& so i'm going to africa.

happy wednesday, precious friends.

i so appreciated all of the encouragement i got on yesterday's post about my little business. y'all really know how to make a girl feel the love. and i needed a little hug yesterday and i feel like i got it from you. thank you from the bottom of my heart. 

and now for my little announcement:

a few weeks ago, i took a dear friend out to dinner after her daughter got married. this woman holds a very special place in my heart, as does her family. i respect her & admire her in oh so many ways. 

i was sharing with her all that was going on in our lives, as she held my littlest while they colored together. and i asked her about this mission trip she & her hubby had mentioned they were going on this summer.

as she began to talk, my heart started to swell. she casually said, "becky, you should really go." my heart went pitter pat. "ummm... maybe. i'll have to talk to j. about it, but he probably won't be able to go after session is over and everything. maybe next year. but send me the information anyway." pitter pat. pitter pat. 

we continued to talk about life and what the Lord had been teaching her & her family. i so admire her heart & could literally sit at her feet all day and soak in all that she says. y'all, this woman oozes the love of jesus. 

eventually we hugged and she hollered at me "i'll send you an email" as she walked away. pitter pat. another flutter.

and i took my kids to barnes & noble for an extra special treat on the way home. i vividly remember walking around aimlessly as thoughts of africa began to swirl around in my head. 

"Lord, is it time?? of course, that's what you must be telling me, right?" those precious little orphans that have long since won my heart over in all shapes, colors & sizes - is that what He was telling me? 

as the night wore on and i climbed into bed i prayed out loud, "if You want me to go - make it clear to me." and wouldn't you know it? He did. 

the next morning after my alarm went off, i sleepily looked at my instagram. the very first image was a screenshot of this verse: 

"defend the weak and the fatherless; uphold the cause of the poor and the oppressed. rescue the weak and the needy; deliver them from the hand of the wicked." psalm 82: 3, 4

okay.....

throughout the day, i felt this "holy echo" in my life. i saw this verse repeated three times in various places. three. 

the hubbs and i discussed this at length & he agreed with me that i needed to go. the only thing is that he's not. 

i'm going to travel across the world without him. whaaat? 

and as we began to pray about it, we didn't know how much it was going to be but we knew that it was going to be a lot and that we didn't have the kind of money. so i prayed. 

my conversation with the Lord over the next few days sorta went like this:

me: "Lord, i'll raise that money. if You want me to go on that mission trip, that money will come in."

God: "remember that little business that I gave you? what was the purpose again??"

me: "blessing others. being myself. how does that have anything to do with this? ohhhhh..... ok. i can part with some of that money. whatever i don't raise, i'll use my little branches money for."

God: "think again."

a day passes.

me: "okay, Lord. i think you're telling me that you want me to put up half the money with the little branches money. i am okay with that. thanks."

another day passes. and i go to the informational meeting. we find out exactly how much it's going to be. wowza. 

we also see videos and pictures.

and all sorts of emotions begin to well up in my heart. remember, i think i'm going for the orphans. i already have the scenario played out in my mind. but the Lord says no. He pulls me a different direction. towards the women's clinic that this precious man, emma {who is younger than i am!} has started. my heart goes out to these women. the ones who are pregnant and feel like that have no hope. the ones that are sick & cannot provide for the children they already have, let alone the one that they're carrying. i'm literally sitting in this informational meeting asking all sorts of horrible questions about what abortion is like in uganda. is it safe? what choices do they have? what are the hospitals like? my eyes have tears in them and i feel like a boulder is sitting on my chest. 

there is no doubt in my mind that i'm going. 

and by this time, there was no doubt about how i was going to get there.

i got in my car and i said out loud, "You want it all, don't You?"

immediately i felt a peace. immediately i remembered that it wasn't even mine to begin with. it's His. He gave it to me. He can take it from me - whether i participate willingly or not. and why is it that He plants desires in our hearts but then asks us to surrender those same desires that HE gives us to Him? and why is it so hard to do that? 

i don't think that i am going to uganda to meet my future child. i don't think that, but again, He has done greater things. i do think the Lord is teaching me about sacrifice and control. about surrendering everything to Him - not once - but over and over and over again. about material things being - well - things. and if He wants to take me to africa to teach me that i don't need to put my "hopes and dreams" in a washer and dryer {although i still want one!} then, i'm going to let Him. 

and so, my friends, little branches is going international. sort of. 

100% of the money little branches makes at the trunk show in april is going toward this trip. i have no idea what i will do if i do not make all of that money. but i'm not called to worry about that right now. i'm trying to focus on one thing at a time. i have no idea if i will even sell one item there. i've never done this before. but, i do know He's asked for it all and i will give it all. {after a bit of kicking and screaming, i must admit.} 

***if you want more information on the mission trip to kampala, uganda - email me at becky{at}shoplittlebranches{dot}com. i'd love to fill you in! we will be traveling with engage hope we will be serving at many places, including african hearts**