Ever since the invitation came back in January to be involved with Abide Abroad (Hosted at a Christian camp called Proem in Poland) we have been drawn into discussions and thinking about what it means to live between two trees. How can we tell this story? We knew it was true. We encourage you to think this through with us. We live between two trees as described in Scripture. We had simply never stopped to think about it before being encouraged to readShane Wood’s biblical, thought-provoking guide to lifetransformation, as we prepared to be facilitators at Abide Abroad.
Where we live in North Carolina, we can look out our back door and see trees. We drive daily down tree-lined highways. Have you considered how your own life is shaped by your proximity to these two trees? Consider what it means to live between the Tree of Life in Genesis 2:9 and the Tree of Life in Revelation 22:2. Think about the importance of the tree of life upon which the Lamb of God was crucified which Shane Wood describes as “the true tree of life”!
Allow us to give you a taste from Shane’s book (page 18 from his introduction) “You see, the Bible ends where it begins, because Revelation 22 is the conclusion to an unfinished creation. Yes, Eden. But, more importantly, you. The new creation Christ longs to complete in you. And our transformation begins in a garden with the tree of life—just not the one at the beginning of the Bible, or even the one at the end. But the tree of life in the center of the Bible, the one suspended between heaven and earth and two trees: the cross of Christ. The true tree of life. Indeed, life between two trees is hard. And yet, between the two trees Christ dislodges the fruit of Genesis 3 to move us from betrayal to fidelity, from crucifixion to resurrection, from conflict to conquest. And it is in this collision of contrasts that humanity can live and move and people can have their being. Where both male and female can experience transformation from death to life—in Christ.” Now you will want to know more about New Testament scholar, Shane J. Wood, via his book(s), Substack as well as podcasts.
The invitation to help with the ABIDE Abroad in Poland, an encouragement retreat for global workers organized by TRAIN International, came with multiple challenges. Jill and I would need to raise our own support. This was a “mission trip” during which we would “pour into” 80 participants from 16 different countries and give them encouraging experiences, Bible classes, times of counseling, play, worship … The greatest challenge came with the sweetest benefit. Drawing from the book, “Between Two Trees” by Shane Wood (not an easy read), we walked each participant through practical themes: Identity (discovering what it means to be a TCK), Paradox and Story (learning how to tell your story using the growth rings of a tree), Grief and Loss (learning to chronicle loss and write a lament) and the Importance of Good Goodbyes(preparing to return to the real world of service). Working alongside a capable team, Jill and I worked with a total of 29 Third Culture Kids from multiple countries. We were blessed to use an exceptional curriculum written by Ian Worstell, the TCK specialist from TRAIN who was not able to help with the retreat this year as his wife was very close to the delivery of their second child! We were overwhelmed by the quality of the 18 other volunteers with whom we served as well as the 80 participants.
