Here We Go Again.

It's actually happening.  Round 2.

We have been approved (re-approved?) by our sending agency, ABWE, to return to Togo.

(insert deep breath here)

I'm stoked.  Nate's stoked.  The kids are stoked.

But this time, we go with eyes wide open. So even though we're stoked, we are also realistic.

One of my first blog posts, waaaaay back in 2012 when this whole business began, was entitled Counting Miracles. And guess what?  We're doing a repeat.

So here's the scoop on what's been happening in the last bit.  (And if you already know this, feel free to scroll down.  This is for my own sake.  I don't want to forget this stuff.)

In November 2015, Kylie basically received medical clearance regarding her infected foot.  She had an MRI a month before (which was kind of a funny story because they lost power in the entire department and she ended up being trapped in the MRI tube for about 2 hours.  Well, it's a funny story now, anyhow) and when we met with her surgeon, she basically said there would be no more MRI's (that was good news) and that IF we intended to return to Togo that we should come and see her one more time before we go.  That sounded fairly positive to me.

In January of this year, we received an email from our team leader in Togo, asking us very nicely to consider returning to help build three homes that were needed by the end of 2018.  We told him that we'd consider it and pray about it.

In February of this year, we received another email from a different team-mate asking us to come back and help.  In that same month, our dear friend, Dr. Todd Dekryger, who basically worked on each of our children separately in their medical crises, contracted a disease called Lassa Fever and passed away.  Todd, our great, godly, wonderful, funny friend went home to be with Jesus and the team in Togo was rocked.  I mean, rocked. Shortly after Todd passed away, we received a third email from a friend who was in Togo, asking again: would we consider returning?

Sidenote:  Nate and I don't claim to be geniuses.  Not at all.  And we've told God that if He wants us to be somewhere or do something, there are no little hints for us.  We need BIG signs.  BRIGHT ones.  Flashing lights etc.  Three emails from three friends felt like a bit of signal.

EXCEPT....we had a couple hang-ups.  Three to be exact.  We WANTED to go but we had these three things that needed to be dealt with and we weren't sure how to do it.

1. Nate's truck.  He has a big work truck.  It's just one of our hang-ups.

2. Our van.  It's a mini-van.  It's the second hang-up.

3.  Our home.  We like our home.  It's....our home. We didn't know whether to attempt to rent again or just sell.  We don't know the housing market. We don't know what's wisest.

And then some stuff happened:

April 2 - we confide in some dear friends that we want to return to Togo, that we're filling out paperwork and that we got the emails and all that jazz.  They're pumped for us.  They encourage us.  And then they say these words:  Hey, if you go, can we buy your van?

April 4 - Nate is just running out the door for a meeting when the phone rings.  It's a dear friend from the USA.  Nate doesn't want to miss the call so he takes it as he's trying to throw on a clean t-shirt.  This dear friend wonders if Nate might be willing to sell his work truck.  He wonders no more.

April 11 - After a weekend of sharing with friends about this great stuff, we still have a third hang-up.  The house. We share with friends about our indecision: sell or rent?  Monday morning before school starts we pray about it with the kids.  Lord, would you guide us?  Monday afternoon the mail comes.  And there it is.

A hand-written note from a real-estate agent.  "I have a family that has admired your home and was wondering if you would be at all interested in selling it."

I was speechless.  (if you know me, you know what that actually means....)  The kids were speechless.  We all just looked at each other and spoke the same words: ARE YOU KIDDING ME?

The house, as of tonight, is not sold.  But the people who are interested are coming back tomorrow afternoon to do a second walk through and it looks like an offer might be coming.  The van is not officially sold and neither is the truck.  But the message is the same.  Our amazing Heavenly Father is sending a message, loud and clear:  You're hang-ups are nothing.  I can do this.  I will do this.  Watch Me do what you think is hard.  And trust Me.  I got this.

He's got this.