January was an exciting month of preparation and equipping for our first trip to West Africa. It was the most exciting and life-changing thing I had ever done to that point. This was the month that I really acknowledged...to myself and to Rick...where I felt God was leading us.
February brought much inner turmoil and continued struggle with the Lord. It wasn't a coincidence our church's 2nd Sacred Gathering was this month. I quickly came to my place of surrender to His calling for our family. We also experienced major change in our family dynamic in February as Olivia married Ross and moved to Georgia.
March and April brought lots of paperwork and doctor's visits as we began preparing our application for service with the IMB. We also celebrated our 11th anniversary in April which brought much joy and reflection about the Lord's provision in our marriage.
May finally arrived and so did our paperwork deadline! Woohoo! That was HUGE and felt like a giant weight was lifted right off of our shoulders on that 6th day....that's how huge it was...I still remember the date! :) But right after that deadline passed, more deadlines were imposed. We were knee-deep in plans for Olivia's wedding ceremony and planning another trip to West Africa in June. And we lost half of our family's income. God really used this month to continue stretching us and insisting on our reliance and trust in Him alone.
June roared in very quickly and, honestly, is kind of a blur. At least the first part of it was. But the wedding was beautiful. And once over, I had all of six days to pack and mentally prepare for West Africa. Our hearts fell further in love with the place and the people and our calling was never more clear than that week. Devastation hit my heart hard on our return home as I found out, en route, that my best friend Vicki had gotten news that her cancer was back.
July was an exciting month as we had been extended an invitation to attend candidate's conference. The four days spent in Richmond challenged us in many ways. What lies ahead for us was brought more into focus and, again, brought us to our knees.
August brought official word that we had been accepted for full-time service with the IMB.
September was pretty much spent purging our closets and attic (which is still in progress, by the way), and finally getting our house put on the market. Keeping it clean has proven to be challenging.
October was a busy month as my best friend Tiffany came home for a surprise visit and the following week I flew back with her and our team and spent a week loving on her and her kids and experiencing culture and life in her city in South Asia.
And November and December have pretty much been spent on much quality time with our family. Christmas was much lower key for us than in years past and the boys, I'm very proud to say, had a fabulous attitude about doing with less. That brings me great joy and hope that they are going to be just fine with much less in the months and years ahead.
These were the major highlights of our past year. But there were so many more joys and sorrows that time and space just don't allow. As I was reflecting, though, there was one specific memory from this last year that kind of sums up where I am today....full of hope about our future....full of sadness about leaving our past and our home....full of wonder at God's perfect plan. So I'll close this post and this year with that memory, some pictures and an excerpt from one of my journal entries from our June trip...with what is foremost in my mind today....West Africa.
6/25/08
"It is 6am and I've been awake listening to the wailing now for about 45 minutes. I think it started around 5am with the call to prayer. It has just stopped after an hour and now I hear talking. Are they praying? Or is an imam teaching? Lord, I have so many thoughts. When I awoke this morning, I was aggravated. I stayed up well past midnight and here it is 5:30 am and Rick is up creaking doors and turning on lights and brushing his teeth. I lay there stewing because he knows how much I am not a morning person ---- and then I heard it.
And it sounded like it was getting louder and louder. Such discipline. Such a chorus. So loud. And, Lord, it wasn't for You.
And I weep. I see You in my mind's eye hanging on that beloved cross. And I remember again how much YOU love. And I see you weep with me this morning.
Forgive me for my attitude this morning! Again, I wonder about your plan. I don't understand. There are SO many, though --- so very many --- that You LOVE --- and they are so lost in the sea of darkness that fills this place.
Lord, I don't understand --- but I thank You for the calling -- thank You for what you are showing me -- thank You for tenderizing my heart more with the things You love. I don't see it all but I'm beginning to get pieces to my puzzle. Don't stop, Lord. When I dig in my heels -- when I wake up with an attitude -- when I wander back into self-absorption -- when I forget momentarily -- Lord, I thank You that you don't stop tenderizing, shaping, molding me into something more -- calling me higher.
I lift up to You, Father, each of the voices I heard chanting this morning. I pray, Holy Spirit, that You would move among them like a stormy wind today. Shake up their insides and draw them to Your beautiful light. Lord, I pray that You would use my day for Your Glory....that I move out of the way and Your light shines bright this day."
This is also my prayer for 2009.
3 comments:
I love the pictures. Hits home in so many ways. Thanks for your support. It hasn't gone unnoticed. I look forward to reading about the awesome things He will teach us all.
I've just not found the time to sit back and read your entire post. I am in awe that you have been called to this service in Africa and more than that, you have accepted that call. I think a lot of us are out here feeling a tug of some sort, but not able to put our fingers on what it is exactly that God wants us to do, where he wants us to do it. I do look forward to keeping in touch as you begin this new journey in your life. Thank you for sharing thus far.
obviously I don't use spell check either, so please overlook my errors. lol
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