Our 2nd Season

As you know we are preparing to move to Africa for two years. TWO YEARS…in  AFRICA!  We are beyond excited, and very blessed. It’s fun to watch YouTube videos about Mercy Ships, and what it is like in Sierra Leone. Learning about all the incredible folks we will work and live with is exciting. Discovering more and more about our specific jobs

onboard is pretty neat. Knowing that we will be part of such an incredible ministry fills our hearts with such joy. Today I FaceTimed with a new friend who is already serving on the Global Mercy ship. She showed me around her family’s cabin and answered so many questions. She is a blessing! With all the excitement, though, comes some harsh realities, too.

Two weeks ago, Matt drove 1,100 miles to take our sweet German Shepherd, Mac, to his new home. So, so hard! Mac is such a sweet, loving fur baby and it was heartbreaking to say goodbye. But he is going to be such a blessing to his new family.

We left our newly renovated (we did it ourselves) truck camper in Colorado as well. Our daughter Jessica, son-in-law Tyler, and sweet granddaughter, Chloe, are going to take care of it for us…and hopefully make some amazing travel memories of their own!

This past weekend we cleaned out our 5^th wheel camper and will have it hauled over the pass to the west side of Washington state where it will be sold. As we worked to make it nice for the new owners, we couldn’t help but feel sad. We have so many fond memories of traveling across many states.

We are slowly packing up our non-essential household ‘things’ and putting them in storge. Other things are finding new homes through donation, while some items have reached the end of their lives now live in the dumpster

Our two sweet granddaughters, Aniyah and Chloe, have their own room in our house. Matt and I have slowly begun to ‘rehome’ some of their beloved toys, toys that they will have outgrown by the time we return in two years. Aniyah, our oldest granddaughter, has been living with us since the beginning of the school year, and she has been so gracious about letting her toys go.

But she, too, is a bit sad, beginning to realize that Papa and Gigi, as she calls us, are soon going to be very far away, and her home away from home is looking different as each day passes.

We are also busy fitting in appointments like the eye doctor, dentist, and vaccines…. LOTS OF VACCINES!  Today we met with a property management company to discuss renting our home while we are away. Next, we will decide the best time to sell my car!

While all of this is daunting, we truly are excited and wholly believe that God has called us to serve with Mercy Ships. And so we are embracing each day as it comes, allowing ourselves to feel sadness alongside the excitement. Savoring the bitter with the sweet. We continue to pray each day for guidance, courage, and grace as we enter this new season. We cherish your prayers as well. I’m holding this Bible verse close: 2 Corinthians 5:7: “For we walk by faith, not by sight” 

January 28, 2025 / Yakima, WA/ 18:53 (PST)