“I can’t imagine ever being as close to a group of people as I am to this team,” I wrote in my journal just after my trip to Peru in 2005. Between pre-trip training, first-ever flight experiences, eating unknown foods, sleeping in hammocks, and swimming in the Amazon, our team of youth had bonded in a special way. Of course, that team was together only for a short period of time, but I had tasted of something sweet and I knew I wanted more.
I’ve heard it said that “The best part of team is living in community. And the hardest part of team is living in community.” It’s true that living and working in close proximity with a community of people provides many opportunities for growth – but it is also a very rich experience. I work with a group of 7 other long-term workers and each semester we have new people come to the team for a period of 1-3 years. We currently have around 25 adults on the team. Fellowship, prayer, and accountability are all important aspects of our family-like community.
When workers first come to the field, doing life in team can feel like a significant adjustment, especially if they have been working and living independently most of their lives. But the bigger adjustment takes place after a couple of years, when people move from being part of a large, well-established team into a smaller team in their new location. The separation from the familiarity of the Launch Team can be a painful transition.
Abram experienced separation, too. We’ve talked about how, when he first set out for Canaan, he brought his nephew Lot with him. As their families and flocks began to grow, the land where they were staying wasn’t able to sustain both family groups living in such close proximity. So, they made the decision to separate. I’m sure this was challenging for both of them. They were still strangers in a new land, and Abram had already left the rest of his family. Was he now going to separate from Lot, too?
Abram’s approach to the separation is a beautiful statement of faith. Knowing that God had promised to take care of him, he gave Lot the first choice: “If you go to the left, I will go to the right. If you go to the right, I will go to the left” (Gen 13:9). Not surprisingly, Lot chose the lush, green Jordan Valley. You can see why he chose this land when you take the scenic backroads drive from Mt. Nebo to the Baptism Site of Jesus in Jordan. The beautiful strip of green valley is in stark contrast with the surrounding dry mountains. The valley contains agriculture watered by the Jordan river. (I’ll take the scenic route over the main highway any day!) Lot chose civilization, settling in “the cities of the valley” (13:12). His choice made sense.
Abram went in the opposite direction – into the wilderness. He separated from Lot, and God showed up again – promising that Abram’s descendants would eventually inhabit all the land he could see. He eventually settled near some oaks – and built another altar (13:18). Lot settled in a city full of promise. Abram settled in an oak grove.
The author of Hebrews tells us why Abram didn’t insist on moving toward the cities of the valley: “He was looking forward to the city that has foundations, whose designer and builder is God” (Heb 11:10). Abram was willing to experience the pain of separation and the insecurity of pioneering new territory because his eyes were fixed a Heavenly City.
Separation is painful. Our team members who move into new locations experience the loss of family, and each of us who stays experience the pain of saying goodbye every six months as we launch them into their new assignment. Yet the pain is worth it because we are not seeking to establish security for ourselves but rather to establish the Kingdom of God in cities where it does not yet rule. And all the while, we look ahead to our eternal home – a city designed and built by God Himself.