Life's Surprises

There's a verse in Proverbs that reads, "In his heart a man plans his course, but the LORD determines his steps." (16:9) Well, we have discovered the truth of that passage in the past few weeks. After six amazing weeks in Niger, we have returned back to the states. Theresa developed a medical condition that was a result of the environment. On the advice of the medical staff, we made the very difficult decision to return home.

We don't know why this happened - why our dream years in the making was cut so short. We are still wrestling with what this means for our past, present, and future. This has been the most difficult struggle we have faced together, and it is our faith in a good and faithful God that is keeping us afloat. Though we don't always understand him, we know that he has a plan, works all out for the good of his children, and has always been faithful in caring for us - and that has to be enough for now.

So we search for our place now in the states, seeking God's plan for us. We know we're back for a reason, and we're trying to be faithful to that. Thank you to our family and friends who have been so supportive, who have loved us despite of what we felt were our failings, and who have embraced us with open arms. And thank you to God, who has been so near in this hard time - the path may still seem hazy, but his presence has been real.

We suppose that this is the end to our blog. Thanks to those who have followed along our journey, however short it was, and we hope you were able to catch a glimpse of the beautiful people and country that we were blessed to spend six weeks with. We know the end of one journey is just the beginning of another, and we look forward with hope to see what God has in store!