we are not special

today at the travel clinic (our third and final visit) i met a couple who were missionaries. 

from kazakhstan. 

placed in toronto to reach the jewish immigrants. 

(their oldest daughter works for campus crusade for christ in kazakhstan.)

amazing.

they did exactly what we are doing.

they left their known and came to the unknown for the purpose of glorifying God by spreading His fame. for them it meant moving to toronto. 

we are not special people, jamie and i. we're just ordinary folk. ordinary folk who love Jesus and want to bring His name glory by spreading His fame across the nations.

we don't want to waste our (short) lives and for us that means moving far away. 

to uganda.

we want to be a part of something bigger.

we want to glorify God more than anything else in the world. 

i am not brave.

but i am confident in Jesus. 

and i would give my all to follow Him - wherever it leads me.

what does loving Jesus (truly loving Him) mean for your life?

why?

why are you moving to africa?

why are you packing up your lives {into 8 rubbermaid containers} and flying halfway around the world?

why are you going, especially when you have two young kids?

and then...

why are you taking your kids away from comfort? safety? opportunities? wealth? friends? family?

even if you don't say it, i know you think it sometimes.

because of Jesus.

because He loves us and it's his love that compels us to leave what we know for the unknown.

because our love for Him causes us {causes me} to actually desire to give up everything for the sake of bringing Him praise.

it's because of our kids that we are going.

not despite. or even though we have kids.

our call is their call. 

as a family we are called to africa.

the opportunities they will have are like none i could ever offer them living the life we live in canada.

their eyes will see things they would never see.

they will experience life as most of the world knows it.

 they will learn to live with little. 

and i know they will love it. 

{it's their parents that will probably have a harder time.}

they will see their parents striving to obey God and listening to His voice to go.

they will likely see us making mistakes and learning to lean on Him more and more. 

we will bond together in a way all families should, but the western world and all her distractions make so difficult.

us & Jesus. 

David Livingstone {missionary to africa} said this about leaving the "benefits" of england:

"Anxiety, sickness, suffering, or danger, now and then, with a foregoing of the common conveniences and charities of this life, may make us pause, and cause the spirit to waver, and the soul to sink; but let this only be for a moment. All these are nothing when compared with the glory which shall be revealed in and for us. I never made a sacrifice."

this is what i want for me. for us.

we leave in one week today.

there have been crazy setbacks due to my procrastination and lack of planning;

but we go....

(in 7 days and counting)

direction

last night and this morning we were in toronto, speaking at the church i grew up in; sharing about what's been happening in this last year and where we're headed next. 

it was a bit nerve-wracking (public speaking always gives me the jitters), but by the third service i felt a lot more confident and was able to really feel excited about what we were sharing.

some of these people have been praying for me since i was born! 

afterward, as we caught up with old friends and introduced ourselves to others, i said something to a friend;

i think i'm just starting to get a little nervous about everything. but ultimately i have never felt so sure or at peace of where God wanted me to be as i feel about us moving to uganda. 

*pause*

i'll be clinging to that in the hard times, i'm sure.

there will be hard times. guaranteed. 

but i know this is where God wants us;

where He wants me. 

it's not the typical direction most people head in with two small children.

but i'm so excited to be taking these steps in the direction He's called us to.