Tomorrow

Tomorrow we put our oldest daughter on a plane headed to Africa.

We enjoyed a great day with her yesterday.  Benay got to spend some one on one time with Bronwyn, and I did as well.  The day ended with about 20 of her friends surprising her with a going away party at our house.  She is loved and she will be missed.

Yesterday my girlfriend did a post about having butterflies in her stomach when she thinks of Bronwyn and her trip.  You can go here to read it if you haven't read it already.  Bronwyn has some nervous butterflies as well.  I'm sure they will stop the moment she gets on the plane or the moment she steps off the plane in Africa.

I think back to when we moved here almost eight years ago.  I can remember Benay and I driving our family to the airport to move here.  I told her it felt like someone had punched me in the stomach.  She had the same feeling.

We were leaving everything and everyone we had ever known.  We were going to another country where we were not fluent at all in their language.  Our team wasn't exactly clicking on all cylinders.  But we never allowed any of those things to change our minds from what the Spirit was asking us to do. He asked us to come to Brasil.  That stayed above everything else.  There have been some days and are still some days when that is literally the only thing we have to hold on to.  His calling.

That is only way to explain how when I sat on that plane, leaving Dallas, Texas eight years ago, my "punched in the stomach feeling" immediately went away.  Were the concerns still there?  Yes.  But we were in God's will for our lives and it was like we had finally gotten up the last step on the first flight of stairs.  Even though we had many more flights of stairs to climb there was a peace in knowing that God had taken us through that first big flight.

I think Bronwyn will feel the same way tomorrow or when she steps off the plane in Africa on Monday. Nervousness will leave, and there will just be an excitement about what is coming.

I confess I haven't had a nervous stomach when I think of this trip.  Am I more spiritual?  Am I more plugged into the Spirit and allowed Him to take away my fear?

I think if you really know me, my girlfriend and my oldest daughter you would know that isn't true.  If there was a way to rate spirituality I would be in third place among the three of us.

So why is this trip not making me nervous? 

When Bronwyn was around eight years old she began talking about Africa.  How she wanted to go and help people.  How the children of Africa were special to her.  She was eight when she started talking about it.  Eight!!

I think the reason I'm not worried is that 10 years later she is getting the chance to do what the Spirit put on her heart so many years ago.  She is doing just what the Spirit is telling her and as a parent there is nothing more important for our kids.  That they always follow the will of God especially when it's uncomfortable and gives you butterflies.  Honestly, we don't want to raise comfortable Christian kids.

I've focused a lot on the fact that this trip was something that God put on my daughter's heart about 10 years ago.  Benay and I didn't encourage her to go.  No one asked her to come to Africa.  God planted this seed years ago and has continued watering it in my daughter's heart.  She never allowed the enemy to quench the fire.  In some way, she has always had her heart open to go and love on God's children in Africa.

I'm not worried because I've seen God use a "chance encounter" that I had almost three years ago to help Bronwyn on this trip.  I met a brother at a prayer meeting in Huntsville, Alabama on our furlough in 2007.  It was a brief meeting.  We literally spent an hour together as part of a group of men.  We didn't speak much that night.  Long story short, I was in a pretty deep spiritual funk.  God used that brief encounter with this brother, Murray, to speak strongly to my heart.  God spoke thorough Murray.  God has since grown an amazing relationship between our family and Murray.  He actually came here to speak to fellow missionaries throughout South America in 2008.  He's been a big part of our lives.  He is from South Africa and through him Bronwyn has a place to stay for two nights when she's on her way back home.

Chance encounter?  I don't think so.  Part of God's plan for Bronwyn that he began to set in motion 10 years ago.  He knew how Murray would play a part in not only our lives but in helping Bronwyn with a Christian home to stay in.

I'm not worried because I've been reminded, again, of just how big and how good God's family is.  Bronwyn sent out fundraising letters at the end of November.  She has had everything she's needed, and then some, for over a month.  People she didn't even know a year ago have helped.  People she has never personally met have helped her.  People she has known for years have helped her.  We've all been reminded of God's goodness and how He takes care of His kids.

Bronwyn and I talked the other day about college.  She'll get back home at the first of May and then she'll leave for college in July.

She could have gone last year but she wanted to sit out a year and get to know her new little brother better.   Giovanni was born just three months before Bronwyn graduated.

I told her how much we loved having her around and how much she blessed me and Benay as well as the rest of the family with the extra year.  It was a mature, sacrificial decision on her part to stay for an extra year.  It was  a year that none of us will forget.

We then talked about how it was time for her to go to college.  She said it's time and we know it's time as well.  Sure it's going to be tough to see her get on that plane and go 6,000 miles away to college.  Anyone who says that kind of thing is easy is nuts.  But it's time.  It's God's time for her to go.  She's ready and excited.  And as parents we are ready to see her spread her wings and be all that God wants.

We are excited about what God will do in Bronwyn's life and a new step in the journey starts tomorrow.

We ask that you pray for her and her safety as she leaves tomorrow.

We also ask that you pray for the Koonce family.  These are our friends who Bronwyn will be staying with.  Please pray for their ministry.

Of course, we'll keep you informed of what she's doing.

She also has a blog and will do her best to update it throughout her trip. You can check it out here.

As always, thank you in advance for your prayers.