It
sure has been quite awhile since I’ve blogged, hasn’t it?
Let’s
see. Where to start?
I
moved out of my house. A sweet couple who are expecting their first baby are
leasing the house and I moved in with my Grandma.
How
is living with GG you ask? Well, it’s pretty swell, actually. I’m wondering why
in the world I didn’t think of this sooner!! Seriously. My sweet Grandma is
honestly the definition of a “caregiver” and being here at her house with her
is such a special treat. I know I will always look back at this time in my life
with great fondness. These will be memories and moments I will cherish the rest
of my life. None of her other grandchildren have had this fantastic opportunity
yet and let’s be real, there’s nothing better than life at GG’s! J
My
work schedule at Milestones also changed. Dr. Henley opened a “sister office”
in Collinsville, OK and the other nurse practitioner who was at our Tulsa
office is now at that office. With her transitioning to Collinsville, it left
some evenings in our Urgent Care open and Dr. Henley asked if I would be
willing to change from Monday-Friday 8-4 to working 3 twelve-hour shifts per
week. This is the same sort of schedule I worked as a nurse and I was more than
willing to transition back to twelve-hour days (9a-9p). I have loved this
change and it has definitely made work much, much busier for me when I’m there
but it is a welcomed crazy! I sure do love my patients and their sweet families
and my Milestones friends are some of my favorite people in the entire world.
So this change has been very nice!
With
all these changes some things have remained the same. I am still here, in
Broken Arrow, in Oklahoma, in the United States. I am still not THERE. Not in
Africa. Not in Benin. Not in Sakete. Not with the children of Arbre de Vie. And
there are not many minutes of most days that go by that I do not wish I could
be there, but I am honestly enjoying this beautiful time of transition from
being HERE to being THERE.
The
question I am asked constantly is, “So, when are you going?” Well, that is not
the easiest thing to answer. Or hasn’t been until recently, when during a phone
conversation with Ashley a really neat plan worked itself out and now I have a
much better ballpark time frame of when I will be leaving HERE to be THERE on a
more permanent basis.
I
am leaving the States in 39 days with my niece, Claire, and one of my best
friend’s youngest sisters, Courtney. We will be at Arbre de Vie in Benin for 2
weeks in July and I am so looking forward to this time with not only the kids,
Jon, Ashley and all the others in Benin but also with other team members from a
group that will be there from Ohio. It will be a whirlwind of a trip, I’m sure
(much like my time there for Christmas was) but it will be filled with amazing
memories!!
The
night before I left in January, one of the oldest boys at the orphanage,
Augustin, was talking to me about my impending departure. My time to leave
snuck up on the kids just as much as it snuck up on me and all of us were not
looking forward to being away from each other again. Augustin asked me why I
couldn’t just stay. I said I would love to stay but I have commitments to
people in the States and affairs to take care of so I couldn’t just not get on
the plane and stay (although I wanted to do just that!). I had to go back to
the States. In his broken English he reassured me that he understood but he
asked when the next time I would come to see them would be. At the time of this
conversation, I did not know. I was honest with him and promised it would be
sooner rather than later, but that I did not know exactly when that would be…
He
smiled and made me promise to return as soon as possible. He quickly followed
that comment with this statement: “Tata, when you come next, can you stay
eternal? Can you stay eternal like Papa Jon and Maman Ashley? I want you to
stay eternal.” As I was fighting back the tears in my eyes, I told him that I
could not promise him that…because at that time I didn’t know if or when I
would be coming to Benin to “stay eternal”.
I
can now answer his question a little more clearly. And I can answer everyone
else’s question a little more clearly as well. As of right now, it is looking
like Ashley will be coming into the States sometime right after Christmas for a
wedding she will be part of on New Year’s Eve in Ohio. She will come down to
Oklahoma during part of her time in the States following the wedding to meet
some of her Oklahoma family for the first time and then return to Ohio to spend
some more time with her family there. We will then both travel back to Benin
together in mid-to-late January 2014 and, as Augustin would say, this is the
time that this Tata will “stay eternal”.
(!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!)
There
are many things left to do. And many details that need to be figured out. And
much money that needs to be saved and raised for all of this to happen. BUT,
there are a few Bible verses I am clinging to during this time and I find great
comfort and great reassurance in these words:
1
Thessalonians 5:24
“He
who calls you is faithful. He will surely do it.”
Psalm
29:11
“The
Lord will give unyielding and impenetrable strength to His people; the Lord
will bless His people with peace.”
1
Corinthians 15:58
“So,
my dear brothers and sisters, be strong and immovable. Always work
enthusiastically for the Lord, for you know that nothing you do for the Lord is
ever useless.”
This
story is honestly just beginning. And God IS faithful. And although, right now,
a lot of things seem impossible, I am daily clinging to the promise that He
will provide every answer and every need in just the right timing. I am happy
to be HERE, and I will continue to daily strive to be the BEST person I can be
HERE! I hope to always say that no matter where I may find myself. In Broken
Arrow, Oklahoma. In Sakete, Benin. Or who knows where else…I will serve Him the
best I can no matter where I am. I hope each and every one of you can always
say the same.
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In the end,
we only
regret the chances we didn’t take.
