By now the word has gotten out: Heidi Barry has taken over the job of editing Christiana. But there's so much more to the story! We knew you'd want to hear the details. So sit back, relax, and enjoy the behind-the-scenes story of The Transition.

Rachel: I don't want to tell you the whole story quite yet. Rather, I’ll just "salt the oats" for when I can tell you all the little bitty important details. This story is very long, complex, and in my opinion, quite incredible and beautiful. So here is my very meager attempt to put it into one short little paragraph. (I will tell you the whole story when I get back from Asia in September.)
In January, I signed up to go on a missions trip to Eastern Asia with People Link Inc. I had heard about this ministry from Jeremy, a close friend of our family, who was going over to Asia on a one-year internship. Because of my close friendship with him, I originally didn't even consider going over to Asia. But the Lord had different plans, and in January both my parents and I received a peace from the Lord that I was supposed to sign up to go on the Romans 15 mission trip.

On February 17th (my 19 and 1/2 birthday), Jeremy, who is one of my best friends in the world, asked my father's permission to court me. As you can probably imagine, I was quite overjoyed! (That would be the understatement of the century!) I would love to tell you more about Jeremy, but I am going to make you wait. He has a very strong desire to return to East Asia for full time ministry. I am very thankful that the Lord has given me this opportunity to experience the country first hand and to see these people that Jeremy has come to love.
During this time I was praying about what the Lord wanted me to do with Christiana. Because of my courtship and the upcoming trip, my parents thought that it wouldn’t be wise for me to continue Christiana. The thought of ending Christiana made me cry. It had become so much a part of my life. But I was entering a new and very exciting phase in my life.

Heidi: While Rachel was agonizing over ending Christiana, I was agonizing over what I was supposed to do with my life. I kept coming back to the fact that I would probably really enjoy running a magazine like Christiana. But I dismissed the thought because it didn't seem like a possibility.

Then I found out that not only was Rachel going to be gone all summer but she was also entering into a courtship with Jeremy! What did the future hold for Christiana Magazine...and for me? I didn't know, but my dad advised me to ask Rachel what her plans were.
Rachel: I didn’t really know what I was going to do about Christiana. My parents were even suggesting that that issue (March/April) be the last one! I was hoping that someone else would be willing to take over Christiana, but I hardly had a bank account to transfer! I wrote Heidi and told her all this, secretly hoping that she might want to take Christiana over. (I was also hoping that she might let me continue to be involved with Christiana.)

Heidi: When I got Rachel's e-mail, I laughed. It was so amazing! An answer to prayer! I printed it off and showed it to my dad. He read it, nodded, and said, "Well, I guess you'd better tell Rachel that you'd like the job."

Rachel: When I got Heidi's e-mail, I started crying and ran to my mom's room to tell her. I was so excited! I couldn't believe how incredibly the Lord was answering my prayer. I knew Heidi was the perfect person for the job. She had a vision and a special excitement for the ministry that was vital for its success. I immediately wrote back and told Heidi that she was an answer to prayer, and that, Yes, I would love to have her take over Christiana. 

Heidi: I was so excited! I couldn't stop smiling. But I had so many questions! It didn't seem feasible to have them answered over the phone or on e-mail. But at the same time, it was the middle of the semester and I was planning to take summer classes. The idea of visiting Rachel never even entered my mind.

Rachel: I knew that it would be really helpful (and a lot of fun) if Heidi and I could get together. But that seemed impossible since she lived all the way on the other side of the country. But I decided to ask her anyway. 

Heidi: Spring break was the only time that I could possibly visit Rachel and it was coming up in just a few weeks. I highly doubted that my parents would like the idea. But when I mentioned it to my dad, he just said, "Well, let's pray for a good deal on airfare." That day I found an internet special on Southwest's website that was half off the normal price! 

Rachel: When Heidi wrote back and told me about the plane ticket, I realized that the days she was suggesting were days that I normally had to work. But the Lord again answered our prayers and my boss asked me to switch days that week. I would be working only Monday and Tuesday, and Heidi was coming on Tuesday night! Yippee! It was going to work! 

Heidi: As the time of my departure drew nearer, I became apprehensive. Even though Rachel and I were very close friends, we'd never met before! Would she like me? Would we get along? Would we be able to think of things to say? Was this going to be the longest week of my life? In short — was I making a mistake?

Rachel: I was also a little apprehensive; I had never met this girl! What if we just didn't click? But I was also very excited! Heidi and had become very close friends over e-mail and the telephone. I had a feeling that we would definitely be kindred spirits!

We had a blast! Heidi was just as I always thought she would be and we were immediately great friends. It was an incredible week. Heidi fit in just perfect with my family and my little sister Cali loved her! We really had a great week and I was so thankful that the Lord had allowed us to get together. 

Heidi: My fears were unfounded. I loved the Flemings and we had a terrific week working on Christiana, talking about Christiana, talking about life, staying up late, watching movies, going shopping, baking cookies, and eating all kinds of junk! It was great.

Rachel’s sister Staci got home from Excel that Saturday,* and on Sunday we threw her a huge happy birthday/welcome home party! Thirty girls came; we had so much fun! We made root beer floats, ate cupcakes, read silly Winnie the Pooh sayings, and at one point (I don't remember how it got started) we were all singing songs from The Sound of Music. 
Monday afternoon came all too soon. I was back on the plane for the five-hour flight home. 
Then the real work began!

And that's the story behind The Transition. I hope we gave you enough details to satisfy your insatiable curiosity — for the time being! If not — well, you’ll just have to wait until Rachel gets back from Asia.
 

* See the article “1312 South Ervay Street” on page 15 for more about Staci’s time at Excel.