Ahhhhhhh! Time is zooming by us. We cannot believe we will be moving to Ethiopia in less than 2 months. Every time we think about this reality we get a huge pit-like feeling in our stomachs. Mostly because we are sad to leave our loved ones here and anxious about all of the unknowns of living in another culture.

The last few months have been filled with courses to prepare and equip us for this adventure. We have completed 12 weeks of online training and 4 weeks of live training. This training was extremely beneficial and encouraging. We learned SO many things, but here are two of my favorites:

• The Big Rocks: Have you heard the analogy about the jar full of rocks? Put 5 large rocks in a jar, then add smaller rocks, then gravel, then sand, and finally water. The point of it is: If you don't put the large rocks in first, you will never fit them in at all. We were encouraged by our mission agency to determine the "big rocks" in our lives and intentionally spend our time on these things.
• God calls the WHOLE family: We spent a lot of time learning how to do ministry with our kids. God wants to use our children for his kingdom purposes in Ethiopia as well. For those of you wanting to read more about doing ministry with your kids, here is a great article from a missionary parent.
• Spiritual Vitality: We learned the importance of intentionally setting aside a good amount of time to work on our spiritual life. We are thankful that our agency requires us to take one workday a month and one 3 day retreat each year to rest and be with God. During this time we may choose to read His word, pray, sing praises, journal, read Christian books, and/or just be quiet and seek God's direction for us.