We went through about six different names. We tried Luganda, we tried Hebrew, we tried Swahili, we tried Lusoga, and we settled on English. Every name was good but just not perfect.
We chose Abide because in the dictionary it means to “remain stable or fixed in a state”. We wanted our families to have a place to come and heal, be restored, gain direction, and tools for success before heading out on their own as stable parents, spouses, and members of the community. We also desired for them to come to know their savior and learn to abide in Christ each and every day of their life.
But what really set Abide apart from all the other names we considered was the message it sent to us. We know about missionary burn out. We know about missionary selfishness. We know about striving after success rather than Christ. We know all about failure.
Abide is a daily reminder to us about where our center should be, where our eyes and hearts should be focused. Every time we say the name aloud, every time we read it in a document, every time we (one day) drive into our home and see the welcome sign we will be reminded of what it’s all about. Jesus.
We will be reminded to stop the hurry and the worry and the to-do lists and abide in our savior. To rest and to soak up all He has for us. Kelsey and I are big on accomplishing things. We have busy schedules and always have a million things that need to get done. It is so easy for us to lose focus- to forget to stop and soak up that child’s laugh, that mother’s hug, that father’s smile; to see God’s craftsmanship in everything and everyone around us.
And we don’t know yet exactly what he wants for Abide’s future. But we do know that he wants us to wait for His voice… and to abide in His love
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