God is Moving and We're on the Move!

Hey everyone! I wanted to do a post to document all the God events that have happened in this past week. First, My 15 year old niece sent a sweet package to Justus "D" that had a picture frame, a Lion King Book, and a calendar with African landscapes. She included a sweet letter......

A few days later, I was having a discussion with my kids about being used by God.....I asked them something like, "Do you ever wonder what God is calling you to do and how you can join Him?" They both answered yes and almost instantly, it popped in my brain about donations we were taking to the orphanage. I explained to them that God always calls us to care for the orphans so if they wanted to  purchase something off this list, that would be one way to let God use them.....(I was not trying to guilt trip them....I explained that God loves a cheerful giver and He doesn't want you to feel like you "have" to give. etc.) It was cool b/c that idea had never entered their mind or mine either (for them) for that matter. Spencer says, "I want to see the list". He decides that he will buy Rice Cereal. Natalie double-checked with me that she could spend her own money. I told her yes. She was getting excited, so we headed to the Walmart clearance to see what interactive, developmentally appropriate toys that had for babies. She picked out a cool crocodile wagon with blocks that makes noise and you can stack the blocks. She also picked out one of the push toys that babies can use when they're first learning to walk. I was so proud of her. She was filled with joy and as her mom, I was so happy to see that.....

Monday we got a good flight price. Our ticket agent said that we might be able to get a free hotel night with Ethiopian Airlines since we had to fly in Friday b/c no flights arrive in Washington D.C. the same day before the one takes off for Ethiopia now so it requires an overnight stay. She told me that she couldn't make any promises, but she would request it. She let us know Tuesday that we got the Sheraton...woo hoo.....

On Wednesday, my friend called spontaniously and asked if she could take Natalie with her little girl to see a movie. Five minutes later, my mom called and asked if there was anything she could do to help out....I was like, "Yes, can you grab lunch and spend time with Spencer?" I felt like a bad mom b/c the kids were out for four days and that day in particular, I was trying to clean the house and get ready to pack and all that goes with that....I didn't want Spencer to have to entertain himself all day thinking about us leaving.....That was a blessing. I got so much done--guilt free and Spencer had a good time with mom.

Also, Wednesday morning, my sweet neighbor sent me an email and said she had put a gift card to Walmart in one of the kids snow boots on the front porch for us to buy whatever donations were needed for the orphanage. Trevis and I went back out to Walmart and made out like bandits for the little ones....Can't wait to see that stuff being played with/used.:)

Wednesday night, a lady contacted me from the blog who I don't even know. She reads the blog and said she had some donations for us to take......

It was clear to me that God was on a roll this week and that I am so blessed for family and friends who are doing what they can to help out and following God's prompts that He lays on their hearts.

Thursday, Trevis texted me to say that someone he works with gave him a gift card to Target to buy whatever Justus "D" needs.....Also, he shared the news that a co-worker that he has been praying for for a LONG time said he would go to church with Trevis on the weekend of the 22nd...That's when our new sermon series starts....He also wants to bring his teenage son....This is truely awesome!! Please pray that they stay healthy and will go.

That gets us up to today.....I hardly slept last night knowing we were flying to the DC area this morning. We got up, I finished laundry, finished packing, and we jumped in the van. We got off to get some Krispy Creme donuts on the way (This is truly a treat for my kids.....) We jumped back on the interstate to face a major traffic jam...oh no.... You see, Trevis is an early bird, so not getting to the airport at least two hours before the flight leaves can send him into a tailspin....I was glad I was driving. I jumped off the interstate and took some side roads....We got to the airport between 8:05-8:10. Our plane was to leave at 8:55.....I was beginning to have some anxiety myself....The lady at the counter asked, "are you on the 1:00 flight? No, m'am...was my reply...She said, "8:55?" I said, "yes m'am.". She said ok....We booked it to the security line. It was a little backed up, but not bad...We got to the gate and no one was sitting there (except one lady). A little bit of panic set in. It was 8:35. Trevis noticed the door was open and the gate agent was just waiting for us to come on down. I was like, "WHAT?" Are you kidding me? I don't think I've ever just walked up and jumped on a plane....Hooray! Trevis asked if it was leaving early. He said they planned on it and by 8:45 we were in the air...HOW CRAZY IS THAT??? ONLY GOD!!

So, I'm chllin in our puddle jumper of a plane on the way thinking about how surreal everything has been...

We land quickly in DC and call for the hotel to come pick us up. When we arrived the desk guy here said, "oh.....you will get dinner tonight and breakfast in the morning for your accommodations". I said, REALLY??? Seriously, you would have thought I had won a million bucks. The guy smiled really big and I said, "Wow! Thank you!!". We got up to the room and it's beautiful, the bed is comfy, and TV great, and the peace and quiet and relaxation......well, priceless.....

Thank you so much for your prayers and kind words...We are definately feeling them this week. You are a blessing to our family....

In the morning....we're headed for Ethiopia baby!

With Much Love,