Sustaining Us

We will be moving to Kenya in two weeks, which makes us excited and nervous...and busy.  There is a lot to do, and three little boys who need a lot of attention are not conducive to getting things done.  But somehow the packing, the visas, the international drivers licenses, the will, the prescriptions, the mailings, the phone calls, the taxes, and countless other things still need to get done.  We've successfully gotten the vaccines, the physicals, the bills, the shopping, the newsletter, and countless other things in order.  It's incredible how much needs to get done.  We don't just need to pull things together for Kenya; we need to pull things together for life.  For instance, we need to make decisions about our computers: fix them or replace them?  We also need our files organized in case we need someone to access them while we're gone.  And then there's the paperwork for Eli's loans and my scholarship from grad school (which is directly related to our service on the mission field).  Everything takes time, time, and more time.  And usually emails and phone calls.  None of which is easy to do with three little boys running and rolling around.

But God is gracious and He is sustaining us.  This past fall, when we had a newborn and were training for missions and constantly on the move, we clung to Psalm 55:22, which says, "Cast your cares on the Lord and He will sustain you; He will never let the righteous fall."  We are clinging to that verse now too, grateful for the promise of a Father who cares for us and sustains us.

In the midst of the busyness right now we are also trying to keep with up relationships and say goodbyes along the way.  It's not easy, emotionally or logistically.  We had to say goodbye to Eli's parents last week, which pained us more than we can express.  Even while they were here for a final visit we were fielding emails and phone calls from people wanting to connect with us before we go.  It means the world to us that so many people care about us so deeply and care about what we're doing, and we love connecting with people, but man oh man it's really hard right now.  Emailing and calling and getting together takes time and we simply don't have much of that in these final days before departure.  We have to be very selective in how to connect with people (or not) as we try to pull everything together before we leave.  So let us simply say this: thank you for reaching out to us, and please be patient with us if it takes us too long to get back with you during this time.  We're trusting the Lord to sustain us as we continually cultivate relationships in this season of busyness and final preparations.

I thank my God every time I remember you.  

In all my prayers for all of you, 

I always pray with joy because of your partnership in the gospel 

from the first day until now, being confident of this, 

that he who began a good work in you will carry it to completion 

until the day of Christ Jesus.

Philippians 1:3-6

Thank you for partnering in the gospel with us, for encouraging us, and for cheering us on.  We truly pray with joy when we remember the immense support we have.  May the Lord continue His good work in you, as well as in us, and hopefully we'll have the chance to connect soon and encourage one another with the work He is doing.