We will fly out of Louisville, Kentucky on Tuesday, December 6th at 12:30pm!
After a full year of fundraising, we are seeing how valuable the process was in not only confirming our calling, but reminding us of WHY we are doing this. Why we sold our house, quit our jobs, sold our furniture and most of our 'stuff' and pulled the kids out of school. Multiple times during each of these 52 weeks, we have shared the story of lives that have been changed in and around Fort Portal and how we long to be a part of it.
We are one week into this four week missionary training and have learned so much. One of the major themes of the month is the idea of PARADOX. What does that mean as it applies to a missionary? It means that one event can cause a range of thoughts and emotions in us. It is absolutely exhilarating to have purchased airfare. But it's also incredibly heart wrenching because it means there is a countdown to the day we fly away from so many people we love. Personally, I'm not a crier. But the day after we booked our airfare, I cried multiple times from being so grateful, then multiple times from being sad to leave special people in my life who I won't see for possibly 2 years! It's SO very real, now that we know the date we are leaving.
I think sometimes people who aren't called to an overseas mission field look at those of us who are and assume it's easy for us to leave people. It's not. There is much sacrifice in it. It is harder than selling belongings and quitting good paying jobs. It's painful and raw and makes us feel like we need to apologize for following what God has for us. The reality is that those who love us are hurting, too, and probably much more than we are. They aren't feeling the call. They are wishing God wasn't calling us away. I know that God's will is always better than ours. He has reasons we cannot always understand in the beginning. But in time I am confident that His blessing will come not only to us as He works through us, and those who watch us go.
We ask that you would pray for the following...
- Adjustment for our kids. They have been through SO many changes lately and we technically are homeless. Pray our kids feel the stability of a temporary home because we are together as a family at this beautiful training grounds.
- Processing of what they teach us at MTI. We have 3 weeks left to learn more language skills, how to be effective with another culture, and how to healthfully transition our family to another culture.
- Sweet time with family and friends. When we get home from training we have 16 days to say goodbyes and finalize packing, shots, address changes, etc...Please pray that this time with those we love is special.
- NO COSTS TO OUR EXTRA BAGS. We have 5 too many bags and the cost for each of them is astronomical. There is a possibility they could waive this. Would you pray Delta/KLM would waive our extra baggage fees?