A Quiver Full: Answers, All at Once!

Uncertainty. I hate it. I'm not good at it. It brings out the ugly in me. I thrive with a set schedule, routine, calendar, and of course, my beloved to-do lists. That's who I am. And sometimes, it's my greatest strength. But, sometimes it can become a sin issue for me. Because sometimes I love neat and orderly more than I love people. And sometimes I have a tendency to rely on my well-laid plans more than Christ. It can be a real idol to me and I am constantly seeking balance.

Of course, the Lord knows this about me. It seems like He's always calling me into situations where I have to die to myself in this area and learn to trust in Him. This last 18 months of paperwork and process has certainly been no exception. You know, I keep saying that the Lord has been so personal to me through this whole process and I truly believe He has continued to put me in situation after situation where I could continue to be challenged to trust in Him and not in self.

The last few months have been frustrating to me because our friends who are going through the process have been getting all sorts of answers about the where's and how's of their future. They've known details about their language learning, their visas, their dates of departure, their living arrangements when they get to the field, and a variety of other things which have been totally up in the air for us. We, instead, had been told that we would be able to freight a crate, then no, then yes, then no, then maybe, then yes. We've been told that we were going to an additional training for the months of Oct.-Jan., then no, then maybe, then yes. The process for procuring our visas has been a little iffy. The kid's schooling, because of the iffy timeline, has also been extremely uncertain. And the list goes on.

The thing is, it's not anyone's fault. It's been a variety of variables with each little issue that have made for a whole lot of uncertainty. And, as I already mentioned, I. don't. like. uncertainty.

Finally, after months of trying to imagine all of the possibilities and figure all of the variables, I just sort of gave up. I came to the point where I'd just laugh as each "maybe" phone call or e-mail came. Ryan and I would exchange looks and remind each other that we obviously didn't need to know the details yet. We'd signed up to go and that's what we were going to do, trusting God with the particulars.

So, in the middle of our time in Lancaster, the answers started coming. In the matter of about 48 hours, we got many answers that we had been waiting months for. It was confirmed that we were going to be able to crate, something we'd given up on several months ago. We also found out that our additional training in Canada had been approved, meaning we wouldn't depart for Africa until late January. It was confirmed that next year would be a homeschooling year for us, after all. And, we even found out for sure where we'd be living when we got there- with pictures even!

Needless to say, it's been head-spinning few days. All of this information sent us into a flurry of planning, organizing, and list-making (finally!) A crate meant that there were many purchases to be made. So, we shifted our remaining Lancaster days away from our original plans and instead, we purchased 3 years worth of socks, underwear, sheets, and shoes for 7 people at the outlet malls beside our hotel.

In the past 10 days we've ordered appliances, homeschool curriculum, a trampoline pit cover, and a variety of household goods. It's been crazy. A good crazy, but still, CrAzY.

Here's the thing. While it's been great to get so many answers and be able to make plans, we know that we must continue to hold them loosely. We know that our country assignment could change if there were to be security, safety, or visa issues. The possibilities are always there. But, for now, I think I'll just pretend they aren't.

Before I go, and return to the chaos that is ruling these days, let me share with you a few of the pictures of our house. I wish I could have recorded the moment when we opened the photos in the e-mail. Honestly, you would have thought that it was Christmas morning. After months of not having a "home," the kids were giddy. It probably could have been a mud hut and they would have been so excited that it was "our" mud hut. Anyway, here they are, I bet they're better than what you had imagined!

Here's the front of the house.

The backyard. This is rainy season, so the grass won't be green like this when we get there.

This is the trampoline pit. The kids have prayed specifically that we could find the right cover for it. Ryan ordered one today and we're hopeful that it will come in before our crate leaves next Friday and that we will be able to make it work when it gets there.