let the countdown begin...

Our life has been a series of checklists and to-do's lately and I have failed at keeping this blog updated with where we are in preparing for Costa Rica.  I actually despise checklists and to-do's.  For real. I used to think I didn't like lists because I am not especially organized, but while that is true to a degree, I have realized now that my feelings are based more on the feeling that lists are never actually complete.  To-do's are never ending.  Checklists are ever evolving.  And I am never at a point where I feel like I have completed anything.
Lately I have been waiting on just one more item on the list to be completed, only to have another item added.
I have lived in limbo between sticking my head in the sand to being completely overwhelmed.
My emotions are all over the place.
I have decided that I have a responsibility to write about where we are.  So many people have come alongside us in this ministry and are invested in what God is doing through ROOM in Costa Rica and it isn't exactly fair to not keep everyone informed.
So, first, the big and exciting things that have been checked off our list...

• passports for everyone  
• Kyle has officially resigned from his position here.

These two items are huge!  I have been praying for God to confirm to us that this is what He wants for us.  Kyle worked at his company for 10 years.  10 years we invested into 401k, insurance, and the stability of a paycheck every 2 weeks...and we are walking away from it.  Kyle was fearless in the face of this change (which goes against everything that is comfortable for him) and I was a bundle of nerves (which was against everything that I thought I am).  I was praying for peace and confirmation and the last Friday that Kyle worked at Magellan was the very day that we received the kids' passports in the mail.
He is so faithful!
It seems like such a small thing and could be written off as coincidence, but we have waited for those passports for so long and even started wondering if we were going to have to change our plans for departure...and there they were.  As I opened each envelope it was as if God was saying, "Go.  I have this."

Now, here are the things we have left to do...

• purchase our tickets
• book the hotel for the first week
• purchase little, but necessary, purchases for life in CR (sunscreen, bug spray, etc...)
• call Sonlight about curriculum for the 2014-2015 school year
• and about a million other things...

When I look at this list, I feel overwhelmed, because I am not a planner or organizer.  And I am used to us working to provide all these needs on our own.
From the very beginning of this experience, God has shown us that we need to trust His Provision and we are learning that doesn't just mean the big things like our physical needs like our budget for the year but it means EVERYTHING down to His Provision for our emotional needs such as peace and confirmation of calling.

Just this month, we were taught a big lesson on trusting God's provision.
I was driving down the road to go visit my parents when suddenly my car started acting like a lunatic.  I pulled over and was pretty calm, despite Harper's dramatic take control attitude and Calvary's fear that "we'll never get home!!!"  But the damage was done.  The engine was blown and would have to be replaced.  It wasn't something that we just could ignore or make last until we left; we had to fix it.  In order to sell it, or keep it, we had to replace the engine.  Not cheap, in case you were wondering.  To be expected, the cost of the engine was almost exactly what we had saved up to purchase our tickets and hotel...of course it was.  I wasn't discouraged and we were actually thankful that this happened at a time when we had the money in the bank to take care of it.  However, we did wonder why this had happened.  I automatically assumed that this happened because it was a distraction or deterrent meant to obstruct us from getting to CR.
Kyle, however, had a much more on point thought:  He told me immediately that we had not been trusting God's provision.  We had started preparing our own way.  This is not just our calling, but an opportunity for ministry and for others to come along side of us and we have been keeping it all to ourselves...the triumphs and the struggles...until we had "enough" to share.
Without even asking, we have had people step up and help...not only with the cost of repairing our engine, but also with the tickets.
What we tried to do on our own, God intended for others to have that opportunity to partner with us.
We truly have so much to learn...

Thank you for being patient with us as we learn and please keep praying for us as we make these final preparations before leaving at the end of April.
And as we learned over the past several months, we are asking for the help of anyone that would like to help :)

This verse was shared with me by my friend Carole, who is currently in Mexico with her husband distributing shoes and Bibles through Sharing the Sword Ministry, in an email encouraging us as we wait..."Do not be afraid, for I have ransomed you. I have called you by name; YOU ARE MINE. When you go through deep waters, I will be with you. When you go through rivers of difficulty, you will not drown. When you walk through the fire of oppression, you will not be burned up; the flames will not consume you. For I am the Lord, your God, the Holy One of Israel, Your Savior." (Isaiah 43:1-3 NLT)

6 weeks...