...And by planning I mean desiring. And hoping. And wanting.
We've gone to a few areas in South America a few times. Really, between the two of us, close to twenty times. We got invitations, and they seemed right, so, we went. Until this past February...
February was an on-purpose, what-is-it-about-us-and-this-part-of-the-world sort of trip. And the kind of thing that Larry and Kim Marshall just don't do! It was out of our usual. It was bold. It was daring. Oh. And it was a really good trip...
We don't really have specialties. There are some things we're both really, really good at doing. Larry is a really great teacher. I'm really creative. But, there's a lot that we can do well. In past trips, Larry painted a classroom and led Children's Ministry workshops and taught Staff Leader meetings. I've planned parties and made friends and taught some, too. We aren't really "no, we don't do that" kind of people...
But lately, God is telling us something different. He's led us to be a bit more selective about our activities. He's asked us to step out of our comfort-zones a bit with relationships. We feel it's time to reconnect, to re-energize and even to rest differently...
Our trip in February was just that. We reconnected. We stayed in the nicest hotels and in the homes of old friends. We drove. We shared. We prayed.
And it felt right.
In a couple of weeks, our desire is to take the next step (cause really, isn't that what we should all be doing?), and we're planning Part Two of this New Phase of Marshall Life.
We'll be exploring a couple of areas, scouting out things for Part Three, and beyond.
One of the out-of-our-comfort-zone things is paying for it all. No letters to family and friends. No pleas for donations. No requests for pulpit-time. No credit card. Just a desire and a trust and a willingness to go.
We want more accountability. We want to be sent out. We want people here involved with what we're doing, have done, and will be doing. We want to live life together... To hurt when we miss people we love. To be happy to tell you what we think when you ask. To cry with people. To laugh with people. To rejoice when people rejoice. To give. To share. More than we ever have before.
It's a good time to be a Marshall. And probably a good time to be whatever you are. Let's share that together. Let's get this thing called life going.
And we can, you know...
PS, contact me if you want more information on our trip. I mean, trips. I mean, our lives. I mean, if you need us...
