Sometimes life is similar to being a baby giraffe

 Bringing a giraffe into the world is a tall order! (lol...get it...."tall order":) A baby giraffe falls ten feet from its mother's womb and usually lands on its head or its back.  Ouch! Within seconds it rolls over and tucks its legs under its body.  From this position, it considers the world for the first time and shakes off the last vestiges of the birthing fluid from its eyes and ears.  Then the Mother rudely introduces its offspring to the reality of life!

 The mother giraffe lowers her head long enough to take a quick look. Then she positions herself directly over the calf. She waits for about a minute and then she does the most unreasonable thing! She swings her long...pendulous leg outward and kicks her baby....sending it sprawling head over heels. When it doesn't get up, the violent process is repeated....over and over again. The struggle to rise is momentous.  As the baby calf grows tired, the mother kicks it again to stimulate its efforts! Finally, the calf stands for the first time on its wobbly legs. 

 Then she does something remarkable. She kicks it off its feet AGAIN!  Why? She wants it to remember how it got up. Reasonable.  In the wild, baby giraffes must be able to get up as quickly as possible to stay with the hers where there is safety.  Lions, hyenas and leopards all enjoy young isolated giraffes and if the mother didn't teach her calf to get up quickly and get with it.....it would be easy prey. (A View from the Zoo by Gary Richards)

As horrible as that story sounded to me the first time I read it, I eventually began to relate to this baby giraffe. Greg and I have been married almost 30 years and I have to say after reflecting on these 30 years that we have experienced so much change in our lives. Looking back.....each time we had a major life change it resembled having your legs kicked out from under you. Maybe not before it happened....but often "after" the change occurred.

We are about to embark on yet another major change in our lives, we are finishing our term here in Mexico and then we are coming back "home". Home is a word we use loosely these days as we have lived in four different homes in the past 3 1/2 years. Greg will more than likely be seeking a church that needs a Pastor so please be in prayer for our family. Our term ends in July and we will be working hard to firm up the work we have begun here. The IMB has been so good to our family and we had some amazing experiences sharing the love of Christ with our brothers and sisters in Latin America. We have met the most humble people and have made wonderful long lasting friendships. God was faithful and good.

So even though our legs have been kicked out from under us again.....we WILL stand! Because our God is the Almighty Creator of Heaven and Earth! Three times in the first chapter of Joshua....God says "Be strong and courageous"....three times! So this scripture is something we will have at the forefront of our minds....be strong and courageous because God is in control. God has stretched us and we have grown so much spiritually and emotionally...and sometimes physically! (Seriously....the food is amazing here:)We are choosing to face this new season with excitement!

Please pray for our family as we enter into this new adventure! I am choosing to look at it as an adventure:) But with God as our partner....His plans for us MUST be BIG! "He" is big....... so any plans He has for our family are going to be big and adventurous! Pray for the rest of our time here that we will be purposeful and spend quality time with the people we have grown to love so much. We will be moving in with James (poor guy) until Greg can find a job. So pray for a job! I just know there is a church somewhere (please Lord let it be in Texas!) that will be able to use my precious husband and His love for God's word and for His people.  We are in the midst of selling everything that won't fit into our eight suitcases we are bringing home. This makes the little ones very anxious and stressful so please pray for God to pour His peace over them like sweet rain.

I love all of you who have stayed with us these past three years in the mission field. You have been our rock and refuge many times. I probably haven't thanked you enough over the years but I do appreciate you and I always thank God for you.

Be strong and courageous......Be strong and courageous.....Be strong and courageous!!!!!!!!!!!!