The Lord called us away and we were happy to leave the mess, the chaos that people created. But yet, as we left the town, every corner, every building had a memory in the small town where we had lived for eight years. Eight….there was only one other place we had lived for one year longer than here. Both have a place in our hearts as home. And yet here we are again, following the promise that God would never leave or forsake us. We would be open to going anywhere that He called us to go.

The people, the faces, the lives that were so open with us and so caring towards us. They loved us and we loved them. Their lives were the good messy. They knew that they had imperfections and were open for change and healing from their past. Their messy was the kind that you’re ok jumping in with both feet - like playing in a mud hole as a kid. We could get messy with each other and laugh about it, cry if needed, and pull each other out when we got stuck. Those faces flood my mind and my heart aches.