A lot of little things...

Yes, that is how we feel right now. We have a lot of little things to do before we are ready to go to Senegal. Okay, some of them aren’t so little, just a lot of things I guess. Here are a few of the things that have been keeping us busy…

Prayer letters - we have just sent out our first official prayer letter. If you would like to be on our list for future letters, send me an email with your address!

Books, books, and more books – WorldVenture has given us an extensive reading list to prepare us for ministry in Senegal. I love reading, but it has gotten a little more difficult to find time since Addie has come along! She enjoys her “Itsy Bitsy Spider” book, but I have to read mine when she is sleeping J I’m currently reading “From Jerusalem to Irian Jaya” which I am thoroughly enjoying. It is amazing to look back at the great things that God has done through His servants, seemingly ordinary people like us who have big dreams and a passion for God’s glory. It helps me keep focused on where we want to be and what we want to do amidst the business of everyday life.

Shots – one thing I just never thought about when we decided to move to Africa! Wayne and I spent the afternoon at the doctors office on Monday getting our immunizations. A few of the possible side effects from the Yellow Fever vaccination – “Fever, drowsiness, aches, death”…what, death?!??! (Wayne’s comment, “is that side effect fatal?) Thankfully all I’ve gotten so far was the aches.

Marriage conference – One of the requirements from our mission board was that they wanted us to go to a marriage conference before going overseas. They realize the stress that ministry can put on a marriage plus add to that living in a new culture! So on one of our free weekends, Wayne and I are headed to Wisconsin for a Weekend to Remember marriage conference. We’re looking forward to a weekend together. On Saturday night of the conference, they have set aside the evening for a “date night.” Guess what we’re doing? A Milwaukee Bucks game! Woohoo!

Moving – well, we’re not moving yet, but we’d better start thinking about it! This is no ordinary move either. We’re not just packing everything up. Some stuff is going to goodwill, some to the trash, some to friends and family, and what we will keep and take with us must be packed very well, because some of it will be stored for a couple of years until we get to Senegal. We’re not too concerned about the dishes and towels, it’s all the books!

These are just a few of the things that are keeping us busy right now…more will come later. But even though things seem crazy and hectic right now, we are thankful.

First, we are thankful for where the Lord is taking us, and with each thing that we do to prepare, we get more excited about going to Senegal!

We are also thankful for our mission board, WorldVenture, and the way that they are preparing us. Let’s face it, we’re young, have never been overseas long-term, and if we didn’t have help, we would have no idea what we were doing!!! Just having them assign reading that they know will be helpful to us is a huge blessing, not to mention all the other training that they have for us.

Finally, we are thankful that we have this time to spread our vision for Senegal with other people. We hope that through these updates, our prayer letters and possibly visits with you, you will also get excited about spreading God’s name where it is not known.