Doin alright...

It's day 7 now of just the boys and I;  Christy has been in Congo visiting our babies!  I'm happy to report that everyone is still alive and doing pretty well, considering.  I've been fortunate enough to talk to Christy on several occasions and she's had an amazing trip;  she even got to bring the kids to the hotel last night for a sleepover!  The internet has been nothing short of abysmal over there so she hasn't been able to provide her own updates but she will once she is home, but I did want to convey some thoughts about her trip from my perspective here.

Nerves, nerves and more nerves.  Call me old-fashioned, but I feel it's my job to protect my wife and my family from any harm, so sending my wife on a plane halfway across the world to a third-world country by herself wasn't an ideal situation for me.  I was far more nervous about her leaving than I think I let on to her because I didn't want to add to her stress, but the reality for me was that I wasn't going to be there to protect her and that didn't sit well with me.  Fortunately there is strength in numbers and she was travelling with a large group of other women;  plus, if you've ever met my wife, you know that she can handle herself very well and is not to be trifled with!  And I mean that in the most endearing way possible;  she's a fighter and it's one of the qualities that attracted me to her in the first place.  BUT, I would be lying if I didn't say that I checked her flight status every 5 minutes after I knew it was supposed to have landed in DRC just to make sure she'd at least made it on the ground safely. 

I was also a little panicked at the thought of me and my 3 boys surviving for a minimum of 10 days fending for ourselves.  I promise, I used to know how to cook...I mean, I survived for several years out of high school until I met her...but it seems as though that particular skill has since eroded since she's such a wonderful cook.  But, she already knew this and had pre-cooked and frozen meals for us for the week, so we're doin alright.  Additionally, her mother is still living with us and she's really stepped up to the plate and helped out in the evenings, which has been a God-send.  I think it peculiar that she's still here after a year and a half, but my suspicion is that God knows we need the help and that's why she's still here.  The boys and I have had a pretty good week together, hanging out getting some good father, son time in, laughing and carry on like boys do, and we've even managed to get a load of laundry or two done (whites and darks can be washed together, right???) 

This being said, we miss momma terribly and can't wait until she gets home in a few days.  It was our prayer that somehow, someway she would be able to bring Imani home with her on this trip but it appears as though that's not going to happen.  While it makes sense in our minds that this would be the perfect time since she's in country, it seems that we have a limited understanding of the big picture and that the timing simply isn't right yet.  We are trusting in the promise that His plan is the best plan and it appears as though He is still making the way for her to come home (Isaiah 45:2). 

Thank you to everyone who's checked in on us this week and for your prayers, we covet them as we know that He hears all of them.

-Rob