Anyone who knows me very well, knows that I am a homebody at heart. I would be happy to spend most of my time within a 10 mile radius of my house. This may sound crazy because I travel so much, but there's the truth...... I only "go" because I've counted the cost of going vs. staying. The cost is high for going but the value is priceless.

Here's another confession of my contradictory ways....I'm usually OVER IT, before I even leave. I'm homesick before I leave home. I'm looking forward to coming home before I ever leave the house. I usually pack in a fit and do a horrible job because I just can't wrap my mind around how this is all going to go so I get "stuck" until it's time to leave and then I throw in a bunch of shirts and no pants or something stupid like that.

This trip is totally worth every every uncomfortable moment and every minute of time and every single red cent. The value of seeing the grown kids and grands and then heading on to make much of the name of Jesus in Uganda with Reece and seeing all the people that we love in Uganda...

WORTH IT!!!

I say all that to say this trip has been very "un-smooth" in some areas so far. I seem to be constantly going to the Lord for confirmations,

"I heard you right? You said, GO, right?"

"You want me to minister to women in Uganda, you want us to continue to love the orphans and visit them and the caregivers at Redeemer House, right?"

"Did you change your mind?"

Now......I know God can guide and direct us and change things up whenever and however he wants...but I also know he doesn't play games with us.

He is a loving Father and He is steadfast, He doesn't waiver because of my fear, or lack of faith, or hormone fluctuations.

He is a steady ROCK!

So a few days ago I had a MAJOR MELTDOWN DAY.

We had a very perfect day planned to take Luke to the airport, as he was the one big kid that got to help me and the little ones get to Montana. I try to always take 1, and this time it was Luke's turn.

We loaded up 8 of us in the suburban to take a little road trip to the airport. It was a very Montana winter kinda day...wind and snow and colder than ..............it should ever be.

We got thru the snow drifts in the driveway and made it approximately 15 minutes down the road and Cellie unloaded; the child barfed her guts up.

That was definitely a pull-over kinda puke. We decided we had left with so much extra time, we could turn around and go home and get cleaned up and start fresh.

We got as far as the snow drifts in the driveway, and got stuck. Stuck. Stuck.

Chaney was home and grabbed a shovel and muck boots and him and Luke dug us out enough to get in the car, he put the pedal to the medal and got us so stuck he couldn't even get the driver door open. Luke dug the door out and Chaney and him dug some more and Chaney got back in the driver seat and drove like the Montana Man that he is, while we all sat in the car and breathed puke fumes.

We got in the house and changed clothes and grabbed cleaning products (wipes) and headed out once again.

We got in the same area in our travels and Cellie unloaded again. We pulled over and Reece flew in the back back part of the suburban and started praying and yelling to all that would listen and informing us that he could NOT get sick as he had a trip to Uganda that he HAD to go on no matter WHAT.

We cleaned up as best as you can with 8 people in the car and a box of wipes. I got on the phone to change Luke's flight. They basically informed me it will cost me my first born to change Luke's ticket.

We decided to keep going. We got 45 minutes further down the road and Cellie pukes again. SO from there on out, every 20-30 minutes she was barfing, we would pull over and Reece would bale in the back with the bags and make sure we all knew how dangerous these germs were to his very important mission to Uganda.

We were getting almost immune to the hurling sounds when this time we look back and it's Maezie doing the puking. I mean that skinny little girl unloaded from clear back to Christmas dinner, I do believe.

We pulled over and tried to handle it and I got on the phone and said I would surrender my first born if they would just change Luke's ticket and get him home before Spring. They miraculously figured out that there was other options and we turned that puke bucket on wheels around.

We stopped at a gas station to get some more wipes, and bags, and fresh air. Reece headed into the bathroom and tried to practically bathe in the gas station bathroom sink because he knows he can wash all bad germs off in the nasty gas station sink. (rolling eyes)

We head on home and get almost there and Cellie has now puked so many times it has gone past the bile stage and was looking like something we hadn't seen before. We call a nurse friend and she agrees she should be seen especially since we might get home and get snowed in.

Can I just say this was NOT a calm situation. We had 2 kids puking - 1 kid curled up in the back recitatating between loud praying and panicking (Reece) - one baby (Becklee) crying, I'm sure the puke fumes were burning her little fair skin and lungs - 2 worried mothers ( Me and Lashae) trying to make the best decision in the moment for all peeps - 1 very tight fisted puke bucket driver (Charsie) and Luke, never wavering, never rocked, just solid and steady.

I called Charlie to let him know the situation. I told him we needed prayer NOW. He prayed right then and there on the phone. I cut him off and said we made it to the clinic and it closed in 15 minutes.

I grabbed smelly Cellie and go busting in the clinic and steady Luke follows me in.

I KID YOU NOT, I was still checking in at the front desk and Cellie's little owl eyes popped full open and she started playing with Luke and feeling good and drinking water.

Long check-in story later...... the nurse came out and we decided together that Cellie didn't need seen, she needed a bath more than anything.

I got in the car and the wind had stopped. Lashae called Chaney to turn around as he was headed to town and rescue the healthy ones from the puke bucket. He turned around and him and Jesse made sure the driveway was cleared enough to get us to the house.

We got home and got the 2 pukey girls in the bath and I sat for a moment and asked the Lord,

"What in the world was that about?"

I thanked Him that things had calmed down but my nerves were still shot.

I remembered the story of when the disciples were in the boat.....

Mark 4 Jesus Calms a Storm

35 On that day, when evening had come, he said to them, “Let us go across to the other side.” 36 And leaving the crowd, they took him with them in the boat, just as he was. And other boats were with him. 37 And a great windstorm arose, and the waves were breaking into the boat, so that the boat was already filling. 38 But he was in the stern, asleep on the cushion. And they woke him and said to him, “Teacher, do you not care that we are perishing?” 39 And he awoke and rebuked the wind and said to the sea, “Peace! Be still!” And the wind ceased, and there was a great calm. 40 He said to them, “Why are you so afraid? Have you still no faith?” 41 And they were filled with great fear and said to one another, “Who then is this, that even the wind and the sea obey him?”

He was reminding me who was in charge, it was Him and not me.

He had calmed the wind and the waves of nausea.

Jesus brought to mind how I had laid awake for most of the last week or three and how I had thought of every single thing that could and would go wrong in Montana, Oregon, and Uganda.

I was not trusting the Lord at all, I was living and operating in fear.

Psalm 112:6-9 (ESV)

⁶For the righteous will never be moved;
    he will be remembered forever.
⁷He is not afraid of bad news;
    his heart is firm, trusting in the Lord.
⁸His heart is steady; he will not be afraid,
    until he looks in triumph on his adversaries.
⁹He has distributed freely; he has given to the poor;
    his righteousness endures forever;
    his horn is exalted in honor.

God is in control and nothing happens without His full awareness and I could just trust Him to take care of us all around the world.

He may not always make it smooth and comfortable and pretty, but He is on the scene and He can be trusted and to be perfectly honest, what choice do we have,

TRUST HIM or DRIVE IN CIRCLES and live in fear.

He used that horrible pukey situation to calm my heart. I know He is a good Father. He is in control and it constantly reminds me who He is.

Reece and I are now in Uganda and we are so glad to be a part of what God has for us here.