Reflections

The two weeks since Haley has been home have been full of joys and challenges for our family, and words will never adequately describe the thoughts and emotions that have overtaken me especially.  During worship on the first Sunday after she was home, tears were just spilling out all over my shirt before I even knew they were there.  Tears of gratitude and tears of thinking how great our God is.  A heart so full of thanksgiving to Him for bringing our baby back home to us and for all that He had done in her and through her.  Her stories are still coming out, and there is just no way I can even attempt to capture them into words to share with you.  I so wish I could because I know you would be so blessed. 

There have also been some tears of frustration lately over some recent circumstances, and I was really struggling to figure it all out.  When a friend of mine gave me some random verses to look up, she had no idea how one of them would end up standing out and being so pivotal in recognizing what was going on.  Then it made perfect sense.  The devil is really unhappy with us right now, and he's been taking every chance he can to just hurl arrows at us.  Just check out these verses:

"A final word:  Be strong with the Lord's mighty power.  Put on all of God's armor so that you will be able to stand firm against all strategies and tricks of the Devil.  For we are not fighting against people made of flesh and blood, but against the evil rulers and authorities of the unseen world, against those mighty powers of darkness who rule this world, and against wicked spirits in the heavenly realms.  Use every piece of God's armor to resist the enemy in the time of evil so that after the battle you will still be standing firm.  Stand your ground, putting on the sturdy belt of truth and the body armor of God's righteousness.  For shoes, put on the peace that comes from the Good News so that you will be fully prepared.  In every battle you will need faith as your shield to stop the fiery arrows aimed at you by Satan.  Put on salvation as your helmet, and take the sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of God.  Pray at all times and on every occasion in the power of the Holy Spirit.  Stay alert and be persistent in your prayers for Christians everywhere."  Ephesians 6:10-18, NLT

I'm just so thankful that my focus has been turned back to God's truth and that the Word of God is alive and active in my heart!  The whole armor of God is so important to put on every day, and for me personally, that shield of faith is on and ready to dodge any more bullets!

Speaking of faith, check this out:   

After Haley arrived home, she received this in the mail from someone with these words written in a card:

"Welcome home!  I will be praying for you as you adjust!  And here is some seed $ for the next place God calls you -- for I am sure He will."  

Wow.  If that doesn't give us something to ponder and pray about, I'm not sure what does!  This didn't come from someone with piles of money.  This was joyously and sacrificially given in faith!!  May God bless this family!

Back to Haley . . . one of the main things I have noticed since her return is just how peaceful and joyful and full of the Spirit she is.  Yep, she's still human and far from perfect, but she's feeling something uniquely different on the inside.  She realizes that so many of the things in life that we get all stressed about just really don't matter in the long run.  She has a new appreciation for the awesome power of God, and the words "only my God could do such a thing" have come from her mouth multiple times.  She's still tired and still has things to put away and has many things on her mental to-do list, but last night she shared with me that normally that would stress her out and she'd have to get them on paper and get them done, but now that sense of urgency just isn't there like it used to be because all those "things" really don't matter.  She feels as though she should probably be a little more stressed than what she is, but yet she's feeling such immense peace and joy in her life right now, and she's not ready to give in to all those pressures that could so easily squelch her spirit. 

As we were sharing in this most delightful conversation, I kept wondering to myself what the world would be like if every American teenager at age 17 would have to spend two months in Africa or another poverty-stricken place.  They'd all gain a much different perspective of life and the world in which we live, and I have a hunch the world would be a lot different than what it is today.  Obviously Haley's been called to do this and the effect on her is much different than on someone who has been forced to do so.  God prepared her heart in such a way to be willing to sacrifice her comforts of home for the sake of helping others, and in turn He has blessed her with an amazing sense of peace and joy that can only come from Him. 

After thinking about that a lot last night, some pictures came to my attention on Facebook this morning, and they coincided perfectly with this topic.  Just think . . . if every teenager's daily routine looked like this for a couple months of their life, I think there would be at least a few positive changes amongst a lot of them. 

An hour every day -- praying and in the Word of God.

Especially fun in the dark!

Keep in mind that there is just a 10-foot hole dug underneath this little seat. 

Showers consist of baby wipes and cold water, and it was hard work just to get this water! 

PB&J -- lunch every day for two months.  

But wait!

What if all of us as adults would experience these kinds of things for a month or two?  How differently would we view life?  How would our lives change?  Would we get so wrapped up in some of the petty little details of life?  Would we value our relationships more?  Love more?  Serve more?  What would we do to make the world a better place?  Share the truth of God's word more? 

As I was driving this morning, a song came on that I don't remember ever hearing before, but the lyrics were so moving, and "only my God" could have brought it to my attention today of all days.  Check it out:

(If you click in the middle and then click on "Watch on YouTube," it should open up and start playing via YouTube.)

God's obviously doing some things to get my attention.  I'm curious what He's doing with you. 

Haley's Homecoming!!!

I hardly know where to begin!  The last few days have just been filled with a whole lot of excitement around here!

Our week started out with one major task on our list that we wanted to accomplish:  to paint Haley's bathroom before she got home.  When we moved here seven years ago, the very first room that we painted was our guest bedroom in our basement.  Why?  I don't really know other than I knew exactly what was going in there, and I knew the color I wanted.  There is an adjoining bathroom next to it, and painting that the same color with the leftover paint was always on my list of things to do, but other rooms around this house always crept up higher on the priority list, and eventually it just wasn't that important anymore. 

Well, a few months ago a guest of ours was taking a shower down there, and because of an injury he was dealing with, he somehow fell into the towel rod, and it creased it good and proper.  Replacing it seemed like an easy fix, but we found out that brass 30-inch rods are just not available anymore, so then we knew we had a little bigger dilemma on our hands.  Finally last week Friday night, I grabbed Harris by the hand and said, "Let's go find some new fixtures.  I want to have Haley's bathroom fixed up before she comes home."  (She sleeps in a different bedroom in the basement.)  Kelsey went along too, and it became a really fun night of also picking out some travel-related posters to hang in our basement family room, which we had painted shortly before Haley left.  Kelsey, my artsy girl who loves anything French, suggested a travel theme for our basement, and when Harris spotted a poster with this verse on it, it all started coming together for us:

That led to a whole grouping on our large wall, and we figured Haley might come home with a few pieces to add in somewhere!  We're planning on having a whole lot of fun with it!  Can you spot the verse in one of the pictures?

This week we were so excited to get the bathroom put together.  Nothing fancy or elaborate but we knew that Haley would appreciate having a freshly painted bathroom complete with towel rod when she came home.  Feel free to ask her about the kind of "bathrooms" she's been using for the last two months, and you'll understand why a shower, toilet, and hot running water have become so appreciated by her!

After we had put the last finishing touches on everything late Wednesday night, Harris and I were laying in bed and discussing the next few days.  His dad had asked him to go to a couple sales for him on Friday and Saturday, so that meant he was going to need to leave late Thursday night after he'd spent adequate time with Haley, and he wanted to know if I would ride along with him to Pella so I could drive a vehicle back home since he had sold his car earlier in the week.  The thought of being away from Haley so soon after she arrived home was horrible for both of us, and I was too tired to even think about making such a decision, so we drifted off to sleep rather quickly without finishing the discussion. 

Just a few short hours later, Haley called bright and early from the airport in Dallas with a few questions about her flight.  Despite my exhaustion, I could no longer sleep, and my excitement level all morning was completely out of control!  Words cannot describe how giddy I was!  I was so incredibly thankful that God had brought her thus far and was completely trusting in Him to deliver her into our arms by 6:06 p.m. that night!  I went to the office, but while she was having a 5-hour layover in Atlanta, she called and spoke with Harris and I on speakerphone for nearly an hour.  I had never been so thankful to hear the sound of her laughter! 

And then it happened.  Harris decided to break his weekend agenda to her.  As she was trying to grasp what he was doing and why, he kind of threw it in there that he was going to need someone to go to Pella with him, and she immediately jumped in with "I'll go!!!!!  Then I can see everyone!" 

What?????  It was bad enough for me to think about leaving her, even though she probably would have slept the whole time I was gone, but the thought of her leaving me and sharing her stories with everyone without me was way worse, so I sulked and pouted about that for the next few minutes . . . until it dawned on me that maybe we could just all go with Harris and enjoy the ride together and the day in Pella!!!  Crazy, I know, but you have to understand that that's how our family rolls -- sometimes totally crazy, random, and spontaneous!  Who would have thought that she would have been so willing to give up her bed her first night home?  But that's just how much she loves her family!

The rest of the afternoon was a mad rush of rearranging and making new plans.  How could we still get Kelsey's sports physical done by Monday morning, where would we sleep, would Heath want to take off work and go with us, and how could we maximize our time on such short notice with a whole lot of family in the Pella area who she would be very excited to see?  It was a little bit intense. 

In a message to me partway through her trip, she had indicated that she wanted just our family at the airport so as to not be totally overwhelmed with a whole host of people, but when her uncle Vance gave her a hard time on the phone yesterday afternoon, she very quickly gave in and decided their family could be at the airport too!  We all made it to the airport just a few minutes before she arrived.  Here are a few pictures for you!

Keaton had informed me several times that he missed her more than anyone!  He was pretty quick to be the first in line to hug her. 

Alexa was right there with a big hug!

Haley realized while she was gone that she's even more of a daddy's girl than she already thought she was, and her daddy was just pretty tickled to have her back in his arms as well!

Three years ago when Haley went to Australia for three weeks, she came home and found out that in that time frame, Heath had some pretty life-changing experiences which caused him not to be at the airport, so she made him promise that he'd be there this time.  He was!

His girlfriend, Jenny, has been a part of our family for a few months.  Vance and Steph are in the background.  My other picture of them turned out way too blurry. 

Shanda was quietly observing, and all of a sudden, Haley realized that she hadn't given her a hug yet! 

It about killed Karson to not be there, but he was at football practice.

Keaton and Alexa just couldn't get enough of her!

Need I say anything more?

So happy to have my baby girl in my arms!!

Haley and Kelsey couldn't be any more opposite, but they are having a wonderful time reconnecting and are looking forward to swimming and being in high school together! 

A very happy girl!

At that moment in time, I think the whole world could have been there to greet her, and she would have been a very happy camper, but it made for a very special family reunion with it being a smaller group!

Once she realized that her swim team was having their annual family picnic, she decided that she wanted to make a brief appearance since she is one of the three captains this year.  If the coach hadn't been in the middle of his spiel, the whole place may have erupted with jubilation upon her arrival, but instead Caitlyn had to calmly keep Taylor from giving Haley the jump hug she had threatened to do if Haley showed up.  They just got to calmly introduce her instead. 

A plop on the couch was the first "Ah, I'm home!" moment, but then Harris quickly whisked her away to show her the pickup she'll now be driving.  That gave me a chance to get dinner ready, and the rest of the evening was filled with good food, lively conversation, Haley's first real shower in two months, and souvenir distribution. 

She even shared with us a few other "treasures" from her suitcase.  This was supposedly the cleaner pair of the two.  I have yet to fully dive in to discover the contents.  Is another day really going to matter?!?

At about 10:45 p.m., we left for Pella, and within the first 10 miles, Haley was sound asleep. We quietly entered Harris's parents' home at 1 a.m., quickly crashed, and ended up having the whole morning to ourselves to rest at their house because they had an appointment in town at 8 a.m.  Eventually we headed to our former chiropractor's office for Kelsey's sports physical and then splurged a little to get a treat for the ride home. 

We felt like such tourists, but who could resist a trip to the bakery?  We had to celebrate a little bit!

Neither of my brothers' families could come, but we sure enjoyed a gorgeous afternoon of fellowship at the park with my sister and her girls . . .

. . . Harris's parents and his brother's wife and three boys . . .

. . . and my parents.

On our way home, she found out that a few of her friends were gathered together watching a movie tonight, so she decided to surprise them with a little visit!  I would have loved to have seen the expressions on their faces when she walked in the room! 

I wish I could somehow share all the stories and details that we've been hearing, but there is just no way that I can do it justice. You just have to hear it from Haley! She had such a fabulous time, and I really hope that she will have ample opportunities to share with all those who want to know more. God proved Himself very faithful and did so many things in her and through her. We're so very proud of her and her willingness to sacrifice so much, all for the sake of following Christ's call on her life.

From here on, life will start returning back to "normal" for our family.  I'm not sure any of us really know what that is anymore because we've been so focused on Haley going to Africa for so long.  Huge kudos to Heath, Kelsey, and Keaton for their hearts and attitudes throughout all of this.  I would imagine at times they felt as though all attention was given to Haley, but they have been so supportive throughout the whole journey, and I'm so proud of them.

Harris has survived.  To be honest, it was not easy for him to send her.  Even though he gave her his blessing early on in the process, he struggled at times with whether or not we had made the right decision in letting her go.  He just wanted to know that she would come back physically, mentally, and emotionally healthy, but he knew that if God called her to it, He would bring her through it.  He really missed her, and last Sunday he commented, "I'm just really ready to love on my girl." 

That leaves me.  An African excursion from a mom's perspective.  You've heard everything from me that you could possibly hear.  Communicating through this blog has been such an awesome outlet for me, and now that her experience is over, I'm not sure where to go from here.  I have loved the writing process and sharing pictures with you.  There may be future entries on here, and there may not be.  All I know is that if God prompts me with something to write about like He has been doing, I will keep writing and trusting that someone needs to read it.  There were times in this process that I have felt as though my heart was probably a little more exposed than I was comfortable with, and I would wonder why I was setting myself up for potential public scrutiny.  My whole goal was that somehow my vulnerability would help someone else in some way, shape, or form and also bring God tremendous glory.  He has been so faithful! 

As I potentially close this down, I can't help but wonder what God has taught YOU throughout this whole experience.  Maybe God's placed a nudging on your heart to do something missions-related.  Maybe God's taught you a lesson in faithfulness or trust or whatever.  Maybe you supported Haley financially and He blessed you for your obedience.  Whatever it is, would you be willing to be vulnerable and share it so as to give HIM the glory??? 

If so, feel free to publicly make a comment here or else email me at thewesterkamps@msn.com.  If you give me your permission in that email, I would love to post it here for others to read either with your name or anonymously. 

To GOD be ALL the glory, forever and ever!!  Amen

Think About It

Haley has been traveling for the last three days, and we are praising the Lord tonight that she has arrived safely back in the United States of America!!  She texted and called a couple quick times throughout the day today, and interestingly enough, Kelsey and Keaton were there to answer the phone when it would ring instead of me, so it was fun for them to be able to talk with her a little bit.  Evidently the C-trippers' flights got a little mixed up, and they had to sprint through the Atlanta airport in an effort to catch their flight to Dallas, but all was well. 

Then the shuttle that was supposed to take them to Global's headquarters in Garden Valley, Texas, was broken down, so they got to ride in a really nice big bus instead along with a group of kids who were coming back from Australia.  Once she was situated for her two-hour ride, she called, and we got to talk for nearly an hour!!!  Nothing else mattered around here at that moment, and it was so incredibly good to connect. 

I wish I could say that everything was perfectly fine, but to be honest, she was exhausted and feeling very overwhelmed.  First of all, her body was telling her it was 4 a.m., and she'd had very little sleep in the last couple of days.  Her last shower had been on Saturday, and it wasn't exactly the type of shower that she will enjoy once she gets back home.  Her wavering voice told me that she could burst into tears at any given moment, and basically she was just ready to be back home. 

Don't get me wrong.  She had an amazing time and cannot wait to tell us all about her experiences and adventures.  We saved those stories for when she can share them with all of us.  Instead, I did my best to catch her up on what's been going on around here.  Not knowing how long we would be able to talk, we talked about some of the big stuff first:  her role as a swim captain and the events that are already occurring, swim season officially starting next week, back to school the next, whether or not to graduate early, her two jobs that she held before she went, the vehicle swaps that have been occurring around here, Heath going back to school this fall, and Grandpa's health.  I had been attempting to keep her updated with daily messages, but evidently our messages did not get through to her when she was in Zambia.  We had a LOT to catch up on! 

As we worked our way through all those topics, I could hear some anxiety in her voice several times.  Slowly but surely, I was able to reassure her that life will fall back into place just as God intends it to, and it will all work out okay.  We just need to take one day at a time and trust that He will work out every single detail in His timing.  By the time we were finished talking, she was a lot calmer, was laughing, and even introduced me to a couple of her friends and let me talk to them.  Supposedly we're going to adopt her friend Ashlynn, a/k/a "Cho," from North Carolina into our family.  Combine her and the 18 African orphans, plus our French "daughter," Charlene, who Harris informed me he'd adopt in a heartbeat, and I'm thinking we could become quite the cultured bunch around here!  (Charlene called yesterday and talked with most of us, and it was so fun to hear from her!!)

But seriously, as I was working on painting Haley's bathroom tonight, I couldn't help but think about what it will be like for her to come back to her life here and would covet your prayers on her behalf.  Think about it!

* Over the course of the next few days and months and probably longer, she'll be bombarded with the question of "How was your trip?" and she'll somehow need to find the words to sum up two months' worth of God-directed, life-changing moments into a nice little summary or else need to be willing to answer questions for hours.

* She will have seen extreme poverty and will come back to a nation of materialistic people who can never get enough.  As Harris said, much grace will be required. 

* She will be surrounded by people who do not know the Lord, and now she will need to figure out how to live amongst them and witness to them without being labeled some kind of Jesus freak. 

* She'll hit the pavement running when it comes to being thrown into her role as one of the swim team captains.  No rest for the weary. 

* Her body will need to adjust back into some sense of normalcy, and her stomach will hopefully welcome American food again. 

* She's been living in winter conditions, and her skin will be white compared to all her friends who probably have a beautiful tan from being at the pool all summer.  She'll come from 20-degree nights where she huddled together with her friends in a tent to keep warm to 100+ degrees Texas heat where they have no AC in the dorms.  Then she can come home to a nice comfortable, normal temp at home!

* She will have missed out on all kinds of social activities back home and will need to jump back into her friendships.  Instead of knowing their inside jokes, the horror stories and the miracles that she experienced instead will be flashing through her mind.  She'll need to find common ground with them again. 

* She'll be leaving a whole bunch of new friends who have become family to her for the past two months.  She's very thankful for Facebook! 

I think the hardest part is where does she go from here?  She's now had the trip to Africa that she's always dreamed of having!  Will she go back?  Will God ever call her there full-time?  She'll now need to face the next chapter of her life, whatever that may be.  It's a little daunting for her to think about.  Going to Africa has been her life for so long, and now it's over!  At least for now. 

Pray with me, would you?  Thank you so very much!

She's Getting Closer!!!

Sunday morning we woke up to a short little Facebook message from Haley: 

"ohhhh i am soo ready for a stair hug from papa and to see your smiling face!!!! i cannot wait... i've gots my phone all charged up and ready to call you when i step foot into the states! not that i don't trust you but a quick reminder: ppppplease set up for me a chiro! the african soil has been killin my back! life i...s good here on this side of the world and God is amazing! i can't wait to see all of you and tell you bout it!!!!! love love love love love love! tell mi papa and mi chico chiquito hello:)) see you soon dear!"

And another one posted as her status to everyone: 

"ahhh!!! i am so excited... i get to spend the next 3 days ish of my life in airports! but it means i'm going home so all is well! i do know however that the moment i step on american soil i will miss afrika! i can't wait to see everyone though!"

Between her and her friend Beth's posts, they gave a little bit of an itinerary, but it has differed greatly from what was posted on Global's website since before the trip, so that has caused much confusion for me all day.  I know it doesn't really matter which way she's coming home, but I'll be honest!  Not knowing whether she's on an 18-hour flight from South Africa all the way to the States OR flying home via Paris is just a little unnerving for some reason!  I have found myself trying to track what I thought might be her flights, but it was all so confusing.  I even called the parent hotline, and they told me to follow what's on the website. 

Well, right before I headed to bed tonight, I decided to make one quick stop at the computer just to see if any new information had been posted, and amazingly enough, Beth was online!!  It turns out that the girls knew exactly where they were going when they posted their itineraries on Sunday.  They are currently in the Paris airport as I type!!  Their C group is on a different itinerary than the B trippers, and that was the missing link that we knew nothing about.  Beth wasn't with Haley at the moment, but she said she'd try and tell Haley to get online so we could chat.  I'm still waiting . . .

According to Beth, they should be back in the States this afternoon, and then they will be taken to Global's headquarters again for a time of debriefing before they send them all back to their families.  Haley will be flying home on Thursday, and we cannot wait to see her!!!  She has specifically asked that just her family greet her at the airport, but friends are getting excited to see her too, so we're making plans for that as well.  It is going to be so awesome to have her back in our presence!!!  It just isn't the same around here without her. 

Please continue to pray for safe flights and for a smooth transition back into American culture.  She's going to have to hit the pavement running when it comes to getting back into the groove of things.  Thank you all so much for praying for her throughout her trip!!  God bless you all!

Update!!  Just as I was ready to sign off for the night, Haley popped online, and we were able to chat for a little bit!!  It was so good to "hear" from her.  We were able to discuss a few necessary items, and then we finished up with what she would like for her first meal back home.  She has opted for "steak or chicken and potatoes -- or even pancakes will suffice.  Anything American."  We can do that, baby!  We can do it! 

Another update!!  Evidently Global was avoiding posting their flight plan as an extra level of precaution, so this posting has been modified from its previous version.  If you read this prior to now and were wondering about the changes, that is why.