Oh, The Places We'll Go

I had the opportunity to speak at my high school graduation ceremony (just before everyone ran up to the high school gym screaming because of an impending lightning cloud...but that's a whole other story...) Because I had journeyed from kindergarten through adolescence with so many of my classmates, I chose childhood as my theme. I highlighted ideas from All I Really Need to Know I Learned in Kindergarten and then I read from the book Oh, the Places You'll Go! for a portion of my speech. Little did I know the adventure that God would lead me on and the places I would go!

Thinking about that book takes on new significance for me now. We have gone to many special places since we began our journey to Austria, places that have been exciting, challenging, invigorating and exhausting. In November of 2010, we flew to WorldVenture for the first time and were appointed as missionaries. The WorldVenture headquarters became a special place for us. One year ago this week, Nate and I flew to Austria for our vision trip, and God confirmed in our hearts where He was leading us. Last July, we gave up our apartment and began our nomadic lifestyle, and Oh, the Places We've Been since then! We've visited Minnesota, Wisconsin, Illinois, Indiana, Ohio, Pennsylvania, New York, Connecticut, Texas, Virginia, Washington DC, Colorado, Vermont, Massachusetts, and so many places in between. And next month, our journey continues.

We are keeping two running totals for our nomadic journey that are significant - the miles we've driven and the beds we've slept in since July 2011. As each number grows, we marvel at the Places we've been and the journey God has us on. Here's our total as of now:

Miles on the Car: 24,521
Beds Slept in: 33

For us, these numbers represent not only the sheer craziness of our lifestyle right now, but also God's provision for us. God has provided places to stay, generous hospitality, the funds for travel expenses, the endurance through challenging times, and His constancy as we lack stability. It is all by His grace that we have endured and will continue to endure as we approach a season of travel in the next few months. Praise God!

If you're curious about our travel schedule, click here for a summary.