That was hard. Harder than I anticipated. I knew it would not be easy.
Today I dropped off Charles, Sylas and Andre’ at the airport in Chicago. Today they leave for a three week motorcycle adventure in the Congo (Central Africa). As I pulled away from the airport, all I could do was pray, release them in to God’s loving care and trust that God has led us to this point.
God does have a way of meeting us at our vulnerable times and tender moments. Fortunately, it wasn’t long before I heard the still small voice that I have come to recognize as the voice of God saying to me, “They will be OK. They will be OK.”
I needed to hear that. And I needed to hear it twice. And then when I got home, Joelle, my 12 year old daughter, gave me a big hug and said, “Mom, they are going to be OK.”
When I’m not wearing my tender -hearted- mom -hat that worries about them getting a bad case of travelers diarrhea, or stranded with a flat tire somewhere out in the middle of nowhere, I can be excited for them as they embark on this journey.
For months they have been planning and dreaming about this. For Charles, this has been a long term dream to take the boys by motorcycle back to the places he grew up as a missionary kid in the Congo. For Sylas and Andre, it’s the adventure of a life time. I mean, really, how cool is that to ride motorbikes through parts of Africa? This trip taps deeply into their love for adventure and exploration.
A good friend, Doug Fike, wrote the following to us upon learning about their trip:
God meets us in fresh ways in the midst of the unfamiliar, the foreign, the beyond-normal…The risks, dangers, trepidations are real. He is More So. And He will, indeed, make a way through the wilderness, travel with you there, then meet you, as you go, on the road.
I look at the picture of the guys above that I love and know so well, and I can’t help but wonder who they will become through this trip. I look forward to seeing the exciting ways that they will grow, develop, and become more of the people that God designed them to be.
Keeping you all in my prayers…for their safety and for your peace of mind and heart, the peace that passes understanding.
By the way…your new website is awe-some and then some!
Thank you, Mary! I am deeply grateful for every prayer that is breathed on their/ our behalf. And thanks, too, for the feedback on the new look. Glad you found your way here.