This is the story of how I ended up like Dolly Parton on a Monday night in South Africa.

And that’s a wrap on 41… What a year.

I’ve been weathered, made wiser, and found possibilities and limitations I never knew existed. More than anything, I saw God in ways I never had... ways I’d never needed to before this year.

We’re getting ready for the launch of a friend and church member’s new business, Sent Collective. We started by studying the Scripture it’s founded on. Nobody loves the Word more than Benjamin Ladd. I tried to edit out the flip-kicks and stimming sounds but saved the content.

Nothing takes you down the road to regret faster than inviting a 4-year old into your kitchen counter to make pizza dough.

We had an AMAZING two days together! We laughed. We cried. We worshiped. We learned. We danced. We ate and ate and ate. We drew near to God and each other. It was an altogether holy, wonderful weekend. Here are a few clips to capture the two days.

Hello Dude Perfect!

I'm sending a SEEMINGLY unimpressive "Trick Shot" video you inspired for two reasons:

1. I made a promise to a 7-year old.

2. I'm wiling to bet even my small testimony matters.

We were washed with wonder and welcomed with dignity today at Wonderdal World . Jam and I had the “Edutainment Centre” to ourselves… well, us and an entire staff.

We’re in a parched and painful season right now with Benjamin’s nervous system disability. He’s at home with me full time, and his smiles are few and far between. The whole family is taking strain.

I didn’t take a single Father’s Day photo or do a gushy post, although he’s so gush-worthy. BUT a friend recently resurfaced this old beauty and it deserves a place here.

2015. Lifa was seven and hardly had any teeth that whole year.

This was before we were married, before he ever called him Dad. We had no idea what God was doing, but we all knew He was in the center of it. Family began in a usual way, an out of the ordinary order for us. But I wouldn’t trade it for the world.

In honor of today’s Call to Worship, I went all the way back to our move to Cape Town and captured my weightlifting journey in less than 90 seconds.

Welcome to the wonderful world of Wyatt.

You never know what you’re gonna get, but you know you’re gonna get it 100%.

Like Wyatt says, “When you turn 43, you don’t get taller. But you do get better.”

Welcome to Baking with Wyatt… where you just never know what’s gonna happen in the kitchen.

We met 20 years ago. I had just turned 22 and moved to LA by myself to start a graduate program at Fuller Seminary. It is a WILD understatement to say this small-town girl had no idea what she had gotten herself into.

I moved into an apartment on campus with two perfect strangers. We slid notes under the doors of the other women on our floor, inviting them over for ice cream. That was the unexpected beginning of the most authentic friendships I've ever had…

We are HOME! I don’t think it’s ever felt so good to be home. Eight weeks of international travel. Over 30 hours to get home on the last leg. We did it! The boys did great! Happy brothers!

I called her… actually I think I just texted her… at the end of February and told her I had to come to America with the kids. She didn’t skip a beat. She just asked when she should fly in to help. She’s been ALL over the place with us over the last two months, sacrificing more than even I can understand. And she’s really seen the underbelly of special needs parenting.

But she’s never stopped being my mom first. In our worst of times on this trip, when I need the most help, the kids won’t let anyone but me near. So my mom stands back, quietly, longingly, and watches over ME. She gives her whole self, even when she feels stuck on the sidelines.

If you ever find yourself sitting on a train station floor, paralyzed by your child’s disability and inability to do the next thing…

Or mentally, emotionally and physically exhausted from multi-tasking rapid decision making, the admin of living abroad, and managing meltdowns on a very small amount of sleep…

Have a party. Whatever kind of party you need it to be. Just make sure you call it a party.

What we were up to last week. (And why I was so quiet in communication!)

The video says it all…

I didn’t know how I could see a lifetime of people I loved while my feet were so briefly on American soil. I was in my hometown, but my kids’ needs trumped my desires for connection, reunion and alllllll the things. A few very dear friends and my cousins helped me put together a dream God put in my heart when I began planning this trip. It only took a few text messages in transit. They orchestrated the details, created an invitation, and made the snacks. People from every chapter of my story gathered in one room, in the church that taught me about the Church, for a couple of sacred hours.

It was too short. It was just right. It was everything

My mom, Wyatt, Benjamin and I land in America in one week. I’m sweating (record-breaking heatwave) and scrambling to tick all the boxes for our visa application submission in America. We had a medical clearance appointment with our pediatrician, Dr. Sinclair, this week. Another requirement fulfilled, but it was more. I told my mom, “God has put the most extraordinary people around us here.”

I’ve been far from “home” so long that this is home and nowhere is home. But we are not on our own.

The Details:

My Mom, Benjamin, Wyatt and I will travel from Cape Town International Airport to Atlanta on March 16th. My mom will get us through a six-hour layover and continue to her home in San Diego. The little boys and I fly to Knoxville, TN to stay with Chris’ parents.

We have passport renewal appointments in Knoxville on March 25th and…