Is God really CRAZY?

   I have had my life as a Mother with my kids & grands planned out for years now. I figured it out that once Nick leaves for college, I will have still have a good 7yrs or better before Olivia leaves the nest. Sounds great huh? Well what is even better is that by that time Nick will in his mid twenties & it probably wouldn't be long before I have some grand babies! I have always thought that I will be a great Grammie, not that I am rushing it at all but I just know that, that will be a sweet time of my life. I have always imagined the kids living near me so that I can watch their kids grow up. One can plan & dream right?
   A couple of Sundays ago at church, we started with our typical worship but this time the team only played one song, then a missionary was asked to get up & share her testimony, then we we finished our worship part of the service. Really the only time that I know of that we have had something like that happen is when a member of our worship team or our pastor will just give a brief word of encouragement or prayer. On this day, the line up had been planned out, just like it took place. Honestly I don't even remember but bits and pieces from the missionaries testimony but during it, my heart shifted in a big way. I started sobbing so bad that the tears were hitting my chest. It was like I was grieving. I realized that it wasn't "what" she was saying it was what God was about to "say". When he spoke to me, it was as if he was sitting eye to eye with me. He told me that Nick would be going to Africa this Summer on a missions trip. What? MY SON? NO God, I plan to take him in a couple of years, once or friends move there, so WE can go together!! By this time, the missionary had finished talking & we were singing again. I started wrestling with God even more. I told him that Nick has fears of flying and he can't go without me, at the next moment we were singing "How Great Is Our God". He then told me that I needed to start letting go because Nick would be going MANY places for him. I reminded him about my plans of Nick having me some grands & living close to me. This went on throughout the rest of worship, I would fight and he would confirm that HE is full aware of what he is asking. I can tell you that I was mad, sad and overjoyed at the same time. Thankfully, we have church members that have experienced this very thing, talking and praying with them help me sort out my emotions.To go back to how our service was lined up that day, it had to have been totally orchestrated by God himself.
   I guess you might be wondering how Mike & Nick feel about this word from God? You know, I could have kept it to myself! I could have been selfish and interfered with what God was going to do with and to my son and stayed in our comfortable, controlling lifestyle but I love my son & GOD too much to think of myself! Nick wasn't too shocked because his friend Betsie had already been telling him that he should go on this trip with her brother Patrick & friend Desmond.  Nick had actually mentioned it to me but we both thought, "um there is noway"! Mike wasn't as ready to put Nick on a plane to Africa for a month, as I was! After all, I had heard from God, not Mike! Mike is the type that needs time to think, time to let go & let God. He wasn't against the trip in the beginning but he also wasn't too sure about it either. Now, I am happy to say that Mike is on board with the trip. He is so on board with the trip that he isn't saying "if" but rather "when" Nick goes to Africa! God moves in crazy ways because a couple of years ago, heck maybe even a year ago, I thought my friend Elysa was crazy to send her teen or teens to another country without a parent!! I am at peace with this trip because I know that God wants to use Nick in Africa and the changes that the trip will make in Nick, God will use that too!
   We will be finishing up the application tomorrow, the trip isn't a "done" deal! He still has to be accepted and he also has to raise $4,200.00!!! I know that if God can change my heart enough to trust him with my son in another country, I know that these final steps can happen too!
   I also must add that with telling both of our families about this trip, we never heard one negative response, only excitement, which is huge too!!