Dirty Laundry

In just over a month my life will change drastically!  Greg and I will be heading to Kisumu, Kenya for three and a half months.  It feels like all of my life God has been preparing me for this stage in my life.  I remember back when my girls were toddlers, I just couldn't understand why God was not "using" me to do something magnificent or do some kind of wonderful works for Him.  What I didn't see was that God was "using" me for the greatest task that could be placed before me and that was to be the mother of two of the most compassionate, caring, spiritual young women that I know.  At that time, all I could see was dirty laundry piling up, toys to be cleaned up, boo boo's to be kissed; boy was I blind!  I was pretty thick-headed.  It took some soul searching to see that my girls were the greatest gift to me and that I could have a tremendous influence for good or bad on their little hearts and souls.  Well, once I got my head right (my heart was there), I knew what I needed to do!  Greg and I became very intentional about raising our girls to love God and love His people.  We made MANY mistakes, but God's grace was certainly way big enough to cover those mistakes. As our girls became teens we wanted them to see that not all of God's people are so blessed to have a roof over their heads, three meals a day and running water. We have been blessed to be a part of a congregation that believes that you should start your kids out young, training them to become "mission-minded"; out of themselves.  So, we went on many trips around the world.  Those were tremendous learning experiences for all of my family!  We learned so much about life, people, cultures, languages and about ourselves. Greg and I knew that one day, Lord willing, we would do missions of some sort on a more regular basis.  


Well, God heard the desires of our heart and that time has come.  Back in my 20's when all I could see was that dirty laundry, I think God was smiling and saying, "Suzy, one day you may just be doing laundry in a bucket, by a creek in some far away land." Or, "Remember those boo boo's that you kissed away, now I want you to kiss away much deeper hurts and pain of children who have not been blessed to have parents."  Was this what God was preparing Greg and I for 30 years later? C.S. Lewis writes, "You are never too old to set another goal or to dream a new dream..."  So, here we go!  We have "lept out on faith" and are headed to Kenya to do the very thing that I believe God was preparing me for and that is to LOVE His people. This is the first post of many I pray, where I can share what God is doing in our lives.  And oh, now our daughters are the ones supporting us emotionally and spirtually as we leave.  My heart is so full, because God has a plan for each of us!  As our girls and their husbands raise their children, I look forward to seeing what God does in their lives as I am rocking on my front porch, whether that is in Atlanta, Kenya or wherever God sends us!