Actually Leaving

I don't think it hit either of us till just before we left for the airport. I took a moment to sit on the front steps of my childhood home and thank God for His goodness. As I've said before we've been waiting for this for a while and as I sat there thinking about the pains that came during the long wait I was able to see a little deeper into the blessing of Gods sovereignty. The wait was hard, but it has brought fruit and friendships that would be sorely missed had things gone according to our timing. A year ago I sat on my roof watching planes fly by wondering when I'd be trapped in one again, now I board one in twenty minutes.


-kyle

Our apartment is empty!

We moved all of our stuff into storage yesterday. We were blessed to be able to store it all in my mother in laws basement. Thank you MOM!!!

It's such a relief to have it done. We didn't get to packing until 5 days before we moved so it was pretty crazy this past week, lots of late nights and not getting to bed until 2am. It has been so busy the past few weeks, I feel like a haven't had time to breathe. Now that the move is finished we can just focus on the last minute preparations for our trip. We are still staying at our apartment though, it's very empty with lots of echo's.

We need to do a test pack tomorrow, which we've been meaning to do for a long time. I don't know how we're going to fit everything! I am not a fan of packing, I have a hard time deciding on what to bring and what to leave.

I am getting more and more excited, although it seems so surreal at the same time. In 5 nights we will be in Africa. Speaking of nights, I gotta go to bed, air mattress here I come!

Ann Marie

Schooled by Eugene Peterson

The way in which Jesus is the way is not a matter of style of expedience. Nor is it a generality, a vague pointing in an upward direction. Prayerfully and scripturally attentive, Jesus deliberately chose the way He would live. If we chose to follow Him, we must be just as prayerful, scripturally  attentive, and deliberate. The other ways are no ways.  - Eugene Peterson, The Jesus Way

The above quote has been taped to the inside of my apartment door since the winter. I was reading through Petersons book while Annie and I were in the early stages of praying about going to Mozambique. At that time we were still debating on a lot of the ways that the trip would "practically" affect us. Did we want to give up the apartment we love? What about money? What about stability, and our future? In all honesty we were thinking carnally and with our own "wisdom".  We were praying about it at the time but often our own worries drowned out our listening.

It was in that mindset that I first read Eugenes exhortation, and it hit me right between the eyes.  I was arrested by the Truth and there was no room left for excuses. Any fearful reasoning lingering around was suddenly striped of its validity. I must be intentional about the choices I make, and I must know the reasons why. To do otherwise would be to embrace an illusion of discipleship, and accept a counterfeit as good enough. I love how an encounter with truth can transform a landscape like that. How it puts everything into perspective and undeniably shows you the better way.

-kyle

Preparation

Things are starting to come together, we've been busy getting everything we need for the trip, and figuring out how to pack it into three bags. Packing for Africa is harder than other places I've been because we have to bring all our toiletries with us, often things like shampoo isn't readily available, or if it is its incredibly expensive. We're busy trying to see friends and family before we leave, finalizing all the other nuances of travel and moving all our stuff into storage.

 It reminds me a lot of wedding planing, there is always this part of your mind that is trying to think of what else you have to do, and prioritize it all. It works its way into most conversations between Annie and I. It becomes hard to turn it off, it becomes hard to focus on the spiritual preparation for the trip which is more important. Its funny how the pervasive "needs" of the seen push the needs of the unseen aside, yet we are to "persevere seeing Him who is invisible".

Above all the errands and to-do lists there is a looming sense of substantial change. It's both exciting and frightening to relinquish control over your life. To stop planning and learn to follow. To move away from monetary dependence and rely entirely on provision. To, as Jason Upton puts it, not know where I'm going because I've been blinded by the truth.

But past any of the apprehensions that may ail our thoughts there is the overwhelming certainty that the Lord is good, and what He has prepared for us is better than we could possibly hope for. This is the change we've been praying and waiting for or as I've often described, it's like walking up to the Jordan after so long in the wilderness. The realization of it caries so much mass that it takes a while to settle in and then it systematically takes your breath away.

This long hope of our hearts is upon us, and it's wonderful.
-kyle

Return To Mozambique

Well it's time. After many months, years even, of waiting on the Lord for what He has for us we are stepping out in faith and once again boarding a plane to another continent. On September 23rd, Kyle and I are going to Pemba, Mozambique! Kyle will be attending a mission school with Iris Ministries (the same school that I went to in 2006) and I will be on staff for the school. I never thought that I would go back to Mozambique. I didn't really even have a desire to go back, but one day this past fall Kyle informed me that he thinks he might want to go to the school in Mozambique. My first thought was “no you don't, no, no, no, you don't want to do that!” I really didn't want to go, but slowly and surely the Holy Spirit began to change my heart. Now I'm so excited to go and see what God's going to do in Kyle's heart during the school, and how He's going to use little me to minister to students from around the world and to the beautiful Mozambican people.

After the school is finished in early December we're going with some fellow students to Nepal on an outreach trip for 3 weeks. I am so happy to be going back to Nepal! Kyle and I went there in June 2008 before we went to India. It is such a beautiful country with the most friendly people. We're really excited to be going back there with a different purpose then just travelling. While we found it to be really dark place spiritually the first time we were there, we're really excited and blessed to bring God's love and light to a place that so desperately needs Him.

The most crazy part of all of this is that we don't have return tickets! We want to leave the door open for whatever the Lord has for us and be able to go wherever He wants us to go. We know from past experience that if you have a return flight you will use it. Kyle and I were prepared to go and do anything after our trip in India, but we had these expensive flights and before we knew it we found ourselves on a plane back home. Ever since we arrived back in September of 2008 we've been wanting to go away again. We've been waiting for the Lord's direction. It's also been really good to spend the first two years of our marriage in a familiar environment, instead of being newly weds in a strange place. But now we're ready and excited for the next phase in our life. I really feel like this is just the start of the next level that God has for us. So here we go!

Step 1: Mozambique
Step 2: Nepal
Please join us in praying about what step 3 is for us!

Other prayer requests: For the final preparations for our trip to go smoothly, for financial provision, and for an increase in faith and love.

Thank you and many blessings from our Father!
Annie