Well, we had a whirlwind trip up north this past month. We went to three different states and stayed in seven different places over the course of three and a half weeks. Talk about exhausting! But we had such a good time (the kids did great!) seeing several members of Brent’s family and a handful of good friends that we made during our time at Moody. The last place that we were staying was the home of some really close friends who are heading to Asia-Pacific this summer with MAF. Spending time with them was so encouraging because they are facing many of the same challenges that we are right now – raising the rest of their support, getting paperwork handled in order to move to their country, and tackling the overwhelming task of figuring what to take with them. That really lit a fire under my seat as I had been so focused on making the transition with Luke that I had been “forgetting” our upcoming move across the world. So we came home with a list of things to juggle: we need to meet with so-and-so for support raising, we’re presenting at this church this Sunday and this small group that Tuesday, our passports need to be scanned and emailed, we need to get immunizations, we need to purchase clothing for the kids for four years (!!), we need to get beds that the kids will fit in at 8yrs, 6yrs, and 4yrs not 3yrs, 2yrs, and 3mos, we need to bring enough but not too much and then arrange a container shipment that will take 2-3 months to arrive at our new home. Good grief, it’s a wonder I sleep anymore. PLUS, we have three kids under four. Brent told me to hire a nanny – I went to the grandmas =). Hopefully, something can be arranged soon so I can sit down and work for a couple hours without having to get up every five minutes to change poop, get water, or nurse a baby.
BUT – God is good and he is faithfully providing more and more support and when our opportunities to share our ministry seem to dry up, he opens a floodgate of new avenues. He is still on the throne and in the midst of this chaos I know he offers rest because ultimately he is in charge of our circumstance. So we keep plugging away at this mountain of “to-do’s” and he keeps re-energizing us either through sleep or through brothers and sisters in Christ who encourage us through their excitement for what he’s doing with us (the best way!). We have 130 days until we’d like to leave and even though it seems impossible at this end, I think we just might make it! Oh, and check out the picture of our new home in Goroka, Papua New Guinea!