Slight change in plans.......

I grew up in Church, a preacher's kid, as most of you know.  And I remember hearing this verse over and over: "I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord." (Jeremiah 29:11).  I always believed God had plans for some people.  I just always thought I should try to just do my best to figure out my plan for myself and God would just tag along when I made up my mind about what I wanted to do, and then bless it as I went on through life.  I think I am finally starting to grasp that it is so much bigger than just picking the right career, marrying the right person, settling down in the right area, sending our kids to the right schools, etc.  The verse says He has plans (plural).  Sometimes these plans start in one direction and wind up in another one, sometimes even in the complete opposite direction from where we started!  The struggle is always trying to get our plans in line with God's vision for our lives. 

I had always planned to get married and settle down, have children, have a career, buy a house, pay it off, save money, and then retire.  And it definitely started out that way.  If you were to tell me a year ago I would be leaving a stable medical practice and going into full-time, volunteer medical missions, I would probably check your temperature and do a quick mental status exam on you.  If you told me six months ago I would be leaving Georgia, selling all our stuff, and moving to AFRICA to do medical missions, I'd ask you for a "sample" and check you for drug or alcohol intoxication.  If you told me 2 weeks ago I'd be doing all this with a NEW BABY...  Well, you get the picture.  Our (my) plans don't always play out like we expect! 

Just last week we found out we are having a baby!  We were so surprised - and excited!  Melissa and I have always wanted a third child.  And for 4+ years we "waited" to see if God would come through or not based on what we thought was good timing.  Well, the verse says "I know the plans, says the Lord," meaning, not you (i.e. ME).  The first question we get now is, "Are you still going to Africa?"  And our response is, "Of course! God has a plan!"  We know and trust this verse.  Of course He knew when we agreed to join Mercy Ships in December that we would get pregnant in February.  Of course He knew that our first question would be whether it would be wise and safe to take a newborn baby to Africa.  Of course He knew that everyone else would have the same questions.  He knew it over 2500 years ago when He inspired Jeremiah to write this book to the Jewish people.  This brings us to the next verses in Jeremiah 29:

¹¹ For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the LORD, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. ¹² Then you will call on me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you. ¹³ You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart. ¹⁴ I will be found by you,” declares the LORD, “and will bring you back from captivity.^[b] I will gather you from all the nations and places where I have banished you,” declares the LORD, “and will bring you back to the place from which I carried you into exile.”

These words stick out - prosper you, not harm you, give you hope and a future; He will listen; He will be found.  Now, I do not for one second think we are going "into exile".  We believe it is a tremendous blessing and privilege to go to Africa and share His love with people who may otherwise have no hope!  But the verses apply to us today, too.  We believe, and we trust His plans and His timing.  We have to have faith He knows what He's doing in our lives and we will have to entrust our family to His hands.  Hebrews 11:1 says, "Faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see."   He hasn't let us down yet - ever!

So, our plans have changed - just a little.  Instead of leaving for Africa this October, we will now be planning to go next January, once the baby is over 6 weeks old (it's a Mercy Ships requirement).  Emily and Will are very excited about a new brother or sister - Emily wants a sister and Will wants a brother.  We hope only one of them gets their wish!  But, yes, we are still going! 

Please pray for us as God adds a little excitement to our plans!  We still can't wait to get to Africa and see what He has planned for us there.  Pray for the Africa Mercy and its crew as they arrive in Sierra Leone today.  Their 10-month service project starts this week!  Pray for all the lives that will be changed, not just physically, but also eternally.  Pray for all the volunteers that have to raise financial support in these difficult financial times.  Pray for Melissa as she is experiencing morning sickness even now.  Pray for me to be a better helpmate and more sensitive to her needs during this early pregnancy time.  Pray for us as we prepare to sell or rent our home soon and begin to raise support ourselves.  Pray that Jesus is lifted up and glorified in all that we do!  Stay tuned as we take a slightly different path to Africa! 

We love you all!!

Kevin, Melissa, Will, Emily, and "Baby" 

PS Please be sure and sign up for our upcoming family newsletters.  Click the link to the right of this post.