Our Adventures in Africa this year
Two years went by way too fast! If I could have slowed down time, it would definitely have been the last six months. I saw God really show up when I asked for His help and I’m a bit sad to say, a bit of me was nervous to leave thinking…is He going to keep this kind of relationship up?
I have a few small stories to share about answered prayers that our family got to be a part of. We held home church each week at our house and when we first arrived it was on my mind to try but it took Corey and I a good six months to finally have the courage to open it up. We know better now and will not wait next time God asks us to do something. We have seen God faithfully bring people to our home each and every Sunday. It has been such a sweet time to have people fellowship with us and one of my favorite parts has been getting to see Corey lead the marines who joined us. They hang on to his every word and he is changing the trajectory of their lives by speaking truth to them about the gospel of Jesus and how He is the way the truth and the life. I am proud of him and thankful God uses him in this way to lead others to know Jesus. Carter and Ella also gets to see Corey lead in this way and I know God is moving in their hearts and teaching them great lessons as they get older. I am proud of Carter and his accomplishments this year in school and life! He makes new friends, takes care of younger kids and has a love for traveling and learning new cultures. He isn’t afraid to speak his mind and it is exciting seeing the young man he is growing up to be.
Ella has amazed me this year with her perseverance. She is so sweet and kind and loves others so well. I think it can be hardest on her moving so often and I have loved seeing her make friendships and say goodbye and look to the future with excitement. She has learned new skills, excelled in school and I am amazed at all God does through her. She loves others so so well.
I think I shared this before, but when we first got to Mauritania I was driving around (probably taking or picking the kids up from school) and I was so mad at God. I couldn’t believe that he let so many people live in the streets and go hungry and stay sick and live hopelessly. It was a short conversation with him that day because the last part of my prayer (“rant”) was “Ok God, I will pray for this land, for these people. Only you can help, only you can fix this. Please bring people to my door that need help”. It was within a few days that He started answering. Many people that Corey and I worked with are some of the most special people I’ve come to know. Some of them are our family now and we will always support, pray for and take care of. We were loved beyond what we deserve and I am forever thankful to God for preparing the way for our family. He sent us these friends and He knew just what we needed. We have seen God heal people we love, we have seen God answer prayers in ways we could not imagine. He showed up for us and I have no doubt He will do it again and again.
God healed Marcel, he walks with no crutches today and I am so proud of him. He still has a long way to go but God will continue to answer prayers for his legs and feet. He’s a fighter and he has a mama who has prayed, cried and fought hard for her little boy. She inspires me and I hope I learned how to be more like her.
My faith is stronger because Marcel’s grandfather taught me how to be faithful, not to worry and trust in God in ALL things. I am proud to be his friend. We spent many hours talking outside of my house about life, the Lord, all that He is doing in that land. Praise be to God for answering my prayer for a friend in a way I could have never imagined. As the movers were packing up my house, he was there with me crying with me, praying with me and singing Praises to Jesus. The song I sang with him days before we departed was “The Blessing”
The Lord bless you and keep you
Make His face shine upon you and be gracious to you
The Lord turn His face toward you
And give you peace
Amen, amen, amen
Amen, amen, amen
May His favor be upon you
And a thousand generations
And your family and your children
And their children, and their children
I know God will continue to bless this family because He is faithful and He loves them more than I do. If I could pick Marcel up for one more afternoon ice cream it would do my heart good. If I could pray over his grandfather’s garden and dig in the soil and hope that it produces food for their livelihood it would do my heart good. If I could hug the guards that protected us every day one more time it would do my heart good. If I could go for coffee with my colleagues and friends one more time it would do my heart good. God said I had two years there, God gets to decide. It does my heart good to follow Him and His timing and His way..even when it hurts to say goodbye.
I knew that it would be hard to leave so I started praying early…maybe even a year before leaving. I said, “God you get to decide, but please help it be ok in my heart for me to leave”. A few weeks before we left were filled with sweet goodbye parties and friends who showed us so much love. We were in awe of Gods faithfulness to bring us these friends and the bittersweet goodbye’s not knowing if we would see them again on this side of heaven. We departed Mauritania with friends helping us load the vehicles, haul stuff out of our house, meet us at the airport and hug us as we got on the plane. This is a day I will not forget as I felt God come near. We landed and went to see some family friends who have taken care of me my whole life and now take great care of my husband and children. They love me so well and God knew I needed them (and my parents) when we landed. We were greeted with our favorite desserts, smiles and questions about our life the last year. God orchestrated such a special weekend together.
Over the last two months of being back God has been so faithful to show me he cares about me and my family. He has planned extra special time with family and friends I was desperate to see but didn’t know how to get to, to give extra time for conversations that filled us up, outside time for us to run and play, delicious food prepared for us, great messages at my grandparent's church home, and a community of people who love us here.
I miss Mauritania every single day but God is quick to remind me, “Meredith, I have you here, I have a plan and will show it to you in My time.” I know He will and He continues to teach me patience, which is not my strong suit. He is molding me and teaching me and it is my prayer that one day the world and all of the hard things will be restored to perfection. I trust that He is able and I am so thankful He trusts me to be in on the process. My husband is the true anchor for our family. He is steady and strong and holds us together. He says Yes every single time I ask him for help and I will gladly travel anywhere he asks us to go. Our kids are an amazing example to us and teach us to slow down and live like kids again and I love getting to see the world with them. They are strong like their dad and strong-willed like their mom. I am proud of them.
We were able to travel to Istanbul, Senegal, the Canary Islands, Paris, London, Italy, Nice, Kenya, UAE and Morocco these last two years and these have been some of my favorite trips. Our kids love to adventure and are up for any trip we send their way. I look forward to our next destination…Tashkent, Uzbekistan. We will be in D.C. this year for Corey to learn Russian and head to Uzbekistan Summer 2024 for two to three years. I know God is already preparing the way for us! Praise be to Him for his faithfulness.
