The Transition Bridge

I would have to say that I have a dislike of transition but as I have been preparing to go out into the field I've had to face quite a bit of transition. Although God has been teaching me how to be flexible and He has been very gracious in helping me through these transitions in my life. However, at times change and transition just isn't fun at all...it maybe from the fact that I had to move back home with my parents for the first time in 4yrs, the fact that I don't know my exact departure date because I don't know when the needed funds will come in or the fact that even though I am still here in the US my heart is in El Salvador. I'm learning the importance of the phrase "God Help!" that we learned while at SPLICE.

To help better explain what it's like to go through transition our trainers set up a "transition bridge". The bridge was made up of a few chairs on either end of the “bridge” and these represented the beginning and end of a transition. The giant bouncy balls in the middle represent the turbulent time of CHAOS .The chaos area is not stable and the hardest part of the bridge to cross. This was also the place were people most often people would reach out for help. I would have to say that I am into the CHAOS stage in my transition from the states to ES. It's during this time of transition where I need your prayers and support as I go through this transition.



As the kids and adults crossed the bridge we learned that there are many stages of transition and although CHAOS is the hardest all the stages are important. This is important to remember because sometimes we are crossing multiple "transition bridges" at the same time and we are a different stages. The stages of the bridge are settled:which is when you are still in your comfortable place and you have just begun your transition. Then comes Unsettling: This is where things start to change and you have less control, it can be a confusing, frustration and emotionally draining time. Then you shift to CHAOS which is the hardest part of the bridge, where you are forced to depend on God in the midst of uncertainty. Then you shift to Re-settling where you are thankful that you survived the chaos but still don't know what to expect completely but hopeful that you will become back to that settled stage. Finally you reach back to the settled stage.