A time to uproot

I've always taken issue with finality. 

Ask anyone who knows me well and they'll tell you - I don't like having no choices left. I like to believe that possibilities are endless, that choosing one road doesn't negate another, that if I change my mind I can go anywhere and do anything. 

I hate feeling trapped.

So now, as we pack our bags for this long-awaited journey, 

I can feel that familiar recoil in my stomach. 

My hands tremble a little as I zip that last suitcase shut. 

This is it.

We will get in the car, and this whole thing will be in motion. 

In fact, the dominos have already begun to fall, 

there is no changing where they will inevitably lead us. 

So my insides panic a little. 

Instinctively. 

And my mind battles a mile a minute 

to ward off the myriad of fearful questions 

that could undermine the years of purpose that have led us here:

What if we get there and it's horrible?

What if I miss home?

What if we're not ready?

What if I don't really want this?

But my heart already knows.

There is no turning back. 

My soul embraced this path long ago, 

and the coming to fruition is all the more beautiful

because it is frightening.

It is decisive.

It is final.

I know in my "knower" that this is our time to uproot, 

to leave all that is familiar and home-like,

to allow this miracle to happen. 

We are meant to encounter the suffering.

We are meant to see the hard things.

We are meant to rub our hearts raw on the aching parts of this world. 

And it could ruin us, in the most beautiful ways. 

So while my tears betray me, my heart beats loudly for a place we've never been and a people we've never met. There will always be a home to return to, but right now is not the time for us to plant. 

Right now is our time to uproot.

Thank you to everyone in the Northwest who made time to see us before we left! We miss you already. While onboard the ship we will have internet, so you can bet I'll be blogging about our journey! 
Please keep us in your prayers, and if you fancy writing, we would love to hear from you!
Patrick & Emily McHenry
Mercy Ships IOC
M/V Africa Mercy - Surgical Ward
PO Box 2020, Lindale TX
75771-2020 USA