A Blessed Whirlwind!!

We've been weaving

The kids attended a VBS with our French teacher, and had a lot of fun!

 Enjoyed great times with family!

We have been packing...which hasn't been terrible- BUT, when you have pack-rat tendencies, it makes for a little bit more work!  That lavender nail polish is a bottle that I bought and wore at my 8th grade graduation!

 French lessons continue

 3rd annual (for us) Cow Day at Chick-fil-A.  Humiliate yourself and receive a free meal with your own drink AND french fries!!  TOTALLY worth it!

 When the Georgia rains don't wash us out, we play futbol!.  Bruises, blisters and sweat, Oh My!

 The last of our vaccinations are done and our medications prescribed! 

We are at 39 days before departure and all is well.  God has been so good to sustain us in each day.  We have individually felt every emotion at one time or another, and as a tight family unit, that makes for a bumpy, grace-required ride!  We completed our packing for Africa, and with that comes a new level of reality! 
We really do believe that what we believe is REALLY real...
and yet, when we neatly pack our life into totes and line up suitcases to be packed for language school, it hit us like a ton of bricks...thankfully God is gracious, and it was more like being hit by a ton of marshmallows!
I had one day of overwhelming, indescribability- but God, in His word provided Truth and comfort for this time.  We are excited to have water filters, shoes, school books and cooking pots packed an on their way across the Atlantic Ocean.  We can again focus intently on learning to communicate the message of the gospel to people who have never heard!  The smiles of a 15 year old are a treasure.  The Joy of the Lord is our strength! 

"I can do things you cannot,

you can do things I cannot;

together we can do great things."  

                   — Mother Teresa

 

 

If you have attempted to 'follow by email' on Adventures in Availability and been unable, try one more time!  A dear friend has remedied the problem, so give it a shot and let me know if it works for you!  We are doing well- enjoying our days together and preparing in many ways-

We are so very thankful to God for each person whom He has brought into our life.  Coming together as people working toward a common goal, and seeing God accomplish His purposes is such a privilege.  May I have eyes to see how Mightily He is moving all around us in every moment!  We eagerly anticipate our departure date... and life among the unreached in Burkina Faso.

Mondays

In language learning, weekends seem to be erasing our progress!  We spent all day Saturday with French speaking friends which was great, and then Sunday in the big city speaking English, and by Monday morning, it's as if we were zapped!  One day off, and we are nincompoops!

Our poor teacher is greeted by blank stares and long pauses each Monday morning.  The need for immersion and constant use of new language is clear!

We are beginning in week 9 of French study and have 12 more to go...please pray for a mighty outpouring of ability, endurance and the confidence to use the skills as we learn them... Using new language makes you vulnerable and embarrassed and just plain tired!!

We are amazed by all that God has done and continues to do in moving this 'normal-ish' family to the other side of the planet to tell new friends about Him! 

Thankful for new friends!

But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.  Acts 1:8

Rejoicing with the angels!

Hallelujah!  We just learned that the man we referred to as David, whom we have shared photos of and asked you all to pray for... is now a brother in Christ.  We will be with David in glory one day... "before the throne of God and serve Him day and night" Rev. 7:15
Please continue to pray for this new brother, as well as those around him- that the aroma of Christ will be evident in David, and that many more would give their lives to Christ.  What a cause for celebration this is, and an encouragement to each of us to share the truth of Christ!  Let's invest time, energy and resources into others as God leads, and then rejoice together in the things that truly matter...like eternity and where we will spend it! 

  For He said, "In the time of my favor I heard you, and in the day of salvation I helped you." I tell you, now is the time of God's favor, now is the day of salvation. 2 Cor. 6:2

Fun!

                                   The girls have been drying mint from the yard for tea!

 

 

Jesse has built his first bow and arrows, and a sword with a deer hide handle.  The woods behind the house have been a treat for us all!

Thank you Lord for this home, the generosity of friends and your provision that we SO enjoy!

Letting Go...still

I sold my kitchen table this week.  We have gathered around that table sharing meals, playing games and educating about history, math and life. 
Aaron sold his tile saw.  A contractor without his tools.  "That's the saw I learned to cut tile on..."  Jesse said.

We have been preparing for so many days, and still, saying goodbye to our treasures, our accumulations and our identity, in part, is difficult!

If I don't keep my eyes fixed firmly upon the Lord and His leading, I can get caught up in grief or disappointment.  But I know that God intends for me to experience the joy of trusting in an Almighty God. 
Do I trust God? 
~I trusted Him enough to get married young, knowing that with God at the center of our marriage, we would make it.
~I trusted Him enough to move away from my hometown and strike out new in Montana.
~I trusted Him enough to sell our home in Montana (the last, best place!) and say "YES" to missions.

...and still, today feels hard.  Not because of anything specific, but because I am walking forward in the unknown.  Tomorrow is not promised, and yet I still use a day planner.  Each day we wake, exercise, study French, share meals, study French, clean house, study French, pray, study French...

 The passtime of a child moving to Africa!

 "Do I have eyes to see His face in all things so I'm not merely dazzled by the trinket, glitzy bauble dangling for the ogling, till it flakes and breaks and I strain for more to lie prostrate before?" 
-Ann Voskamp in one thousand gifts

Far Better Things Ahead

“What if, sometimes, there are mists and fogs so thick that I cannot see the path? ‘Tis enough that You hold my hand, and guide me in the darkness; for walking with You in the gloom–is far sweeter and safer than walking alone in the sunlight!

Dear Lord, give me grace to trust You wholly, whatever may befall; yielding myself up to Your leading, and leaning hard on You when “dangers are in the path.” Your way for me has been marked out from all eternity, and it leads directly to Yourself and home!”

~Susannah Spurgeon