How long, oh Lord

How long, oh Lord, will you keep me in the Midwest?

That is the question that haunts my conscience every time I visit Oregon. I am a creation of the Northwest, of Oregon, and that is where I belong. I feel at times like an exile, like Ezekiel, a prophet of old, crying out in the wilderness. My heart yearns for tall mountains, clear streams and Douglas Fir. I miss pine trees and rain and moss. I miss home.

But Joplin is where You have called me, and I will not resist Your call. These are Your people too, and they need Your word, Your love, Your Son. I have taken a wife from the Midwest, whose heart is here, who's needs are my needs, and who's dreams are my dreams. And to her I will remain faithful. She is the love of my life, more beautiful than the Cascade mountains, more refreshing than the waterfalls that flow through the mountains of my home, steadier than the Ponderosa pines reaching for the sky in the forests of my true home. She is the love of my life, and to her I will remain faithful.

She is a child of the Midwest, to her family I will remain true.

You have blessed me to serve Your purposes in the Midwest, and I have seen Your mighty hand pouring out blessing around me. To You I will be faithful, oh Lord, for Your purposes are higher than mine, Your plan more perfect, Your desires more pure. To You, oh Lord, will I cling, in the wilderness of life.

How long, oh Lord, will you keep me in the Midwest?