A Year of Blogging

Today, November 6, 2011, concludes my first year of blogging. 

My daily reality has changed radically over the last 365 days as we work towards moving our family to Haiti: (In no particular order.)

Then, I could see Target from my back yard.  Now, I can see a cornfield.
Then, I slept in a king size bed.  Now, a full size.  (I don't mean to sound whiny, but this has been one of the biggest adjustments.  I have to remind myself how many Haitians sleep on concrete or dirt.)
Then, we lived in our house.  Now, we rent it out.
Then, we were on our own.  Now, we live with my mother-in-law.
Then, we had two bathrooms.  Now, we have one. (Second biggest adjustment!)
Then, the kids slept in three bedrooms.  Now, they all sleep in one.  (Third!)
Then, Melissa and the kids could turn on their own showers.  Now, my mother-in-law and I are the only ones strong enough to turn a stubborn handle.
Then, we hadn't yet applied to One Mission Society.  Now, we are official OMS missionaries.
Then, we had "stuff" everywhere.  Now, much of it (but not all!) is gone.
Then, we were managing our debts.  Now, we are actively paying them off.
Then, we weren't sure how the kids would feel about moving to Haiti.  Now, they have seen Haiti firsthand and they loved it.
Then, God was reminding me about the centrality of the Great Commission.  Now, I'm ready to go "all in".

I started blogging on November 7th right after we got back from a missions conference at the OMS headquarters.  Originally, I was blogging almost daily and I was keeping track of belongings which I was seeking to give away, throw away or sell.  Now I'm documenting our progress towards moving the family to Haiti.  We still hope to be there August of 2012.  We are currently in the fundraising stage - and there's a lot to learn and do over the next few months. 

But the blogging itself has been a good exercise for me.  I don't want these weeks and months to pass in a blur - and without reflection, that's just what will happen.  And I'm much more motivated to journal about life experiences, when I know there's a real, live audience - even if it was just my wife.

But it's not ... here are some weird stats for my first year at this:

I have written 231 posts.
There have been 6,711 page views. (So, the good news is you're not the only one who reads this!)
Blogspot keeps track of where the page views originate.  Here are some of the countries represented:  Canada, Germany, United Kingdom, Iran, Australia, Spain, Denmark, Singapore, Russia, Belgim, Lithuania, Switzerland, France, Brazil and Haiti.  Weird, huh?

I look forward to the day when this blog's primary purpose will be to keep friends and family informed of our day to day life on the mission field and the ways we see God at work there - firsthand!