Be nice. Read your Bible.  Make a cute, happy life for your kids.  I (Sarah) often behave like this is all that is required of us.  I sometimes wish it were true.  But I believe we are called to so much more.  “Lay down your life.”  “Heal the sick.”  “Feed those who are hungry.”  “Take care of orphans and widows.”  “Go all over the world and tell others about Christ.”  Me?  I don’t know how to do those things!  Besides, I am so busy with my 2 little kids at home, that I am not able to go anywhere!    
I know it will be difficult.  Not difficult like taking a hard test, or like staying up all night with a sick baby… but difficult like weeping in desperation, totally changing my perspective,  ripping away everything.  But I know that it will bring me closer to Jesus.  (It already has, and I haven’t even done anything yet!)  And isn’t that so much better than having all my stuff?  And my job?  And my house?  And my extended family close by?  (Can you tell I’m still trying to convince myself?)  
But guess what:  We aren’t the only ones who have done this.  Man, there are hundreds and thousands of folks who have not only given a year to share the Love of Christ, but have given their entire lives.  Husbands who never came home to their families.  Children who grew up never knowing their grandparents.  Mothers who gave birth to their precious babies in treacherous conditions… because God has an eternal perspective.  Believe it or not, this life is not all about our kids!  (Again, I so wish it were, because I often live this way and feel this way!)  And all He’s asking us to do is give up a year?!  
The Lord of the universe has blessed us with a nice home, cars, food, healthy babies, whole bodies, and mounds and mounds of stuff- and all He wants is for us to give up 1 year to serve Him. I don’t know why He blessed Nick and me with the perfect childhoods.  I don’t know why He somehow makes sure we have money left over in our budget each month.  I don’t know why He gave us these adorable, joyful, brilliant children!  
But I just don’t think it is so we can hang out in our house and smile.  I don’t think it is so we can give each other a kiss goodnight and say “Good job, Honey, we nailed the American Dream.” There has to be more. But what all does that entail? I guess that’s what we are about to find out. 

Sarah, here.
Two things came to mind as I was trying to come up with a name for our blog.  Fourever Faithful: cute, sweet, defining what we hold dear; and Freak Show: encompassing how we feel and what the world thinks of us.  Nick and I have been a freak show for about 3 years now.  I’d say we became freaks when we brought three special needs kids into our home (in a rainbow of colors, I might add).  
We became even bigger freaks when we were blessed to welcome a baby from our own loins and, *gasp* allowed the 3 foster children to stay with us even after he was born!  “Your children have to be the priority,” they said.  “How will you ever have time for all four of them?”  “Have you considered the safety of our own child?”  “This is just too much.”  Well, I was just not sure I agreed with those statements. (P.S. Those precious kiddos moved on to an adoptive home after ours.)
Yeah, I get it...  OF COURSE, our own children are our first thoughts… always!  Do you think that was not the first thing that entered my mind when we felt like God wanted us to move to Uganda?  That is our human nature.  However, God calls us to fight against our human nature. I searched the Bible for a verse that said, ‘Take care of others, but only after your flesh-and-blood children are as comfortable and as happy as possible.’ Or, ‘as long as your own kids are in the best programs and have the best medical care and are financially in the top 1% of the world, go ahead and take care of some other kids that might need your help.”  It’s not in there.  In fact, the Bible doesn’t really talk much about comfort, happiness, or safety.  These things are not Jesus’ priorities.  He tells us:

Not only are we to love others, but we are to love them as if they were part of our own family!  There are far too many verses to list that command us to put others above ourselves.  But perhaps even more important than those, God tells us to follow Him. To do what He says to do.  To OBEY.  That is what we are doing.  
Look, this was not our plan.  Does ‘Move to some country we’ve barely heard of, with some people we hardly know, and quit our awesome jobs sound like a Nick & Sarah plan?  We are not adventure-seekers.  We are not risk-takers.  We are not money-spenders.  We are people who love to stay home, play games, eat good food, go for walks with our kids, and hang out at church.  But we are also people who obey God.  

Bring it on! I have heard for years about the challenges and opposition that
people face when they start to do big things for God.  Correction: when God
starts to use people to do big things.  It didn't take long for us to start to
feel some opposition.  But, we also feel a wonderful, peaceful support from so
many others.  The lord has plans for us, and the work that He has given us will
have eternal consequences.  This reality will conquer any oposition that we may
face, "for if the Lord is with us, who can be against us?"  I have had a
surprizingly easy time embracing the mission that God is sending us on, despite
the risks involved. But last night, I became filled with fear, after having a
conversation with well-intentioned people, but not those I would count as wise
counsel.  I laid on the floor of my son's bedroom, because he wasn't feeling
well and was having trouble getting to sleep.  And I cried.  I sobbed into the
pillow so as not to disturb my beautiful boy. I cried to God, begging him to
keep us safe, and telling Him that I would follow and trust obediently.  I tried
to sound confident as I told God that I would do whatever he asked, no matter
what the earthly consequences might be.  

I realize that I have to give up everything of this world, acknowledging that
it isn't mine but His, and the list of everything includes my precious family. 
If it is the Lord's will for us to face difficulty, opposition, battles or
death, then so be it.  My earthly self says that I would just rather take the
brunt on their behalf, but that isn't necessarily what God has in store for us. 
Wouldn't it be great if all of this was just a test of my resolve and obedience?
Let's plan on a post in about a year about how great everything was, and how God
delivered us through the difficulties like he did with Daniel (and the lions).  
 
I shared these thought with Sarah this morning, and she was very supportive
(of course, as always) but she also shared a light hearted way of training
ourselves (usually children) to trust God's plan.  She sang me a traditional
Sunday School song, which was new to me:
     I may never march in the  infantry, Ride in the cavalry, Shoot the artillery. 
     I may never fly o'er  the enemy, But I'm in the Lord's army. (yes, sir!) 
     I'm in the Lord's army,  (yes, sir!) I'm in the Lord's army, (yes, sir!) 
     I may never march in the  infantry, Ride in the Calvary, Shoot the artillery. 
     I may never fly o'er the  enemy, But I'm in the Lord's army. (yes, sir!) 
    
So that helped bring me up a little, and I am proud to serve!

 2 Timothy 1:7 also helped:  For God has not given us a spirit of fear and
timidity, but of power, love, and self-disipline.

Praise the Lord, and all Glory be His.  And thank you to those who have been
so supportive, and for those who care enough to question our sanity.  But if you
are against us, I say "bring it on," because you aren't up against us, but the
Almighty Creator of everything that there has ever been and ever will be. 

Hello, World! That has more than one meaning for our family at this time. 
Hello to the blogging world, but more importantly (and the reason to enter the
blogging world) hello to the global, foreign, overseas world.  Hello to Africa:
Uganda specifically.  Hello to missions.  Hello. 'Pleased to meet you.  

My wife and I have been devoting serious prayer, consideration, and thought
to something different; something huge.  It is out of our comfort zone, and it
doesn't line up with the way that we typically operate.  But, we will be
obedient to God, no matter what He asks of us.  

A couple that we are acquainted with is starting a boarding school for
impoverished kids who need a place to live.  We want to help them start, build
and run the school for a period of time... about a year.  The part that is
hard to swallow is that the kids (and the school) are in Uganda.  Right - as in,
Africa.  

So - this means that we will try to rent out our Kansas house, take
leaves of absence from (if allowed, otherwise quit) our jobs, and rent a small
house in Fort Portal, Uganda.  Construction of the school is scheduled for
mid-summer 2012 (July-ish).  I plan to take an exploratory trip in the spring,
to scope out the project and the area, gaining clarity in preparation for
bringing my family of four to Africa, including living arrangements, prices,
safety, health care, etc.

We don't know exactly what is going to happen, but we are following God
(apparently to Uganda). 

I (Nick) am creating this blog to keep track of, and share, the journey of my family in our newest adventure.  I haven't published anything at this point, beyond these words of introduction, as we are communicating more privately with family and close friends, before we "go public" with what God is doing in our lives.  Soon, Sarah and I will be posting more about the great changes that are afoot.