It’s been 38 years now that I have lived in Indiana. For 38 years I have sweat my heart out every summer when the humidity is higher than the temperature, I have been excited in mid September as the humidity dissipates and the chill of my favorite season approaches. I have always enjoyed the slow approach of winter roll through Indiana as the chill gets colder and colder by the day then the wonder and excitement of the first time the ground is covered in a blanket of white snow and I watch as snowflakes quietly fall from the sky. Then the elation I feel when the sun seems to have come back from its hibernation and the buds on trees and flowers begin to bloom. Warmth is coming again!

I am so thankful that I have lived in a state where I get to experience every season to the full. So many of my favorite moments in life are in Indiana and in my kids’ lives too. Sweating at the Indiana State Fair every year as we eat pineapple whip, going to Anderson Orchard to climb the trees and pick the apples at the very top or hiking trails at state parks with the crunch of leaves and smell of fall in the air. Or sipping hot cocoa as we thaw out from sledding together (minus the years I was pregnant and the Dr. wouldn’t let me sled), and the joy of riding bikes fast through the neighborhood getting all our pent up energy out from winter as we enjoy spring. It’s a beautiful state with some of the most cherished and precious memories I hold so dear. With all the beauty and cherished moments here, this year is certainly different. Perhaps I’m feeling every season a little different with the unknown of when or if I will be experiencing it again. I’m soaking it in as much as possible, with as much or more vigor than ever before.

We hope to be in Africa as soon as possible, so I don’t know when these seasons will come to an end and I don’t know when we will be coming back. I know when we do come back, we will be a different family. I don’t think you can move across the world, live in one of the worlds most impoverished countries and come back unchanged; and that’s okay. Indiana has been the place I have lived, but my home is not even of this world. My ultimate home is with Jesus, my Savior, in Heaven.

I don’t think we as a family are leaving our home as much as we are leaving our familiar, and yes, that will be difficult. Tears will be shed over things we don’t even know yet and sometimes it may feel like silly things we ache for. We will be moving from our home of 10 years, our extended family, our church family, and basically everything familiar. Most people think we’re crazy, and we’re okay with that. We’ve warned the boys normalcy is not what they’re going to get in this family. But if we’re too scared, too comfortable, too in control (or so we think), too set in our ways, too anything to move we’ll never know what blessings God has on the other side. Yes, there will be difficulties, but the things our little family of 5 is going to learn about God Himself through this experience, we believe will be more than worth it. Is there anything God is calling you to that you might be too something and missing out on? Don’t miss it, let Him get rid of the fear, the comfort, the misperceptions, whatever it is and dive in to something great He is calling you to, I just don’t think you’ll regret it.