The timing will never be right...

I love the beginning of a new year - the promise of changes, the promise of hope, and the promise of more memories to make with those we love. But this year has started off with a lot of one thing...
CHANGE.

God has laid it upon our hearts to make it back to Mozambique this summer as residents. We prayed about what to do when God called us, and we reached out to those who have walked along side us, and asked them to join with us in praying about what to do. Ultimately, we heard God's voice loud and clear, and everyone who prayed with us told us to just GO! We committed to leaving the end of June or early July, and this dream we have been working towards for so long suddenly became a reality. And then something unexpected happened...

As we all have noticed, oil & gas prices have been dropping quickly and quite dramatically. I was really enjoying filling my gas tank up for less than $20, until Phil's new job started to cancel jobs locally and out of town. We both knew there was a possibility that things would slow down due to the drop in oil, but we never expected the worst - yep, lay offs. We both have always trusted that God would take care of us, and trust me when I say, He truly is. But Phil did come home from work on Tuesday with a letter that said he was being laid off, along with about 100 other employees.

As Phil began applying for new jobs & working on updating his resume, my job has been so stressful and difficult for the last few weeks. Child protection is no joke, and you really have to believe in what you are doing & be willing to make sacrifices to do the best work you can do. I've been working at least 60 hours each week trying to catch up with my ever growing caseload, and for the most part, I'm barely keeping my head above water. So while I've been throwing myself into my work, Phil is looking for new opportunities, and Jadon is caught somewhere in the middle of it all.

So many things in this life distract us from what is the most important. My top 3 most important priorities in my life are: 1. God 2. My husband 3. Jadon. There is no room for me to make worrying a priority, or let doubt creep into our hearts. Stress is plentiful in this world, and we know that each day has enough problems of its own.

Putting our own "problems" in perspective is also the fact that there is horrible flooding in Mozambique right now, and friends & family have already reported how desperate the situation is becoming. Food is expensive and scarce, and the electricity is still out. There are roads that have been washed out, food plants have been shut down due to no electricity, and there are 150,000 people that have been force from their homes.

Even though the timing is horrible in our eyes, and it seems as though there is yet another obstacle in the way of getting back to Mozambique, I think God will take this situation and make all of these circumstances work for the most amazing outcome we could never have imagined. We know that God is present in Mozambique and know He can do great things in the midst of this storm. We trust that even though the timing is off, and we have to have more FAITH to carry us through the troubles & doubts, God will make a beautiful story to tell.

GO - GO NOW

Our family has been planning for a future in Africa for almost 6 years now. Building an orphanage was the single most frightening journey we've ever been on, but it has always been a dream set in our hearts by God. I can't believe how much time has gone by since the very beginning of this adventure. There have been so many triumphs but even more frustrations. We've experienced moments of pure joy & peace through out the process, but we continue to be confronted with challenge after challenge that we can't seem to overcome. We have numerous family members & friends in Mozambique who have exhausted every connection and favor to try to help. But now, we know that there is a reason this is not working - we were called 6 years ago to GO, and for some reason we thought we had to do this is in a well thought out, logical way. When God asks, you take a step of FAITH and GO. God will figure out the rest.

When God calls us as people of faith to go do something, we should have faith to do what He has asked and then trust that He will figure out all of the details. I happen to be a very controlling personality who likes to have a plan and then put that plan into action. I don't go on vacation without making a list and a loose itinerary. I have to know - to some degree - what's next! I want to be prepared for all the adventures. However, I think being in child protection has caused me to be overly concerned about having a plan for everything. This happens to zap some of the fun and excitement out of the unknown. And, I believe this is another reason why God has been moving us to a place of accepting our calling more seriously, with a sense of urgency.

To put it simply, it's time for us to GO. We don't know how, but we are willing to GO. Laura & Jadon will go first, and when Philemon is finished with his degree, he will come, too. So June 2015 has now become GO time!

We've truly been praying about this and feeling God pulling at out hearts to just GO for well over a year now, and possibly longer. But we weren't really listening with our hearts. Our heads were trying to be logical and plan and have results of some kind in Mozambique before we picked up and left. But between my mom and a family friend, both said if God calls, then GO - He will figure out the HOW piece. We'll need to raise support, figure out the logistics and needs, and we'll need partners willing to walk along side us, both spiritually & financially. But God's got this - and we know He will direct our path. We will certainly share more details as they come. Please pray for us as we dive in head first and GO!