Countdown to Africa~10 DAYS!

Hi friends!  Well, since we have moved into our house I have been so busy playing outside, watering flowers, and enjoying our new found freedom with space I haven't taken time to write!  And now look where we are.....10 days 'til departure for Malawi!

Well all of my vaccinations are complete, I have a prescription for anti-malaria meds to be filled, and a first-aid kit with everything known to man ready to go.  Now, if I could only find my bottle of "don't cry your eyes out when you say goodbye to your husband and kids" pills.  It's going to be the hardest most rewarding thing I could ever do!  However, just last night I was telling my lovie that I felt completely inadequate to go on this trip.  He said, "Well, then it seems like you are just where you need to be to go on this trip."  He is so right, what better place can we be for God to have complete control over our lives than complete inadequacy?  Thank you God, for a husband who supports his wife in ALL things.

Can we talk about that for a moment?  My lovie is jumping in feet first to the life of a stay at home mom while I'm gone.  The only difference is that he also has to work on and off and make sure his employees don't feel abandoned.  Thanks to a couple of very awesome (maybe crazy after this is over) friends who will be loving on our kids for a few days a week he might be able to make it through without turning completely gray!  Would you please pray for my lovie and for our friends who will hug my kids when I can't in the coming weeks?  Thank you God for sweet willing friends!

I have been praying for the Lord to build a wall around my emotions and to keep me focused on Him and his plans.  He has heard my prayer, I do have times that tears fill my eyes when I just look at those sweet faces that I will miss so much for two weeks, but otherwise I am OK.  I don't think He wants me to be without emotion, but I don't want to be controlled by them either.  He will provide on this one!

One super awesome praise is that I was Baptised this past Sunday!  I had been convicted about this for years (having never actually been baptised by submersion) since rededicating my life to Christ.  Finally, I received confirmation enough to desire that portion of obedience to the God who saved me.  It was an awesome moment in my walk with the Lord!  Thank you God for the Pastors who feed me Spiritually.

And so here we are, 10 days 'til departure and I don't want to say goodbye to my family, I certainly do not want to fly 18 hours to get there, and I don't want to face my fears.  But guess what?  All of that is so easy to overcome when I think of being on African soil having the opportunity to share the Gospel with the children at the Passion Center.  To hopefully have the chance to meet the children we sponsor, Kalipe and Phalles, and hug them if they allow me that joy.  What sweet moments are to come!
Thank you God for calling and equipping the inadequate to be the vessels that share your love to the world! I can't believe this is happening......

I hope you enjoy this song by Caedmon's Call, "Two weeks in Africa".  It really sums up going on this trip for me!  And below that are a few pictures from my Baptism. *Note: this is just a video I found on YouTube because I love this song and not from Northwest Bible's trips to Africa but I hope to be able to share one from our trip when we return!

Perfect Timing

First, apology due for the long blogging lapse.  Excuse~life.  Sorry.

It's been almost two months since I last wrote and oh my has it been a whirlwind!  I believe I had mentioned in my last blog about moving into a rental home in Delaware, Oh on May 1st, right?  Well, let's make this long story short and tie it up with a bow because I am ready to move on!

So two weeks before we were to move into the home in Delaware, my lovie received a call letting him know about a position in Witchita, Kansas (of all places, right?).  My words, when he told me where, "I think I'm going to throw up."  I was serious.  The apartment was a gigantic mess, the kids were sleeping on an inflatable mattress in the living room, and the weather outside was beyond crappy (leaving us no where to escape the madness).  Hubby and I agreed he should at least see what the story was in Kansas and proceeded to fly to Iowa for an interview.  Meanwhile, we had enlisted our prayer warrior family to join us in praying for a CLEAR open or shut door nothing more, nothing less.  A week passed after the Iowa interview and we were still just on pause with our May 1st move just a few days away.   At the suggestion of my lovie the kids and I packed up the car and escaped to Indiana for the week for some rest and relaxation with the grandparents!  It was such a great time~all the while I was still praying for clarity and I had gained a huge peace about whatever the answer was to be.  On Wednesday, Ryan called and said we were moving to...........Delaware, Ohio!  Friday brought two packed cars, one set of very helpful grandparents and a U-Haul being towed behind!  Perfect Timing!

So here I am feeling like I should be in a Kool-Aid commercial sitting outside on the deck, with the sun kissing my hands as I type, two very happy children playing in the sprinkler, and Popsicle time quickly approaching!  What a blessing this house is to us.  I have certainly been reminded that I took the home and the yard we had back in Indiana very much for granted 3 years ago!  Being able to set on this deck and soak in the sweet laughter of my children on a perfectly perfect almost summer day is nothing more than Perfect Timing!


And should I mention that our team leaves for Malawi in 39 days!  EEEK!!!  I can feel the reality of emotions I'll have about leaving my kids and my husband welling up inside.  I am trying desperately to suppress them, but I know that God will have to bring me to my breaking point in order to have my full attention.  How can I be used there, if I can never face leaving here?  I have been praying specifically this week for God to help me build a wall around the emotions that are surfacing out of fear.  And then there's the daily dying to self that I am trying to make a priority in order to be filled with the Spirit.  Wow, did I never know I was this selfish and needy??!!  I'm sure I sound no different to God than my own children sound to me with their constant, "Mommy, I need this.  Mommy, I'm having trouble here.  Mommy, help me.  Mommy, Mommy, Mommy...."  Of course I will actually miss hearing all those Mommy requests some day, but I am becoming aware of how much my parent child relationship with my children is just like my FATHER child relationship with God.

Well, as the days pass and take off approaches I will trust that God will send me off very prepared, emotions in check, and eyes on HIM.  So when my feet touch that African soil (do they actually have soil in Africa??) I will have complete faith in HIS Perfect Timing.  


And so the page turns....

I had to include this picture, the very first flower Hallie chose for our yard is a Shasta Daisy.

I love that these sweet little bursts of happiness are ALWAYS looking straight UP!

And the story continues

Wow, this month is flying by and there have been many weeks when I needed a "foresday".  My son, Parker, when learning the days of the week, added an extra day after Friday called "foresday".  We often joke around here that we need a "foresday" when the weeks pass us by to quickly.  So how can I quickly bring everyone up to speed:


God found house for Sisney family to rent  (Momma Sisney knows it was God who found the house, because she purposely pushed same house to back burner because of location and it always kept moving to the front). Said house is 30 minutes north of Sisney's current location.  Momma Sisney was a bit concerned for Papa Sisney's drive to and from work nearing one hour each way.  God gave Momma Sisney a peace about house location and Sisney Family's rental application was accepted within 3 hours.  Sisney family began packing and organizing current apartment for upcoming departure.  Having been denied moving container (PODS) by apartment management, Sisney family became creative and disassembled children's bedroom changing it into storage room for packed boxes and new furniture.  Before mentioned children now sleeping with Momma and Papa Sisney, which is not working out so perfectly!  Momma Sisney foresees purchase of inflatable mattress for wee little Sisney's upcoming CARPET SLUMBER PARTY!  Storage room is working out wonderfully, Papa Sisney is so very wise!  In one day less than two weeks, Sisney family will be moving 30 minutes north to house that God found and enjoy very much transforming house into home!  Hopefully to continue living "Happily Ever After..."


WHEW!!  So that is that!  Turning the page...


The latest Malawi meeting was just as awesome as the first!  I continue to be amazed at how much excitement God is allowing me with this upcoming trip.  Of course there was another video, of course there were more tears, but I am noticing my tears turning to smiles thinking of being on the same soil as the children.  Pastor Mark was very clear that our objective is not to only clothe, feed, and provide for the immediate and obvious needs, but to share the Gospel because that is the one thing that cannot be taken away!  A travel itinerary has also been completed.  Remember, that I asked you to pray about the 6-hour bus ride from Lilongwe to Malawi?  Well, thank you for your prayers, but apparently this is God's will because the bus ride is still part of our trip.  Prayers, however, are always welcomed!


I sent out support letters last week and am so thankful for those who have already returned their support cards to me!  I am humbled by the sweet notes and in awe of God's provisions!  Thank you so much to those of you who have already committed to being part of my support team, it's awesome to know God has planted this in your heart and you have responded!  


Well, I have so many more thoughts to share, but I will stop here.  I appreciate those of you who follow this blog and take the time to read.  I never feel as though I share anything profound, but just being able to share is a joy for me. 

Parker Man!

Wow!  Six years ago God made me a mommy and he did it through the most amazing little boy named, Parker.  I have such a hard time believing how quickly 6 years has passed.  Wasn't it just last week that I was holding my sweet little cone head boy and soaking up every little newborn sound he made?  I immediately had a special connection with this little man.  Daddy joked from the beginning that he would be a momma's boy because he had inherited my "big o's"  (big ole eyes) and I would never be able to tell him no!  Well, daddy was 100% right.  Although, telling him no has gotten easier over the years!


Parker is so awesome!  He is everything I prayed my unborn child would be when I first saw the two pink lines on a simple white stick!  I prayed he would be healthy and that God would give him a compassionate heart.  Thus far, God has proved faithful~and has sprinkled in so much more!  Parker has had a strong will since day one!  I'm thankful for that quality (he gets it from his daddy), it has been a challenge (especially during the 2s and 3s) but I also see it shaping him into a young man of strong convictions.  He has a  passion for the things he likes in his life and he will fight to the death for what he believes in.  Sometimes that fight is about not wearing stripes or buttons, sometimes it's about eating the same thing for breakfast and lunch for over a year.  He has a 3-year hobby of 5 double-sided hotwheel car cases and not one of them is like the other!  He knows them all individually and will correct you in a hot second if you offer him one he already has.  I love his 6-year old way of being himself!


Did I mention he is a bit quirky?  He has a thing for touching tissues, needing two forks at dinner to keep his food separate, and not being able to walk away from things until they are complete.   He sees no need for change if the way things are currently happening are working out for him.  I love that too...  He gets some of that quirkiness from my dad, his Papa Bruce, i.e. daily using the same blue shark-fin hair comb he used in college (had to get it in there, dad).  These boys have passions, I'm telling you!  I can totally see Parker backing up Papa Bruce if anyone tried to replace before mentioned hair comb...just sayin'  Parker definitely has that "if it's not broken, don't fix it" mentality. 


His little sweet heart overflows with compassion.  He is greatly affected if he senses our disappointment in his choices.  When he pairs his strong will with this compassion~this child does amazing things!  Just last week out of raw emotion he took a punishment that his sister deserved~just because he loves her!  I was frozen in my tracks and wanted to cry on the spot, but I let him do his thing.  Then I told him how much of a big guy thing that was~reminding him that Jesus did just that for all of us, out of nothing more than love.  Parker teaches me daily~I am so grateful.


And that laugh....Oh that laugh.  It brings a smile to my face and a tear to my eyes!  It's the same laugh he's had since he could laugh.  That sweet sound is seared on my heart.  It immediately fills the room with joy~and you can't help but join him!  My prayers for him now are that he accepts Jesus into his heart very early, that he never compromises himself, that he will remain healthy, and that his laugh will never fade. 
I love you so much, my sweet Parker Wade (Parker Man) Sisney.  Thank you for teaching me to be a mom!


Enjoy these pictures from Parker's life~

April 5, 2005 Parker Wade Sisney 7 lbs 9 oz

                                                                         Age 1

                                                                          Age 2

                                                                           Age 3

Age 4

                                                                       Age 5

Age 6



100 Days and Counting!!

Well, I have wanted to sit down to type this for nearly a week!  I have decided that as a Stay At Home Mom I really do need office hours!  Anyway, on to the countdown...

Not counting today there are exactly 100 days until our team departs for Malawi, Africa and the Passion Center for Children.  Things have been realtively calm lately.  Aside from the massive hunt for my immunization records, the overwhelming list of side effects for the Malaiw meds we have to take as a precaution, and the beginning of Dr. appointments to get my self "shot-up" with anything that might protect against everything! 

We began our pre-trip meetings this past Saturday.  Pastor Mark shared an amazing devotion about having an inner metamorphasis before we even get on the plane.  He has given our trip a code name:  MISSION METAMORPHASIS.  I am so excited to birth my inner butterfly!  If I could have at that moment I would have boarded a plane immediately!  We talked about the two current flight schedule possibilities.  One of which involves a SIX HOUR bus ride in Africa (we need to pray about that). We were also asked to be bold and sign up to be team leaders for at least one area of service during our trip.  I signed up to lead the team for the Hospital Visit (making sure the care packages are assembled and accounted for correctly), and the Playtime with the children (having a more organized play time than times past).  The latter I am completely comfortable with~that's what I do~organized play with my kiddos!  The previous, however, is completely out of my comfort zone.  Not the care package part, but the hospital visiting part!  If you count the 13 gift bags I just stuffed for Parker's upcoming birthday celebration my total must be around 456,275(approximately).  The extent of my hospital visits, however, have been to see glowing mommas and there perfectly precious newborn babies!  I am in for a big dip in the emotional rollercoaster on this one, I am certain!  However, I felt led to sign up despite my insecurities and I have faith that God will provide the courage.  Our next meeting is a week from tomorrow~I can't wait!

WAHOO!  I just needed to get that out~I really wish I could explain the completely unexplainable excitement that I have for this trip.  At times I seriously feel like I might implode if I don't get there soon!  What does that mean??  It's an excitement different from realizing you've met your true love, different from finding out you are expecting your first child, and different from getting the most special gift in the whole world.  It's a burning, a desire, a passion that I cannot escape.  And it's not always a happy excitement, but rather a surreal excitement.  Oh I wish I could share it.....

The Space I Fill

I am posing a big question to myself this week.  WHO AM I?  I think, at times, others could answer this question about me much more accurately than I.  I am certain that God holds the answer so safe in his grasp that the only way I can know it is to seek after him.  Even knowing that truth keeps me in wonder.  I strive so hard to make up a me that exist only in fairy tales (in which my hubby would testify I hold a permanent address).  I want to be everyone to everybody, doesn't that make sense?  To me, it's the only way to please the masses.  But, wait a minute.  Why have I decided it is my job to please the masses?  If I remember correctly, we are supposed to REACH the masses with God's truth~there's nothing written that says we should PLEASE the masses.  I know that if I stick to this thought I will never truly discover who I am in CHRIST! 

I am the same as a lot of you!  I am the resident maid, chef (although not a very good one), chauffeur, doctor, storyteller, launderer, grocery shopper, playmate, and the list goes on and on, doesn't it?  I enjoy all the spaces I fill in a typical day, but at times would trade off a few to break up the cycle, just like any of you.  Sadly, these spaces I fill begin to define me.  Because, seriously if I didn't do them then who would, right??  Newsflash, fellow SAHM's (Stay At Home Moms) we were not simply created for cleaning dirty toilets and folding underwear!  We have people to impact!!  Now, yes I do think it's impactful to clean dirty toilets and it would impact my little family if they didn't have any clean underwear, but being defined by these love chores isn't all there is! 

If I'm being honest I would say that my daily duties have been defining me as of late.  And in turn those very spaces I "must" fill in a day are blinding me from who I really am in Christ!  The "things" and the "tasks" become so important that they begin to crowd out the "truths" and the "teachings".  So while I haven't discovered the answer to my question, WHO AM I?  I have discovered that the spaces I fill are the very spaces that leave me feeling empty and prevent me from understanding all that God desires me to be.  So I will seek the one who can pour out more wisdom, knowledge, and blessings than my cup can hold!  And perhaps the spaces that I fill will be filled with more than just dirty toilets and underwear!

The Lord will fulfill his purpose for me; your steadfast love, O Lord, endures forever.  Do not forsake the work of your hands.  Psalm 138:8

Paul, Barnabas, and Billy Blanks

So from the title of this post you might be thinking I have lost my mind!  Well, you would be about 75% right on that one!  I'm a stay at home mom of an almost 6 and 3 year old, anything is possible!

I am currently enjoying a Beth Moore bible study on the life of Paul, To Live is Christ.  It is so awesome.  I knew the basics of Paul's story, a dedicated Jewish scholar whose mission in life, as Saul, was persecuting Christians.  And then that walk (to arrest more followers of the WAY), on that road (to Damascus), and that light (Jesus) changed a man ON a mission to a servant of THE mission.  (Acts 9~read it if you haven't).  It's quite remarkable, really.  Anyway, God arranged it so that Paul would rarely travel alone as the first recorded missionary of The Word and very soon crossed his path with a man named Barnabas.  The name Barnabas meant, son of encouragement.  And don't you think Paul of all people would need some encouragement considering the task ahead?  Acts 11 introduces Barnabas to Paul's ministry...again read it if you haven't!  The bible says that Barnabas "encouraged believers to stay true to the Lord.  Barnabas was a good man, full of the Holy Spirit and strong in faith."  Acts 11:23-24.  He was a man that stood beside another brother when no one else would.  That takes courage, doesn't it?  To put your neck on the line so someone else doesn't have to stand alone.

That brings us to Billy Blanks, don't give up just hang with me here.  I have been spending a lot of time doing an awesome cardio kickboxing routine with Mr. Blanks recently.  I am so inspired by his way of motivating and encouraging me to keep moving and not to quit when my mind says I'm done.  He is always embedding things into his instruction like,  "everyone has joy within, and it's by finding that joy that you will also find the strength to persevere."  My favorite thing Billy Blanks says is, "You can choose to smile even when you're walking through the fire"  And let me tell you on more than one occasion I feel like my thighs are in that fire!  

So, while doing my round-house kicks and speed bag arms I began to think of Barnabas as Paul's personal Billy Blanks!  Seriously, Paul was imprisoned, beaten within an inch of his life, and abused more than a few times. Yet, he persevered.  Barnabas encouraged him to press on with the Lord's work and encouraged those who heard the Gospels to remain true to the Lord.  Paul walked through his share of fires, and found joy in his suffering for the Lord!  And as Beth Moore writes, Paul made plans to share the Word with the nations, but didn't hold on too tightly to them in case God wanted to redirect his paths. 

That was a light bulb to me!  An Ah-ha moment if you will.  How often do I hold so tightly to the plans I have made that I squeeze out any possibility of God directing my path according to His will?  And when was the last time I found joy in suffering or smiled while walking through the fire??  A challenge to pursue, sweet friends! 

One final thought:  I can't help but wonder how awesome it would have been for Paul, Barnabas AND Billy Blanks to "fire-up" those God-less cities!!  Can't you just picture it?  Paul sharing the Gospel, Barnabas cheering Paul on and loving on the new believers and in comes Billy Blanks saying, "SHOW ME THE JOY PEOPLE!"....makes me giggle!