Four years ago my husband, four kids and I left our life in small-town America, to do a crazy thing: live and work in a part of the world where Christ-followers are not always welcome. So I’m writing with a pen-name, although Kadie was a nickname I had as a child. Don’t worry, we don’t keep our faith a secret here, but we do need to tread carefully when it comes to how we broadcast our lives. We definitely came because we love Jesus. We learned later that we are here because He loves us. I’ll tell you more about that sometime.
This life has made me learn a lot about being misunderstood and remaining unknown. Before I began here, I was a pastor’s wife. I had my own business. I was pretty good at sewing, baking cakes and keeping house, and being the classroom mom. I prided myself in how well I was known to others. I wrote back then mostly for myself—I was too nervous to share it with anyone else most of the time, because I was afraid of being misunderstood.
Then we moved overseas and my mind was turned to a mess of learning another language and trying to haul groceries by foot, which meant writing was impossible, even if I started to think it was worth sharing.
Moving overseas and dumping your life on the doorstep of a strange land has a way of stripping you bare and forcing you to toss all of your honor badges in the trash. All the words that made sense to me at home no longer worked because I couldn’t even say “I need a grocery bag, please” without it turning into an international incident.
…work with words forces me to lean into Him.
Now that several years have passed in this new life, I can write again. And I am not so worried about being misunderstood, because miscommunication is part of my daily life now. I write now, simply because when I do, I feel His pleasure. This is not because I am overly pleased with my writing, but because work with words forces me to lean into Him. And oh how I need to lean into Him!
I write often from desolate places. Living abroad can do that to a person. Especially when I look towards home and see desolation too. What I share with you, I promise will have been born from lots of heart-work in His Word. My hope is that the thoughts here will push you closer to faith in Jesus and maybe a little closer to those around you who either already love Him, or still need Him.
Kadie McCaleb 