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And here goes, the beginning of the Swazi blog...
I've been trying to figure out for weeks how to start this... what to write... how to explain and put into words the stirring in our hearts for Africa. Our upcoming move to Swaziland is probably such a shock for some of you... however to others, this just seems like 'the next step' for the Prince Family.
Our first trip to Swaziland was September 26th-October 6th, 2008. What an amazing experience it was, and I believe that we were 'called' to go on the trip, but we were both relieved when we could leave Swaziland and not feel that 'call' to full-time missions. However, we were incredibly transformed. We were overwhelmed by the love and joy of the Swazis, and how, in our Western minds they have so very little, but are so much more rich and joyous than we will ever have the opportunity to be.
As we dealt with reverse culture shock and a difficult re-entry, we just couldn't help but keep Africa in the forefront of our minds. I'd begin to order many, many Timbali Crafts and amazingly sell over 270 handbags and pouches in all, just trying to remain connected to Swaziland. We'd see a globe, and seeing Africa we were completely captivated, but we would just attribute that to our 'very first mission trip' and the fondness that it can have being tucked away in your heart.
We officially celebrated 'debt freedom' (other than our mortgage) in February, 2009 -- how incredibly wonderful is Financial Peace University. We had paid off $60,000 in 27 months. Soon after, we began to feel a stirring. I would find myself stating that I wanted to chase after God 'with wild abandon'... a phrase that just kept returning to me. We felt a 'something big on the horizon', but we had no idea what that meant. We did know, however, that we were going to take in a vacation to celebrate ten years of (truly!) wedded bliss. And so, instead of a cruise, which we had originally planned on, we decided to return to Swaziland at the end of the year.
We left on December 2nd, 2009 -- and immediately I started wondering if full-time missions was in our future. I found myself praying over and over on the plane, "If You call us, we will go..." over, and over, and over. I had shared my thoughts with Steph along the way, but of course, I'm the stay at home mommy... I can have silly dreams like moving to Africa. :) So, I think neither he nor I really took it seriously. However, once we arrived in Swaziland a year later, the country, the people, the surroundings -- it all looked completely different this time around.
We spent the ten days there -- and the afternoon before we left, we both took time to write letters to self... letters that would be mailed to us in January. I remember attempting to be as rational, as logical as I could be, but my heart was just feeling such a tug to drop everything we had in the States... and GO.
This is an excerpt from my letter: "When you are back, seek God, seek God, seek God. Get more into the Word. Spend more time with your beautiful kiddies. The rest will come. At this point, I wonder what the future holds, yet I trust Him and His ultimate plan for our lives."
And, this is an excerpt from Stephen's: "I am writing this letter as a reminder of what has been stirring in us so that you can carry on with it once you are back. There has not been one of those 'ah hah' moments for me (yet). So continue to look for the purpose. It has been a great trip, but don't let it NOT have an impact."
So, we agreed to just get through the holidays, celebrate with family, and just seek God (not even His will -- just Him) in the month of January... nothing more. The day after we were back, Ellie (age 3) looked at me while we stood in the kitchen and said, "Mommy, when are we going to move to Africa?" Just one week later she said, "Mommy... when we move to Africa, I want to ride on a giraffe." God was truly beginning to prepare our kiddies' hearts!
As the days would pass and as we drew closer to Him, we really began to feel the tug. Stephen would describe it as a gradual click of a dial, turning each day a little more and more, and by the end of January, we both agreed that we couldn't see ourselves anywhere else than serving in Swaziland. It was just one confirmation after another. In fact, we both sat in our dentist's office on different dates, and these were the devotionals in "My Utmost for His Highest" while we waited:
'Called of God', January 14th: "Whether or not I hear God's call depends upon the state of my ears, and what I hear depends upon my disposition. If we let the Spirit of God bring us face-to-face with God, we too shall hear something akin to what Isaiah heard, the still small voice of God, and in perfect freedom we will say, 'Here am I, send me.'"
'The Constraint of the Call', February 2nd: "Beware of stopping your ears to the call of God. Our permission is never asked as to what we will do or where we will go. Woe be to the soul who tries to put his foot in any other direction when once that call has come to him."
And so, this is our blog -- the blog to keep you updated on all of the little details. We can't thank you enough for your love and support as we continue our preparations for Swaziland. God is so good, and we are so very humbled. We love you all! :)