I am not a hut person...and that's ok!

I find myself in coversations daily about going to Africa and there are always many questions. here are some of my favorites with my answers (actual answers and the ones I give because it's fun)!

- Are you taking your children with you?
* (sometimes I jokingly give this answer) No, I'm done with them-would you like them?
* Yes, we are taking our children. We are a family and have been appointed as missionaries
together.

- How will you get your food?
* jokingly, sort-of: Dave will have to hunt for our food everyday and the rest we will buy from the market along the side of the road.
* There is a grocery store. Dave is not planning to hunt, however, the items in the store vary daily, as will as the hours they are open. we will probably buy produce along the side of the road and soak it in bleach/water.

-Bleach/water? Isn't that bad for you?
*Not as bad as getting a parasite! The bleach/water solution is a very specific ratio and you really don't taste it...very much!

- MY FAVORITE- Are you going to live in a hut?
* Dave and I are not hut people.
We will be in the capitol city in Mozambique and are planning to have a house. We might not have glass windows but that might be more practical in the long run. There are many missionaries, in many parts of the world and we feel that right now, God has called us to Maputo, Mozambique.

coversations with my kids

Since Abigail has started kindergarten, we spend many days in the car. Lately, we have been having some pretty deep conversations, all while driving. I just keep glancing in the mirror because I would love to see their faces as they ask questions and process the answer.

Abigail, age 5 1/2: "Mom, are there really people in the world who don't know about God?"
me: "yes, there are."
Abbs: "I HAVE to go tell them right now!"
(we have used this conversation many time when talking about what it's like to be a missionary)
me: "you can! That's why we are going to Africa; to help people and tell then about God."

Jake, age 4: having a conversation about the fact that we will look different than most everyone in Africa
me: "People might want to touch your skin and your hair."
Jake: after a long pause "Will it hurt?"

Alyson, age 2 1/2: anytime we talk about Africa, she will listen that pipe up and yell, "Jesus loves me, this I know!"
(It's comforting to know that she knows this!!)

Jake: (out-of-the-blue) "Mom, who lives in the sky and talks to us?"
me: "ummmmm.....God?" (honestly, my mind was on something else and I was trying to figure out where he was coming from!)
Jake: "YES MOM! You got it!! and who lives with Him?"
me: "Jesus?"
Jake: "YES MOM! You got it again! Did you know that Jesus lives in my heart and God is in a burning bush?"
me: "Tell me about it." (I know, cop-out answer but I was hoping he would elaborate!)
Jake: goes into great deal of the story of Moses and the burning bush and ends with, "Mom, don't forget about God's rules because that would be very bad!!" He says this with great enthusiasm and pointing his finger in the air as he emphasizes every word.

I have had conversations with many missionaries and they all say the same thing, "Your children are the perfect age to go!" They are right! They are young enough that everything is exciting and new. They ask questions but are ok knowing that life will be different and Abigail has told me time and time again that she just wants to get to Africa and start helping people. They are so proud God has also called them to be missionaries.

mixed emotions

i never really understood what people meant when they talked about feeling the highest of highs and the lowest of lows..at the same time...until Africa. Africa has become this place where i feel more at home, more energized and more broken that i have ever felt. there have not been a huge number of times in my life that i have heard God speak more clearly than times involving Africa. for the past two years, i have fought so hard against the idea of going and living in Africa. i have a wonderful family, an incredible church and the most amazing friends-why would i leave? why go now?
i am just as excited as i am sad to be going; more sad to leave the people i love than anything else. people have surprised me though. in the amount of encouragement and support that i have been shown what i have shared about Africa. i have been told that the excitement and passion i have for Africa is contagious and is very clear when i am asked about Africa.
at the end of the day, i want to do what God has called me to do. i am done fighting and am ready to go. God has called me and my family to do His work in Africa. this became clear to me when i visited Mozambique, Africa last November. i knew i would be coming back the moment i stepped off the plane in Maputo, Mozambique and felt like it was home.
when i stopped fighting with God to stay here and opened myself up to the possibility of moving; i felt a sense of purpose for my life. some might say "peace" but i felt a purpose to use everything i have done and learned in my life to help the Mozambiquan people. there are times when i feel pretty sad and overwhelmed at what i will need to do in the next year but then i see pictures of my trip or read our teammates blog of what is already happening and feel excited for the future. it is not everyday that God is so clear and so specific...i have to go and i have to go now!