D {Dylan}

Almost everyone we talk to wants to know how the kids are handling the transition we're going through, especially moving and leaving everything they've known in their limited existence...just because their parents have made this choice to follow the Lord in this particular direction.

Sometimes I feel like they're politely saying, "You know you're crazy for ripping your kids out of a 'real' childhood..."

Well, no one ever said we were normal.

Honestly, I think they're okay and really? They'll have a childhood...it will be fun...it will just be different.

And that's okay.

Mo asks questions, but she's our laid back, go with the flow girl. She's more worried about which dolls she can take with her than whether or not she'll have access to hot showers and chocolate. For now, she's good. I know soon when things start picking up, she'll have questions and I pray we'll have answers to help her through.

Little Mal won't know any different, so for her the issues will be coming in for furloughs and dealing with the overload of stimulus that the U.S. offers. I'll cross that bridge later. She'll be older, we'll be a little wiser...

But my boy. My sweet, crazy, dirty, funny, smart D. He is old enough to know what's going on and I truly feel like the Lord has and is preparing him for this adventure.

Before we talked to the kids about going into missions, Jason and I talked alot privately (in this house: after the kids were in bed--the only time there's peace around here!) We didn't want to start something that wasn't going to go anywhere. You know how kids get when they think something is going to happen and then...it doesn't. Chaos...mass riots (we're outnumbered kids to parents around here!)...tears...

But during the "discussion" process, out of nowhere one night, D asks, "Why aren't we missionaries?" J and I just glanced at each other like "Did you say something to him?!" Neither one of us had and we told him that right now we were supposed to be missionaries here...to our friends, our neighbors, the people around us that don't know Jesus. That answer seemed to suffice his question for the time. And since then, he's amazed us with his boldness in talking about Jesus to strangers. It's seriously humbling not as his mom, but as a Christian.

Then weeks later, at dinner where we had a side of rice, D says, "I really hope, if one day the Lord tells us to be missionaries, that we don't go somewhere that they just eat rice. I don't like rice."

He couldn't let the missionary thing go! All of a sudden he was asking questions...lots of them...about places, people, food. He referred frequently to a visit several years ago we had with some dear friends who are missionaries in Indonesia. I can't believe he remembered them, but their visit impacted him. He thought what they were doing was so cool. Flying for Jesus? He was all over it.

It was obvious, we had to tell the kids what we were thinking. They could be praying for this process and whether or not we should "go for it". Plus we were hoping (and still praying) that this could be such a faith builder for them. To see God at work. To see how He opened and closed doors all along this way. How mom and dad handled it. (no pressure!)

Needless to say, D was pumped...but then nervous! Would he have to learn a new language? Would we ever speak English again!? And the kicker...no chicken nuggets? French fries? What would he eat?!

He's still not excited about leaving his fav foods, but he's relieved to know we'll still speak English. We're starting to work through the bigger issues...leaving friends, family, not being able to take all of our "favorite things". (Somehow when you're almost 8 everything seems to be a fav!)

We have confidence that the Lord will continue helping his tender heart through this process. He's excited, but nervous, fearful of the unknown...aren't we all?

"Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things unseen." Heb. 11:1 (NASB)