Three Years Later....

***Sorry to those of you got this on Thursday via email or in your reader blog feeds. I was typing it out as my first draft but accidentally hit "publish" instead of "save draft." So while I realized my mistake right away, it was too late. Blogger had already dispersed said new post. Anyways, here it is again with a few updates - today, on the actual anniversary of our departure.

My sheer lack of blogging in the past couple of months is not just your imagination. Google Chrome (my wonderful internet browser - you really should switch) is also picking up on this phenomenon. Blogger used to be my 3rd or 4th on my most used websites tabs. Now it is 6th. To those of you still reading, I am sorry. I just haven't had it in me to blog.

But that's not really why I'm writing this post. I'm writing this post to say it was three years ago today that we (or at least me) said our tearful goodbyes to my parents at the Charlotte-Douglas International Airport and boarded a plane headed for Aberdeen via Chicago via Manchester before landing on Sept. 5th.

Oh, the memories.

I feel that our lack of internet in our home for the first 2.5 or 3 months of our time in Aberdeen means that there are so many things I never got to record. Like I'm not sure that I ever shared that I actually lost my trans-Atlantic boarding pass in the O'Hare Airport. Imagine with me the sheer terror of being psyched up for this flight for months and months and then realizing it might not be happening. After a couple minutes of frantic searching Mark jogged from our gate (where the discovery took place) back to the security checkpoint (the last place I knew I had the ticket). Thankfully we had plenty of time for all of this to transpire, thankfully I didn't discover as we were about to board, and thankfully some honest and helpful citizen found my ticket around the security checkpoint area and turned it in where Mark reclaimed it. Whew. Crisis adverted. This was just a small reminder that God was looking out for us, each step of the way.

I still vividly remember arriving at the small Aberdeen airport with clouds drizzling some rain. I remember being ecstatic that all 4 pieces of our luggage had arrived. I remember taking it all in as we tried to maneuver our luggage carts to the taxi queue where they had to bring a 5 passenger mini-van-type vehicle to the front of the ranks so we and our luggage could all fit. I remember the taxi driver  being kind enough to let us question him about this or that regarding the city. I think he actually kind of relished it and took us down particular streets so he could show us various things as we drove to the Duthie Park area of town to stay with another student family for the first 2 nights. I'm also pretty sure that Aberdeen introduced us on that trip with its usual antics of drizzle, sun, rain, sun, drizzle, etc.  I remember I was cold!!! There are so many more things I remember from our first few hours and days in Aberdeen, but I will spare you.

So transition to three years later. We now have 2 years, 9 months and 9 days of living in the UK under our belt and have survived around 2 and a half months of re-entry to the US. We have learned a ton about life, life in the UK, life in the US and about ourselves. We changed, we've grown, we've grown up. We've made some great American friends with whom we will always have a deep common bond from having lived together in Aberdeen. And we've also made new British friends that we learned a lot from. And we most definitely learned more about our mighty and awesome God. Most notably, I personally was reminded a multitude of times that I have an incredibly faithful God.

And that is where I find myself today. With more questions than answers, with uncertainties and at times discouragement - but also with hope - hope in the faithfulness of God. I am reminded most of all that we had very few answers when we headed to Aberdeen. We knew only where we were staying for the first 6 nights of our time there, we had no flat lined up, no certainty that I could find all the foods I needed for my diet, no phones, no friends (except two guys Mark had had some email communication with), no church, no jobs, no car, only a few possessions, and very little know-how regarding navigating in a foreign city.

And yet (or another way Scripture often puts it that I love, "BUT GOD") there was our faithful God giving to us each day as we needed. Perhaps some looked at us and said we were crazy and foolish. Some days I looked at us and wondered if we were crazy and foolish. But God. He delights in blessing those who "foolishly" and whole-heartedly follow after Him. He delights in showing Himself faithful to those who trust (at times without having answers to the whole picture) and obey (to whatever it is He asks even when it at times can seem "foolish").

So in the midst of more uncertainty I'm trying to cling again to my faithful God in areas where I could tell you this or that isn't how I want it to be, or this doesn't seem to be going like I wanted, or that isn't what I expected, but I'd rather tell you how I am hoping (albeit weak at times) in the faithfulness of God. I'm clinging to the But God mentality and can't wait to see what is going to happen on the other side! I am excited to see how God will show Himself faithful yet again so He will receive the praise He deserves!

And that's where I am three years later....