The Day We've Been Waiting For

The day is September 13, 2012, the day I’ve been waiting for, for months now.  We get the kids ready for school and say our goodbyes.  I want to keep the day as normal for them as possible even though it is killing me inside.  I know they are going to be in good hands while we are gone and they are pumped about their 2 week “sleepover” at Mrs. Lori’s :) But the thought of leaving them for 11 days while I am half way across the world is a little unsettling to me.  Thankfully though, the hotel we are going to stay in has WIFI so at least we will be able to Skype with them and through an app on my iPod we’ll be able to text them as long as we have internet.  That should make the days without them a little easier.

After I drop the kids off at school and endure the seemingly extra long, emotional drive home, we finish packing all of our stuff, checking and rechecking to make sure we have everything.  It isn’t like we’ll be able to just run to Walmart real quick if we forget something.  We are going to be in Kenya for 11 days for crying out loud (well, minus the 4 days travel time there and home)!  But God reminded me ever so gently through a friend (as He has been doing quite often) that so what if I forget something.  God will provide whatever I NEED while I’m there.  I may not get there with everything I WANT but I won’t be lacking. Philippians 4:19 says, “And my God will meet all your needs according to the riches of his glory in Christ Jesus.”

Within about an hour or so, Brother Gary comes to pick us up, we go get Tina and head to Dallas.  We get to the airport around noon which means we have about a 5 hour wait before Tina’s flight.  She has to take an earlier flight than all the rest of us because our plane was full when they booked the tickets.  But by the time Brother Gary gets parked, we get checked in, we unload and rearrange some of our stuff in our luggage (because it’s over the weight limit),  the rest of our group gets there,  we get to our gate and all that fun stuff it’s just about time to see Tina off. 

I have to admit, it seems a little bit silly but watching Tina disappear into that terminal all by herself, feels like I’m watching one of my own kids leave me.   I don’t like it.  :(

Let the Journey Continue

Well, it’s been a while since I’ve written.  I had every intention of keeping my blog up to date  while we were in Kenya but it seemed like there just were not enough hours in the day.  By the time we got back to our hotel each night, had our group meeting, got cleaned up and had dinner I could barely keep my eyes open. 

Since we’ve been home I’ve thought about getting back on here and filling everyone in on the trip but it seemed like every time I tried I just drew blanks.  I kept telling myself “there is no way that words will ever be able to do this justice so why even try?”  And it’s true, I will never be able to put what I saw, what I felt, what I heard, what I touched, what I experienced into words that will ever truly help anyone understand what it was like in Kenya.  But a sweet friend posed a question to me the other day that struck me to the core.  She said, “Does the Journey of Faith and Trust in the Lord stop simply because a mission trip ended?....I know the whole trip seems overwhelming –and it is.  There seems no way to capture in mere words the miracles God performed in your sight (why do you think the writers of the Bible had so much trouble conveying their message?)  Words just seem so empty and inadequate.  But you are no different than the biblical writers…just write about what you felt.  Write about the evidence of God you experienced.  Allow God to ‘inspire’ what you write.  Remember, II Timothy 3:16?  All scripture is INSPIRED by God…God-breathed.”  So that is just what I am going to do, allow Him to “inspire” my words, His words.

Just like before, this isn’t about me, it’s about HIM.  So with some prayer and a little nudging from a friend, I’m going to attempt to “take you to Kenya.”  And when that journey is over, no it doesn’t end. We’re going to go wherever God decides to take us ;)  So…let the journey continue!!

16 Days Until Kenya

Wow, here it is already August 28!  I haven't been on here in a while.  Seems like life got crazy busy all of the sudden and I look up and we've got 16 DAYS until we board the plane for Kenya!!  Where in the world did the time go?!  Everything that I've anticipated is almost here.  God has been so good and He is Faithful and man have I learned to trust Him during this process!
I'm so excited, it's almost time to go meet God's precious people in Kenya but I'd be lying if I said I wasn't a little bit nervous, a little anxious.  Maybe it's because the reality of everything that seemed like such a dream before is finally here.  Maybe it's because I'm leaving my kids for 11 days and will hardly get to talk to them (even though I know they'll be in great hands while we're gone) much less see their sweet faces.  Maybe it's because this is something so much bigger than me and I don't have a clue what to expect.
But there is one thing I know and it's this...God is going to show up!!  As a matter of fact, He's already there and He's preparing the hearts, as we speak, of the people that we will encounter.  And what's cool is that He's still here too with me and with my kids and with the team that we are going with and He's preparing each one of us, as we speak.  And I know that no matter how anxious I may get about any of this, God is in control and He is sending us out "to the farthest ends of the earth" because He has a plan and a purpose for us and for the people of Kenya and for my kids.  What a testimony I get the privilege of bringing back to my children!!
And I just believe with all my heart that God is already orchestrating a perfect plan for us to meet sweet Dorothy!!  And if we don't meet face to face, well, there is already a piece of my heart over there in Kenya because God saw fit for us to meet on Facebook!  I treasure the "conversations" I've had with her.  And Dorothy is praying for us :)  What a blessing!!
So many emotions!!  I never dreamed that I would ever be going on a mission trip OVERSEAS much less feel the way I do about it right now!  Happy, sad, excited, overwhelmed, humbled, unworthy and the list goes on and on.  All I know for sure is that I serve a mighty God and I am honored to be able to "GO" and be His Hands and Feet!!

Dorothy

Tuesday night we decided to take the kids fishing at the lake and these fishing trips always end up with a VERY late “homecoming.”  We got home about 1:30 am, got the kids and ourselves all settled and in bed around 2ish and I decided to check my Facebook before I called it a night.  About 20 minutes had passed when a message came through from “Dorothy from Kenya!!!!”   You can imagine my excitement because I had responded to her message about a week ago but really deep down I doubted that I would ever hear from her again. 

Our conversation went on back and forth for about 2 hours and it was beautiful!  I keep saying it over and over but I just love how God works….Dorothy found me on Facebook through the little inspirational pictures that I repost and share on the newsfeed.  And now it makes sense to me as to why I always make those public instead of sending them where just my “friends” can see them.  God used one of those pictures to touch Dorothy’s heart all the way in Kenya!!!!  Who’s to say there haven’t been more people throughout the world who He has ministered to in this way?!

Dorothy is a believer…she was very quick to tell me that she was “born again”, she is a part of the worship team in her church and even the job that she has is a ministry J  She loves her Savior!  I told her that Michael and I were coming to Kenya in September to share the love of Jesus with her people and that when she messaged me the other day I did NOT believe that it was coincidence.  I told her (and I believe this with all my heart) that God is up to something BIG!  She also agrees with me that this is no coincidence and is excited that we are coming.

She lives about a day’s journey from one of the places where we will be serving so the chances of actually meeting her are pretty slim but she and I are both praying that God will work a miracle and that somehow He will bring us together while we are there. 

You know, I don’t know what God is doing in all of this but I DO KNOW that He is definitely at work!  I also may never meet Dorothy this side of Heaven but I will forever have a friend in Kenya who GOD has placed in my life for “such a time as this.”  I will FOREVER be grateful for the opportunity that God has given me to be His hands and feet in this and I believe that I haven’t even begun to see the half of it!!  My God is BIG and I know that He has BIG plans for the people of Kenya and for the team that is going over there!  

He's Up to Something

I truly believe that when we know God has called us to do something, He will continue to put it in the forefront of our minds.
I don't understand everything that He is allowing me to see and experience right now but I know He is up to something.
This evening I checked my "other" messages on Facebook (which I rarely do, even if it's showing something there, simply because most of the stuff in the "other" messages is generally junk).  But I was taken back by the message that I saw this time.
I received a message from "Dorothy from KENYA!"  At first, my natural self was a little skeptical by what I was seeing.  But the more I looked into it and thought about it, I thought, "what are the odds that I would receive a random Facebook message from a lady in Kenya at this very moment in my life?!"
I just can't help but believe that this is surely God and He is preparing me/us for something AWESOME!  And what if, just what if we got to meet Dorothy while we are in Kenya?  You can bet that I am going to memorize this lady's sweet face so I will know her if God sees fit to cross our paths thousands of miles across the ocean!!

God's Grace is Amazing

I've been sitting here on my couch this morning, just me and my coffee, thinking back on the meeting we had last night for the Kenya trip.  The closer and the deeper we get into it the more amazed I am at what God is doing.  I love to think about how God is already preparing the hearts of the people in Kenya.  
And as I looked at the pictures Shara showed us on her computer last night I know that God is also preparing my heart because I can feel myself falling in love with these people already.  I am honored and humbled that God has chosen to allow me and Michael to be a part of His work.  What have we done to deserve this????  Nothing at all...He just loves us that much!  
The blessings we receive when we are obedient to His call (no matter what it is) are amazing.  I wonder how many of His blessings I've robbed myself of because I either wasn't listening and didn't hear Him or just flat out refused to "step out" and follow Him because of fear or anything else?  I'm so thankful for His Grace and that He gives us second chances.  I can't wait to watch the rest of this unfold. I can't wait to see what He's going to do in the hearts of the people of Kenya and our own while we are there!

The Details

Written on July 13, 2012


I love how God knows and loves us so intimately. I have needed to finish printing and mailing my last bunch of letters (about 75-80 of them) so that we can prayerfully get the last about $4000 needed to be completely, financially set for this trip. But I conveniently ran out of ink, envelopes, and stamps all at the same time. For all of that I needed about $80 which we don't just have laying around. It seems like here lately every single penny we have is already accounted for. Last Sunday I was leaving church and someone pulled me to the side and handed me a $100 bill and said, "This is for anything extra ya'll need for your trip." :) My mind immediately went to those letters. So today I spent about $79 and some change and got everything I needed to finish them. Isn't it just like God to show up when we're not expecting it?! And isn't it amazing how He knows even when I need ink, stamps and envelopes and provides the means to get it?! Thank you Lord for blessing me through Your servant even in the details!!

Showers of Blessings

Written on July 11, 2012....


9:30 pm...What a blessing I received at church tonight when someone came up to me and handed me a check for $300 for our trip.  I am so unworthy of God's goodness but still He continues to shower us with His love!

Half way there

Written on July 11, 2012....


10:15 am...Today is one of the days we've been looking forward to; the point where we need half of our money to purchase airline tickets for our trip.  I pulled up my email this morning and saw that I had a correspondence from Chris.  I immediately opened it to discover that...WE MET THE DEADLINE!!  $4246 total...about half of the total amount that we need to hop on that plane for Kenya in September!! Praise the Lord!  God is so good to us!

My Cup Runneth Over

Written on July 9, 2012....


I'm sitting here reading my blog and recalling everything that God has done so far on this journey and I am in tears.  I am completely and totally amazed and overwhelmed at SO many people's willingness to help us "go!"  I pray that each and every person who has given financially and who has given their time in prayer for us will be blessed beyond measure because they have been such a blessing to us. A dear friend reminded me through a quote in our Experiencing God study that, "God works through those He loves to carry out His Kingdom purposes."  God is working through the body of Christ to help Michael and I carry out His Kingdom purpose.  I never dreamed that we would receive this kind of love, support and monetary donations from so many people.  My heart is so full...my cup runneth over!!

Nothing is Impossible With God

Written on July 8, 2012....


In less than a weeks time we have received $1500 from 3 different families for our trip ($500 from each family).  I have to admit, when I got the phone call that we needed to have half of our money by July 11 my faith was tested.  I mean come on, $4000 in 22 days is pushing it I'd say.  But my God is the God of the Impossible and He can do what NO MAN can do!!

God of the Impossible

Written on July 6, 2012...


I decided to do my "Streams in the Desert" devotional today which I haven't even opened in MONTHS.  So here we are 5 days away from needing half of our Kenya money and this is the focal Scripture of the devotional...Matthew 9:28, "Do you believe that I am able to do this?" And the title of it is "God of the Impossible."  Wow!!  God continues to amaze me in how personal He is!  I have NEVER experienced God before in a way quite like this and I am loving it.   We have $2606 in our account right now which means we need about $1400 by July 11.  To man, to me, THAT is impossible.  But God is telling me right here in this devotional that He delights in impossibilities when He is glorified! So in response to Matthew 9:28, Yes God I do believe that You are able to do this and I believe that You WILL do this and YES God I WILL give You all the glory!!! Thank you Lord for Your Word!

Mission Accomplished

Written on July 2, 2012....


We came home from Dallas yesterday and I was bound and determined to have all 75 letters completely ready to just drop in the mailbox today and...I did just that!  75 families will receive letters from us this week inviting them to be a part of this incredible journey with us whether financially or through prayer.  Thank you Lord for helping me complete this phase of the task at hand!

Ye of Little Faith

Written on June 30, 2012....

I've been working on these letters off and on the whole time we've been here in Dallas and no I'm still not done :/ Not too many to go but I took a break to go to church with Jordan and Julz tonight.  I've been stressing about not getting these things done since tomorrow is the 1st (which leaves only 10 days to get our money for our plane tickets...$4000). I've been thinking about emailing Chris all day to see how much money we have in our account but I've been too scared. I've just been afraid that nothing is in there.  After all, I have only sent out 48 letters. Finally right before church started I decided to just go for.  I emailed Chris. Praise and worship started and I couldn't stand it...I checked my email several times and FINALLY....a response!! And guess what??? A total of $1076 and that is just from the first set of letters I sent out!!!!  Woohoo!

Right after I received the email response from Chris, the praise band was singing a song and one of the lines in the song said, "God will finish what He starts in us."

Thank you Jesus for the reminder that You called me and Michael out to do this and You are going to see it through because You are Faithful!!!  

Letters, Letters, Letters!

Written on June 28, 2012....


We're on the road headed to Dallas to stay with Jordan and Julz for a couple of days.  There wasn't a lot of down time last night at VBS to work on our letters so I'm hoping to get them finished while we're on the way so I can get them in the mail. I have to say that this is the first time that my faith has waivered in this whole deal.  I know all things are possible with God but $4000 in 2 weeks is a lot of money in not a lot of time!!

Blessings

Written on June 26, 2012....


I have a huge list of people to mail more letters to.  I feel overwhelmed trying to make sure everything has been just right for VBS this week and trying to get these letters ready and sent.  But I know that none of it is really mine to do anyway.  I know that God has gone before us in VBS and with this Kenya trip so I just have to be faithful and do my part.  I am going to work on these letters more tonight during my down time at Bible school.


I was able to hand out some of my letters to the workers at VBS tonight.  What a blessing I received when I gave one of the letters to a sweet friend who informed me that she had received an unexpected amount of money and had been praying about what to do with it!  She said that when I gave her the letter she had a pretty good idea of what she was supposed to do with it.  I am thankful for Godly friends who seek His face and are obedient to His call!!

The Lord of the Harvest

From "Our Daily Bread" on June 24, 2012...

Matthew 9:37-38 "Then He said to His disciples, 'The harvest is plentiful but the workers are few.  Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into His harvest field."

Jesus, I thank You for Your Word and I ask that You will forgive me for not spending more time in it. I thank You, Holy Spirit, for bearing witness with my spirit this morning. You put this stirring in mine and Michael's hearts for this Kenya trip and You've answered prayers, opened doors and removed obstacles. But this morning I believe that You gave me this Word from Scripture as even more confirmation that we are to GO. Thank You for Your provision, thank You for Your faithfulness. God, thank You for Your goodness. I don't deserve any of this from You, but because of Your mercy and Your grace I am able to receive it. Thank You for loving me enough to allow me to see and experience Your AMAZING WONDERS! I can't wait to see what else You have in store for us. My heart is so full.

In Jesus Name,

Amen

Finally

Written on June 22, 2012....


We went today and got Michael's picture made for his passport. We took it and all the paperwork to the courthouse. They say we should receive it in the mail in about 6 weeks.

48 Letters

Written on June 20, 2012....


I mailed 48 letters out today. Lord, I pray that you will provide the money we need to go.

Can you say Procrastinator??

Written on June 19, 2012...


I got a call this evening from Chris at around 8:00 pm that we all need to have at least half of our money for the trip by about July 11 so that IC can buy our plane tickets.  Oh boy, I have only mailed in our application packets. Chris said I need to get our letters sent out ASAP.  Guess I'll be up all night addressing letters to get ready to mail out tomorrow.

He Hears My Cries

Written on June 19, 2012...


I'm getting ready for Logan's dentist appointment today.  All I can think about is how we need to get Michael's passport done....like yesterday!  And I'm not really sure how to even pray about this. We have some money in savings but it's not much and what is in there is our "safety net."  We've had to pull from it a little lately and don't have extra to add to it from this pay check so we feel like we need to leave it alone. Because we do have a little, I don't know if I should pray that we'll get some money from somewhere to pay for the passport or pray that we'll have the faith to do what we need to do and TRUST that You will provide for any needs that come up.


5:45 pm...Well, on the way to the dentist we stopped by the post office and I have to admit that I prayed that there would be some money from somewhere in that mailbox but...there wasn't.  So the rest of the way into Longview I prayed silently "that it would be great if the dentist didn't cost as much as they had said it was supposed to."
We get to the dentist and after he had worked on Logan's tooth for a little bit he told me that the filling he was fixing ended up being bigger than he'd expected so he needed to do a crown but he wasn't going to charge us for it. Ok cool!  So we're still looking at $140.  He gets done and we go to the checkout counter and the girl at the desk says, "You are with Logan Simmons, right?"  I told her yes and she proceeds to tell me that the dentist was only charging us what the insurance was going to pay!!  "What???  So, I don't owe ANYTHING today?"  No maam!  
Oh my gosh, God heard my cry and He answered my prayer!!  And to make it even better, the $140 is about what the passport is going to cost!  Wow, I guess we'll be getting Michael's picture made and heading to the courthouse on his next days off!!!  Praise the Lord!!!

Road Blocks

Written on June 18, 2012...


We ended up hanging around the house Saturday so we decided we'd get Michael's picture made and take everything to the courthouse today.  We got up this morning, balanced the checkbook and did all the bills...well, we don't have the money to do the passport today.  Logan has a dentist appointment tomorrow (that we already know our part is going to be about $140), children's camp to pay for and Michael doesn't get paid again until the 28th...not really sure what we're gonna do!

The Good with the Bad

Written on June 15, 2012...


I took the list of the vaccines/meds we need to the clinic yesterday. The nurse called me later in the day to tell me that they have all the shots we need on hand. That being the case, we can just go to the "walk-in" part of the clinic and get everything we need (including the Rx's) and not have to worry about paying for a dr's visit.
This evening we went into Longview to eat dinner.  While we were there we decided to go ahead and go get Michael's picture made for his passport so we can get that ball rolling.  We went into Walgreen's and did the picture but the color of his shirt was too light so he blended into the background :( We will go back and try again tomorrow.

He Works it All Out

Written on June 11, 2012...


Well I called Dr. Huffman's office today and they can get all the vaccines we need. They can write a Rx for the oral meds we need AND they will file on our insurance for us!  All I have to do is bring in a list to show them what we need. I also called Aetna to see if they would cover any of the shots/meds; the shots are covered 100% and the oral meds are covered under our Rx copay!! PTL!!! This is such a praise because Michael was really concerned about the price of these meds!!

We May Be On To Something

Written on June 3, 2012...


We were talking to Rick James tonight at Home Invasion about our vaccines for the trip and he told us to check with Dr. Huffman's office in Longview.  He said that's where they've gotten their vaccines and stuff for their two trip to China. Why didn't I think of talking to the James' before?? :) And this office will file on insurance.  This is good news!!

100 Days and Counting

Written on June 1, 2012...

We received an email from Chris today saying that on June 5th we will be 100 days from departure to Kenya.  Wow!  Guess I better get it in gear.  

We're having trouble finding a place here that can get the shots that we need. The health department referred me to Healthcare Express but they won't file on our insurance and these shots are expensive!  I emailed Chris back and told him what we were running into and he and Shara found a couple other places for me to call in Longview.  We shall see...

That One Thing

I think there are things in all of our lives that we are terrified of doing.  And sometimes even just the thought of the possibility of having to face that fear is terrifying in itself.  

On April 29, 2012, Chris Cowen came to our church to tell us about a mission trip to Kenya coming up in September.  Michael has said for a long time that he could see himself (and our family of course) doing missions overseas.  Me on the other hand, this is that one thing that has always scared me to death.  Just the thought of God calling and moving me, my husband and my kids to a strange land far away, a place far away from my family, my friends and my kids friends almost made me nauseous.

Oddly enough, as I sat and listened to Chris speak I could feel this stirring inside of me, not fear but an excitement.

After the service, Michael and I went and talked to Chris and his wife Shara and got some information about the trip.  We both knew that God was calling us to "Go" without even saying anything to each other.  

The cost for both of us to go on this trip will be close to $9000 but Chris told us that for something like this we will send out donation letters to our family and friends and see what God lays on people's hearts.  So where do we go from here???  We say "yes" to the call and we step out in a GIANT leap of FAITH and see where God takes us.

Come Go With Us

So here I am, I've never done a blog, never even thought of doing one or anything like it before now.  Honestly, I even struggled with doing this one because I thought, "Who in the world would want to read about my life?"  But the more I thought about it, the more I realized, "This isn't about me.  This is about the amazing work that God is doing in mine and Michael's lives right now.  He is taking us down a road that I don't really think either of us ever dreamed we would be going down and it's breath taking.  So...come and enjoy the ride with us.