Nkosi Sikelel' Afrika (God Bless Africa)

A "NO" uttered from deepest conviction is better and greater than a "YES" merely uttered to please, or what is worse, to avoid trouble. - Mahatma Ghandi

I have a hard time saying no. Set up a lemonade stand, offer to sell me a raffle ticket, suggest a committee I should sign up for and I am like those old cartoons with the candy on top of the body and the words above it reading "sucker". I don't want to miss any exciting events and I hate the idea of people having fun without me. I married someone who is exactly like me in that respect. "No" is not an easy word for either one of us. So when I heard about this trip to Ethiopia I was so proud of myself for saying we loved the idea, but we could not feasibly go at this time. In fact I gave a long and drawn out explanation of why this was the least responsible thing I could do right now. But the story leading up to this trip is truly the stuff movies are made about so I should have known I would get sucked in at some point. When we moved to Arlington from Dallas we were lucky to have a fantastic group of people living within a one mile radius. We moved next door to the Saxons who couldn't be more fun, dependable and enjoyable to be with if we got to carve them out of puddy ourselves. With the Saxons came a circle of Arlingtonians lead by my choice for Mayor and First Lady Moody and Emily Alexander (technically they live in Pantego which is the only thing keeping them from taking complete control of the city). Our kids love hanging out with the Alexanders and we are excited every time we get invited to join them so when they said they were considering adopting we were thrilled because we thought our family of four would fit perfectly into their family of six. Being adopted by the Alexanders was a very exciting prospect for us. Imagine the disappointment when they told us they hadn't considered us, but rather a child from Africa. Some people just aren't open minded. In all seriousness, as an adoptee and a lover of Africa I was more than elated. There was a part of my soul that was so joyful for them that they would get to experience, even though in a different part of the continent, the indescribable spirit of the people and the beauty that surrounds them. Their trip to adopt one son turned into multiple trips and the adoption of another son. It also stirred a passion for a people and an insatiable desire to meet their needs. And so they had a vision. A vision to take 10 dentist on a trip to serve the people of Addis Ababa, Ethiopia the way Jesus would have. To use the gifts they have, specifically dental training, to help change the lives of some folks. I stayed up one night moving around money in my head trying to figure out what I would have to do to be a part of the trip. My initial practical response was overcome by my desire to be part of something truly amazing. Chris knew from the beginning that I would want to go and gave me his blessing, but told me he just didn't know how it was going to be financially possible given the plans we already had for the year. So, I resigned myself to the idea that it just wasn't the time. I was going to honor our family and not press he issue - i would just be supportive of the people who were going and hope there would be another chance. Then one conversation completely wiped away any self-control I might have had. Over the past few months I have gotten to know the wife of the pastor at our church and she has been gracious to listen to me carry on about why I feel the way I do about Africa. So, she asked me if I'd heard about the trip and I tell her I had but I just couldn't see myself going right now. After more follow up questions I told her I couldn't justify spending that kind of money and then she did the one thing I fear the most. She asked if she could pray that the Lord would provide the funds. How do you say no to a preachers wife? I mean that just might get you turned into a pillar of salt on the spot or worse get you kicked out of the women's ministry. So I said yes and went on my way. What made matters worse is that she actually did it. I got follow up messages letting me know that she was discussing the whole matter with the Lord. She even offered to let me share a garage sale day with her to raise the extra money. I mentioned this to Emily and she was no better. She told me, "He will fund those whom He calls". Another conversation and concession on my husbands part and my schemes started to solidify in my mind about how the money was going to come. Little did I know that the solution was being worked on before I ever knew there was a problem.