God sold our house!  As I write this, I am feeling overwhelmed, a little sad, but mostly hopeful and in awe of God.  If He wants something done, He can do it.  So here’s the story:
From the start of the whole Uganda journey, we have been asking for God’s guidance with all our decisions including those about our home here in Hays.  I specifically prayed that if God wanted us to sell our home, that He would have someone walk up and offer to buy it.  But, we were feeling pretty good about the idea of renting out our home.  So we proceeded in that direction by contacting a rental company.  It seemed like it was taking a while to get the paper work completed, and the few leads we had on renters weren’t quite working out.  So, on Sunday night, Nick and I sat down together and prayed again about selling versus renting and asked that God would bring us a buyer if He wanted us to sell.  
The next day, Monday, while I was at Washington School, Cindy, a coworker walked up to me. We discussed work stuff for a few moments.  Then she looked straight in my eyes and said, 
“Would you consider selling your house?” She looked as surprised as I was!  I told her, “Well, honestly, we had been planning to rent it out, but I have been praying that God would send us a buyer if He wanted to sell it.”  With tears in her eyes, Cindy said “and I’ve been praying that He would find us the right house. We have been looking, but nothing we have looked at felt right. I didn’t even plan to ask you this; it kind of just slipped out when I saw you!”  We discussed details and it all seemed supernaturally perfect!  (I had that feeling again- the one I had back in November when we joked about the 4 of us going to Uganda.) 
Cindy and her two awesome kids came over that night and loved our home!  (I will be honest, the walk-though was a little tough for me.  They were so excited about the back yard, adorable paint colors, laundry room, and herb garden.  I love those things about my house, too!)  They even started making a list of furniture they would like to buy from us- Nick is excited because that means less to move/store/sell!  
Last night, the whole family (including husband this time) came back to take a look, and a verbal agreement was made this morning!  So, here we go!  Bring on the paperwork, lawyers, and contracts!  Hooray for not being landlords from across the world! Hello, freedom from our mortgage!  
Good-bye, House.
I’ve never really gotten too attached to a house before.  I know it is the people inside that count.  This house holds a lot of special memories.  It is not fancy or new, but we like it a lot.  Leaving it wasn’t on my list of plans…but neither was moving to Uganda.  
So, God, here you go!  Thank you for letting us live in this home for the past few years!  Thank you for blessing us with enough rooms for our foster kids, a peaceful place for our babies, a beautiful backyard for birthday parties, and so much more.  You have provided shelter for my family, and I know you will continue to do so.  Thank you for making your plan clear and precise!  Please make all the details go smoothly from here on out.  We give everything to You knowing that Your plans for Your Kingdom are what matter.  Thank you for involving us and using us.  
 

The African culture and people are so beautiful and mysterious to me.  My family had the privilege of visiting with a lovely Ugandan family living right here in Hays, America.  Incredibly welcoming and sweet, they gave me a little taste of the African mentality, and I am hungry for more.  

Spending time in their home reminded me of the time I spent in my childhood best friend’s home in the Chicago area.  Those are some of my favorite young memories, and they often centered on my first experiences with another culture.  Our family friends, the Ochiengs, fascinated me.  The father, Otieno, grew up in Kenya, and the mother, Kim, is from in Indiana.  They produced Akelo and Okado, who have the most beautiful skin and features I have ever seen.  They were (and probably still are) kind, and funny, and smart.  My whole family loved coming over to their house.  Besides the amazing stew, chapattis, chicken, and sima they served up, we always had a wonderful time with them. I was mesmerized by each detail of their multi-cultural life!  I remember their little hand-knitted booties lined up by the door in size order, waiting to be replaced by their shoes when they entered the home. There was often Kenyan music playing.  I used to ask Akelo to teach me the Swahili words, and I still remember them!  I could spend the afternoon playing with her beautiful braids (when she let me), and got caught starting at the stunning photos of dark-skinned women and babies that adorned their walls.  The art, the accents, the baskets, the drum beats, the scents, the faces— I remember tiny intricacies of each piece because I was already in love with Africa. God was already placing the African people in my heart, way down deep. 

Up until now, all my (Sarah’s) posts have focused on my fears, reservations, and obedience.  I think that is because I wanted to make sure you all understood that this Uganda thing is not some extreme vacation or spontaneous adventure.  And I do not want to downplay the risks and concerns about moving my family to sub-Saharan Africa.  I do, however, want to glorify God by expressing my joy, peace, hope, and passion about this mission!

What an honor and a blessing to be used by the God of the universe!  How cool is this?!   I actually get to be His hands and feet. (That is pretty cliché and churchy, sorry about that!)  But the Bible tells us that when we accept Christ, we become part of one body doing His work.  This classic Christian catch phrase is becoming real to me, finally, after 28 years of thinking I had it figured out.  I want to reach out and literally touch those who need Jesus, who need food, who need love.  By saying I am His hands and feet, I am not patting myself on the back; I am proclaiming my goal and expressing my passion!  What an honor!  What a joy!

I can not believe we are doing this!  We are going to see parts of the world I never dreamed of seeing.   We will experience sights, tastes, smells, and views I never thought possible.  We will learn from new people.  We are actually going to spend time with the darling kiddos from the blogs and videos!  I can’t get enough of those precious little faces. I am so excited to look into their strikingly beautiful eyes and let them know that they are loved.  Loved by me, loved by the King.