Back and bigger than ever

We have been back in the states for some rest for a couple weeks now and thus have not been very busy with blog posts.  Right now we are in Grand Lake, CO enjoying a spectacular view of the mountains and lakes.  It’s hard to even describe the feeling of rest and rejuvenation this place can provide.  We love Africa and feel called to work there but to be home and to be in such a restful place was a welcomed break from our crazy year.  It was a year of ups and downs and we felt pretty worn out.  We are so thankful for this time to refuel. 

A few months ago as I was anticipating our time in the States, I was really nervous about how our time would be as I knew packing in all we wanted to do and seeing all the people we wanted to see in 4 weeks was a tall order.  I began to pray that God would make our time feel longer than it actually was and that we would truly have times of rest and restoration.  God has answered this prayer for us but not exactly in the way we expected.

When I felt God asking me to wean Cora and start pumping to give baby Alseny milk (if you haven’t read the story, you can read it here), I felt like he told me that there was another part to the story.  It was an amazing opportunity to provide milk for that baby but I just felt that there was even more to it than that.  I wasn’t sure what that meant.  A month before we left Guinea my milk completely dried up and I was so sad, wondering what would happen to Alseny.  Estel, the director of Babies without Milk, came by to get my last bag of milk just before we were leaving and reported that he was now tolerating formula without issue.  I was once again struck by God’s perfect faithfulness in providing for this life.  He continues to do well, as far as we know, and should be up for adoption soon!  What an amazing story of God’s perfect provision and faithfulness. 

Soon after we found out that we are pregnant again!  (That is the bigger than ever part, our family not me). This is the reason that my milk dried up so quickly and I believe that it is the other piece to the puzzle.  We initially felt really overwhelmed by the idea of having another baby so soon but we have felt so strongly that the Lord also wanted me to wean Cora so that this baby could be.  This is part of God’s perfect plan and so while we are still a bit overwhelmed by the idea we are at peace and so thankful for this newest addition to our family.

I am currently just over 14 weeks pregnant and due the beginning of January!  The Africa Mercy is a hospital ship; however, it is a ship that specializes in surgeries, not in Obstetrics or neonatal care.  Because of this women are not allowed to be pregnant on the ship past 24 weeks.  After much thought and prayer we have decided that it doesn’t make sense for the girls and me to travel back to the ship for the rest of the time in the Canary Islands, the sail and just a short time in Congo before we’d be required to come back to the States.  This means that the girls and I will be staying in Colorado with my parents until after the baby is born.  John will head back to the ship on July 23^rd and return to Colorado in mid November and be here with us until after the baby is born.  When the baby has a passport and his/her 2 month shots, all 5 of us will travel back to the ship together and continue our service.

Obviously we are not thrilled about this 4 month separation but we are sure that God continues to be in control and that this is not a surprise to Him. It is not what we would have chosen, but we do know it is what God has called us to do. It is going to be a time of stretching and growth for all of us.

We appreciate your prayers during the difficult few months apart. We have received such great prayer support from so many during our first year. This first year was such a challenge for us and we really relied on the prayers of so many to complete our first year of service. We hope to continue to do many more years as the Five Walls at Sea and are so thankful for the people who lift us up. It sounds so cliché (much like our post title-John's idea :) ), but we know we could not do what we do without this kind of support and will really need it as we go through this season.