When I grow up....

When I grow up I want to be a veterinarian....no, a counselor....no, a teacher....wait, maybe a lawyer...
Everyone always asks you as a kid, "What do you want to be when you grow up?"  My answer always changed because nothing felt just right.  Back then I was just following the way the world was telling me to go, striving for goals that society had set before me, ideals that weren't even mine. The truth was, I had no idea what I wanted to be when I grew up. I kept waiting for that conviction or that peace of mind that always seems to accompany a well made decision. Guess what? It took six years of marriage, three kids, and a whole lot of faith to finally find it.
    Growing up....it's been a long road for me. Sometimes I feel like I have lived several different lives already...and I am only 26. :) I can now say, with confidence and excitement, that I am supposed to be a missionary. I, along with my three amazing kids, and my incredible husband, am Haiti bound come summer.  I am going to another country to teach the kids and probably some of the adults, about Love. I get the chance to show desperate, desolate people, Hope. I get to tell them that someone cares so much about them that he sent his son to us to give his life in order to remove all the bad things that we have done with beautiful forgiveness. He gave us a chance to start fresh, follow Him, and learn how to live in a way that FEELS right, all the way down to our core. He is the peace that I was looking for.
    I cannot wait for the things that I will get to learn and the experiences I will have there. I am so excited about what living there will teach my kids too. In my growing up journey I have learned that there are many things you can know a lot about, but living through them is an entirely different experience. You can babysit kids all your life, and still learn a million new things when you have your own. You can read all about marriage before you get married,but in practice you have to learn things that aren't in the books. This knowledge is what excites me about the challenges I am going to face. I know that when I am in the middle of them I will probably beg God to lift them, just like I always do...until I remember, I need this. My husband often has to remind me that growing hurts. It is not a comfortable process, but I really like who I am now way more than who I was even a year ago.
So, it is worth all the trials to able to look back on the other side and say, Praise you Lord for helping me through that, I can love that much more fiercely now.
    ~Amber~
p.s.

    Jake is leaving for Haiti at the end of February, and I am so excited for him. He will be helping organize a youth rally, and I know they'll make him take a few turns speaking. The kids and I will miss him, but I also am hungry for stories from Haiti, so I am glad I can send him to collect some for me. :) He will leave February 22 (two days after our youngest turns 1!!) and returning on the 3rd (I think). So please remember to pray for him while he is there! Also, we are now set up to start accepting any donations or support you all would like to contribute to our missions work in Haiti. There are ways to set it up so that you can have it reoccur monthly if you are interested in supporting us monthly also. :) If you would like to know more about what we need or what our goals are, feel free to ask anytime. Jake and I are trying to plan some get togethers to tell everyone what we are up to so you can follow along with us while we go on this next portion of our growing up journey.
https://www.newgenerationhaiti.org/donation-now/   Here is the link to the donation page on the website. When is asks you to specify what it is for please select "Other" and let them know it is for Jake and Amber.

Thanks so much!