Things to Think About

I have not taken the decision making process lightly. This is not easy to know that the direction that we are heading in is 100% correct. I grew up feeling that I had to know exactly what I was going to be doing, when and where. As we take our steps towards serving God, in Jesus’ name, we are handling the larger decisions first.

The prioritization of these decisions has not been easy. If we were not adopting, this would be easier in that we wouldn’t have to think about unknown medical conditions, we wouldn’t have to think about when our paperwork for the adoption expires because it is taking so long (11 months so far), we wouldn’t have to think about changing that paperwork because we are moving or, not just changing jobs, but quitting all together. On the other hand, I believe that the Lord is using the adoption and the poor conditions at Lou’s orphanage to bring us to Haiti sooner than we had originally planned. God is the ultimate planner and His ways are not always known to us.

Additionally, I took a new job in October 2007 and I received a signing bonus that I would have to pay back if I leave before one year. The possibility exists that I could take a leave of absence which would do a couple things: 1) if the Lord’s plans are that we do not stay in Haiti long, I would like to come back and work where I am currently employed and 2) I would be employed and on a leave through the October 2008 date which would mean that I don’t have to pay the bonus back. This is a lower concern item because it’s just money. It is the Lord’s money and he can do with it as he pleases. This is just another thing to have to think about.

We have stepped out in faith in a number of ways recently, but none have felt as “large” feeling as placing our house up for sale. I specifically say “house” and not “home” because I do believe in the cliché that it is the people that make a “home.” Right now, I am thinking that the length of time that the house takes to sell will determine our date. When it sells, we’ll be leaving within a couple weeks.

This will be a huge step in the process because we have to determine what we will do with our earthly possessions. Do we store some? Do we ship some to Haiti in a container? If so, when? What if we do it right away and things don’t work out? Do we leave it there and consider it a donation? Do we sell everything? A 10’ x 10’ storage unit would cost $720 for six months. If we stay longer than six months and end up either wanting the stuff in the unit shipped to us or sold, we would either have to come back or ask someone Stateside to do that for us – a burden we do not want to put on anyone. This is just another thing to have to think about.

I am starting to finally understand the spiritual world that we live in. Many people talk about spiritual things easily and lightly when it comes to movies or stories, but it is not something that should be taken lightly. As we move along in the process of obeying the Lord’s calling for our life, I am starting to see the reality of spiritual attacks regarding the progress we are making in the direction that we are heading. These attacks come in the form of people saying or doing things that discourage. They come in our own thoughts that bring our moods up and bring our moods down. We truly need to think on all things pure and holy.

One other item of concern for us is our monthly fundraising. We are not sure when to start this process. I have written a draft of a fundraising letter that I believe we will send to those who we know. I am making a list of those we know. Related to fundraising is the amount of money that we should take from our emergency funds and retirement funds. This is just another thing to have to think about.

If I may, let me make a recommendation to any single person considering becoming a missionary - get a good wife. I did, 12 years ago last Saturday by the grace of God, and I believe it is making a world of difference in this process (not to mention my whole life since I was 14). The encouragement that my wife provides is awesome! Where and when I need help, there she is. When I need a bible verse to keep me going, there she is. She takes a lot off of me – more than I realize. It’s like having training wheels – there to keep you upright. It’s like cruise control - making sure that you are going the right speed. Having a good wife is like the power cord to the GPS unit (God is the GPS providing direction). I pray that the Lord has a great place for her in Heaven already laid out to allow her to have peace and be able to glorify God forever!

Another thing that we have to get rid of is our cats. We have four cats - three of which we have had since 1997. One is just a couple years old. They are very friendly, very nice cats. It will be hard to get rid of them. We do not know if we'll bring them to a shelter or give them to people we know. Someone doesn't usually just come by and take four cats. This is just another thing to have to think about.