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.
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