The dark parts of the morning find me breathing deep on the rooftop, waiting for the sun to awaken. I breathe to fully enjoy the moment, to savor the sights and sounds of Haiti. I think I’m able to see things a little clearer now; like that moment of sight right after you put on prescription eyewear for the first time. I close my eyes and feel the cool morning breeze on my face. I listen to the calls of the rooster (who thinks the sun has been coming up since 3am). I listen to the neighbors’ voices lifting early morning hymnal songs. I feel the sun begin to warm my face. My eyes take in the misty clouds over the mountain ranges and the green farm fields pooling under Earth’s giants. I release a deep, contented breath, thank God for the moment, and begin to pray.
This moment is so special to me and my prayer is that in each moment I am able to slow down, if only for a minute, to take in all that surrounds me. This is becoming more important to me because now I know just how numbered my days truly are in Haiti.
Yes, friends, the Ferguson’s are coming home.
These words are bittersweet. As my wise mother-in-law reminds me, to every “yes” we give, we give a “no” to something else. But we’ve prayed and weighed and prayed more and counted the cost on either side. We know where our next step will be, even if we are unsure of the steps to follow that one. In our moments of doubt and uncertainty God gently whispers, “It’s time”. And we know this.
God has given us a season of rest and refreshment coupled with opportunities of service and life-lived ministry. We are grateful.
Our hearts are full and we are ready to take our “cup runneth over” home to share our portion with others. We are excited to again share life with our friends and family and those we’ve yet to meet. We are continuously overwhelmed with how well we are loved by all of you.
The calendar is marked. November 26th has reserved us a ticket back home, where our first stop will be in Sweet Home Alabama.
November 26th means 25 days will be all that we have left here. 25 days to give wholly of ourselves. 25 days to dig in a little deeper, love a little harder, and hug a little longer.
Will you pray for us? Will you pray in our closing time here we will remain faithful to the work given us? Will you pray we remain faithful to the ministries God has placed before us here? Will you pray we will choose 100% engagement and to be fully present, not allowing our minds to take us to the future where worry resides? Will you pray for the tightrope we’ll need to walk of being wise about planning ahead while remaining in the moment?
With overflowing hearts of gratitude we say thank you. With anticipation pulsing through us we look forward to reunion with you. And with cups running over, we send our love your way from knelt prayers.
The Tentative Plan:
Our plan is to fly into Alabama on Tuesday, Novemeber 26th. We plan to spend a couple of weeks with my family before flying to Kansas City. From there we will be celebrating our friends Zach Boyer and Sydney Staggs as they do the “I do’s” on December 14th (whoop whoop!). Post-wedding we plan to rent a UHAUL and, with all of our belongings loaded, traverse the travel woes of I-70W through Kansas (pray for no blizzards this time!). We currently plan to settle our nomadic selves in Colorado Springs for the next season of life until God again asks us to pack up and move (cue “Colorado” by Paper Bird).
Peace and joy to you friends and cheers to sweet reunions soon,
Courtney
“For you shall go out in joy
and be led forth in peace;
the mountains and the hills before you
shall break forth into singing,
and all the trees of the field shall clap their hands.
Instead of the thorn shall come up the cypress;
instead of the brier shall come up the myrtle;
and it shall make a name for the Lord,
an everlasting sign that shall not be cut off.”
– Isaiah 55:12-13
Beautiful words, as always, Courtney. Sending prayers and wishing you both the very best for the next month and years.