he moving van was barely out of sight when, faster than you can say evangelism, here came one of my new neighbors. I was a mess, and the house was full of boxes (memo to self: next time weed through the junk before the move).

Regina was full of smiles and friendly yakkity yak. I could see she was the one to turn to for directions on where to get my new car tags and a recommendation for a dentist. Soon she'd loaned me a book. Amazing, I thought, returning to the unpacking, she figured out I love to read.

A few days later my garage looked like a box factory when Regina showed up again. Could I use some help getting those boxes to the curb? Sure, I answered. Before long her 14-year-old was skateboarding my driveway with armloads of cardboard and packing paper. He piled them neatly by the mailbox, and voila!  the garbage people made them vanish.

And you know that parade of workers who show up right when you're digging into the task? Refrigerator delivery folks, guys installing the garage door opener, the electrician. Well, one day when I needed to be back at work, Regina volunteered to be the traffic cop.

Next, she brought her husband to hang paper curtains in my bathroom. (Yes, the moving industry has come up with these. Get 'em at your local home improvement store).

By the time Regina showed up to help me hang pictures, she could have sold me stuff I already owned five of. I was that grateful for her enthusiastic brand of neighborliness. Funny thing is, yes, she wanted to be my friend, but she also had an agenda.

Turns out Regina, bless her heart, is an on mission Christian. She lives out her faith by being genuinely helpful and also by sharing the good news of Christ with newcomers to our community. She considers it her ministry. She and her family have moved so many times that she knows the stress and can empathize.

So when a moving van passes her house, Regina smiles and thinks, yep, here comes somebody who can use my help.

She learned, of course, that she was dealing with a fellow believer (and, boy, did I enjoy being the recipient of her evangelistic heart!).

But, as an on mission Christian myself, I noticed something useful for the lifestyle I yearn to improve. I learned how vulnerable a person feels in the midst of a move. Belongings in total disarray. Money evaporating like crazy. Unfamiliar surroundings. Everything new and different. It's a formula for massive doses of stress-s-s.

In fact, its a phenomenon that experts study. According to The Journal of Occupational & Organizational Psychology (June 1, 1999): "More than 50 percent of relocators reported high levels of stress up to six months following a move." And Stress Medicine, a journal published by the Texas A&M University department of sociology, reporting on 17 life events (volume 13, 1997), showed that transitions such as promotions, beginning a new job and earning more income are right up there with a cross-country move.

The point is this: Positive events can be as stressful as negative events. We've all seen the lists that show the death of a spouse and divorce as nearly off the charts when it comes to stress. Caring people come to the aid of folks suffering through those negative life events. And, in addition to helping them through these low periods, they often find a chance to show non-Christians the love of our Savior and help them know Him, too.

But we also can discover abundant on mission opportunities when we focus on times of great happiness and joy in people's lives, because they involve change and change involves vulnerability and vulnerability can be a time of openness to new ideas. Transitions such as:

• Graduating from college

• Starting a career

• Getting married

• Beginning a family

• Changing jobs

• Moving to a new area

• Becoming empty nesters

• Retiring

We associate these mostly with cheers and hugs and handshakes and backslaps. Oh, sure, sometimes a job change happens because a business went sour or a downsizing occurred. And, becoming an empty nester means success as a parent (the kids have become independent and on their own, just as you raised them to be); yet getting used to a new schedule and a quieter house also involves some tears.

By and large, however, these life events are positive. They are milestones in our growth as human beings. And yet, by their very nature, these are times when we ask questions, search for meaning, look for direction. On mission Christians can help non-believers find the Truth during these times of transition.

The college experience is ripe with opportunity for accepting Christ.

Recent grads don't walk around thinking: Wow, I'm in transition. But they are, says Dan Miller, associate pastor of The Anchor, a Southern Baptist church in Seattle that attracts students and graduates of the University of Washington.

"It's a bizarre time. They've just come from being seniors, at the top of their heap, to entry level employees. They're thinking: I'm at the bottom again, starting over, just like when I was a freshman. Its humbling. And yet they feel buoyed by the feeling of accomplishment, getting through four of the toughest years theyve ever experienced. They feel confident but at the same time unsure. They're a crazy mixture of cockiness and profound insecurity.

"They've been blasted for four years with new ideas. They've been mixing with people of different backgrounds. It's a clash of cultures. A guy who had a strong faith in high school comes face-to-face at college with Muslims and New Agers and still other people who think their ancestors live in rocks. He can do the work of sorting through all that or grab the view that every religion is right, and they all lead to the same place.

It's easy for the college graduate just going into the job market to slip into the mode of worshiping money, thinking that's the goal, the measure of success. I have a Gen X bias that everything will take longer, so I don't expect this view to iron out until the person is well into the first job or even marriage and family responsibilities. But when on mission Christians come alongside, that college grad or new employee or newlywed can see Christianity through our examples. They can try it out for themselves. At that stage they won't trust a solution unless they've learned it firsthand, because the college experience is still so fresh. You can tell them the theory, and theyll listen, but the lesson doesnt sink in until theyve tested it personally. That's how I was too. Dan Miller

"While students are in college they can take big risks. They're being taught to question and search. They can believe one thing for a while, then try on something else for size. That process feels good, feels smart. When they get out, they don't feel so smart. They're out of the protective bubble, wondering about more practical matters like: Will I measure up? They fret. There's an element of danger. They're happy but scared.

"Now, lets put into the equation an effective on mission Christian, who can help a new graduate find his bearings."

"In the blink of an eye," writes Dr. James Dobson in his book Life on the Edge (Word, 1995), "this next generation will inherit the businesses, institutions and governments of the world. On their shoulders will soon rest the burdens of leadership and authority. They will pull the wagonload of humanity behind them." The psychologist and founder of Focus on the Family advises young adults poised on the edge of their future where they face critical questions about identity, career, life's meaning and, if they make the transition with a Christian perspective, God's will for their lives.

"What makes this period even more significant is the impact of early mistakes and errors in judgment. They can undermine all that is to follow.

A bricklayer knows he must be very careful to get his foundation absolutely straight; any wobble in the bricks at the bottom will create an even greater tilt as the wall goes up. So it is in life," writes Dobson.

Magazines for brides are now an inch thick. That's because the young couple—riding on a wave of romantic love and perhaps a hefty line of credit—is ready to grab and purchase most anything to match their joy and excitement. Jewelry, gowns, tuxedos, flowers, limos, trips. It's a heady time of self-absorption.

It's also one of the best times to introduce Christ. Engaged people want everything to be perfect, to get their marriage started on the right foot. And, although the non-religious world has done a reasonable job of promoting the importance of marrying someone to whom we are attracted physically and emotionally, only Christians and the Church will emphasize the place of Christ in a successful marriage.

This message is so important that many pastors use pre-marital counseling for evangelism (see "Saving more than just marriages" ). Often a couple comes to counseling because they want to use the church for their wedding ceremony and seal the deal through a session or two with the presiding pastor.

But, for engaged couples who are using the church only for tradition or to please their parents or for the grandeur of the setting, such counseling sessions may be perfunctory. We can support the pastors message to the couple that each should make a personal commitment to Christ.

Parenthood is jarring. Babies cause feelings of joy and fear and incredible happiness and sometimes overwhelming responsibility. The process of raising a family is complex and, just as some parents need occasional baby sitters, they also require help from people with answers. The manuals never measure up to the real school: experience.

Parenthood can also be brutal on the ego, but we can use this transition too, writes Philip Yancey in Church: Why Bother? (Zondervan, 1998). "Where can we take our minor scrapes and bruises, and our major fractures and gaping psychic wounds? We can go to church."

But church alone is not the answer. As on mission Christians we can encourage new parents not only to turn to God for help but to demonstrate a God-dependent lifestyle for their children. Consider this statistic: 88 percent of children who grow up in evangelical churches leave at age 18 and dont return, but the figure drops to 5 percent when the mother and father have been modeling their faith and are engaged in the harvest.

"The familys influence is greatest when the parents have a sense of Gods calling and can provide an environment where the children can see the reliability of Gods Word," says Richard Leach, manager of the family evan-gelism unit, North American Mission Board (NAMB). NAMB provides a resource, Family to Family, to help families live their life around Gods purpose. [For more information about Family to Family, visit the website at namb.net/family. To order Family to Family material, call LifeWay Christian Resources at 800-448-8032.]

What John Naisbitt wrote in his classic Megatrends (Warner Books, 1982) has held true: "The decline of American industry and the rise of the new information economy neutralized the pressure to centralize, and we began to decentralize."

Not only do employers transfer their employees to various field locations, but in todays economy it is common for people to have several careers in one lifetime. Job changes are inevitable.

Major Ivery De La Cruz, an Army chaplain sent by NAMB and stationed at Fort Leonard Wood, Missouri, helps soldiers transition from basic training to career assignment.

"The process is exhilarating but scary," she says, "because no matter how much military people anticipate and prepare for change in their environment, it's always a huge struggle to choose between personal priorities and commitment to the high cause of peace."

Young soldiers in basic training are stressed and searching for their foundations. At deployment they know they have to apply what theyve learned, so the pressure is on. There's a sense of excitement but also dread. They wonder if they're up to the next phase of their careers. It's a good time to share Christ, because they're open to ways to find strength. I can relate to this, because the Army has moved us too. Ivery De La Cruz When I made a significant career change, I experienced a greater openness in myself. I was willing to explore different options, to step out in areas Id never tried, to look at new ways to overcome old problems. I was highly motivated by a desire to achieve my career goals. I found a warehouse of courage I never expected, but I also found myself proceeding cautiously. The transition brought enormous growth. I can relate to others in the same boat. Gail Perry

Besides ministering to recruits and the personnel they encounter such as instructors and drill sergeants, she finds opportunities to share Christ with family members of service people.

"They know they've signed on for years of transitions in their spouses assignments, but they never quite get used to it. They're always searching for roots, and only Christ can supply them," she says.

U.S. Department of Labor statistics show that nearly one in five employed Americans moved last year. Most moves include an increase in job responsibility and income.

With unemployment hovering around 4 percent, want ads beg for more workers:

"Silicon Valley needs to fill thousands of jobs, both technical and non-technical ... "

"Tool-and-die workers are scarce near Toledo ... "

"Opportunities abound for telephone workers at the 20 customer service centers in Kansas City ... "

"Austins high tech businesses anticipate a need for 15,000 new employees ... "

A job-rich market is good news, but the whole process of personal upheaval is a mixed blessing. Theres uncertainty mixed in with the professional growth.

Karen Mitchell of Flint, Michigan, whose family has moved six times, always feels "weve been set adrift, free to explore new options but at loose ends too."

Pastor Mauricio Zarate, whose church is Mision Hispana El Buen Pastor (Hispanic Mission of the Good Pastor) in Beaverton, Oregon, says of recent Hispanic immigrants for whom the move to America is their catalyst for relating to Christ in a personal way: "Theyre in a new location, far enough away from their roots, out from under the influence of their mother and grandmother.

I met Rafael at the bus stop and talked to him less than seven minutes when he realized his need for Christ. He was new from Mexico. The key for many Hispanic immigrants is their curiosity to explore a personal relationship with God and to see for themselves what the Bible has to say, something they probably never did before they came here. Mauricio Zarate

"Plus old traditions can set in. Maybe they had prayed to the Virgin of Guadalupe, If you get me to America, I will go to a church and give thanks. So they come [to my Southern Baptist church], and I have an opportunity to talk about a personal relationship with Christ, a new concept for most of them. I say: Wouldnt you like to talk to God directly? And I show them scripture. They say Wow, Ive never been told that. Many of them accept Jesus Christ right on the spot."

A perennial optimist, author and humorist Barbara Johnson (Living Somewhere Between Estrogen and Death, Word, 1997) likes to say: "Pain is inevitable, but misery is optional." Some people welcome this period. Others dread it. The healthier ones view this transitional time as the fulfillment of their goals as a parent: raising their children to be independent, productive, self-sufficient, and if the parents are leaving a Christian legacyGod-focused. Many empty nesters say its a relief when their kids are out on their own.

Joe and Pam Estes waited until their kids were grown and out of the nest to move to Indianapolis and start a church. Joe spent his 50th birthday in seminary. They know the sense of freedom an empty nest can provide, and they encourage others to use that natural time in their lives to be on mission.

Like empty nesters, retirees can feel lost without their former routine of employment, or they can view this transition as an enormous opportunity.

Theyre looking back on decades of hard work, maybe with a measure of financial success, but a life without Christ can feel empty. It wasnt about the money, they may be thinking, but just what was it about? Some are also dealing with feelings of loss; their spouse may have died or their health may be failing.

Retirees may wonder: "How can I keep up with the world?" Technology can be overwhelming to older people. I know this from experience! My little granddaughter moves that mouse around on the computer and can do anything she wants to with it. So a way to draw retired people into the church is to offer classes on practical subjects like computer skills or even estate planning and writing a will. Marie Jester

Marie Jester, president of Womans Missionary Union at First Baptist Church in Paducah, Kentucky, hasnt retiredor even slowed down much at 69. But she can relate to the conflicts retired people experience:"They may be asking: For what purpose have I lived my life? and How can I still make a valuable contribution? We can show them God loves them for who they are, not for what they accomplished in their working years.

"When retirees do come to know the Lord and become a part of the church, I recommend giving them mentoring responsibilities and combining the age groups, so older and younger people can learn from each other. We have a contribution to make at any age."

Carolyn Curtis is editor of On Mission.