what a year

2010 
was a year full of transition,
change, adjustment, reorder,
evolution, transformation...
you name it!

and honestly, i was thinking...
will this coming year be boring
since last year most everything in our lives changed?!

and in my quiet moments with God
He gave me the answer.
absolutely
 NO.
if we continue to seek Him
there will never be boring.
because
God isn't boring.
there is so much work to do,
people to love,
world to see,
hearts to listen to and fill,
Jesus to share.

complacency is man made
not God given.

and now for a  re-cap of 2010

Jan
welcome a year of following God

Feb-March 
spent several wks in Colorado at MTI for mission training
where we learned so much and met amazing folks
it was the first step that made our journey to SA more real
i look back and see how much our weeks there grew me in so many ways

April 
received our referral after 18 months of waiting
on April 15
for our 9 month old new daughter
BRISTOL

May
first court date in Ethiopia for Bristol fell thru

June
June 16 passed court...we are now a family of 6
fundraising goes into full force
found out my sister and bro in law are adopting!

July
the 4th of July we met our Bristol for the first time and she is forever in our arms
July 11 returned home to the U.S. greeted by an incredible crowd
and introduced Bristol to our family and friends

August
kids start school just for a couple of months
adjusting to being a mommy to 4 (busy!)
felt so deeply the sting of death in the loss of our cousin baby bane

September
pack and clean out (good gosh...what a job)
apply for international documents
Bristol's readoption in the states

October 
move out of our house
into Joey's parents
and on October 22
head out for SA
leaving family, friends and all we know
(except for our sweet mamas and some luggage)
via a stop in London
and arrive in SA on October 27

November
find a house in SA for our family to settle in except can't move in yet
drive on the wrong side of the road and car
learn new currency
learn new culture (still learning)
tell our moms goodbye (hard stuff)
start meeting new friends
Joe starts working at Living Way
enroll kids in schools here, but they don't start until Jan

December
after 7 moves since we left our home in TN
we finally moved into our permanent home here
first Christmas ever away from family

is that all?
can i say CHANGE?

God has carried us every step of the way
and blessed us beyond measure.
Draw near to God and He will draw near to you.

We look forward to continuing our journey with Christ,
continuing to build our relationship with Him,
and loving those around us.

May we be vessels so filled with His love that it sloshes out on those He leads us to serve.
May we be the aroma of Christ.

2011,
we plan on making the most of it!

and i must leave you with a pic, of course!