"Are you excited?"

The question has been asked frequently this past year. "Are you excited about moving to Argentina?" The answer seems obvious, "Yes, of course!" and this is how I have answered each time sincerely. The reality is that I have always hesitated before answering this question. I remind myself that I am deeply excited to serve God as a missionary in Argentina. A reminder has been necessary because I haven't always experienced the emotion of excitement in our preparation to be missionaries. We have been on a 2 year journey to depart for Argentina and many times the road has seemed long and hard. Traveling, letting go, and support raising have at times kept us from remembering our excitement.

If you ask a young child right now if they are excited for Christmas, you will probably see a big smile on their face as they tell you about their Christmas wish list. Ask a child the same question in June and he or she will probably give you one of those you must be crazy looks! They aren't excited because Christmas is so far away, it is out of their minds. They haven't given it any thought and aren't preparing for something that doesn't feel like a reality yet. Well, we are a lot like kids when it comes to excitement for our departure to Argentina. For months and months, going there has felt like a far off dream. Now that has started to change. Excitement has been building in our hearts as we have been approaching several of our goals. Financially we are somewhere around 85% of our monthly support goal. Logistically, we have sold our home and many of our possessions and have completed all of our required trainings. The time is getting close and we are becoming less like disinterested children in the summer and more like children unable to sleep on Christmas eve. Our goal has been to leave by the end of January and this very well could be a reality. The excitement has always been there, but now it is being fanned into a flame that is burning more strongly each day.

We don't know all that God has for us in Argentina. He has placed desires in our hearts and we have brought requests to his throne. We can't wait to step off of a plane in a foreign land and begin to see the great gifts our Father has for us. We don't expect comfort, notoriety, or worldly successes. We are simply trusting that God will be faithful to walk with us and guide us as we attempt to make an impact for his kingdom.