But seek the welfare of the city where I have sent you into exile, and pray to the Lord on its behalf, for in its welfare you will find your welfare. — Jeremiah 29:7
When I completed Navy “A-School”—the apprenticeship where sailors learn their rating—the Navy handed each of us a “dream sheet” to rank our preferred duty stations.
Everyone wanted to go to Hawaii — except me.
My fair complexion and red hair firmly categorize me as a “ginger,” and I believed Hawaii would require a massive personal investment in SPF 100 to protect my freckled skin.
I put down the geographic opposite on my dream sheet — rainy Seattle.
Guess where the Navy sent me?
Hawaii.
I’ve still never seen the Space Needle.
It turned out to be a blessing. I grew to love Hawaii. My wife and I were married there. But it was definitely not easy getting acclimated at first.
I moved there in 2012 and only had a TomTom GPS hanging off my car window by a suction cup. It was my only help navigating a maze of entirely unfamiliar island roads with names that were not easy to pronounce.
The TomTom sounded like it had the spiritual gift of tongues as it loudly commanded me to turn onto the “LEE-keh-LEE-keh” Highway, spelled Likelike, which I did not like like.
And my poor wife. Her southern drawl is just a touch less pronounced than Dolly Parton’s. She was devastated one afternoon because she struggled to order a Sprite at a local McDonalds. As she tried her absolute best to enunciate her desires for a lemon-lime soda—”SPRIIIITE”—the worker behind the counter remained utterly confused.
Eventually, we acclimated.
Better yet, we found true joy in the island culture. To this day, we actively seek out Hawaiian food. We love poke, short ribs, and double scoops of mac salad.
The PCS Mission
This is the reality of military moves.
Every year, roughly 400,000 service members get orders to PCS, which means Permanent Change of Station.
That means pack up and move somewhere new.
That means the spouse has to find a new job.
The kids leave behind friends, schools, and sports teams.
New grocery store.
New gym.
New church.
That last one often takes longer than it should, leaving families out of a worship service for an extended period. It's an important mission field for the church.
Finding a Church
We just completed our fourth PCS. Boxes are still stacked in the garage, but you can get one of the cars in there. Our walls are adorned with family pictures, and new pieces that my wife has lovingly found at thrift stores and in the Hobby Lobby clearance aisle.
Still, though, no church.
It’s harder than I thought.
Some days I feel like I’m lost looking for the Likelike again. We did find a good Hawaiian food spot, at least.
We don't want to be picky about a church. We see church as more of a warship than a cruise ship—and I've spent enough time on both to know the difference.
We want to serve the church, not just be served.
Of course, we want the best for our 8-year-old son.
We have met so many amazing people, and God’s place is before us. We have to be faithful in following His steps.
It is tempting to emotionally hibernate. Why invest deeply when another move is always around the corner? This is especially true when you just fractured relationships in your previous home. But that’s not what we are called to do.
As Oswald Chambers said in the book My Utmost for His Highest:
Never allow the thought — “I am of no use where I am”; because you certainly can be of no use where you are not.
God’s Instructions
The prophet Jeremiah has been a comfort to me during this challenging season, especially the instructions God gave him for the people facing the Babylonian exile.
I’m not comparing Norfolk to Babylon, and I realize the original context of this passage is far more harsh than a military PCS. But it is a reminder that God puts us in places for a purpose.
God tells the nation of Israel to make their home where He plants them, even in exile.
But seek the welfare of the city where I have sent you into exile, and pray to the Lord on its behalf, for in its welfare you will find your welfare. — Jeremiah 29:7
God also told them to build houses, plant gardens, marry, raise families, and multiply.
In other words, plant roots.
Don’t spend all your energy worrying about when they’ll be pulled up again.
Instead, enrich the soil beneath your feet.
Every Christian lives on temporary orders. We are all “sojourners and exiles” (1 Peter 2:11).
Our citizenship is in heaven, but until our Commander calls us home, we are to seek the welfare of the place where He has stationed us.
That's what we are going to do here. We are going to keep seeking a church that will allow us to plant roots and serve the welfare of this city. And I'll try to be less impatient.
Besides, we've already found good mac salad.
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Great topic and writing, Ryan. Thank you for it. Having PCSd quite a few times, I understand the challenges of finding a church. I appreciate your perspective.