Looking back on 2012...and to 2013.

What an amazing year 2012 was for the Loudermilk family! I could have never fathomed on January 1st,{2012}, that our family would be where we are now, exactly one year later. It seems so surreal to me as I look across the street, from the living room in my parent's home, to the front of our old house, and think over all that happened this year. I want to do a quick recap so that I never forget, even though I am pretty sure I never could!! Over the past year we have traveled to Ohio, Florida, and North Carolina to see family, go on awesome vacations with family, and spend time with our missions agency. We have moved from our home, to our mobile home, and finally into my parents home, which is where we are now. {side note... our whole family of 6 is living in my old room that I lived in while under my parents roof. it is so bizarre at night to look around and see our precious sleeping family, and think of the nights I spent there before ever even meeting Brian. so surreal and so blown away by the blessings I have received.} We have watched our two oldest "babies" start all day school and watch them flourish. We have spent way too many hours at the "shot doctor" and shed many tears because of it. We have gone from wondering when we would feel the Lord release us into the roles of missionaries to Tanzania, to being {almost} fully funded and leaving in 50 days!! We have been blown away watching God open doors for us and moving mountains time and time again. We have been blessed with new relationships, and realized {even more than we already knew!} how blessed we are to be surrounded by amazing people daily. It has been hard, and not always pretty. We have seen chapters of our lives close, and we are beginning to see new chapters begin. Doing all of this with four {young} kid has been interesting. I am so proud of them, though. With all the change going on around us, they just keep going, unphased. The only complaints we have heard from them through all of this is that they hate getting their shots.
As we look to 2013 there is so much anticipation and excitement in my heart! A quick glimpse into what our lives will look like during the next few months are as follows. January to mid-February we will be finishing up packing, and all of the last minute things before getting ready to leave. As of January 1st, Brian is off staff at our home church, and will be done at his secular job late January. There are lots of little things to be done before we go, they just keep seeming to pop up everywhere! February 19, we will fly out of Des Moines and make the long haul to Africa. Once there we will be living with our dear friends {and fellow missionaries} for the next few weeks. While living with them we will adjust to life there, with things like learning how to drive a stick shift while driving on the opposite side of the road, sitting in the opposite seat in the front. Then after being there for a few weeks, we will head to a nearby town and attend an intense three week language school. We will live at the school those three weeks, and the older three kids will go to a "kindergarten" class at the school, while Harper will have her own nanny for the three weeks. After our time there, we will be moving into our house and focus on making it our home. We cannot wait to get settled and start our ministries there. We would so appreciate your prayers for our family during this season of transition. We are excited to see what 2013 brings!