Thursday, July 26, 2012

Here We Go!



We will leave here in about an hour for the Birmingham Airport!  Please be in prayer for our trip to Zambia.  I'm very sad to be leaving my kids for so long, but trusting that the time away will be fruitful and will prepare me to be a better mom when I return.  We probably won't be able to blog on the trip, but I'll update everyone when we get back!  Thanks to everyone who is making this possible by helping with kids, finances, responsibilities, prayer, etc...   We are blessed to have so many people to love and support us!  Peace!

Thursday, July 19, 2012

Art night for Adoption!


You could be the proud owner of these wonderful works of art by Sophia Dixon :).  My friend Tesney is hosting an art sale to raise funds for Kate Hogeland's adoption.  Check out her family blog here.  The event will take place in downtown Northport in front of Ander's Hardware on August 2nd from 5:00-9:00 pm. There will lots of great art to purchase AND activities for the kids!  It will also be Art Night at Kentuck so you can make a night of it!  Fun, great art and a great cause.  Don't miss it!

Wednesday, July 18, 2012

Kind of a big deal

I've been sitting here staring at a blank screen for a while now.  I've been trying to figure out a cute or funny way to announce to our friends and family that we're thinking about moving our family of 6 to Ndola, Zambia.  Africa.  


Because we are.... thinking about it.  Praying about it.  And I now realize that there really is no cute or funny way to break that to people - because it's kind of a big deal.  It's crazy and confusing and scary and exciting. But, because it's something that we feel like God has placed in our path at a very specific time and in a very specific way.... we have to think about it.  We can't not pray about it.

At the end of June we became aware of the opportunity and balls suddenly started rolling.  Balls started rolling so fast that at times I felt like I was running after the balls like a frantic little child.  Like I was chasing them and just trying to catch up to them so that I could pick them up, hold them, and throw them wherever I wanted them to go.  I like to think it provided some amusement for God watching me chase the balls like that :).  

On July 26th, Duane and I will board a plane to Zambia with another couple (dear friends of ours) to go check out the work in Zambia and see where we would be living should this be the path that God is leading us down.  Only He knows how the story will end.

We will be traveling with an organization called Wiphan and staying at a place called Lifespring Farms.  We could potentially be involved with both organizations.  They both do amazing things for women and children in Ndola.  Click on the links to check them out! 

Please pray for us as we seek to have more discernment and wisdom than we have ever needed in our lives.  We've been in a house we love (built by Duane) in a community we love (built by God) where we are surrounded by people we love for less than a year now.  Not. even. a. year. people.  We know God called us here and we worked very hard to get here.  So when I say that it's confusing that God might be calling us away from that.... I mean it is REALLY confusing.  But, we've also been about the business of being open to where God calls us long enough to know that MOST of the time it will not make sense to US.  So, we're flying to Zambia.  We may hear God say, "No" or "not yet".  We may hear a resounding, "Yes".  Maybe for some reason He wants us in Zambia for four days at the end of this month.  Maybe He wants us in Zambia for four years.  Or forty.  It's not for me to know.  It's just for me to be willing to follow Him in any of those plans and down any of those paths.  Because in the end I want to be on the path that leads to Him.

**If you're reading this and feeling upset with us that you're finding this out on our blog - I beg you - PLEASE don't be.  It has all happened SO very quickly at a time when we have so very many other things going on in our life - not to mention 4 crazy kiddos. Making phone calls is not one of my spiritual gifts right now.  Just know that this is how MOST people are finding out.  It's not preferable, just necessary!

Again, please pray for our journey.  And we're ok with you thinking we're crazy, as long as you know the fountain from which our insanity flows!