Monday, March 21, 2011

Do you think we'll need this?

This, my friends, is a phase I heard or said many many many times a few weeks ago. Allison and I decided that it would be a really great idea to meet up in Jackson with our mothers and do one great big shopping trip for Africa. Now, in theory, this makes perfect sense. This way we don't end up with several of the same thing and we can have matching stuff and all that. However, when you start shopping for stuff for two people to live on for two year things quickly become a bit overwhelming. Not to mention that neither of us has been to Africa be so we have no clue what kind of things we may or may not what, need, or have while there. We were incredibly blessed by the Kysers who came along and answered many of our questions.
While the trip was somewhat overwhelming it was also a great time to just hang out and talk and prepare for what is to come. We may have accomplished more in that single weekend than we have over our entire college careers. Now it seems that we are in this very strange, mostly anxiety filled place. We have several boxes mostly packed and several more waiting to be filled and stuff everywhere it seems. This has however provided an incredible opportunity for us to lean of God more and more and to trust him and rest in his peace when life seems CRAZY.
This packing and preparing has also served up a large dose of reality that I am not certain either of us were really expecting, but once again I think it has been good. I know that my God is faithful and I can rest in that promise. At time the whole process seems a bit overwhelming, I feel that at any moment I may cry uncontrollably simply for the sake of getting it out. To this point however there have been very few tears (believe it not friends). I am so incredibly excited about all of this! I cannot wait to start this journey, but that doesn't mean that getting there is going to be bubbles and sunshine. BUT tomorrow we get to take all of the boxes covered in our names and infamous "R" Dinosaur and put them in a warehouse where they will leave from and be shipped to Malawi. Hopefully this will relieve an significant amount of stress from life if nothing else. All in all we're doing good, we have somehow managed to life here and prepare for there without dividing the two completely (which I was very concerned about). I am excited, I am terrified, I am inspired, I am scared and a host of other emotions, but I am looking forward to what God has planned for the next two years.

Until next time...
"Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for he who promised is faithful." Hebrews 10:23