A special day at Faith

Today was a very special day for our family. Elijah and Esther made a public profession of faith at our church and our family was officially commissioned by our congregation. It was very encouraging to have the elders come and lay hands on us while we were being prayed for. Our church family has been so supportive in sending us. The vast majority of our financial support also comes from families at Faith Presbyterian in addition to the support directly from the church. Leaving our church family is hard, but it is such a blessing to be sent out with their encouragement, partnership and support! We are very blessed! 

Wow, what a day!

Today was quite a busy, exciting and a bit overwhelming day. This was our last morning to wake up in our "Georgia home" for a while. Today we moved out our furniture with the help of some friends. Now our house just has containers of things going to Africa and boxes for the few things that are going in the attic. I was a bit sad about leaving the home we have lived in for the last 11 years. Around 8 pm we finally headed over to the missionary guest house where we will be staying for our last 2 weeks here in the states. I was feeling a bit sad about leaving our home, until we pulled into the driveway. It had rained quite a bit so the creek was rushing, the fireflies were out, and the kids were so excited! They explored the woods and creek a bit, caught themselves a nightlight, and found a cat that has adopted the missionary families who stay here. Esther has been asking for a cat for quite some time, and she really enjoyed feeding and petting it. The cat is now named "Emily." Elijah has already asked if we can stay here on furlough. And before Ezra went to sleep he said, "Everything is just how I wanted it." I am so thankful for this nice house to live in for our last two weeks here. It isn't possible to stay in our house and move out of it at the same time, so this guesthouse is just what we needed. I am so grateful! It feels like our adventure has begun! We have many more adventures ahead, but for now I am just thankful for a comfy bed. It has been a long day and I am ready to rest!

Thankful for my family

We have been enjoying a great week in Florida visiting with my parents, my two brothers and our nephews and niece. We have had lots of fun, spent plenty of time in the water and sun and enjoyed a break from our preparations. One of the best things about this week is that I have had more time than usual in the mornings to pray and read God's Word. This is probably because our kids are staying up so late at night. I am very grateful for this quiet time in the mornings. But tomorrow we head back to Watkinsville, GA to get ready to go. We will have 3 nights in our house in GA until we move out in order to get it ready for renters and to pack up our stuff. It feels like the beginning of a lot of transitions for our family.

The Fish family at the entrance to the Shark Encounter with my parents

One of the things I have been reading in the Bible is the importance of thanksgiving. We have so much for which to be thankful. This week with my family reminds me of the blessing of growing up in a family with parents who love God and want their children to live for Him. I am very grateful for how supportive both of our families have been in this process of us following the Lord to Uganda. It is a sacrifice for them too as their grandchildren will not be as close. But they have a desire for God's kingdom work around the world. Our parents discipled us for years as we were growing up teaching us of the grace of God in Jesus and encouraging us to follow Him. As we approach Fathers' Day, I am so thankful for our fathers who love God and have led their families to follow Him. I am also thankful for our Heavenly Father who loves us perfectly and is with us through all of these upcoming transitions.

Please keep our family in your prayers over these next couple of weeks. I would ask that you pray Ephesians 4:32 for us, that we would "be kind to one another, tenderhearted forgiving one another, even as God for Christ sake has forgiven (us)." In the midst of all the things to do and the stress of the changes ahead, this will probably be a key verse for our family. Thank you for your prayers!

A taste of Eden

As many of you know, David and I love gardening and lawn care. We have greatly enjoyed working in the yard over these last 11 years . As we are preparing to move out of this house, I am very thankful for all the beautiful creation we have been able to enjoy here. As I walked outside this morning after 3 inches of rain last night, I realized that our beautiful garden has been a taste of Eden for us. I love walking with God is the cool of the morning in our garden. I don't have the privilege Adam and Eve had of being face to face with God, but I do enjoy praying and reading and remembering His Word as I am out in the garden. I will miss this beautiful place, but I look forward to having those times with The Lord in our new tropical home in Uganda. It will be fun to learn a new type of gardening! 

Less than one month to go.....Lord willing

Yesterday we had a yard sale and sold most of our things that we are not giving away to friends or taking to Uganda. It was a very exciting and freeing time. It is amazing how much "stuff" we accumulate even when we are trying to be intentional to limit this. A while back I thought that it might be sad and a bit sentimental to sell/give away our things. But that has not been my experience. The one exception is the chair that I sat in to hold and comfort and feed and read to my children over the past 8 1/2 years. (See photo) The seat of the chair is worn thin and the slip cover is even torn, but I have many sweet memories of being up in the night with babies or sick children rocking them or just cuddling in the chair reading a book. Thanks for indulging my moment of sentimental reflection. Anyway, other than the chair, it was really easy to let things go. And I still have the children to hold; we will just sit somewhere else. As we were selling most of our "things" I remembered the verse, "For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also." Matthew 6:21

Esther very excited to begin packing!

We now have only 5 more days in our house before we go to visit my family in Florida. When we return from that visit it will be time to pack up to stay at a missionary guesthouse while we give away the rest of our furniture, get the house ready for renters and pack for Uganda. Our kids have already started packing their containers with their favorite books, puzzles, games and stuffed animals. They are very excited to start this process. We are so thankful for our children's excitement about this adventure God has for us.

We will keep you posted as we continue to move forward toward July 1st. 29 days to takeoff....Lord willing!