Afffff-rica...

Imagine a little girl's pouty-foot-stampy voice. Now hear it firmly demanding the following:

"I WANT TO GO TO AF-RICA!"

So that's what this morning's car ride home from Ladies' Class was like.

From the far backseat, where Luke has recently relocated his carseat, he adds in a much more diplomatic tone, "Hey. I gotta idea. The next time we move to a new home, let's move to Africa."

There is meaning to all of this crazytalk: our very, very good friends - and their children, who are our kids' very, very good friends - are moving to Liberia in less than a week. I held off talking to the kids about it until about a month ago, for fear of what those conversations might look like. However, I never expected that the one and only reaction my kids would have would be a repeated desire to go to Africa with them! 

Sure, they have no idea what they're talking about. It's a little like trying to prepare a child for a new baby in the family; they won't really begin to understand until it's happened. But at the same time, I am so humbled and so proud of my kids for reacting this way! Without their even knowing it, they are demonstrating for me a very powerful example of fearlessness and of agape love. They are ready to go anywhere with Ruby and Stephen, and their incredible ignorance about the details hasn't doused the fire, even a little.

And I am also so proud of Amber and Kent, because they are ready to go anywhere with Jesus - even halfway around the world. They continue to be an incredible embodiment of Christ, and we are so blessed to know them. My kids are so blessed to know them.

But I'll be honest: a big part of me wants to hug Amber's neck and then take her hostage so that she can't board that plane on Tuesday. She has been an amazing friend and a lifeline for me during these crazy first years of motherhood. She has pushed me to love God more dearly and to give of myself more sacrificially. We have reminded each other of how crazy we each are in our own ways, and then we've laughed and loved each other nonetheless - or maybe because of it. I will miss her. A lot.

But the better part of me is overwhelmed with joy and excitement for the mission they are embarking upon, and I simply can't wait for the news of their work to travel back across the ocean - or even better, to sit my kids on my lap so that we can Skype with Ruby and Stephen and their parents. My kids will grow up knowing firsthand what this Great Commission is all about.

And who knows? Maybe the next time we move to a new house, we'll move to Africa....

*Poor Stephen and Sarah. I guess it's true that parents stop taking photos after the first child.... I promise that we've loved Stephen as much as we've loved Ruby, and that Sarah loves them both as much as Luke does - but you'll just have to imagine the two little ones also having lots of fun together at the zoo, at birthday parties, at playdates.... I did have an awesome photo of all four of them in our master bathtub, but (YOU'RE WELCOME, GROWN-UP KIDS) I decided against posting it.


If you would like to join me in praying for the Brantlys or keeping up with their adventures, see their website: http://thebrantlybunch.com/