3 days?? 3 days??

So Marlon leaves Monday. Crazy! It seems like we were just praying and moving forward with making the plans for this trip and now it's here! I am so excited for him and this opportunity. He has everything he needs (suit bought and sent to be pressed) and we'll start packing tonight just so we don't leave everthing to Sunday. Sunday is church of course, I have to teach a different hour than my normal hour as well...Isaiah has a game...I have a wedding shower...dinner at Pop's with Marlon's family...it will be a busy day and won't have a lot of time available to pack. He has his final itinerary of how his days in both Nairobi and Lusaka will be spent. His laptop is full of the sermons that he will give and ipod full of songs he'll like. We also made sure our web cams work so that we'll be able to see each other a few times while he is gone. That was one thing about his trip last year to the Philippines...it was hard not to see each other. This time he's gone a month and we knew that we'd want to see each other...especially the kids!
I am so thankful to have Marlon as a husband. I think back to the early years of our marriage. There was so much conflict there that we both created. Issues and baggage that had to get cleaned up and taken care of. I remember when His walk with Christ was developing at a much quicker rate than mine and that sometimes created conflict. The best thing that ever happened for our marriage was that we both put our trust in Christ and decided to walk with Him each day. Does that mean we don't have problems? Hardly! I remember looking at Christian couples that never seemed to have issues as deep as ours and wonder if they were just pretending or not dealing with things openly. What I think now...is that there is just a peace that transcends understanding when you are filled with the Spirit. Even when we argue or disagree...there is this underlying love that you know is there and you feel safe and cared for...even in those ugly moments. Whatever happens in our future...wherever ministry path we end up on...I know Christ will be at the center of our marriage and that is something I am grateful for in a way that words can't express.
It'll be a long month...but I can't be selfish and hold him back from God's mission field just because I'll miss him. I have full faith that God will take care of each of us in the way He sees best...until we are all together again!