The Six Month Plan

 The more I think about it the more I realize how crazy the next few months of our lives are going to be.  In an earlier post I think I mentioned that Patrick and I have dubbed 2012 as The Year of Living Out of Suitcases.  In case anyone is wondering what Patrick and I will be up to, I thought I'd sort of outline our plan for the rest of the year.

As many of you know, Patrick and I are planning to begin long term missions in southeast Asia within the next three years.  This June we are going out there for two weeks with our long-term team to meet up with some missionaries who are already working there.  We're hoping to check out some potential ways in which we can partner with them to spread the gospel of Christ to the outlying islands and villages.  We're so excited for this trip not only for the wonderful ministry opportunities we'll have, but also the chance to spend some time with our dear friends whom we haven't seen in a year.  (The other members of our team were friends we met in Okinawa, and they're all still there.)

Only a week after we return to South Carolina we will move back to Kentucky.  Talk about a whirlwind week!  We've already begun making lots of plans with friends in Beaufort so we can spend as much time together as possible before we have to leave.  My Dad (though he lives in Canada) still has a house in Louisville and has graciously said we can live there while we're in town.  I'm excited to make that house our home!

Our plan is basically to drop off our stuff in Louisville then travel around the country visiting friends and family we haven't seen in years.  We hope to visit Colorado, Missouri, and Michigan, and possibly a few other places if time (and our budget) allows.

In the fall we're flying out to Zambia to spend a few months with Holly, Patrick's sister, on the mission field.  I'm hoping to teach in the orphan school, so I'm already busy preparing ideas and materials to take with me.  I know it will be such a blessing to get to teach there and work with all those precious children!  Patrick and I are really looking forward to spending a large chunk of time out there and getting a true feel for what it's like to be a missionary.  And I have a feeling it'll be really hard to leave at the end of our 2-3 months out there.

We're hoping to be back in Kentucky by Thanksgiving, but who knows for sure.  We'll then have some time to prepare for Patrick to start his Masters degree at the Southern Baptist Seminary.  At that point I'll also be looking for a teaching position.  I'm not sure what kinds of opportunities will be available at that time in the year, but I know that God is preparing a place for me somewhere.  The program Patrick plans to do will take about 2 years so we'll stay put in Kentucky for at least that long as he finishes school and we start raising support for our ministry overseas.

And for the record, yes, we do plan to have kids, potentially even next year.  On several occasions after telling people about our plans to move overseas they have said, "Oh, so you're not going to have a family."  I have no idea where the notion came from that missionaries don't have kids, but it's not true.  Children are a blessing in the mission field, and actually open up many new opportunities to minister to families.  I know that raising children in that part of the world will be full of challenges (and potential dangers), but we are trusting in the Lord in all things, including raising kids!

Well there you have it.  Our lives will be full of changes in the coming months, and we're excited to see what God has in store for us!  I'll be posting a lot (hopefully) about our upcoming travels so stay tuned!