It has been forever, but you guys... so much has been happening lately and hopefully I can capture a bit of our life to share with you. We feel truly blessed and just so full of joy that this life is ours. I really, honestly, wake up every day so thankful- wanting to soak up every moment I can with my two little loves and precious husband.
That does not mean that when my 4 year old collapses on the ground and wails for 20 minutes that he does NOT want to wear pants and he just doesn't know why a mommy who loves him would be so uncool (a real sentence from my child) that I am not tempted to grab a cup of coffee and hide out in the laundry room.
It could be that a sweet little girl living in this house has been reduced to tears because I cut her strawberries up for her (like I have her ENTIRE life) instead of letting her bite them.
We are such a mess y'all. Thankfully, we serve a savior who can use us just the way we are and guide us into the best version of ourselves along the way.
This summer, we had an AMAZING opportunity to go with our church to Africa. For as long as I can remember, I have had this crazy love for Africa. I know God placed this on my heart as a child and I have been praying about it ever since.
I could type a 30 page paper in all the amazing ways God confirmed for us this is what we were to be doing and then provided us the path to get there. Nolan is a teacher while I stay home with our babies. For right now, in this season of our life, it is import to us so naturally we have to make a lot of sacrifices revolving around money to be able to do this.
To be very very clear... this is in NO WAY a dig at hard working mamas, a cry for pity, or a "this is what you should be doing" stance. This is simply being stated so that God's awesome provisions can be fully seen. The biggest hurdle for me to wrap my head around was by far the financial portion of this trip.
I spent SO much time in prayer over the financial aspect of this trip after signing up. After two weeks of almost a nervous, anxious heart I was calmed and at peace with the prayer "God, please make it abundantly evident that I am suppose to be going, or very clearly shut this door for me." The next day, I got a call from the church that I was the recipient of the "golden ticket" in which our AMAZING Sunday school class had committed to raise the money to fully cover my way. I was blown away by how directly God answered my plea for assurance and how how faithfully our class answered.
Family and friends so selflessly, sacraficially and humbly donated for Nolan and I. We were overwhelmed by the help we received. I only hope we could be as responsive to God's prompt as all the people who so cheerfully made this happen for us.
I could list hundreds more ways the Lord provided for us but I will get straight to the pictures. I truly hope you can see the pure, tangible love, joy, and Jesus in these pictures.
Our (fabulous!) team prayerfully heading out
At Naomi's village:
At the safe house (where I left a huge part of my heart!)
Cornerstone Preparatory Academy
(Meeting Kelvin, one of the children we are lucky enough to sponsor)
...and saying goodbye *so hard!*
Praying, worshiping and celebrating the "ground breaking" on homes for these beautiful, faithful people
Safari Day
Just some of the other precious people we met along the way...
Obviously these are just a fraction of the moments and the people we met.
I cannot put into words how God used this trip shaped me, teach me, brake me, surprise me, and ultimately rebuild me in a way nothing else could. These cherished people have taught me more than I could even hope for and captured my heart.
I know I did not go into much detail as to all the events/places pictured, and that was purposeful. I don't have the words to accurately convey it, and it would take hours to write (and read). If you have any questions or want to know more I would love to chat with you.
If you are interested in sponsoring a child from Naomi's village or Cornerstone Preparatory Academy I would love to talk to you about what a blessing this has been in our lives and how you can do it. Here is a link to learn more-
https://www.naomisvillage.org/Child/SponsorAChild
You will not regret it!
Hugs and Love from our family to yours.
To be very very clear... this is in NO WAY a dig at hard working mamas, a cry for pity, or a "this is what you should be doing" stance. This is simply being stated so that God's awesome provisions can be fully seen. The biggest hurdle for me to wrap my head around was by far the financial portion of this trip.
I spent SO much time in prayer over the financial aspect of this trip after signing up. After two weeks of almost a nervous, anxious heart I was calmed and at peace with the prayer "God, please make it abundantly evident that I am suppose to be going, or very clearly shut this door for me." The next day, I got a call from the church that I was the recipient of the "golden ticket" in which our AMAZING Sunday school class had committed to raise the money to fully cover my way. I was blown away by how directly God answered my plea for assurance and how how faithfully our class answered.
Family and friends so selflessly, sacraficially and humbly donated for Nolan and I. We were overwhelmed by the help we received. I only hope we could be as responsive to God's prompt as all the people who so cheerfully made this happen for us.
I could list hundreds more ways the Lord provided for us but I will get straight to the pictures. I truly hope you can see the pure, tangible love, joy, and Jesus in these pictures.
Our (fabulous!) team prayerfully heading out
At Naomi's village:
At the safe house (where I left a huge part of my heart!)
Cornerstone Preparatory Academy
(Meeting Kelvin, one of the children we are lucky enough to sponsor)
...and saying goodbye *so hard!*
Praying, worshiping and celebrating the "ground breaking" on homes for these beautiful, faithful people
Safari Day
Just some of the other precious people we met along the way...
Obviously these are just a fraction of the moments and the people we met.
I cannot put into words how God used this trip shaped me, teach me, brake me, surprise me, and ultimately rebuild me in a way nothing else could. These cherished people have taught me more than I could even hope for and captured my heart.
I know I did not go into much detail as to all the events/places pictured, and that was purposeful. I don't have the words to accurately convey it, and it would take hours to write (and read). If you have any questions or want to know more I would love to chat with you.
If you are interested in sponsoring a child from Naomi's village or Cornerstone Preparatory Academy I would love to talk to you about what a blessing this has been in our lives and how you can do it. Here is a link to learn more-
https://www.naomisvillage.org/Child/SponsorAChild
You will not regret it!
Hugs and Love from our family to yours.
Blown away by your hearts and faith....What a mighty God we serve! And what amazing friends He has given us in you. Thank you for your stories and photos of God's beautiful children in Kenya. Love you guys!
ReplyDelete