On the road again Friday morning , Day 1

Let the journey continue! After a most wonderful two weeks in Illinois with my family we are now back on the road heading south. The Lord blessed Andy with some heavy snow fall as we headed out this morning, before the sun was up. He will miss the snow. We are now driving down a long strip of open highway with nothing around us. I cannot help but think about the long hours of driving ahead of us and the unknown awaiting us. The last two weeks were so wonderful to spend with my parents as they had so many great stories of their own time in Mexico. My parents packed up and moved to Mexico to become missionaries in 1984. I was only four years old at the time. They had never been out of the country and had no idea what was ahead of them. Those 9 years in Mexico made me who I am and poured into me the very passion that fuels this journey in my heart.

On our wedding day my father, at our request, preached the gospel message. During the message he spoke of the attitude many parents have towards serving the Lord. An attitude of, "You may have me, but don't touch my children." Of course, no parent really wants to see their kids move far way and find them in an environment that is not as safe. However, we know that God gave His only Son for us and sent Him to us to save us. The Lord calls us to hold everything in our life with palms open in offering to Him. Thank you to both of our parents for not just accepting what the Lord has asked from your children, but actually encouraging us to go. I stood out by our car hugging my mom goodbye while large snowflakes fell on us. As I hugged her a hymn rang through my head. "I surrender all to Jesus. All to Him I freely give". It was a beautiful moment that was cut short by my older sister yelling out the door, "Jessie, Live long and prosper" while holding up the Star Trek hand symbol. Ha,ha, too funny! I will never understand Star Trek.