We have felt a call to Africa for many years, both individually and then as a married couple. When we got married our goal was to pay off our student loans so that we could free ourselves up to serve overseas. This task was accomplished after a lot of hard work in the Spring of 2011. At that point we felt like there wasn't anything keeping us from moving forward with seeking out opportunities in Africa. We had many excuses why not, but we felt the Lord leading us to pray about possible places for us to serve as a family.
As we began praying about it and seeking opportunities we were amazed at how the Lord responded. In the process or contacting several organizations, we learned about Mercy Ships from missionaries our church supports. Our church holds suppers throughout the summer and Donovan and Mae Palmer came to speak about their experiences on Mercy Ships sometime early June of 2011. We were not even supposed to be at that meeting but our small group had been canceled and we went on a whim to the supper. We listened about Mercy Ships and were excited about the work they were doing but didn't see any neon signs that it was for us. We got some contact information after their presentation and decided it wouldn't hurt to inquire about opportunities. Much to our surprise they emailed us back later that day asking if John would consider the position of Finance Director of the ship!
Since that time we have been praying about and learning about Mercy Ships and deciding if this was the right move for our family. We prayed and prayed for a neon sign that would show us for sure that it was what we were supposed to do. We invited friends and family to pray along side us. We didn't receive any neon signs. But we did receive a sense of peace and many small arrows and open doors that led us to know that this was where God was preparing us to go. By the end, it was apparent that the only reason not to go would have been a neon sign saying "Don't go".
So we are now embarking on this journey to move to Western Africa and live on the Africa Mercy with our family! We will give birth to our second baby in late April and then plan to move to Texas in June of 2012 for training. We will then move our family of four onto the Africa Mercy in August of 2012. We are so excited about all that God has in store for us but we are sad about leaving our town, our family and friends, and our dog. :(
We have learned that neon signs are not necessary and that sometimes God speaks in his still small voice through small open doors and inward peace. We have a lot going on between now and the time that we leave and we are thankful that we have you along side us in this journey. Thank you for your support!
Four Walls at Sea
