A week ago today was my first full day as a Collette and to be honest, it really hasn't sunk in yet. Legally, I am now Kaitlyn Hope Collette, but I have still signed Marko more times than I can count and every time I see my husband's wedding band or wake up next to him in bed, I question reality. I guess that's to be expected though when you get married a month after he proposed. But to be fair, I think I knew this day was coming from our very first date. However, I didn't think it would ever happen this quickly. Allow me to explain just a glimpse of what God has done in the past 3 months leading up to the creation of the Collette household.
If you've ever read my blogs or spoken to me, you know that I've already spent 6 months in 3 African countries and truly left my heart there in December when I boarded the plane to come back to the States. God blessed me with an incredible nursing job that I loved, but nothing about life was full or "African." I have never found a place where I can call home and feel so alive like Africa is for me. The continent itself is so different than America but so full of potential and life if we are willing to follow God's leading and His direction to love the people and show them Him first and foremost. My heart has longed for Africa since December 20th when we touched down in Atlanta and I had received a few offers for ministry positions, but none had the same peace that I felt when Christ opened the door for my previous trip. Not until I met Ashby. In April, Alison and I went to visit Drew for Easter and spent about 2 weeks being tourists in Kenya. The sights are beautiful and we had a great time, but there are 2 days I remember and loved the most. The first was a day, and the most significant in our story, we spent at Heshima, an organization for kids with special needs. Drew, Alison, and I spent the day playing with kids, doing therapy, feeding them, assisting the workers, anything and everything needed we attempted to help with. While we were there, we met Ashby who is a volunteer with Heshima 1-2 days a week but she was in the final stages of opening the first home for children on the property known as Visible Grace. As we talked, we learned more about the vision and work Ashby has already done and how close everything was to being reality. To be honest, I listened, asked questions, and prayed for her but never thought anything of it. Not until the middle to end of May. Drew and I were at a crucial part of our relationship. He felt God leading him to stay in Kenya longer and I knew that if we added multiple more years to long distance it wouldn't work. Plus, from the very beginning, we refused to go to another country or ministry "chasing" each other. So we were at an impasse, I had no reason to be in Kenya, he had no reason to leave. But God, as always, had other plans. During this time, I messaged Tracey, the director of Heshima, about any ministry opportunities within the next year or so she knew of and every option she gave me were already closed doors or the peace was not there. I also messages Ashby, seeing how everything was going with Visible Grace but also randomly asking if she knew of anything also. The next day, I got a response from Ashby. "We are looking for a nurse now," she wrote, "and I'm also leaving in August for over a year so I'm looking for an American director to be in charge of the entire ministry on the ground in Kenya while I'm gone, is that something that interests you? Because I think you're completely an answer to my prayers." As I read, peace beyond all understanding came over my body and spirit. Jesus was there, holding my hand, reading over my shoulder, walking through this with me and opening doors that I hadn't even thought of. Without hesitation I forwarded the email to Drew and through a few Skype calls with Ashby and intense messages back and forth to Kenya, I was offered the position of director at Visible Grace in Kenya until I felt God lead me somewhere else. Basically, the job is mine as long as I want it. "Oh, and how fast can you be here?" Ashby followed up the offer with. Completely blown away by God, I relayed all of this information to Drew because he has intentionally stayed out of the process unless invited in by me so it truly is my ministry and my decision. Drew didn't hesitate for one second when suggesting we get married before he was set to go back to Kenya and have me come back with him, as his wife. He said so many things that allowed me to understand this wasn't on a whim, he had thought seriously about spending the rest of his life with me for over 6 months prior to this. We had talked about it before and I was set on marrying him one day, but didn't anticipate it happening this summer! But more time in prayer and wise counsel and I was at peace with being his wife sooner rather than later and starting this new adventure together as one. I have to admit, I was extremely tired of doing life separate from him and anxiously awaited the day God would bring us together again. And as always, our Father knew the desires of our hearts and rewarded our faithfulness and trust in Him. Drew asked me to be his wife on a Tuesday night at the Rochester Mills, where we had our first date last year. We planned our dream wedding in 3 weeks, didn't compromise on one thing we wanted and got married July 18th. Yes, we got married on a Thursday, but to be fair, NOTHING about our relationship is conventional so why would we ever get married on the typical days?
This week has been full of preparations to leave on July 31st for Kenya. I have made so much progress that today is a relaxing day filled with movies and Jesus. But even in my task oriented world recently, I have begun to think and attempt to transition to life in a third world country, life as a wife, life as a director of an orphanage, life with no one but my husband living there with me, life that is fully dependent of Jesus alone. There are far more transitions than I know what to do with to be honest with you. But the last one in that list isn't new and shouldn't be new for any of us. A life fully dependent of Jesus alone. No matter if you live a life that has all the same transitions as me ahead, or you have none of them in common, a life dependent on Jesus is the only way we accomplish the road He has laid out before us. Am I scared? Absolutely. Do I fear failure? 100%. Do I know it's not going to be an easy road? You better believe it. But what trumps all of those, is that my first focus every day is to live a life dependent on Jesus alone. And if I do that, and you do that, first and foremost every day, everything else doesn't seem so daunting. And trusting Him takes away the fear and replaces it with peace. A peace that surpasses all understanding. So no matter what road God has lead you to, give everything to Him first and no matter how rough the road is, you will never walk alone.
P.S. check out Visible Grace's website to learn more about the beautiful kids and ministry I will be a part of! www.visiblegrace.org
