I AM GOING TO GHANA!
After an intense period of seeking, praying, listening, hearing, questioning, doubting, and finally BELIEVING, I have decided to step out in faith. Elias is my son, and I will not wait another day for the government to tell me when I can begin parenting him. My heart is screaming at me to go and be with my baby now, and I am listening. If I'm going to be waiting, I would rather be waiting with him.
I will be leaving Michigan on Friday, February 22 and I will stay in Ghana, at the orphanage, until I can bring our little man home. It may be weeks, it may be months, but God's got this and I'm thankful that He's the one holding the pen in this story, not me.
I recently read the following words in the book Kisses from Katie:
“Every day we have a choice. We can stay nestled in our safe comfortable places. We can let fear of something that really is small compared to the greatness of God cripple us. Or we can take a risk, do something to help someone else, make a person smile, change someone’s world. Life to the fullest exists. It’s available. All we have to do is decide to get up and embrace it.” (Kisses from Katie, 101)
Friends, I am desperately coveting your continued prayers as I prepare to leave all that is familiar, safe, comfortable, and "home" and head out to begin a new adventure with a new little boy. This is an incredibly transitional time for our family, and we certainly value your encouragement as we walk through many major life changes at once. Tim will be transitioning into a new job at a new church while I am in Ghana, and I will eventually be returning as a stay-at-home (just till the fall!) first-time mom. The familiar things that we find ourselves clinging to now will soon be changed, but we are confident that in all the newness we will still see God.
Though the next couple weeks (months?) are certain to be bittersweet, I am confident that I am right in the center of God's will for my life and words cannot even begin to express how truly amazing that feels. I can't wait to be back on the rusty red soil that I love, beautifully overwhelmed by the rawness of human need and the wholeness of Holy love. I can't wait to be filthy, sweaty, and tear-stained with a baby on my back and 85 others by my side. I can't wait to sleep on a dusty mattress on the concrete floor, broken by the heartache that comes from entering the hard places, yet infinitely more aware of my desperate need for reliance, dependence, and submission. My prayer is that, each night under my mosquito net, I will rest knowing that I have completely emptied myself for the tiny boy who has captured my heart, only to be filled each new day by the One who created it.
We promise to keep you updated as things progress. You have been so, so faithful to our growing family thus far, and we cannot thank you enough. Here's to an adventure!