Soddo Christian Hospital

I received an email from Brian this morning saying that he made it safely to the hospital.  He was headed to get some sleep, so he'll share more later.  But he did say that it was beautiful and warm.  We are anxious to hear every detail when we get the chance.  And hopefully he will remember to take a few pictures.  :)

This video shares the heart behind the hospital where Brian will be working until February 28th.  I can't wait to have more to share from his personal experience, but for now this is a great taste of what Soddo Christian Hospital is all about.

And He's Off...

As I type this Brian should be getting ready to land in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.  He will spend some time with his driver getting some groceries and taking care of a few other errands before his six hour drive to Soddo Christian Hospital.  We are missing him so much.  We have spent so much time apart over the last few years due to his out of town rotations for residency, but it never gets easier. 

What does give us strength to get through it are the prayers from friends and family.  

Friends came over Sunday evening for a time of prayer, and it left Brian and I feeling so encouraged at what God is doing in our lives right now.  It was such a sweet time, to come together before the Father, and ask for His grace, love, wisdom, and protection over us. 

These friends are our family here.

 Having them share in this with us in this way blessed us beyond words. 

 

The perfect sending off for Brian.  The perfect way to prepare my heart to stay.

Birthday Girl

Dear Abigail,

Today we celebrate four years of life with you!  Happy birthday, sweet girl!  This last year we have learned so much more about your tender, sensitive heart.  It has been so sweet to watch you grow in your understanding and love of Jesus.  You constantly ask the most thought-provoking questions, like "Why does God love us?"   You pray such thoughtful, heartfelt prayers that we are often moved to know such prayers can come from such a little girl.  We have loved hearing your heart for others.  You are so compassionate and full of love for everyone around you.  We are learning how to be delicate with your tender heart, realizing that everything is very personal and intentional for you.  You are very much like your Mommy in that way.  We pray that we can teach you how to be flexible and allow God to orchestrate the details of your days and the ways you can share all of your love with others.  We pray for you to grow more in love with Jesus every day. There will never be anything more rewarding or more fulfilling than to live every moment of every day for Him.  We pray for you to be led by His Spirit, for you to serve Him and honor Him in all that you do.  You are already so precious in the way that you stop when you know you should be making a better decision, and come to tell me that you don't want to keep doing the wrong thing and all the ways you can make a better choice to honor God.  You are so sweet to share and include your brother and sister in all that you do.  You and Elisabeth constantly tell me that you are best friends, and you and John love to pal around together and make each other laugh. 

We love having you in our life.  We praise God for the miracle that you are and the joy you bring to all of us.

We love you, Abigail!!  Happy birthday!!

Getting Ready!

Brian leaves for Ethiopia on Monday!  We have been so preoccupied with sickness, school, work, and everything in between that time since Christmas has flow by.  And here we are!  We have been working to get everything ready for Brian to go, not realizing all that would be involved with international travel to a third world country, especially since he's bringing a lot of medical supplies.  There are so many details that it feels very overwhelming at times.  But God is so good to get us through each one and one more thing checked off of our list.  Oh, how I love lists!  I wouldn't be able to make it without them.  Seriously.  There are too many details to keep up with in life, so lists help me keep my sanity.  With most of the things checked off the list, Brian is nearly ready to go. 

We just have some packing to do...trying to figure out how to fit this...

and this...

along with food, clothes, and other supplies still to be delivered, into this...

Should be an interesting challenge!

We have several prayer requests as Brian gets ready to leave and as he is on his trip, serving at Soddo Christian Hospital. 

1. Please pray for us to be able to take care of all of the last minute details quickly and easily.
2. Please pray for safety as we take Brian to the airport Monday and for every leg of his journey.
3. Please pray for him to be able to easily pass through customs and that there would be no hold up due to the medical supplies he carries.
4. Please pray for peace and strength for the kids and I here without Brian for three weeks.
5. Please pray for many amazing ministry opportunities during his time at Soddo.
6. Please pray for Brian to gain greater skill and knowledge in Orthopaedic Surgery while he is there.  He will be working with the only Orthopaedic Surgeon in a region of about 2.5 million people.  He has seen and done amazing things and can teach Brian so much.
7. Please pray that Brian's time away would be restful and that he would come back with a renewed strength to persevere through the last 16 months of residency.
8.  Please pray that this trip would give our family solid confirmation that this is where God is calling us to serve after residency.

We are so thankful for the prayers, love, support, and encouragement from friends and family.  God has been so faithful in His provision and His peace over us.

We are enjoying the few days before Brian leaves with some rare snow.  Snow is so peaceful to me and I'm so thankful for it right now, for the peacefulness, for the beauty, for the delight it brings.

God knows just what we need, right when we need it.  I love all of His sweet blessings for us.  Praying for many more in the weeks to come.