Stirring

I watched him move ahead a space in the queue for immigrations and my mind went over the steps that had brought us to this point. Waiting in line to enter a foreign country with a team of medical personnel & laborers…other like minded men and women with a desire to fulfill the Great Commission.

When I heard the announcement about the trip I was sitting in my comfortable chair in an air conditioned church building. I remember my heart quickened and I heard that still small voice speak to my heart, “Will you go?”

It was 2002 and we went as the only married couple on an eight day trip to Managua, Nicaragua. We went to help build a home for the pastor of a remote church high in the beautiful mountains of South America. Others went to bring basic medical aid to people who had never seen a tube of Neosporin or bandages or nail clippers. I remember taking a pair of old glasses out of a box of relics and placing them on the craggy face of an ancient man. He closed and opened his eyes repeatedly before crying out loudly, “The trees! I see the trees!”. I remember handing out most of the clothing I’d brought to others, embarrassed to think of my full closet of lovely clothes at home…all without rips, that fit me well and were clean smelling from laundering with fabric softener sheets. I remember watching my husband of 4 years helping to build the concrete home, worship God alongside other brothers and praying fervently that we would leave changed. That we would not return home the same. That our financial and time investment in this short term trip would not be wasted.

We did return home to lives in North America and went on to have children, walk one of them through the horrors of childhood cancer, make several moves, make changes in jobs and careers, make decisions about our children’s education, downsize dramatically and behind all the changes and years was the still small voice “Will you go?”. At times it was louder than others, but in more recent months the voice has become more insistent. Less easy to avoid and even identified by our children. “Will you go? Would you be My family to the nations? Would you trust My leading?”

We kicked off Twenty Fourteen with a plan. A vision. A desire to make our lives count as a family and as individuals for the Kingdom of God and the Great Commission. “Therefore GO and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you.” Matthew 28:18

And so, yes, we will GO. We are excited! We carry in our hearts a great calling and as a family we look forward expectantly to the future and what our great God will do as we follow after Him!

Stay tuned to future posts for more details about what we believe this will look like on a practical level and about how you can be involved in these Armstrong Adventures!