We Have Arrived!

Well, the long awaited time has come; we are at FPO (Field Personnel Training) in Virginia! This past Sunday afternoon, we finished packing up the house, designating items to different places, and locked it up for the last time. It was sad and I definitely cried. Waverly and I walked through the house saying good bye to each room and she added her own touch of blowing kisses to kissing the wall. As my tears flowed, Waverly kept assuring me, "It's alright, Mommy." We hit the road an arrived in Beckley, West Virginia in time for dinner. After dinner, we settled into our hotel room and stayed up until 10:00 watching a movie. The next morning, we slept until 9, went out to get breakfast, then took Waverly 'shlimming'. We left Beckley around lunch time and arrived at The ILC around dinner time. Those two days of travel were so relaxing and rejuvenating. We really did our best to enjoy just us three with no stress before we hit the ground running with training for the next two months. Pray for us over the next two months that we will be sponges. Please also pray for Waverly as this is a big transition for her. She will be going to 'school' five days a week and, generally, everything about the next two months is insanely different than anything she has known. In the meantime, we can be reached by snail mail at: The ILC Quad 6D 16492 MLC Lane Rockville, VA 23146 We LOVE snail mail!!:)

Crate Update

Let me tell you: I really didn't expect this whole crating process to be so involved. But I guess when you realize your home is in that crate, you want to be involved.

Anyway, we received an email yesterday telling us that out of the 500 cubit feet we were allotted, we used 496 cubit feet! What a relief! Yet again in the small things the Lord is providing!

Would He still be good if we had gone over our 500 cubic feet? ABSOLUTELY! But He extended His grace and now, we don't have to take a trip to Louisville to lug stuff back home.

Clutch. Again.

Potty chair: pott-ie or pott-y?

I just laughed out loud. The moving company is here, packing up our whole house. One guy just asked the other how to spell "potty". A little comic relief in an otherwise hectic day.

We thought, possibly, things weren't going to work out. We were scheduled to crate on July 27, which wouldn't be the best possible scenario considering we're heading out to Virginia on the 22nd. Then we were assured that the 17th, today, would be fine, then we never heard from the crating company. Then they just showed up on our front doorstep, almost out of no where. I was relieved and frantic at the same time.

But I'm used to that. You know, two opposed feelings at the same time. Happy and sad. Excited and absolutely terrified. If anyone asks, I'm always the more positive of the two and I'm am totally not lying, but inside, there is turbulence. It's not every day that the half of your house you didn't sell, is boxed up and shipped away, not to be seen for at least a year, if we're lucky.

It's definitely not every day that Chandler and I make life decisions drastically opposed to the life in which we were raised. Let's be honest, it's been pretty easy. We've both grown up in the same town, did the predictable school thing, attended the local university, and when we got married, not much changed! We continued to live in the same town, worked on finishing school, had a baby, yadda yadda.

Everything was "normal", it was all "easy" and "comfortable", except that bubbling underneath the surface was the call that the Lord had placed on our lives to be international missionaries. We both had it and were willing to do whatever and go where ever; it was only a matter of time. And now that time is here. And now our lives are anything but "normal" and "easy" and "comfortable".

We have an amazing future ahead of us, living smack in the middle of God's will, but we have to say "good bye" to a lot of things and people and our lifestyle and the ease with which we have done everything. Hear me though: We are nothing special. We are no more "Christian" just because we're going overseas.

I believe a lot of people think we are more holy or that we're "heroes of the faith". Listen, we're just two, young, terrified kids fulfilling what God has planned for our lives. That makes us no different than anyone else our age fulfilling God's will for their lives. Our life will just look a little different.

You know what the beauty of all of this is, though? God is sovereign and completely in control. We know that. We have to know that; we have to constantly remind ourselves of that fact. He chose us to live this life, He chose this time, and surrounded us with our families and friends. He perfectly orchestrated our past and has done the same for our future.

I learned something about myself today as I paced the house, wringing my hands, praying that the crate company hadn't forgotten about us: it's not that I don't believe in His sovereignty or that I don't think He knows what He's doing; I just don't see the whole story, I don't know His detailed plan and that's what makes my heart palpitate. It's been easy for us to say, "Okay, God, you want us to move our whole lives to Madagascar so that those who haven't heard will hear. You got it." It's been faarrr more difficult to surrender the details along the way. In those times, like this morning, I am constantly reminded of Philippians 4:6-7, "Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus."

And when I freak out about what's to come, I am reminded of John 16:33, "I have said these things to you, that in me you may have peace. In the world you have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world."

And when Satan sneaks in and tries to hold me back, I think of the verse that challenges me to my very core, Luke 9:62, "Jesus said to him, 'No one who puts his hand to the plow and looks back is fit for the kingdom of God.'" He doesn't call us, or me, to "bury the dead", then follow Him. He calls us to drop everything, give it all up, let it all go, and follow Him.


These truths weren't spoken just for me and Chandler. 


Ps. The moving guys decided on "pottie", thus making my entire day. 

Shout Out!

So, we have to give major props to our favorite photographer (and designer!), Stacy Hutchens, owner of Wild Berries Photography in Louisville, KY!

I have known her since she taught my Sunday school class way back in 10th grade. That was a long time ago. I feel old.

I digress... She is married with an adorable little boy and incredible talent for "capturing the sweet wildness" of life. Truly. We love her. Not to mention we share the same "missionary heart", as her family spent a year (or two?) serving college students in Moldova.

We got our first taste of her awesome skillz (oh yeah) this past October for family photos.

Photo courtesy of Stacy Hutchens and Wild Berries Photography.
Wildberriesphotography.blogspot.com

In preparation for our service in Madagascar, we needed to have prayer cards made to give to people as a reminder to pray for us. Alas, another opportunity for family photos! I love family photos. I was super excited to work with Stacy, again, during our mini-session. Again, she did amazing. THEN, we asked her to design our prayer cards. Having never undertaken such a request before, I think she did pretty stinking awesome...

Photo courtesy of Stacy Hutchens and Wild Berries Photography
wildberriesphotography.blogspot.com

CHECK.HER.OUT! I mean it. Wild Berries Photography on Facebook and www.wildberriesphotography.blogspot.com. 

THANK YOU, STACY!!!

The Great Crate Conundrum

We had our crating consultation yesterday. Basically, the guy came and we told him everything we wanted to put in the crate. He entered rough dimensions of the items into a program on his phone and told us how much space we were taking up; we are allowed 500 cu/ft. Trust me, it goes fast.

We are able to fit our couch, love seat, mattress, box springs, bed frame, and Waverly's mattress; as well as, other less space-hogging things with room to spare!

But there are some silly rules about crating that we'll have to get worked out and that makes things a bit stressful.

Unfortunately, silly rules are the least of our crating problems... The guy had us down to load our crate on July 29. We leave for FPO on July 22. See the problem? We did tell him this would be an issue, so hopefully the crating company can work it out to have us packed before we leave.

Please pray, with all of your heart, that this issue will be resolved. I know it is just another of Satan's tactics to thwart what the Lord wants to do through us in Madagascar; he's going to make it as tough as possible for us to get there.

Pool Day.

No surprise here that I'm just now posting photos from almost a month ago...

It was 9:30 am, 75 degrees, and Waverly wanted to swim. So swim she did.

Happy, swimming girl!

Dancing...

... and singing to songs she doesn't even know.

Silly face!!

Even better!