After we got married, we embarked in our career fields.  Brian as a Quality Engineer and me (Kathryn) as a Special Education teacher.  We worked hard, prayed hard, loved Jesus, and loved our family and friends.  We were part of an amazing church and had even more amazing godly friends. Life was good.  We were going down the path we had planned- Work hard, save, and then retire.  Brian, being the engineer minded man that he is, had a spread sheet for our life.  He made the plan, and we were sticking to the plan...that's what plans are for right?  Ha!

About six years in to my teaching career I was on my way to work one morning listening to the local Christian radio station.  A Scottish man was being interviewed.  The man began speaking about a country called Moldova.  A country that I was sure he had made up.  Seriously.  As I listened to him detail how young women age out of the state run orphanages there and then are preyed upon by traffickers my heart broke.  Literally, I started crying in the car.  He then recounted stories of young children freezing in orphanages and being abandoned by their family and being cast aside by society.  Again, I cried out to God on behalf of the children there.  You can read more about how it all came to pass here at one of my original posts.

Over the last three years, Brian and I have been to Moldova three times.  Each time, our hearts longing to stay.  It all began on our very first trip (which you can also read all about at the beginning of my posts from 2011).  On our very first trip, Brian and I were exhausted every night....and yet neither of us could sleep (this is highly unusual for me because I can always sleep:) ).  We later realized that we were both spending this sleepless time praying with and conversing with God.  We both were crying out to Him to use us and show us what He wants for us....and we both heard Him telling us so clearly....I need you here.  Well....neither of us spoke that aloud to the other while we were in Moldova because saying something out loud gives it power....and I don't think either one of us was ready to jump on board with God's plan. 

When we arrived back in Alabama after that first trip, we both felt so homesick for Moldova...life here just didn't seem right.  Our plan seemed all wrong.  When we finally told each other what God had put on our hearts....it was such a relief.  He had called both of us so clearly!!!  We immediately began praying and seeking Godly counsel.  We wanted to make sure this wasn't some "mountain top " experience. 

After a few months of prayer and godly counsel, we decided that we would try to sell our house (which we loved) to be ready for when God began making the way clear for us.  The market in our town was not that great so we figured we had a long time for God to reveal himself.  Our house sold in three months.  Three months.  Houses in our neighborhood had been for sale for years...and ours sold in three months.  We were like....Hold Up God...it just got real!!! 

Anyway, over the last two years we have been gradually selling some of our belongings and we have been taking daily steps towards the dream that God put in our lives.  We have had times of clarity and times of uncertainty, but through it all we have known who holds our future and what He calls us to do.  Right now,  He is calling us to Moldova...to work with Stella's Voice.  We don't know all of the answers to all of the questions, but again we trust in THE ONE who holds the future.  It has been incredibly freeing to trust God in this...we find ourselves constantly singing the lyrics to "Oceans" by Hillsong (read that blog here).  The part of the song that fills me with peace and power all at the same time is "You've never failed, and You won't start now!"  I am living in that promise every single day.  He has never failed us.  Not once.  and I know He never will.

So, here is where the rubber meets the road.  We are leaving everything we know and love behind (remember that plan for our life?  It is different now:) ) and setting out on the plan that God called us to follow in Moldova.  It is scary, refreshing, terrifying, peace giving, exhilarating, and just plain ole awe inspiring.  We are so humbled that God chose these two plain ole, not so special people to be a part of His very special plan for orphans in Moldova...and wherever else He may lead us.