Frame of Mind

Heidi and I have always thought we would end up back on the mission field. Wanting to be humble and open to God's leading we tried not to put our own desires in the way. But you know what, God is so good. He is the good dad that we've always dreamed of. Tell Him what you want, and ask Him what He wants.
I would have to say that my daughter Harley was one of the clearest answers to prayer that I have experienced. I believe that is the way God always is. Usually, His timing isn't out timing. But, in general, God and man are on the same time schedule when it comes to the 9-month time span from when a baby is conceived to when he or she is born. So when I was talking to God and telling him that I really wanted a girl, I was pretty sure I was going to get a 'yes' or 'no' before the year was done.
Our underlying desire has been to return to Mali. We love the people and the life there. And it seems God is opening the doors for us. We have been talking with WorldVenture. (That’s the mission we went out with before, but they used to be called CBInternational.) As it stands now we are in contact with missionaries on the field, and we are building up a vision of the ministry we would be doing there. I would likely be doing photojournalism, possibly for the newspaper in the capitol city, Bamako. And I would be working on a documentary film. I have been encouraged to teach these skills too because up-to-date education is lacking limiting opportunities for young Malians.
First we need to pay off our school loans. If we were to pay them all off ourselves, it would take about 10 years. We want to move our children while they are still young because it is so much easier for them. So we are counting on God and his Body, the church, to help us get rid of our debt. The director for West Africa said that the mission would not accept gifts for student loans because they are considered personal gifts. So people wouldn’t be able to get tax deductions. If you really want to get me fired up you can ask me what I think about people who give to the work of God to get a tax benefit.
This picture is from a photo shoot I did in Coté d’Ivoire. It was a turning point for me, and it lead me to photojournalism instead of commercial photography. Click on the picture to see some pictures of Heidi and me when we first moved to Mali.
I’m going to try to put up a new post every Friday. So check back often.