In the Beginning

A good story ought to be good from the very beginning.

It has always amazed me that, despite all our planning and devising, it is never the planned or devised plan that determines our way. In fact, it seems as if the most random events, the most unbelievable characters, and the most eccentric circumstances establish our course. Our planning sometimes feels like a by-product of our lives' haphazard activities.

Neither Melissa nor myself even half-expected to be in the position that we are in today. Naturally we might have expected to be married at some point; we might even have expected to be on the field.

Yesterday I was driving a golf cart down a wooded path when a stick unexpectedly got caught in my front left wheel, spinning upwards. The stick struck me about two centimeters above my left eye, causing a bit of bleeding and a rather puffy eyebrow. There was no time for me to react in order to miss the stick. Sometimes in life we cannot avoid such things. There is no reaction time to allow for us to accurately plot our course. All we can do is keep driving (once we've received the necessary medical attention required).

Meeting Melissa was by no means a painful occurrence. It was, rather, one of the most significant events of my life. For those of you who know our courtship story, you can certainly attest to the fact that neither of us could have planned or prepared for it. But we could prepare for each other in a different way. Melissa spent a great deal of time with friends and mentors who encouraged her to follow the leading of the Father and to wait for His will to direct her path. I went through a similar process. The short story is that we began dating in January, felt called towards marriage by April, and tied the knot in August. All along we felt a call upon our lives to Cambodia. And that's where we are today.

Life is full of surprises--I believe even every day. To say I was surprised by that stick-to-the-eye incident would be an understatement. And I have been surprised by many things, even today. I think marriage is helping both of us recognize those things more often. I think we are enjoying it, too. If one lives under the notion that today is an adventure, that person is much more susceptible to believe that this present moment is a gift.

We began this blog to help others see into our lives a bit deeper as we prepare throughout the year before departing for Phnom Penh next summer. But this really is not about our story, or its beginning. We are caught up in a much larger epic, and we are quite content with that reality. We hope that any words spoken here will encourage others to see themselves within the scope of the story of the Shepherd.

So if you are reading this little thought and know us well, we wish to say thank you for your friendship and for your support. Some of you have been supporting us for a great many years. Some of you have poured out your love and your wisdom and your resources immensely out of a strong commitment to us and out of obedience to the Son. Your example challenges us to do the same for others.

If you are reading this and you know us only in passing, or possibly not at all, then we wish to say thank you for your interest and we gladly welcome both friendship and support from you. It is our hope to grow deeper in relationship with each one of you.

Above all, our hope is that we would humble ourselves daily and simply follow the commands of our great Father.

-Ryan