Guessing game!!!

Okay, tomorrow puts us at the 38 week mark, meaning that our little baby girl, Makayla Joy will be here before you know it!! Are you ready to have a little fun? I just thought it would be fun to play a little guessing game, it might help the next few weeks go by a bit faster for this Mama! :-) Comment on this post with the date and time you think little Makayla will make her apperance along with how much she will weigh and how long she will be!! The winner will get....the joy of knowing they were right!! :-D

Sweet Baby Girl (Part 2)

Dear Sweet Baby Girl,

Well, you have a name now, Makayla Joy Mullins and you are beyond loved by so many people. We made it to July, the month you are supposed to make your big appearance!! We are still getting some things situated around here and according to the calculations you still have 3 more weeks of growing to do in me, so don't be in any hurry to come out!! ;-)

I have been thinking back over the last 8 months:

- knowing I was pregnant, even when the first test came back negative
- taking another test last than a week later and seeing 2 lines!!
- breaking the news to your Daddy who was so very excited!!
- taking sweet pictures in the YWAM field, so that we could share our news with everyone!
- making a big announcement on Thanksgiving!!
- our first doctor appt - hearing your sweet little heart beat for the first time!
- months of morning sickness (you sure weren't always very nice to your Momma :-)
- spending time in Indiana over Christmas and getting to show off my ever so slight baby bump!
- meeting our midwife for the first time (she's really sweet, you are gonna like her!)
- Daddy and Mommy both putting in notices at work so we could leave for Africa!
- packing up our house into a small storage unit
- preparing for our 3 months in Sudan!
- finding out on Valentine's day that you were a GIRL!!! :-)
- visiting family in Indiana for a few days before Africa
- taking your very first plane ride(s) - those were a long few days!!
- sleeping on the floor in a church in Juba as we tried for days to make it to Wau!
- finally arriving in Wau and starting to really make it home!
- tons of ups and downs all through out our time in Wau
- having your Daddy find your heart beat every week or so, just to hear that steady beat
- feeling you kick for the first time
- months of on and off UTI's - ( those were really not fun in Africa, over squatty potties)
- praying for you constantly as I did and ate things that most pregnant women wouldn't do!
- finding your name and knowing it was perfect for YOU!!
- walking many many miles all the time (you would always kick and be so happy when Mommy finally laid down to rest! :-)
- loving on and praying for the South Sudanese people
- having to walk away from a sweet Grandmother who begged us to take her precious grandchild, knowing that this was not God's will for her or for us and trusting that God will continue to take care of that sweet baby!
- Swollen feet, ankles, fingers - alot of that was due to the excessive heat!
- watching as the Northern bomber plane flew over our city
- preparing to leave Sudan a month earlier than we planned
- feeling so very at peace while your Daddy worked really hard to make sure we got out safely!
- getting back to Indiana 2 weeks after we felt like we were to leave
- spending a month with your Grammy and Poppy - just relaxing and enjoying precious time with family
-  grieving the loss of my sweet cousin Melinda - (she would have loved you Makayla)
- watching your Uncle Timmy graduate from high school!
- Baby Shower number 1 - thrown by your Aunt Sara and cousins Kayleigh and Kinsey! - it was really cute, lots of monkeys! :-)
- buying our trailer - our home - your first home (it may be small, but Makayla it is filled with love and joy!)
- your Daddy and I celebrated our 1 year anniversary!! (1 year down, only 99 more to go ;-) I am sure you will hear that joke many times in your lifetime!
- moving back to Texas!!
- making the trailer, the shed and your Grandma and Grandpa's back yard our home! (your Daddy worked really really hard to make it all work - you should be proud of him! ;-)
- Baby Shower number 2 - thrown by your 3 Texas Aunts - Michelle, Nicole, and Jana and several of the sweet ladies from Soma! (we spent some precious time praying for your Grammy's complete healing!)
- Washing all your clothes, sanitizing bottles, preparing a space for YOU!!


WHEW!! What a crazy 8 months those were and now....now we wait! We only have a few weeks left sweet girl, and I know that they will fly by so you keep growing and thriving in there and come meet us whenever you are ready, we sure can't wait to meet you!! Remember that your Grammy is coming on July 16th, so if you can wait till after that she would really appreciate it! ;-)

Your Daddy and I love you a lot and are SO very excited to see what the next few months have in store for us, one thing is for sure - this life we are living is nothing short of a crazy adventure that the Lord is taking us on and we can't wait to share that adventure with you!!

I love you my sweet little monkey,

Mommy

Trusting God and Living Life

It's been almost 2 months since we returned to the US. I can't even begin to count the number of times that I thought to myself "I need to update my blog," or even had blog ideas rolling through my head and just never took the time to follow through and post an update! Just in case you missed the details of our return trip and why it had to happen so quickly and so much sooner than we expected, the gist of it is that the North declared war on the South and the airport in our town was shut down, so we took a UN helicopter out of Wau. You can read the more in depth story on my husband's blog HERE or my sister-in law's blog HERE. It was definitely a crazy experience, but through the whole situation I was able to rest securely in the peace of my Heavenly Father. I think it helped a lot that Christopher remained so calm and in control, even when we watched the Northern bomber plane fly over our city. The Lord was so faithful and provided for our every need all the way home.

This morning as I lay in bed at 5:30 AM - the new time my body likes to wake up thanks to pregnancy insomnia - I listened to the sound of my husband breathing next to me, the birds chirping outside, the hum of our AC and the crow of the rooster, I began to think back at how faithful He has been to us!! There is no doubt that He was faithful in getting us to and from Sudan, for providing for our every need and even some of our wants while we were serving in Sudan. There is no doubt that He was faithful on the mission field. Now here we are almost 2 months after returning to the US and I find myself having to search to see how He is providing for us. You see it isn't that He has forgotten us, surely He hasn't!! However, it is a lot easier to see His faithfulness when He is all you have to depend on. When we were in Sudan and things were hard which occurred more often than we imagined it would, we had no one else to run to, no one else to really help us, we HAD to rely completely upon God!! Now that we are back here in the US we expected things to be easier, we expected for Christopher to be able to get his job back when we returned to Texas, we expected things to be a lot smoother than they really are right now. What I am learning is that often times we have to throw our expectations out the window and continue to trust God!! If Our God is faithful enough to get us out of a war situation, to provide for our every need in Africa, to give us amazing amounts of safety while I was pregnant in Sudan, than He can surely provide a job for my husband (even if it is not what we had expected) and He will surely provide for all of our needs!!

 I rolled over this morning and just watched as my husband slept (yup, I'm that creepy wife! ;-) There is a lot of weight on his shoulders right now. He is supposed to be able to provide for his family, his daughter will be arriving within the next month and yet the job market is harsh right now in his field. One would think that because the man has no job that he has a lot of free time on his hands. This is just not the case with my husband. I watched yesterday as his foot slipped through the ceiling in his parents kitchen while he was trying to get another electrical line run out to our trailer. Praise the Lord that he only has scraps and bruises and didn't fall all the way through!! He has spent countless hours at the birthing center where I am going to give birth in a few weeks, helping do construction and other things in exchange for our midwife's services. He is currently outside in the 100 degree weather building a shed for us to be able to store our stuff in since this trailer is just a "little" smaller than our 4 bedroom, 2 bathroom rental was! :-) He has spent hours fixing up an old truck that we bought to haul our trailer to Texas so that he can flip that truck and get good money out of it. You see, some men who are unemployed get stressed and depressed because they have nothing to do, not my husband, he adds more odd jobs to his list, he keeps himself busy and continues to do the best that he can to provide for our little family, but most importantly HE TRUSTS GOD!! Every time we have a discussion about this job situation he says with confidence that God is going to provide, that the Lord is faithful!! Sometimes its hard to see His faithfulness when things are grim, when you are jobless and it just seems like the storms of life are pouring down on you. However, you just have to keep trusting in His faithfulness!!

My sweet baby girl is due in 20 some days and in spite of the fact that neither my husband or I have worked a real job since February, she has everything she will need and then some. The Lord has been faithful in providing our every need for her! I know that my God is faithful and so I am throwing my expectations out the window and just trusting that He has the perfect job for Christopher and that He will provide it in His timing and that we need not fear, just trust!!

My husband - My Amazing Man of God!!!

I know that many of my blog updates recently have been bragging on my husband – hopefully you don’t mind them too much, because here is another one!

Christopher has a huge heart and passion to go to unreached people groups – these are people who have really never heard about the love of Christ at all! It can be dangerous and is not the easiest ministries, but my husband has a passion for it! The two American YWAM leaders that are with us (the ones that you prayed for their safety) are taking a trip to the unreached people today. Many staff and leaders wanted to go with them and it was decided that Christopher needed to remain behind to be here in the classroom with the students, handling anything that was school related. He was disappointed, he was a little frustrated, but I watched as this man that I married 10 months ago handled this disappointment and frustration with so much humility and so much understanding!! I watched as he allowed his frustration to turn into an opportunity to let God teach him a lesson about being a leader, to grow him, to stretch him! I watched as this man of God truly allowed God to work in his life! One of Christopher’s other desires is to help start other YWAM bases – his heart is set on Juba next – and I know that the Lord is using these hard experiences that don’t always make sense to prepare him for the next phase! I love my husband with all my heart and have always been grateful for the man that the Lord blessed me with, but this weekend I am grateful for the way that the Lord is stretching my husband, for the way He is teaching my husband to be a leader, for the way my husband is growing in the Lord! The number one characteristic that I always said my husband had to have was that he had to truly LOVE JESUS, not just go to church, but to be passionate about Jesus – I knew Christopher really loved Jesus before I married him, but watching Him continue to grow in the Lord has brought me so much joy. My husband not only loves me and takes very good care of me, but he loves Jesus and loves His people, he is willing to let God mold him and for that I am SO very grateful!!

Married for 10 months and 5 months pregnanat!!!

Where has the time gone? Yesterday my husband and I celebrated 10 wonderful months of marriage!! As I think back to our wedding day and the days, weeks and months leading up to it, it seems strange to think that it has been 10 months since all of that. It was such a beautiful day and I couldn’t have asked for it to have gone any better! It doesn’t seem possible that it has been 10 months since I walked into that Sanctuary and looked at my future husband and watched as his eyes welled up with tears. We had done it, we had made it to that day that had been anticipated for months, even years – we were going to be married later that evening. We would stand in front of family and friends and our God and make a lifetime commitment to each other. In a matter of hours we would say our vows, wash each other’s feet, say “I do,” he would kiss me and we would walk out of the sanctuary hand in hand and begin our real journey together! Our life!

Fast forward to today – married for 10 months, expecting our first child in 4 more months, and serving the Lord together in South Sudan!! I wouldn’t change a thing! Standing beside my husband in ministry, working together with him to accomplish the things that the Lord is calling us to do is such an honor! To stop and think that the Lord handpicked ME to walk through life with this man, I am far undeserving of such a privilege! So with 4 more months until our lives are drastically changed again, my husband and I are enjoying this life and praising God for such a honor – to serve Him together as husband and wife, to shine His light in the darkness, to walk hand in hand through this journey!!

Urgent Prayer Request!!

Urgent Prayer Request, we need an army of prayer warriors to pray for two American YWAM staff traveling to Wau (our tomorrow - your night April 4th) by road from Juba. This is the last option of transport to get them here as there was a plane crash in the Wau airport and it has now closed completely for the time being. The road is dirt, VERY bumpy and will take 12 hours...as if all of those things weren't enough there have been several armed robberies on these roads and because they are Khawaga (white person) they will stick out even more - PLEASE, PLEASE pray for their safety! We know that God wants to use them in mighty ways and that is why the devil continues to try to throw road blocks in getting them here! Our God is a protector and we are trusting in His good and perfect plan, even when it is not the plan that we would choose - He knows best! Thanks for your prayers!!

A sneak peak at life in Wau, South Sudan

We keep pressing on here in Wau, South Sudan! We have made it through the first month of the DTS lecture phase and have another amazing 2 months to go. We have 7 students and are enjoying having the opportunity to pour into them. As is typically of YWAM Discipleship Training Schools we have many chances to pour into them and to watch as God speaks into their lives! I know some of you are curious as to what a typically day here in Wau looks like, so I thought I would give you a quick overview. We leave the staff house around 7:45 am and walk the half-mile to the classroom. From 8 am until 9 am we either have Base Prayer (on Mon), Group Devotions (on Tues, Wed & Fri) or Intercession Prayer (on Thurs). We give the students a quick break around 9 before diving into the lecture or class time. Each week we have a specific topic that we are covering and normally we have a guest speaker to share on that topic. We are in class from 9 am until 1 pm with a 30 minute break for bread and tea at 10:30. We are so grateful for our speakers and the way the Lord has been speaking through them. Teaching for 3 and a half hours in a small classroom in 100 + degree heat is no easy task and we are so grateful for their commitment to our students. After class we walk the half-mile back to the staff house where the whole school eats lunch together, typically either rice or posha (a very bland cornmeal mixture with very little nutritional value) and beans.

In the afternoons we either have staff meeting (Mon & Wed) or small groups with the students (Tues & Thurs) or we have a One-on-one time with our chosen student (Fri). We are attempting to start an English class at least a few afternoons a week as well, because we have several students who speak little to no English but have the determination to learn! (Everything we do in class and small group times is translated into Arabic for them.) Typically at least once in the afternoons we make the walk back to the classroom (a half-mile each way) either for English class, small groups or just to pick up phones and computers that we leave behind to charge completely. Dinner is served around 6:30 and the students have work duties that are to be completely before dinner. These work duties range from carrying water from bore holes to be filtered for drinking, carrying water from wells for showering & laundry, sweeping and washing the main floor at the staff house, cleaning bathrooms or helping with dishes.
We have one indoor bathroom at the house and an outdoor bathroom. The indoor bathroom has no running water but the toilet – which doesn’t have a seat on it - can be used if you bring your own bucket of water in with you to dump down after you are finished, we take buckets of water in to bath with in the mornings or evenings. The indoor bathroom is connected to our guest speakers’ room, so depending on your timing if they are sleeping or whatnot – you may or may not able to use the indoor bathroom. The outdoor bathroom has two doors similar to outhouse doors. The squatty potty – a deep hole in the cement that you squat over – is in one door and in the second door is the shower basically just a drain on a slab of cement that you again bring your bucket for showering. The squatty potty has cockroaches crawling all around in the evenings and the shower often has spiders. We were blessed last night when the shop across the street from the house agreed to allow us to pay 150 SSP (South Sudanese Pounds – $1 USD =3.6 ssp) a month and they hooked up our house to their generator! So whenever they are running the generator (mainly in the evenings for several hours) we will now have power at the house. This will help in charging computers, phones, having light to see while showering and even a ceiling fan!! We feel VERY VERY blessed!!
Our weekends are spent relaxing and doing laundry (in buckets!) typically, although we are hoping and praying that soon our weekends will be spent at the YWAM property on the Nile river to build permanent buildings so that the next school can be held on our property rather than in a rented house, a small compound with mud huts (where the students are staying) and in a rented classroom. I just thought I would share some little details of our lives and of the school here in Wau. We covet your continued prayers and are so blessed that you are walking this journey together with us!
I know many of you have seen the newest pregnancy picture on facebook and just wanted to add that both our sweet little monkey and Mommy are doing well. It is hot and some days my feet swell, but my husband does a wonderful job taking good care of both of us. We check her little heartbeat every other week or so and she continues to kick and move around – just little reminders that the Lord is protecting her!

The true love of a husband!

As I was preparing for our time here in Sudan, the Lord continually pressed on my heart how important it was that the devil was not allowed even the smallest foothold in our marriage. During the move out of our house and the start of packing for Africa it was evident that the devil wanted that foothold, he wanted to divide my husband and I – he wanted us to not be a united front. I was nervous, we were not even in Africa yet, we were not even in the hard part, and he was trying to separate us. Prayer became my main weapon as I began to fight against the devil and his schemes. I was determined not to allow that foothold – but like I said we were not even in the HARD yet!

As we traveled through airports and across countries it became clear to me that this man traveling with me was not the same man that I married. He was far better than I could have EVER imagined. His desire to put my needs and even basic comforts before his own was stronger than ever before. In the 5 days of travel that it took to get to our final destination Christopher made sure my ever need was met. He allowed me to sleep across several plane seats, gave up his fruit on the plane so that I had good food to eat, carried all the heavy bags, (and let me tell you they were HEAVY!), he made sure I was comfortable and encouraged me to walk around on the long plane rides.

There have been many bumps in the road since we have been here. It has not been easy, pioneering a brand new school, but we have been blessed and my husband has gone above and beyond to take good care of me. Filtering gallons of water a day – that he carries from a half mile away – to make sure that I am drinking good water and plenty of it. Buying me crackers at the market to dip in my jar of peanut butter so that I am getting a good amount of protein! Checking baby heart beat often, making sure that I am getting enough vitamins and nutrients, washing my feet several times a week, killing cockroaches in the latrine (squatty potty) late at night, carrying bucket after bucket of water for my bucket showers since I am not very good at just using one bucket yet, but I am getting better. J He has been so faithful to me and protected me and cared for me more than I ever could have imagined. It has been hard, it is hot, my feet are swollen, all the dust is making allergies crazy, the food is not always agreeing with my stomach, but I know that God is faithful, and I know that He has called us here – so I will keep trusting Him – knowing that He has my best interest in mind and praising Him daily for blessing with a husband who is willing to take such good care of me!

Thank you for praying for us, thank you for covering us in prayer, thank you, thank you, thank you!! Please don’t stop praying, the bumps are still coming and we are still in the hard, but God is faithful and is moving in the school in great ways. Our students are doing well and learning to hear the voice of the Lord this week. Pray specifically for finances as a school – that the Lord would continue to provide for our daily needs and that as a staff we would use wisdom in handling the finances. Pray for the students that the small bumps we are facing would not distract them from all that the Lord has for them! Pray for the staff that we would remain unified!

Sweet Baby Girl

Dear Sweet Baby Girl,

We are about to embark upon a journey, one that you won't remember because you will stay safely snuggled in my tummy while we are there, but one that I am sure you will hear stories of as you get older. Your Daddy and I want you to know that although we haven't met you we both love you so very much! Your Daddy has been a hero in making sure that Mommy has everything we will need while we are in Sudan. We listen to your little heartbeat and we are filled with joy! We know that God has created you so special and is continuing to knit you together in my womb. We haven't picked out the perfect name for you yet, we want the meaning of your name to define who God is creating you to be and so we continue to pray and search through baby name books finding the name with the perfect meaning for YOU...we will know when we find it! :-) So for the next 3 months hang on tight as Mommy and Daddy embark upon this journey that the Lord is leading us on. Stay snuggled safe in my belly and continue to grow and thrive as the Lord knits you to be the perfect sweet baby girl you are going to be! We love you little princess and can't wait to meet you in 5 months!

Love,

Your Mommy

How I know that God is going to use us in Powerful ways in Sudan...

I am convinced that the Lord is going to use us and work through us in amazing and powerful ways in Sudan! I am convinced of this fact not just because He is God and He can always work in powerful ways, but because the devil is ticked right now!! Christopher and I knew going into this month that we would be up against a lot as we prepared for this next season of our lives. We knew that it would be no easy task to sell everything, move to Africa, and do as the Lord has asked us to do. We knew that the devil would try to do things to stop us and we tried to stay on guard against his evil schemes. Here are just SOME of the events of the last two weeks that have us convinced that the devil is not only angry that we are going, but downright scared of what the Lord WILL accomplish through us.

• My Father-in-law broke his ankle and had to have surgery
• (He is supposed to be coming to Sudan for a week or so at the end of March and we are still praying that his leg is completely healed enough to do that!)

• My Sister-in-law's lap top fell off the counter onto the tile kitchen floor and broke
• She is coming with us to Sudan!! (Did I tell you that? My heart is very happy she is coming)
• We are waiting to hear a diagnosis on the laptop and what it will cost to repair it

• We found out a week ago that the Malaria medicine we had ordered for me to take, although it was safe for Mama and Baby, would not work against the strain of Malaria that the mosquitoes carry in Sudan.
• We were able to get a different prescription called in and are praying against the crazy dreams that could be a side effect of this medicine (but it is literally the ONLY Malaria medicine that is safe for me to take while pregnant and works against these mosquitoes.)

• Our Passports got lost as they were traveling to the Sudanese Embassy to get our Visa's!
• They were found and now both Passports and Visas are safe here with us in Indiana

• We bought a bunch of supplies for our trip at a camping store about 35 minutes away from our house. On Thursday as we were attempting to pack, we went to open the package of filters for our water bottles (VERY IMPORTANT) the package was empty!!!
• Someone had shop-lifted them from the store resulting in us having to drive all the way back out there to return them, only to find out they were out of them!! (We will be buying them in Indiana - no worries)

• There have many moments of silly tension between my husband and me over things that typically we would both be able to let slide.
• Some of this is my pregnancy hormones and the tears flow easily right now :-)

• My husband accidentally hit my car as he was backing out of his parents driveway to run to our house and get the very last load of stuff to move out!
• Aside from some minor scrapes and scuffs, both of our cars are okay - even though it didn’t appear that way at first glance!

• We realized after we were already on our way to Indiana that the Malaria medicine for Christopher and Nicole (my sister-in-law - get used to her name, I am sure I will mention her a lot :-) was packed in our storage unit - WAY IN THE BACK!!
• They can get this in Africa - so it will be okay

And those are only the things that I remember and that pop to the top of my head. Needless to say, it has been a hard couple of weeks! We have tried the best that we can not to let these things get to us. I could have gotten upset with my husband when he hit my car, but all that would have done is cause tension between us which is just what the devil wanted me to do. Instead I wiped away the tears and reminded myself it is ONLY a car and although I love my baby girl, she is not worth causing tension between my husband and me.

I am blogging about all of this not to cause my readers to feel sorry for us, but for our readers to be aware of what we have been and are facing and to ask you to please battle with us. If there is one thing positive that I can say about the last two weeks (aside from all the ways that the Lord has continued to provide for us) it would be how it has caused me to truly live 1 Thessalonians 5:17 - PRAY CONTINUALLY! I have never struggled with praying. In high school, I would pray while walking through the hallways. But these last few weeks have caused me to pray for things I never have before. Just last night as I was drinking a large glass of Orange Juice because I was starting to feel a little sick, I prayed that the Lord would touch this OJ and cause it not only to just be "good" for me, but to heal me of any sort of little sicknesses that were trying to invade my body.

We are in a battle against the devil and could really use you, as prayer warriors, to join us in this battle! Pray that this week as we are resting in Indiana, before we leave for Sudan, that we really would be able to REST!! That we would be renewed and refreshed, ready to tackle all that the Lord has for us in Sudan!

Tonight....

Tonight I took my last bubble bath in our garden tub...


Tonight, I will cuddle up next to my husband and fall asleep one last time in our very first home....


The home where so many memories were made, the home where we lived for the first 8 months of our married life, where we found out we were expecting our first child, I know I will look back on this house and smile at how blessed we were as newly weds! But tonight, we fall asleep here one last time because tomorrow....

Tomorrow, we move the last load or two of our stuff into storage, tomorrow we will stay at my in laws house for a few days before we begin our journey to Indiana and then on to Africa! But you see as much as there are going to be some sad moments tomorrow as we close this chapter, thinking about tomorrow also brings me SO much joy!!

Tomorrow we find out if we are having a little baby girl or a little baby boy, tomorrow will be a day we will never forget, seeing those precious 3D images of our unborn child and knowing that in a few months our lives will forever be changed by this precious child!

Tomorrow we close one chapter in our lives, only to begin the next!! As much as I hate closing chapters, I am every so excited about the things the Lord is going to do in this next chapter! I am ready to take this step of faith and trust Him completely as we board a plane for Africa in a week and a half, I am ready to embark upon this amazing journey that the Lord is going to take us on right beside my husband! I am ready!

So tonight, as I lay my head down and drift off to sleep thinking about all the precious memories this house holds, I will also smile and think about all the memories the next chapter in our lives will hold and I will rest in the peace and joy of the Lord, knowing His hands hold our every moment!

My God cares....even about hiccups!!

We have had lots of questions from many people about our trip to Africa, especially with me being pregnant. "Is it safe?" "Aren't you scared something bad could happen?" "Are you sure you are supposed to be going when you are pregnant?" "What if you go into labor on the plane?" "What if this...what if that?" At first these questions really bothered me...and had me rethinking everything...maybe they were right, maybe I shouldn't be going. The more these questions have been asked, the more I have turned my eyes to the Lord and the more assurance He has given me. He continues to confirm this trip daily! He continues to remind me that He is in control and He is looking out for me. He hears my every cry and He answers them! Last Friday was a perfect example of Him answering my every cry. I had gone to visit my husband at work, we made frozen pizza and were just enjoy a little bit of time together, until they got a call :-( Bummer! I took my pizza and started to drive home on this dark rainy night. I took a big drink from my water bottle and kinda choked and coughed a little bit, no biggie, UNTIL a couple seconds later when I started hiccuping! :-( I had just eaten several pieces of pizza and now was hiccuping and starting to feel a little nauseous. Oh no! So as quickly as this annoying painful hiccups started I prayed out loud in my car and just simple said "Jesus, take them away!" 5 seconds later I hit a big puddle in the road that I didn't see because it was dark out and it made the loud splash noise under my tire...it scared me...and scared away my hiccups too!!! This may sound silly and I'll be honest it is, but the fact of the matter is...as I drove the rest of the way home and thanked Him for taking away my hiccups He reminded me again, that He is in control!! If he cares about me enough to allow me to hit a puddle to scare away my hiccups, than surely He cares enough about this precious little one inside me and will protect him or her!! So you see...My God cares...even about my hiccups!! :-)

Quick Update on My Mom!

If you read the post bellow and prayed for my Mom.....THANK YOU!!! The Lord heard your prayers!! This piece of equipment can help my Mom and she is definitely a candidate for it!! We are so encouraged and very excited for the doors that this could open for my Mom's future!! Now if you would just join in praying that the insurance would cover this equipment, it is not cheap piece of technology!! Thanks again for all your prayers!!

Praying for my Mommy!

My Mommy is the most amazing woman I have ever met...I love her a whole lot!! She has gone through a lot physically in the last 5 years and after several different doctors and tests was officially diagnosed with MS, not just MS but Primary Progressive MS. This specific type is the hardest to treat because there are no flare ups or attacks, she just slowly gets worse and there is very little that researchers know about to help. Over the last few years her right leg specifically has gotten weaker and weaker. She gave in and bought "Charlie" (her cane) awhile back...this was not easy for her...it was not easy for any of us, but it helped her a little. A few months ago she gave in and had to get a handicap tag for her van...this was not easy for her...this was not easy for any of us, but it was needed. She does not physically have the strength to walk long distances at all. My Mom is amazing and while she has her good days and her bad days, she is most likely to put on a strong face and keep pressing on. I tell you all of this because tomorrow at 2:30 pm, the Lord has opened a door for her to be tested to see if she is a candidate for THIS, (the video is kind of long so you don't have to watch it if you don't want to) but basically it is a cuff that she would wear right bellow her knee and a pad on the heel of her foot...when she steps on the pad the cuff would shock the nerves in her leg helping it to stabilize more and for her foot not to drop as much. The video gives us LOTS of hope...the girl in the video without the Bioness on struggles to walk up stairs and balance, much like Mom does right now, but after the Bioness is on, she can walk better, balance and even jog a bit. As I was saying tomorrow at 2:30 PM my Mom goes into her physical therapists to meet with the guy and see if she is a possile candidate for this. We are hopefully, we are praying, we are encouraged that this type of technology is being created. We know that we serve a God who could go way beyond just allowing this piece of equipment to work for Mom and that He could completely heal her!! We just want His will to be done and we will continue to trust in His almighty strength!! Will you join with me in praying for my amazing Mommy? The only thing better than having her for a Mom, is to be able to have her as a Grammy for my sweet babies!!

Today I am grateful...

Today I am choosing to be grateful even though I am sick....

Today I am choosing to be grateful even though the weather is yucky and rainy and cold...

Today I am choosing to be grateful even though I had to call into work sick today and I HATE doing that...

Today I am choosing to be grateful even though I was barely able to sleep last night because my head was hurting so much....

Today I am choosing to be grateful even though I had no desire to get out of bed all day...



So you may ask WHY...if this is what my day looked like, WHY am I still choosing to be grateful?

Because even though my Mommy was too far away to make me soup and take care of me, my sweet Mother in Law made me soup!

Because even though I HAD to get out bed because potential renters were coming to look at our house this afternoon...my Mother in Law allowed me to come over in sweats and just lay around.

Because even though I didn't sleep well last night, my sweet husband did everything he could to help me feel better, getting me water and meds and ice packs, holding me, rubbing my head to help with the headache.

Because even though it was down right YUCKY day...the Lord has blessed us with renters for the house and is continuing to provide for our needs.

Because even though I don't feel like be grateful...I am choosing to...because today...even today....the Lord is good and He loves me!!


So today...I am grateful!! :-)

American Comforts vs African Blessing

As we have begun selling furniture and packing up our house, I have found myself thinking alot of the American comforts that I am soon to be giving up and going without. While I don't think it is horrible of me to be thinking about things I will miss, I have found myself dwelling on these things, instead of preparing my heart for the things that the Lord has for me in Africa. So I have decided to make a list....well...two actually...the first one will be a list of those American comforts that I will miss, and then for every American comfort that I have I am going to come up with one blessing or thing that I am looking forward to about Africa. My goal is to hopefully at the end of this be more excited about what the Lord is going to do and dwelling less on the things He is asking me to give up! So here goes nothing!

American Comforts (or just things I will miss)

1. Milk and Ice Cream - these have become staples in my diet the last few weeks...craving them so much during this pregnancy
   
2. Bubble Baths - I love coming home from a long day and soaking in a nice bubble bath in our huge garden tub..its so wonderful!
3. Western toilets - I am dreading being really prego and having to use a squatty potty
4. HOT showers - I am not a fan of cold showers...even when I am really hot I turn on the cold water for .5 seconds and then I am ready for HOT!
5. Having a space that is just ours! - we are not really sure what our housing accommodations will be in Sudan, we will be staying with the YWAM school, but we are not counting on them providing "couples" or "family" housing - most likely they will have a guys area and a girls area....to combat this we are taking a tent and air mattress with us to make sure that we can stay together, however even that will be a far stretch from the 4 bedroom, 2 bathroom home that we have been living in since we got married.
   
6. Internet 24/7 - I am so used to being able to pick up my phone and google something or check facebook or e-mail a family member
   
7. Electricity - need I explain more?
8. A normal paycheck - steady income - money
   

And now for some African blessings (things I am really looking forward to about this trip):

1. Holding African babies!!! - anyone that knows me knows my love for babies, but African babies steal my heart way faster, their desperate need to be shown love...ahh..I just can't wait to cuddle me some African babies!!
2. Being dependent on God - some might laugh at this...how is that really a blessing, but in my eyes it really is. You see there is something stretching about being completely dependent on God! When you are working for the Lord and just waiting for Him to provide "the pay check!" I am excited for this because I KNOW that He will provide for our each and every need and I can't wait to just be able to praise Him for taking care of us!
3. Serving again - since we got married I have taken a step back and allowed myself to really dwell in the presence of the Lord, rather than teaching and serving others. While this time has been SO refreshing and I am positive it was God ordained, I am excited to be serving again!
   
4. Wearing flip flops, sandals or going barefoot! - anyone that knows me knows I LOVE shoes, but they also probably know that I love flip flops and being barefoot way more! I am excited to wear sandals and flip flops, to go barefoot and get the red dirt on my feet!
5. Not being primped! - I am part tom-girl - while I do love being cute every once in awhile, I have never been the girl to take hours getting ready, making sure my hair and make up are perfect! I am excited to be in a culture that doesn't value physical appearances like America does.
6. Watching my husband in his element! While I have had MANY talks with my husband and I have heard his passion for Africa and missions, I have never been on a mission's trip WITH him! I am excited to be able to watch him in his element and to see the way God strengthens and uses him in powerful ways!
   
7. Growth - not only physical (this sweet little baby bump will be growing while we are there) but also spiritual as God stretches us and teaches us so many new things. The other growth I am excited to see is growth in our marriage - I know this trip is going to strengthen our marriage in ways that living a comfortable life in American never could, I am excited, I know that with growth sometimes comes pain - you have to go through the swamp to get to the meadow sometimes - but I am excited none the less to see God strengthen our marriage!
   
8. Being right smack dab in the middle of His will for our lives!! While I will miss my American comforts, none of those could come close to knowing that we are exactly where the Lord wants us to be!

So there you have it, the African Blessings far outweigh the American Comforts in my book...it is far better to be where God wants us to be than to just be comfortable! I am so blessed that He has chosen Christopher and I for this journey!!

My life in bullet points...

Here is bits and pieces of my random life in bullet points...hope you enjoy!! :-)

• We are moving to Africa in a month!!
• I am 13 weeks and 5 days pregnant with our lil' monkey!
  
• We are selling all of our big furniture on Craigslist over the next month...it is already more of a headache than I imagined.
  
• My baby LOVES milk and ice cream....two things that I can't really count on having in Africa!
• My mother in law offered to give me some powder milk to take with us...has anyone ever tried powdered milk? Is it anything like regular milk? What if the water I am using isn't very cold? (we have an awesome water purifier...so it will be clean...just not cold)
  
• I am currently reading Kisses from Katie, an amazing book by the author of the blog The Journey, which I have read for years! I think the fact that I am reading it now is a complete God thing, I am getting more and more excited about Africa!!
• We got our Doppler in the mail yesterday, now we can listen to our sweet Monkey's heartbeat when ever we want!! :-)
• We found an amazing midwife, who is a complete gift from God!!
• My husband has been working crazy insane hours this month....which I am not a huge fan of, but I am also beyond grateful that he works so hard for our sweet little family...he's seriously the best!!
• Our wolf stepped on my laptop the other day when I was sitting on the floor talking baby names with my husband....she cracked the screen! :-/
  
• My amazing husband fixed my computer screen for me!!
• I witnessed a car accident last week, thankfully no one was hurt, but it still shook me up quite a bit and I didn't sleep well for a few days.
  
• We visited my husbands old church last Sunday, while it was nice because it is so close to the house, it made me so much more thankful for SOMA!!
  
• Everyone thinks I am carrying big...my mother in law has even made comments about twins...but I actually weigh less than I did when I got pregnant...that doesn't make any sense to me, but my midwife assured me that for as much morning sickness as I have had that it is normal and weight will start to stick soon.
  
• I only have 20 days or so left at the bank...it is bittersweet, because it is a smaller bank, all the employees at all the different branches make their own little Southside community, it has been fun to be a part of.
• God's blessings just continue to fall on us as we prepare for Africa, its awesome!! Every time I start to doubt for a second or start to get a little nervous the Lord does something to confirm His plans and protection over us!
  
• I am blessed!!
• We are blessed!!
• GOD IS GOOD!!

Also, will you consider praying for this sweet angel, Phoebe, although I do not know her, her sweet family are also YWAM missionaries and precious Phoebe was just diagnosed with cancer! You can also follow her caringbridge here! Thank you so much!