Good Goodbyes

As the goodbyes are ramping up, we are realizing just how hard it is to say goodbye. It’s not just the act of telling people we love goodbye because we’ll miss them, but goodbye seems so permanent and we are learning that most of us humans have a hard time with that. Even when saying goodbye to people we know we’ll never see again and we’re ok with that, we still find ourselves saying “see you later” even after we’ve tried to say goodbye. It’s an interesting aspect of our human nature. Continue reading

Merry Christmas!!!

Christmas Card 2015One of our family values is making the Christmas season about more than gifts. This year, Adalyn was able to enjoy the festivities with us and we decided to give to people within our community. Continue reading

Love just one…

A few months ago, we had lunch with some friends who are doing amazing ministry with the homeless community in Boulder. They are missionaries, serving in their community, so I feel blessed to learn from them. Our conversation still comes back to me and is a daily reminder.

We were talking about how easy it is to get overwhelmed with the need and desire to serve everyone, to minister to everyone, to love everyone. Continue reading

“Are you excited?”

That has been the question most frequently asked. And I hesitate every time e1e42101c4a1d59e2862501b9d612995it’s asked. While I know God has called us to Uganda and He has been incredibly faithful and affirming to lead the way for us, our team is excited and encouraging about us coming soon, and we have so many people praying for us on a daily basis, I am still processing through all that it means for us to move across the world… Continue reading

What’s next…

Ants in the Sugar Bowl by Elizabeth Givens

So send I you
   To ants in the sugar bowl,
   To things that fly, creep and crawl into the house,
   To uncertain water, sporadic electricity.
   To long hours, sweltering heat, exhausting days,
   To uncomfortable vehicles, crowded jeeps, smelly buses.
   To noisy early, early mornings,
   To rice, rice and more rice.
   To poverty you didn’t believe existed,
   To masses of people like you have never seen,
   To know and work with people who have never known comfort,
So send I you, and I expect you to adjust.

So send I you
   To people who will give to you from their poverty,
   To friends who will embarrass you with their generosity,
   To pastors who will entertain you from their lack, with beauty.
   To hungry, receptive, questioning people who want to know God,
   To study, to teach, to learn from your study and teaching,
   To prove your own motives, values and beliefs,
   To learn about yourself and the culture that has reared you,
   To know God and to understand more deeply dependence on Him,
So send I you. Are you going? I’ll go with you all the way.

Continue reading

On to cultural training…

IMG_4544We have said our “see you laters” to our friends and family in the Boulder area. We have packed our stuff and loaded our car. We have sent Jezebel back to Texas with Leland’s parents until we return from training. We have been so blessed by our time here. It has been IMG_2516so encouraging to reunite and build new relationships with so many loving and caring people. Continue reading

God makes ordinary extraordinary

As most of you know, we are normal people with every day struggles, strengths and weaknesses. If you know us well, you are very familiar with our weaknesses, but still love us. We realized very early on in this transition to become missionaries in Uganda that we are not special Continue reading

I fail… but it’s okay

10885449_10152901588298068_494170759727048095_nI don’t know about you but there are times as a mom of a toddler that I feel like I’ve failed. Unfortunately, more times than I want to admit. I only have one child, a little girl, but she’s enough. Leland and I were married 8 years before Adalyn was born so we remember very clearly what life was like before we had a kid. We remember how easy it was to go out on a date, to meet friends on a whim, to get ready in the morning, to run errands whenever we wanted, to live life fairly uncomplicated. And then we had Adalyn… And while we absolutely adore her, life is different and life is sometimes hard. Continue reading

Where is home?

We currently call Colorado our home for the next few months while our stuff resides in Mesquite, Texas with Leland’s parents. We didn’t anticipate all that it entails to be in transition and “homeless.” We are blessed with people who love us and allow us to stay with them, but not having a place to call our own has been challenging. Continue reading

Continuing the transition…

We have made the second move, this one to Colorado for 3 months. It turns out that each transition is a little more emotional because it means we’re a little closer to officially saying “see you later” to so many wonderful people, and I’m not emotionally ready for those moments.

11745707_10153133109343068_4981520599443161917_nAs we were overloading our vehicle for Colorado, I was thinking about our move to Uganda in January and Leland reminded me “That’s something for another day. We have enough to worry about right now.” And we were reminded of what Jesus assures us on a daily basis in Matthew 6:34…“Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.” 

While it has been an emotional journey, Continue reading