God's energy

It has been an exhausting couple of weeks.

You may have seen a few of my updates on facebook or twitter (I've been leveraging the "micro-blogging" when I have thoughts in order to prepare for trying to write blog updates - training if you will :-D), but briefly:

• We've been packing since the yard sale
• I began moving my stuff and some boxes two weeks ago, because
• I sailed the Chicago NOODs regatta Friday-Sunday last weekend (we won our section!)
• We moved boxes to our new spot across campus pretty much every night last week (we've moved because Lesley's replacement for next school year starts this week)
• I sailed the Queen's Cup, a race straight across to Michigan, Friday night and returned on the boat to get home at 7:30am just in time to get ready for church! (I got a little sleep on the way back, but still tiring...)
  

I don't mean to complain, or brag, about all this, although I am blessed to have such a wonderful, understanding and patient wife to let me continue to sail these events this summer before we go! Actually, I'm trying to set the stage and share a bit of what God is doing and revealing amidst the chaos:

Even as I have felt exhausted and sometimes physically weak, not only has God provided to carry me through, but I have still felt so excited and energized by forging ahead on preparations to go to Kenya!

Philippians 2:12-13 in The Message best described what I think I have been experiencing without consciously pursuing it (besides the Kenya prep), stating, "Be energetic in your life of salvation, reverent and sensitive before God. That energy is God's energy, an energy deep within you, God himself willing and working at what will give him the most pleasure."

I'm not really familiar with The Message, a paraphrase of Bible, or "The Bible in Contemporary Language," but that passage really resonates with me right now. The NIV is more obvious that it is in the context of discovering what salvation really means with the verses, "continue to work out your salvation with fear and trembling, for it is God who works in you to will and to act according to his good purpose." (Philippians 2:12b-13)

Nevertheless, it is amazing to feel God "at work in me" and meeting me where I am - still wishing to sail as much as possible and toiling over moving boxes the only way my feeble mind sees possible - in order to continue to use me as he guides us to Kenya for "His good purpose."

Support Raising

I was thinking about writing this even before Lesley's encounters and entry yesterday, but it seems like a great followup to what she wrote. Accordingly, well... um... that would be God?

One of the summers in college, I did a "Summer Project" in Virginia Beach, VA with Campus Crusade for Christ, and it was an awesome summer that I reflect on and wish I could live at that pace again and dedicate more focus on God again. I think that is one facet of the many factors that have lead Lesley and I to go serve in Kenya. (Yes, that would be God.)

I've found myself explaining to people that can't believe we're trying to sell a lot of our stuff and going with not a whole lot of stuff, that it feels freeing to declutter and refreshing to look forward to not being so "go go go" as our society has become. I imagine some of that will linger with me - I anticipate wanting to go play football (soccer) or whatever may spring up in every free time I have, but I know the pace of life in Kenya is different and we will adjust.

However, and the point I am trying to get to with the Summer Project story, is the fact that it was my only other experience raising support. Probably not unsurprising for a first time experience, but I did not have great success at fundraising for the summer. It did not sour the summer by any means, which can probably be attributed to graceful and supportive people on the project that were in charge of receiving my money and coming along side to encourage me in my efforts to raise support throughout the summer (I don't recall if I ever made it to the full amount). At any rate, this difficulty in support raising led me to believe that perhaps I was more of a "sender" and I have taken joy in supporting friends in their endeavors for the Lord.

And yet, here I am, raising support with my wife to go to Kenya. That would be God.

(p.s. - it has been great; I've found a lot of joy in talking with friends, family and reconnecting with people I haven't talked to in a while to share about this adventure. Support is coming in gradually (Thank you!), but still quite a bit to go...)

"That would be God."

Yesterday as I walked across campus, a colleague stopped to talk to me.

"Are you still gung-ho about Africa?" he asked.
"Yep," I said.
"Is your husband still gung-ho about Africa?"
"Yep."
"How did you end up with someone who is so gung-ho as you?"
"You mean so crazy?" I laughed. "I guess that would be God, or fate, depending what you believe."

I believe it is God.

Today I spent the day with a very good friend who has been overseas doing mission work for a good part of the last year. She gave me some great advice that ranged from "find a network for accountability and support" to "bring taco seasoning"! Part of our conversation was about our testimonies, our stories about the journey we are on with God. One of the things she reminded me was that our stories will keep developing. Some examples of things to be added to my story regarding this Kenya experience ...

- That I had experiences growing up that led me to an interest in Kenya, and that Chris has experiences that led him to an interest in global missions, and that we ended up together with our unique strengths. That would be God.

- That I have gone through periods of spiritual doubt, depth, and growth, and ultimately gained new understandings of what it means to be a follower of Christ in ways that will be continually applied overseas. That would be God.

- That my over-researching, over-planning, goal-oriented brain is actually very much at peace with the ambiguity of what we will be doing in Kenya and what we will do when we return. That would be God.

- That I initially avoided any overseas program that would involve support raising/fundraising, but now find that inviting people to partner with us is one of the most exciting things. That would be God.

- That people in the US and Africa have risen up to offer us support, even support we never requested or knew we needed. That these people have become so engaged and involved in what we are doing. That would be God.

There are lots and lots of other examples, not necessarily related to the Kenya trip, and I know Chris and I would love to tell anyone who is interested more about our stories and how we got to where (and who) we are today.

Yard Sale Success

Our yard sale yesterday went well! We had a few challenges (our signs from Thursday got taken down, rain was predicted, it was 50* and windy outside) but generally Chris's preparation saved the day. We made new signs and had purchased "tarps" (aka shower curtains) to throw over the tables when the rain came. Luckily it didn't rain until about 1:30, so we got a few hours of selling in.

Special thanks to our friends who came to buy things and to help us sell. We were also blessed to have Chris's sister Corinne and niece Libby in town visiting and they helped us a lot!





Start of the day (with Chris's sister, Cori greeting)














Cori made us a great poster describing where we are going and what we are doing.
















How much is that baby in the pack n' play?
















Some real characters showed up!
















Who can resist that face?!












It's a little colder than Mississippi, eh?
(thank you to Adams and Weaver families for extra baby layers!)















How every good yard sale should end :-)










Overall we had fun, met cool people, and raised a decent amount of money for Project Kenya and projects in Ribe. Yay!