August Update

Hello friends,

Well, it’s official.  We bought our tickets to fly out on Nov. 4th.  So, we are full-steam-ahead with preparations.  Like many of you, we have the To-Do List which only gets longer.  But in the midst of all the to-dos, we try to treasure the moments which are more precious than anything on the list.  Like when Micaiah says, “Daddy, come pway wif me,” or when Joyceana is on her knees on the floor looking up at you and smiling ear to ear with that extra cute gap between her teeth as she lifts both hands up in the air and says, “UP”.   Or the moments when our friend, Holy Spirit, gives a gentle tap at the door of our hearts and subtly whispers, “Let Me love you right now.”

The last three days, we haven’t let Micaiah go outside and or wear pants.  No, we haven’t neglected him for the To-Do List!  He is in full-on potty training.  He’ll sit on the potty, but won’t make anything happen.  He’ll hold out until that little 3 hour window when he has a diaper on at the prayer room.  Smart kid.  And even his “big boy underwear” have preference over the potty.  So the battle is on.  With us and him holed up in the house, the question is who can hold out longest?

Meanwhile, Joyceana is in the midst of a milestone herself.  She is trying to walk, or should I say trying not to walk.  She loves standing up and even has enough balance to bend over and pick up a toy without falling.  And she will walk forever holding our hand.  But she doesn’t want to do it on her own – she’d rather get around on her knees.  I guess she likes being a baby.  (Well, I’m afraid to tell her she’s got another thing coming this March – she won’t be the baby for long!).

What Micaiah and Joyceana are facing is something we all continually come up against.  It’s one of the greatest fears – the fear of the unknown.  And Etta and I would be lying if we said we weren’t battling the same thing as we look ahead to Uganda.  For Etta, the unknown is “Can we really raise a family there?  Can we really figure out how to do life, how to find our rhythm, how to thrive?”  For me, besides these domestic questions, it’s “Do I really have what it takes?  Can I become the kind of spiritual leader that people will be blessed to follow?  Can I take the pressures and scrutinies of ministry?”  But like Micaiah and Joyceana, we must press through the fear of the unknown and enter into the next phase of life – for Joyceana, toddlerhood; for Micaiah, big-boyhood; and for Etta, missionary-motherhood; and for me, leadership.

As always, we are so incredibly grateful for your love, your prayers, and your various contributions.  May God give you grace to not let the precious moments pass you by without being cherished.  And may God give you courage as you face you the fear of your unknowns.  We love you all!

WillEtta and the tribe