Fall - season of changes

Fall is one of my favorite times of year.  I am a cool weather gal and love the cooler temperatures.  Granted, in MS these said temperatures often come and go, but I appreciate them greatly when they start arriving!  The leaves of those few trees that aren't pine, change to beautiful colors and just all around remind me of God's splendor.

We spent all of last week in North Carolina for our appointment week with the IMB.  The scenery was often breathtaking (atleast when we were outside of the hotel!).  The roads were lined with gorgeous trees, full of reds, yellows, and mixtures that fall in between.  We visited Old Salem and it was beautiful!  Take a look for yourself...

By the end of the week we had been appointed as official IMB missionaries to Madagascar.  People keep asking us how the week was and I'm still finding it hard to put into words.  It was incredible, worshipful, humbling, awe-inspiring, and lots of other adjectives that could fill up this page.  This is something we've known the Lord has called us to for so long - way before Steve and I had even met one another - so for it to finally happen...let's just say it brought tears to both of our eyes - and smiles to our faces!  One of the best things was hearing others share their testimony of how the Lord had brought them to the point of being appointed as missionaries.  The stories were vastly different, yet one thing was constant - the Lord's call.  When you hear it, you can't run or hide from it, you just have to say, "Yes, Lord."  We were blessed to get to hang out with a couple who will actually be in the same country as us, (they'll be headed there in January) and I think it's amazing how the Lord develops relationships so quickly when He is the common bond.  Speaking of friendships - our friends from seminary, (Katie and I actually went to high school together as well), are now living in VA.  They drove to NC for the service - with Katie being 37 weeks pregnant!!  Some people will come and go in your life but we know the Lord has blessed us with a lifelong friendship with the Starks.  VA is blessed to have them!!

We had friends ask us the other night - what's the biggest change - getting ready to have a baby or getting ready to move overseas?  It's funny because hands down most people would say the more "abnormal" thing would be moving overseas.  However, for Steve and I, we have always known that one day we'd be living overseas.  God has prepared our hearts for this move since we were children.  Last November if you had asked us where we saw ourselves right now - we would have both answered "Africa", never would we have said, "2 months away from having a daughter".  Nonetheless, God has prepared our hearts for this and has given us a love and excitement that is unlike anything we have ever known.  One of the most common questions we are asked is what we're doing with Ryleigh while we go to Madagascar.  While we are very well aware that either set of grandparents would keep her with them in a heartbeat, we just smile and explain that she is indeed going with us.  The Lord loves her more than we ever can and where He calls us - He is calling our little family.  I pray that our answer to His call, for the rest of our lives, will always be - without hesitation- "Yes, Lord".