Excited and ???

Yesterday I received the itinerary for our trip!

There are still 64 days left until I leave my comfortable home to meet some of the poorest people in the world.  I'm not really sure how to verbalize my thoughts at this point.  I am eager, anxious, nervous, excited, and humbled, along with many other emotions.

I can hardly wait to wrap my arms around the sweet faces that I see on my fridge each day.

I can't wait to talk to Simon and tell him how much we love him.  I want him to know that he is precious and that God has an amazing plan for his life.  I can't wait to play soccer with him and help him to see that although his mother is not present in his life, for reasons I have not yet learned, I love him like my own son.  I can't wait to hear his wonderful English as we talk about our own worlds.

I can't wait to see the beautiful smile of our precious Mary, who we have been privileged to sponsor for over four years now.  It has been a pleasure to witness her growth through pictures and letters, but it will be so much more real to laugh with her and see her face to face.  I am looking forward to learning more about her family, and sharing more about mine.

There are so many more details on this trip that I am looking forward to:
The beauty.  The hope.  Changed lives.  God's presence.

But I also know that I will be witnessing poverty at its worst.  AIDS, slums, sewage.  I don't know if there is a way to fully prepare myself for the devastation that I will see.  My heart is heavy just thinking about it.

And yet...there is a greater purpose in this trip than just seeing heartbreaking sights.  God is going to use this trip to change more lives, including my own.

This trip is something that I believe that God has been preparing me for since I was a child.  I do not know the exact reason(s) why a piece of my heart has always been in Africa, but I do know that I am supposed to go there.

For now, I believe that my role is to trust.  And listen.  And obey.

Even when the road ahead seems scary and uncertain.

Blogging...Again!

It has been nearly two full years since I wrote a blog post.  I think that I just ran out of things to say.  Or maybe it was more that I didn't "need" the outlet of blogging anymore.  It may have also had something to do with being busy.  I didn't have the energy to come up with interesting posts while also living life.

I was happy to close the door on blogging forever.  I had previously authored three blogs, which progressed through family photos and experiences, to sharing about Compassion, and doing product and book reviews.  I just needed a break after all of that.

And yet...

Lately I can't stop thinking about writing posts about Compassion.  I think God is using this season to prepare my heart as I get ready to travel to Africa this summer.  My head is a jumble of thoughts about the precious kids we sponsor, and also about the many kids that still need to be sponsored.

So it seemed only natural to write my thoughts down.  I hope and pray that you - the reader - will learn more about the ministry of Compassion.  More importantly, my desire is that God would use this humble blog to connect sponsors with children around the world.