EEEEEKKKKK!!!!

So earlier this week I was sure I was having a panic attack and getting an ulcer from the stress. I kept looking at the growing pile of packages that were coming in to deliver and wondering if we were ever going to be able to fit everything!

This is just one delivery!!!!

I did everything in my power to procrastinate from packing: got in a car accident, painted more paintings, wrapped presents, shopped, etc. But I knew that if I didn't start soon, I may keel over from the anxiety. A dear friend took the girls for the evening so I could buckle down. 

First, I laid out all of our clothes. Because we will have access to laundry, I tried to limit what we are taking. However, you can see my pile on the front right.....And then it came time to  put it all in suitcases. I am so grateful the kids got new suitcases for Christmas from their grandmother! Finally, I took an inventory of all of the items we received and divided them among the bags, taking careful note of which bag had what.

I was quite surprised at how easily everything fit and with room to spare! I am so grateful because I was getting worried that we wouldn't have room for our treats for the Taylors. I got them purchased yesterday, and may have gone overboard, so hopefully the room is sufficient! 

And so we are here, on Christmas Eve, getting ready to celebrate the birth of our Savior with our Kenya Survey just two days away. Thank you so much for all of your prayers and support. We cannot wait to GO!!!!!

Anxiously Patient- Anne

"Wait patiently for the LORD. Be brave and courageous. Yes, wait patiently for the LORD." -Psalms 27:14

Time to Get Serious

I look at my calendar and there staring back at me is KENYA in less than two weeks from today. I know it is approaching quickly and I am so ready to go, yet...

My mind feels so consumed with making sure everything is ready for Christmas, doing art projects to raise more money for our trip, giving Ben time to finish our church's devotional for next year, and trying to keep up with life around me. I know I need to start packing to make sure we have room for all of the treasures we are transporting to the missionaries, I need to sit still and really wrap my mind around what we are about to do, I need to write out all of the questions I will want answered while there and what our goals for the trip are, I need to do more training with our kids to prepare them, and I need to figure out how we are getting to and from the airport! 

I'm not sure why I am putting all of this off. I don't know if it is because it means really coming to grips with what is ahead of us. Subconsciously I think I feel like if I don't accomplish these things, then the trip has less significance.  Not that I want it to have less importance, it's just that when I admit how important it is...it becomes a whole lot more scary. 

I'm excited to see my family at work in Kenya. I am excited for Ben and James to meet face to face. (They are going to work so well together!) I am excited to see friends from the summer again and make new ones. I am excited to see my kids playing with the Taylor and Strader kids. I am excited to get to learn from Kenya and hear her laugh again. I am excited to visit some of the churches again, work alongside the Kenyans and hearing them sing. I am excited to see how my kids react, adjust and fit in. I am excited to eat pojo and rice, beans and chapati, mahamri and taco Friday. I am excited to see Rianne's face when she sees an elephant out in the wild. But mostly...I am excited to hear what God says.

If you are praying for us, please begin praying now that God will be clear. If He wants us to go, tell us bluntly. If He wants us to stay, hit us over the head with it. The thing that scares me so much about this trip, is that I am equally afraid of both answers. If He tells us to go, then we will spend the next year raising support, separating ourselves from everything familiar, preparing to move our family into the unknown. If He tells us to stay, then what do we do? What was this for? Where am I lacking? Did I fail? 

I know God has this. I know that if we are walking in His will then we will be living the life He carved out for us. I know that it's not about me. I know that regardless of what happens, God will get the glory. I'm just praying that I can remember all that when the time comes for His will to be known.

Walking Step by Step, Anne

"This is my command-be strong and courageous! Do not be afraid or discouraged. For the LORD your God is with you wherever you go." -Joshua 1:9