The place God calls you is the place where your deep gladness and the world's deep hunger meet.
-Buechner

Thursday, June 23, 2011

More Progress...On Summer...On Travel Prep...On The Journey

By the timestamp on this post you may realize that...
  1. it's busy around here
  2. there's a lot of excitement in these parts
  3. there has been a lot to get done
  4. the sun has (finally!!) been shining and time indoors simply has not been on the agenda
  5. we just finished the most wonderful Nana visit
  6. the preparations are truckin' along nicely (we leave in 2 1/2 weeks??!!)
  7. did i mention the excitement?
Aside from the day-to-day of birthday parties, father's day, end of the year trips and get togethers, summer camp and staff preparations and events, the amount to accomplish in these parts over the next couple of weeks can overwhelm a girl.

Well...most girls.








The demands, tasks, itemized lists, events ahead, anticipation, timeline...they just gets me going. I'm a multi-tasker at heart and though admittedly some things have fallen off the radar recently, this list-making, gift baking, goal seeking girl is in her element. And the high of it all can (apparently) lead to some sleepless nights of "day" dreaming, praying, deep thinking, yearning, and realizing that the control is out of our hands.

We can prepare what we wish. We can plan for most imaginable (and some unimaginable) circumstances. Yet, we are venturing into uncharted waters. The journey ahead - and the path getting us there - is a little blurry and as we step further towards the destination (simply, the next phase of the journey), the path progressively becomes a little clearer.

And I realize again: this is out of our control. What will be, will be. It is in the hands of the One who planned our journey long ago out of nothing but pure, raw, aching love. And so we must trust through the fog, in all that is ahead of us and around us, in the love and desire of His utmost (love, care, heart, compassion, longing, joy...) for us.

We confirmed our Guest House stay while in Addis just a few minutes ago. (The time change works wonders in the wee hours.) And donations are trickling in steadily. And we feel blessed.

We arrived home last night to a package on the doorstep. A large box I had been hoping would arrive soon - but not expecting this quickly. (The strike has it's door-to-door courier service benefits! Not that we don't miss picking up daily mail...but home delivery is a welcome, temporary aberration.)

{i resisted the urge to take and then post a photo, but the encouragement
"oh come on honey, you know you want to"
was all the motivation i needed.
so i grabbed the camera to photo document this wee step towards our wee babe}

The contents of the box were a screaming reminder of the growth on our horizon. The first "real" purchase...the fact that they are for us...for our child is something I am having a heck of a time fitting into my paradigm. What a perfect predicament.

And, upon request...she sent a few extra. I was again touched as I have been repeatedly throughout this journey, and humbled to the core.


3 comments:

Joy said...

Love that owl print (my deep thought for the day)! Haven't tried that brand, but have been enjoying cloth diapering for the past couple of weeks - glad I can actually use the stash I started three years ago, when we were anticipating a quick adoption from Zambia...and when things changed, really didn't think there would be a young enough baby to use them on, but as it turns out...

Hope your preparations continue to go well (and that the sun continues to shine for lots of outdoor fun)!

Jennifer said...

Would LOVE to talk to you about Cloth Diapers!!!!--Tell me about GroVia, I haven't heard of them before--I've heard of gDiapers--is that close to the same thing?-hmmm...something else to think about I guess!--tell my about it on FB if you can!

Barbara said...

oh i remember all that prep... what fun. The Afroland looks nice. Same price range as Weygoss? It looks nicer. If the location is as good as Weygoss I'll check that out next time. One thing I haven't seen yet.... the nursery?!? pics!