make healthy habits and wise decisions that allow us to build in routines that keep us grounded.



By Julie

*References:
- Dodds, Lois A. (2015). Resiliency - The Secret to Longevity and Effectiveness in Ministry. Liverpool, PA: Heartstream Resources. www.heartstreamresources.org
- Dodds, Lois A. and Dodds, Larry (2000). Love and Survival: Personality, Stress Symptoms and Stressors in Cross-Cultural Life Liverpool, PA: Heartstream Resources. www.heartstreamresources.org