Thankfulness

         

As our time wraps up here and we get ready to go back to the ship I look back over the past 6 months and am filled with thankfulness to God.  What started off as a trip home to have our baby, turned into more than I could have ever imagined.  Reconnecting with friends, hanging out with my family, getting back involved with my church, working on visa papers with Greg, and recently taking part in a missions conference.  All of these events have enriched my life and blessed me beyond what I ever deserve. 

For all of you that didn’t know me before I left for the ship, I love being home.  I was the daughter that was never going to leave Massachusetts.  So when I left to go to Mercy Ships everyone, including myself, was surprised.  But I listened to His call and have not regretted a single day.  “The place God calls you to is the place where your deep gladness and the world’s deep hunger meet.” --Frederick Buechner.  This is where God had called me and I found a deep joy and peace that I had never felt before.

So this past May when God opened the door for Greg and I came to the US, I was happy to come home and see people and of course have Hailey but I was also very excited about getting back to Africa. After having Hailey and seeing how wonderful it was to be around family and friends especially as she grows up my heart started to change.  With that realization, Greg and I decided not to apply for additional visitor visas but to go ahead with the green card.  Our lawyer explained that due to us being married for less than 2 years the process would require  that we would not be able to leave the country during that 2 year period. 

Becca’s reaction in June:  Ughh!

Becca’s reaction Now: Yipee!

Well God knew exactly what He was doing when He let us come home last May.  We went ahead with the green card but asked for an exception that would let us go back to Mercy Ships to finish our commitment with them and also say good-bye to our ship family.  Then we’ll come back next summer to finish the rest of the 2-year green card requirement.  :o)

God truly knows what is best for us even though we may not feel like He does or realize it yet.  My recent bible study stems from the verse “The lines have fallen for me in pleasant places; Indeed I have a beautiful inheritance.”  No matter what we have gone through or are going through, both good and bad, God has a purpose.  As children of God some things we will inherit while here on earth and the rest are being stored for us in heaven.  “Indeed I have a \beautiful inheritance.” 

Thank you God for your control over our lives and that your thoughts and ways are always higher than our own.  May we trust you more and obey you with our whole lives.