The Desires of Our Heart

Every year, over the 4th of July, our little family goes to the beach.   Well, at least for about the last 6 years. As a family, it has been very special, very peaceful and very anticipated.    I can almost feel my mind start to wander come May just thinking of the week we'll spend in a house we rent to call home.

Spending downtime with my sweet family is precious and something I really would not negotiate each Summer.  For Keith, this time was much needed to take a break from work.  It was pretty much a trip that we would NOT not take.

So, like every Summer, we prepared our trip last year - we booked our condo, we packed, we took off work and we headed to the beach.

And it was disappointing.

Not the time with our kids - that is always precious.  Not the downtime - although it seemed like we could never relax.   And, of course, the beach was divine.

For the first time in a long time  ever, I could not wait to leave.  I honestly, just wanted to pack my things about day 4 and go to my real home.  Nothing could make it better.    While I was packing us up at the end of the week, I got this feeling that we would not be coming back the following July.  It had lost it's allure, it's zest, it's restfulness.  It had become the complete opposite of rest actually.  It became a little too normal.  (spoiled much?)

I just had no idea what our next Summer vacation would look like. What would we do if we didn't come to the beach?

We explored some things:  Grand Canyon, Yellowstone, back home to Missouri, the mountains, a lake, Disney.   Nothing came to be.


Now I LOVE the beach.  As I type this, I can almost smell the ocean.  I feel closer to God at the beach than anywhere physically.   I'd be driving there with my kids every weekend if I could.    But that annual beach trip?   It was not happening in 2013.

Sometime in the Fall of last year, I started to feel like I wanted to go on a mission trip.   But it was a little hard for me to make a decision to spend so much of my vacation time away from my family when we had not even planned time away as a family for the Summer.  Even though I knew the beach trip was out, I knew that family time was still in!

Then Hope (our church) decided to start taking Family Mission trips!

It was at that point that I knew what we would be doing in July of 2013.

It was so right, so scary, so not normal, so not restful and so full of allure and zest!!!

I just could not take Tyler.  :(  Also we had to raise the money for the trip.

I had some doubts.  Actually, the part about leaving Tyler...well, you can still be praying about that.  I hate to leave our little guy behind.  He'll be in GREAT hands with Uncle Jeff and Aunt Sherry - I know that.  He's just my baby and I know we will miss each other.

So, that's it.

A trip that I would insist on taking each year to the beach -  that non-negotiable one.  A trip that we would save for, plan for and make happen every year suddenly became undesirable.

Because God had a new desire he wanted to plant there.  Go to Central America and spend our vacation serving others.  

Had I any doubt that God would work it out?  Raise the money?  Get my passport?  Our shots covered 100% by insurance? Provide an awesome family to take care of our Tyler and another to take care of our dog.

To give us the opportunity and honor to go and love on his people.  And I'm sure in turn - love on us.

As a family - we need this.  We need to serve others, together.  We need a world view outside our little street in our little town.  We need to put our faith in action in ways that we don't even know, yet.

Thank you for your prayers and your support. We can't wait for you to share in this adventure God has in store for us!

I will send out a prayer request in my next post.  We would love it if you would join us by committing to pray with us.

Thank you for being a part of this opportunity!