TWO YEARS TO GO
First day over, it felt so long.
Could the decision I made possibly be wrong?
My vision blurs, my mind is jarred,
I never imagined it would be this hard.
I miss my friends, I miss what’s gone,
But most of all I miss my mom.
I start to doubt, fear floods my mind.
Two years is a very long time.
I'm overwhelmed to take it all,
Slowly the tears begin to fall.
It’s all too much, I wanna go home.
I feel so afraid. I feel so alone.
But then I glance at the tag on my chest.
I notice something I must have missed.
I tiny detail I hadn't known,
Christ's name is placed below my own,
For he's always there to bear us up.
He knows, He drank our bitter cup.
My faith returns, the tears don’t flow.
First day down, two years to go.
Four months in, first movecall gone.
I can’t believe how fast it’s flown.
My body aches, I’m soaking wet,
It's still not time to go in yet.
I start to think how life would be
If I were at home with my family.
I'll get to talk to them in a bit...
But then I force my mind to quit.
Those thoughts can't dwell, I must be brave,
There are people out there! Souls to save!
I don’t know Chinese, it’s so hard to wake up.
I wish I were made of sterner stuff.
But I push that aside. I can't focus on me.
I've just got to change into who I need to be.
There's so much to do, so much to know.
First movecall down, fifteen to go.
Summer's gone, November is here.
It's already been a year?
I think I've finally gotten in to the swing of things.
I still can't believe I speak Chinese.
The times have been good, but some of them rough.
I give it my all, but is it enough?
I've begun to see what they mean by “the work”
Polished to beat shoes, white to grey shirts,
Yelled at by strangers, getting hit by cars,
I'll admit, there are times it still seems too hard.
Haven't really had a chance to relax in awhile.
Beat up, battered, and yet still a smile.
Always moving from place to place,
Leaving behind friends, it can be tough to face,
But I feel like I'm changing as time presses on.
I've become Elder Gluch, the old me is gone.
I am still myself, but that self has matured
From what I've experienced, from all that I've learned.
Responsibility, diligence, obedience and more.
I'm excited to see what God has in store,
For I still haven't learned all that I need to know.
One year down, I still get one year to grow.
I cannot believe my eyes.
My final movecall has arrived.
Did someone set the clock to fly?
What happened to the time gone by?
I'm not sure how to think or feel.
You must be joking, this can't be real.
I swear I just began my time.
Looking forward, Taiwan was mine,
But in the blink of an eye, that time is gone.
Is two years really all that long?
Now looking back, I start to see
The important things we need to be.
Worthy, obedience, and diligence taught.
Soldiers in the army of God.
Fulfilling our purpose to bring others to Him.
Never letting your light grow dim.
But I also look back, see my flaws on the path,
Regrets I wish I didn't have.
I was not perfect, I freely admit,
But I tried, oh I tried, and I did not quit.
I fell quite a bit and I lost my aim,
But Christ was there to dust me off and say, “Try again.”
There is one thing that I've come to see,
It isn't the tag that makes a missionary.
It's who we are and what we do
That makes a servant of Christ out of you.
And just because this tag will not be on my chest
Doesn't mean that I'll stop, doesn't mean that I'll rest.
For what you reap is what you sow.
My mission down and life to go.
