This road we’re walking on is exciting, but it’s far from easy at times. Today’s to do list included everything from popping into Southampton for a few essentials from Go Outdoors, to packing our suitcases, to organising some bits of furniture which my wonderful sister-in-law Sarah will be taking off our hands as she starts setting up her new home. Nothing too major, or so I thought.

It’s funny, the things that set you off sometimes. It had already been a long day and dinner time was fast approaching when we took to the bedroom to empty a chest of drawers and bedside cabinet, readying them for their new home. All of a sudden, an inexplicable frustration seized me and I felt like weeping at the knowledge that I needed to find a new home for my hairdryer. Poor Dave bore the brunt of my irrational fury!

I doubt it’s the plight of my homeless hairdryer that really set me off. More likely it’s the uncertainty; it’s the feeling of standing at the edge of a precipice, readying myself to take a step into the unknown. It reminds me of that scene in Indiana Jones – the leap of faith – the need to cross the chasm without being able to see the bridge that will take you there.

There’s a reason they call it the comfort zone. It’s comfortable! And leaving it isn’t!

Tomorrow evening we’ll get on a plane and fly to Uganda for a week’s initial nose at where we’ll be living and what we’ll be doing. We’ll fly to a county that I will call home for a minimum of four years. After the next week, I know I will have a much better idea of what to expect, and I’m sure it’ll help to settle the restless butterflies.

And in those moments when it all seems a bit too much, a bit too overwhelming, a bit too terrifying, I’ll hold fast to the truth I know. I will echo the words of a former fisherman, and say, ‘because you say so, I will.’ (Luke 5:5) I’ll trust that as I stretch my foot out and take that first step into the unknown, leaving what is familiar and comfortable, that God will be ready to catch me! As the saying goes: nothing worth having comes easy. That’s not to say I’m expecting this new adventure to be difficult, but I know there will be moments, just like today, where things are harder than expected. That’s why I’m so glad I have a hope, an anchor for my soul, firm and secure.

And besides, I’m sure my hairdryer will be happy in its new cupboard!