Making Plans...

So, this weekend, Mary and I met with our friend Kate over coffee. Mary and I have been friends since high school. We met in the 5th grade because our mothers forced us to play together. They figured that since they went to college together and then randomly reconnected when taking early morning walks through our neighborhood years later, that it was destiny that their daughters become friends. I forced our other friend Stacy to come to Mary's house... I wish I could say that from that moment on, we were inseparable, but that's a big fat negative.

It took Mary moving away and then coming back, to bring us back together in high school. I knew in 10th grade world history that Mary was meant to be my friend when I noticed she was sitting in class, looking attentive with her history book in her lap, looking like the innocent academic that she was... except that she was hiding a gossip magazine behind her book! The rest is history and Stacy, Mary and I have been best friends almost ever since. She's been a constant in my life.. a sister in Christ that has stuck by me through so much.

So, needless to say, it was so exciting to experience Sudan with one of my childhood friends. And now, to feel a calling to return to Sudan with Mary is incredibly exciting. We met with Kate on Saturday because she was the main team lead for our Sudan trip in November, and her experience with overseas mission work is certainly more extensive than ours... plus she's been a mentor and example to Mary and me since we started college. As Kate walked us through a timeline and the details of things needing to take place in the next weeks and months, the excitement began to grow, and the idea of returning to Harvesters for a year really began to become a reality.

We cant wait to get back to our kiddos.

Unfortunately, there has definitely been some uncertainty hanging in the air as Sudan is at the start of a pivotal political year (if you dont want to worry about us, definitely don't google Sudan in the coming weeks and months. haha!). Mary and I may be faced with difficult decisions about safety concerns and being wise as we discern God's calling on our lives. What if He calls us to return to Sudan despite the potential danger and turmoil? We could get to Sudan, and war and fighting are just a talk in the air... and it's Africa, so that talk is always in the air. Or what if we get to Sudan, and we face real danger for the first time in our sheltered, Suburban lives?

Or, what if we go to Sudan and have the most incredible year of our lives? What if we go to Sudan and God shows us more about Himself, His people, and His love than we ever imagined? What if we go to Sudan and we come back changed by the love and grace of a Father who chose to use us for His kingdom and His glory.
What if..

I keep trying to tell myself that it's more dangerous to be here in safe America, but outside of God's will than in the middle of a country on the brink of civil war, yet tucked safely and securely in the hands of a God who called us there.

Is it ok to be a little scared, as long as I don't let that fear dictate whether or not I move forward?


Harvesters is a place of hope and new beginnings, and maybe I'm being naive, but it's hard to imagine it to be otherwise. Pray for Mary and me as we embark on this exciting journey, as we seek His will for our futures.