3 weeks til takeoff...

This is the first of perhaps many sleepless nights.  Not to say this is the first time I’ve gotten upset about the big change that is about to happen, but I guess reality hit that 3 weeks from today I will be moving to a foreign country.  It hit me tonight, a vision of me walking toward a plane, leaving my family and all familiar things behind me.  Everything about this vision scares and upsets me.  I know there will be tears on my face, and I can’t bear to see the tears on my family’s face.  In fact this is my biggest struggle with this whole thing- leaving family behind.  Therefore, I am making myself make a list of all of the positives that are about to happen over the next few weeks.

1-      We will finally begin the journey God has called us to.  We have been sharing our ministry with churches for a year and a half now; it’s about time we are able to do what God told us to do!

2-      No more deputation!  Living out of our car is very difficult and tiring. And our poor car needs a rest!

3-      I get to unpack all of my suitcases in a place I can call “MY house”!  And I get to decorate it however I want!

4-      I’ll make new friends.

5-      Learn a new language.

6-      See new places.

7-      And I get to take my husband with me!!  Not sure I could do this without him. Going alone would be much harder.  I think of some of my military friends overseas, alone, and am thankful God is letting me work alongside my husband.

8-      We get to do lots of shopping when we arrive.  For house stuff. Fun!

9-      We get to spend some time with our good friends, already living in Thailand.

10-       I can stop eating so much takeout food and start cooking again!

11-       Perhaps I’ll lose some weight.  Eating out all the time takes a toll on your body.

12-       Maybe I’ll learn to drive a scooter…

13-      After I learn to drive on the wrong side of the road.

14-      I’ll become a frequent-Skype-user.

This is only a few, all I could come up with in the middle of the night.  Reading back over my list, it sort of sounds like a bucket list.  Which is pretty funny, since a bucket list should take you years and I’m about to dive head first into all of them at once.  I know I need to be thankful.  I am about to experience things a lot of people dream about.  I could not have set all this up myself; it’s what God has called me to.  But even a calling can be extremely scary.  Please say a prayer for us, as we prepare the next few weeks to pack up our lives as ‘almost’ missionaries, and begin the life as ‘on the field’ missionaries.  Pray for me to look forward to the positive, instead of mourning what I’m leaving.  Pray for our family's to understand we love them and we are not leaving them, but instead going to follow the Lord.  And pray for my husband, J and that I can hold myself together to be the supportive wife he needs at this time!

Just some thoughts

So much has happened in the past few weeks. We enjoyed our break at home with family for Christmas, but as soon as January began, we headed back on the road. We packed up the car (again...), made some appointments at churches, and off we went. We went to Pensacola to revisit some churches first, saw a few new ones, and are currently in southern Louisiana.
I am noticing something the more we travel, we live in a beautiful country. God creations are seen everywhere we go. Every city has its own neat history, its exciting places to visit, and we are loving getting to experience it all.
Along with that, we are meeting God's beautiful people. Just like the cities, every person has their own neat history and exciting stories. It's amazing how much life one person can live if they just take the time to live it. This is my new goal, make sure I'm enjoying every moment so that one day, I can share my story with someone else.
I am learning so much on this journey. And I thank God that he chose me to take it. Of course I miss home and I miss my family, but I could not experience such things if I didn't leave home, and my family is always there when I need them.
You know a lot of people have done this traveling thing, too. I know we aren't the only ones. However, I feel there are not many travel tips out there for people in our situation! So I thought I'd share a few...

- The culture of every place you go is completely different. Sometimes it's okay to ask questions or make statements outright; sometimes people will 'beat around the bush' to stay away from being too forward. For example, something I've experienced is wondering how I should dress to certain church events. Is this a formal event, or casual? Well, sometimes I just have to ask "What should I wear?" Some places I'll get a direct answer, from head to toe what is appropriate. Other places I'll get a 'whatever you'd like'. (I think this is usually a southern answer.) Well that leaves me back at square one with no idea. SO, point is, sometimes you have to ask for a more direct answer, and sometimes you'll get it no problem. Neither approach is necessarily right or wrong, but can be frustrating for a person like me who does not want to stick out!

- The weather changes every day no matter if we're staying in a city for weeks, or we leave and move on the next day. It's best to just pack every type of clothes you can fit in the car. Last week we traveled south from snow to about 60 degrees in one day. Very different weather situations, and different clothes needed. So it's just best to have all types on hand.

-When you have the possibility of being in a new place every week, it can be very hard to keep up with things like prescriptions. Therefore, I'd recommend you fill them at a place like Walmart, which you will find everywhere, and that keeps all your information in a database so any Walmart can access it all over the country. Come to find out, there are states that have no Walgreens or CVS's! (Or they are so far away from those little towns, that you can never make it there.) But almost everywhere has a Walmart. Good to know!

Alright, I guess that's good for now. Maybe this can help you if you are ever in a cross country travel situation! Have a blessed week! Until next time, much love, ~Kayla

Thoughts at Christmas

Lots of things are on my mind as Christmas is nearing.  Of course worrying about if I have all the right gifts, what food I’m going to make, etc.  Also, this Christmas I’m trying to make sure I take in every moment, every smell, every act of love, since I can’t be sure we’ll be in the country next Christmas. J But I really have 2 things on my mind that I feel I need to write about.

#1- This terrible tragedy that occurred in Connecticut.  I have to be so careful how much news coverage I watch about it because it is so heartbreaking.  It is only by the grace of God that nothing like that ever happened to me while I was teaching in public school.  I cannot imagine going to school, expecting a normal day, and then everything changing so quickly.  I have imagined the scared teachers hiding with their kids, thinking that could’ve been me.  Would I have been able to stay calm?  Comfort them?  I know I would have been praying, because that is the only thing that can bring comfort in such a time.  I do not have words to express my feelings of sorrow for the families and friends suffering at this time.  My prayers are with them as there will be many unopened Christmas presents this year.

#2- Moving to a lighter subject, it has been so wonderful being home the last few weeks and getting to hear my Pastor preach.  He has brought up a point that is sticking in my mind and I want to share.  I have never really thought about Mary and how significant she is in the Christmas story.  (By the way, I in no way mean to make her a deity or saint, but I believe we can learn a lot from her.)  Imagine a young girl, preparing to marry, and an angel tells her she’ll soon have a baby.  How crazy is that?!  But beyond that, imagine being chosen by God for such a holy responsibility!  God looked down and saw her life and decided SHE was the person who He could trust with His Son.  This makes me think, what does God think when he looks down on me?  Would I even come close to the type of person He trusted with His Son?  My other thought about this is I know we all have a holy responsibility.  God has a will and plan for all of our lives.  It may not seem as significant as what Mary did, but if it’s what God wants, then it’s what we should do.  Let’s think about Mary this Christmas and ask ourselves, is our life as open to God’s will as hers was? Would we sacrifice our bodies to fulfill His plan?  Would we sacrifice our family and reputation to fulfill His plan? {We know that not everyone believed she was conceived of the Spirit, so in that time/culture she may have been shunned.  We at least know that Joseph “put her away privily”. (Matthew 1:19)} Would we follow His plan without questions? 

Praying you and your family have a Merry Christmas and Blessed New Year!  My love to you all! ~Kayla

Busy Life as a Missionary Wife...

Wow- Apparently the last time I sat down to blog was in September... 2 months ago. So much has happened in that time. We have been staying in Little Rock, Arkansas this whole time, and making trips to churches within the state for Sunday services and Association meetings. While here, we have been able to share our work in 16 church services, and 10 association meetings. I have a whole new respect for the missionary wives I adored when I grew up. Getting dressed up like you're going to an interview, putting on your happy face regardless of your mood, and trying to remember faces and names of hundreds of church members and pastors several times a week is a very challenging task. All while missing home, and living out of your suitcases. This makes one very sleepy girl!
Jared and I have been doing well. Through the business, we have been able to enjoy the leaves changing and the beautiful scenes of fall that I sort of missed seeing growing up in Florida. We've gotten to see quite a few deer, which are beautiful as long as they aren't running in front of our car! We also got to get away a few days for my birthday! This was so nice. We spent 2 days with no driving, no appointments, just me and Jared enjoying some fun times in Branson, MO. I am still coming to grips with the fact that I'm 25, when sometimes I feel like I've just graduated high school! I guess 25 isn't so bad... as long as I still have no gray hairs!
I can say that certainly one thing that has kept us going while in Arkansas is the friendships we have made. The couples that live at the Missionary Baptist apartments have done more for us than they know. They have made sure to include us in evening meals, movie nights, pumpkin carving, nights at the park, bonfires, and more, and this has been so special. To so quickly take strangers under your wing and treat them as family says a lot about the type of people God has brought to this seminary. We have been blessed by the friendships we have made and pray God will bring blessings to all of these special people. We're praying for them and hope we can all be together again one day! (Of course we will! Just maybe not in this life.)
Our plans for the next few weeks may actually be more busy than our last few. Tomorrow we are leaving for a meeting in Louisiana, this weekend we'll be up in North Arkansas, next week we'll be in Texas, and then we'll begin to make our journey home for the holidays! Boy, am I excited to be going home!!
Continue to pray for us, as we are asking for when God's exact time for us to move will be. We are praying for this coming Spring. For now, that is all on my mind. Thanks for reading and God bless!

My Fairy Tale

Every girl wants her fairy tale. Mine started when I was still in high school. Of course I had dated a few guys, but my fairy tale began when I was in 11^th grade. I had met this COLLEGE GUY. Yes, I got to tell all my friends I was dating a guy in college. And they were still dating immature high school guys. I got jokes like, “He’s a pastor? You’ll never have any fun!” Of course I think they were jealous, and I may have bragged a bit, but my reasons for dating were so different than theirs. They wanted a person to obsess over, hang all over, spend every second with, and then drop him as soon as the next “cutest” guy walked by. I was looking to marry.

I was so blessed with a Christian family where I had example of couples to follow. I was also blessed in my teenage years with a pastor’s wife with a passion for helping young ladies grow into the women God wanted them to be. When I was about 13, our group of churches in Florida started “Secret Keepers”, based on Dannah Gresh’s books Secret Keeper and The Bride Wore White. We had girls retreats that taught about what these books and the Bible said about dating, marriage, sex, and boys. These retreats led me into the path of looking for a husband, not just a boyfriend. We learned about saving ourselves physically, spiritually, and emotionally for our future husbands. According to the Bible, you only get one! So shouldn’t they get all of you? Not just the pieces left over after silly relationships?

So, little did I know that while God was speaking to me about all these issues at the retreat in March of 2005, that God was preparing me for something great. Just this past January (2012), while we were packing up our house for deputation, I found my notes from that retreat. In it, we were given the assignment to write a prayer to God, and ask him for all the things we wanted in a husband. I absolutely do not remember writing this prayer, so what a surprise to find a sentence that read, “Please send me a husband to do mission work with.” Here’s the incredible part- I met Jared just 2 months after that retreat. Isn’t it crazy that we can look back over our lives and see how God has been writing our stories? His ears were listening the day I said that prayer, and he sure did answer it!

I’m writing this to try to encourage those who think they will never find their spouse, or who are tired of chasing around silly relationships. PRAY for your future spouse! Remember, “Ask, and you shall receive.” Also, SAVE YOURSELF! Your spouse deserves all of you, and you deserve all of them! Physically, spiritually, and emotionally. Don’t load up your life with baggage and experiences you can’t take back. God meant you for one person. And believe me, it’s worth the wait!

So here we are, seven years after our fairy tale began, married, and about to start the mission work I prayed for. Our marriage is not always perfect, but God’s in charge and he’s still writing our story! I’m excited to see how it ends… but I’m sure it’ll be Happily Ever After!

 

 

Ladies: If you haven’t read Dannah Gresh’s book, I encourage you to do so! Even if you’re married, there is a lot of great info for your daughters and help for healing your past. Check them out! http://purefreedom.org/index.htm

What we've been up to

The last few weeks have flown by! We ended the month of August by getting on a plane in Indiana and flying home to Florida for a week. What a wonderful time we had. It was great to see Jared’s family, since we had not seen them since March. I always enjoy time with my family. Jared and I were so excited to even get to spend a day at the beach! The reason we really went home was to report to our home church, which we also had not seen since March. What a great time of encouragement to know we have not been forgotten and that we are still loved! J I know that we won’t be forgotten, but sometimes it does get lonely on the road.

So, after a week of being home, we flew back to Indiana to get our things and then made the 10 hour drive to Arkansas. This is going to be our home base for the next month or two as we visit churches. We are staying in the apartments at the Missionary Baptist Seminary in Little Rock, and I am so happy! While being on deputation for 9 months, we have stayed numerous places. Once we shortly rented a house; we’ve stayed with quite a few families; we’ve stayed in a mission house; and stayed in a few hotels. But this apartment has me so excited. I’ve actually unpacked my things for the first time in 9 months! I know we’ll only be here for a few weeks, but I feel like this is somewhere I can completely relax and settle for a little while. The atmosphere helps make this apartment nice, too. We’re surrounded by young families who are studying in the seminary and by other missionaries doing exactly what we are. And it’s nice for a Florida girl to see some rolling hills and trees other than oak.

Jared and I have been doing well. We focus on staying healthy and happy- probably what everyone should do in life. Living on the road we have been eating a LOT of fast food. So we are trying to exercise some more (and eat more Subway!) and make sure we are getting plenty of sleep. To stay happy we make sure to watch funny movies often and try to do some sightseeing during the week. Please keep us in your prayers for safety and that we will reach the support amount needed so we can prepare to move!

32 years...

It's been awhile since I've had time to sit and write. "The Life of a Missionary Wife" is very busy. We have been going back and forth across Michigan, and are preparing to make our way back to Indiana later this week.
But I really want to write about what's on my heart. Tomorrow, my parents celebrate 32 years being married. I am so thankful that God gave me godly parents who raised us in church and have always put Him, and then us, before themselves. My parents, in my eyes, are the perfect example of what God wanted a husband and wife to be like. They care so much for each other, even after all this time.  In this crazy world where divorce is so common, I'm so thankful that my parents have always been faithful and loyal to each other, and that they can still laugh and have fun together. I hope and pray that my marriage will be as strong as theirs is in 32 years!
While thinking about what makes my parents so special, I realize if I just strive to be like them in these ways, then I know God will bless my marriage, too.
1. My parents ALWAYS had us in church. We hardly ever missed. I remember one time when I was 10 years old I was very sick and my mom had to take me to the Walk-in Clinic. That was the first time I realized life goes on outside of the church walls on Sunday!! What a great testimony to parents who's daughter is so blind to the world outside. Thank you to my parents for protecting me from worldly things and raising me in church.
2. My parents always sacrificed. We were never rich growing up. But we were always given way more than we needed. One particular time that comes to mind is when I was in high school my brother and I wanted to go on a trip with the high school band and we needed money to go. My dad sold his old car in the shed, that he had planned on restoring as a hobby, in order that we could go on that trip. It did not hit me at the time as these events unraveled that this is what was happening. He kept it quiet. He did not complain about his sacrifice, he just did it. When I realized it years later, and even now, I still feel guilty that he felt he had to do that for us. But thank you to my parents for being such great examples of selflessness.
3. My parents always loved us. Of course we were not always the 'perfect' kids, but they love us no matter what we do! Completely unconditionally. Our house was always filled with laughter, and hugs good night. And now that I'm older, I realize we squeeze in more love time than we used to. And I love that! I love that we are still growing closer as a family, and this is because of the example my parents have been to us. Thank you to my parents for all your love.

To close, I cannot thank God enough for the parents he's given me. And I cannot thank my parents enough for all they've done for me. I love you with all my heart. Happy 32nd Anniversary!

P.S. No tears!