Houston. We have a problem.

     It was May 17th, 2022, the day I stared in shock at those seven little letters on the screen of my phone. I had indeed been waiting anxiously for days for seven little letters to appear on that screen. But these…these were the wrong ones. H-O-U-S-T-O-N. What? I just stared in silence at the phone while my two youngest children climbed all over me, oblivious to the fact that our family’s fate for the next 2-3 years had just been sealed. It was supposed to be C-H-I-C-A-G-O.

     Don had just started his 9 months of orientation and training in DC several weeks ago, and today was the culmination of the orientation period, a day called Flag Day, when everyone gets their first assignment. For DS agents, their first post is always a domestic one in one of 8 major US cities. Miami, Houston, Chicago, Boston, DC, New York, Los Angeles, and San Francisco were our choices. Don and his fellow orientees were able to meet with their career development officers, explaining which posts they wanted (and which they didn’t), and submit a list with the 8 ordered in rank of preference. This list was easy for us to rank – almost all of Don’s family is in Chicago, including 12 of the kids’ cousins. There, we would have frequent help with the kids, a luxury we had yet to experience, our kids would be able to go to school with their cousins, and we would have 2 whole years to soak up the family time. Don met with his CDO, pushed hard for Chicago, and played every card we had in our hands, including the “our oldest has autism and my wife could REALLY use the family support” card! As he submitted his list, we felt confident that we had the best reasons of anyone there to get Chicago. As the big day finally arrived, I knew Don would not be able to call me in the middle of the ceremony. I begged him to at least send me a quick text when our fate was revealed! And so, there I sat on the afternoon of May 17th, staring at that one word text. With the wrong letters.

     Now, thankfully, Houston had been our number 2 pick. We desperately did not want New York, L.A., or San Francisco, so all was not lost. Once the initial sting of losing Chicago started to fade, both Don and I quickly came to see the pros of the situation. The cost of living in Houston was drastically lower than Chicago. I absolutely hate being cold, and I knew I would have struggled with the Chicago winters! We could continue to enjoy lots of sunshine and pool days this way, and our kids could keep their year round tans 😂. We were amazed that literally within hours of finding out we were moving to Houston, people absolutely came out of the woodwork offering to help us. It seemed like everyone we knew had a sibling or good friend in Houston. Through family ties, we were put in touch with a great realtor in Houston who found us our favorite house we’ve ever lived in. My sister, who attended college at University of Dallas, also had a slew of friends in the area who helped point us the right direction for schools for the kids. Within a matter of a couple of days, all disappointment was forgotten and we were beyond excited to explore a new city and state. Once again, our plan is frequently NOT God’s plan. But His is ALWAYS better. There’s that Fiat again! Let it be done. Speaking of which, a few weeks after we arrived in Houston, I looked into joining the moms group at the church near our Air Bnb. The name of the moms group? Fiat Moms Group. All of my years of reflecting on that one little word, and here, among all of the big cities of America, God had landed me within walking distance of a church with a moms group called Fiat. It gave me a chill to my bones in the best kind of way.

     A great saint, St. Josemaria Escriva, once said “As soon as you truly abandon yourself in the Lord, you will know how to be content with whatever happens. You will not lose your peace if your undertakings do not turn out the way you hoped, even if you have put everything into them, and used all the means necessary. For they will have turned out the way God wants them to.” (Furrow, 860).

     Houston is what He wanted. I’ve been reflecting on this often lately, as we now have less than 5 months left in Houston. We’ll never fully understand the reasons why He put us here these last 2 years. During some of my time here, I attended a Bible Study on Fridays. One day another mom at the Bible Study, commenting on certain characters in the Bible, remarked on how we have the power to change the trajectory of each other’s lives. One thing we say, one thing we do, can alter another person’s choices, causing a ripple effect throughout all of humanity. Maybe someone (or multiple someones) were meant to influence us here, to help us grow closer to Christ, to provide an example of a life well lived for us to emulate, to strengthen us for the journey ahead. I can already think of several, and I am immensely grateful for the chance to have known them and learned from them. Maybe we were meant to influence someone (or multiple someones). In this regard, I can think of many times where I have failed to be the woman Christ has called me to be. I can only hope, counting on his grace and mercy, that I have also influenced at least one person in a positive way, turning their heart just a little bit more towards the One that created them. Looking back, I would say that I am happy that we were sent to Houston and not Chicago. We will miss the friends (especially the fellow parents) we have come to know here. Thank you to all our fellow Houstonians for your warm welcome, your friendship, your tips for living in Houston, and for pushing us to be the best version of ourselves!

     Now, I’ve had many friends and family asking for updates about the next move, so here’s some specifics about the chaos of preparing for our first international move!

     As of right now, we are scheduled to fly to DC mid June, spend about a week there, and then fly on to Accra, Ghana in the last week of June. Don will be leaving for another 3 month round of training (I know, he’s already had about 11 months of training, how is he not already the highest ninja assassin level there is by now, I DON’T KNOW) between March and June. I will be spending the next few months frantically trying to get this family of 6 ready for Africa. This month I finished the long application process to get our 3 older kids into an international school in Accra. There’s so much to be done…sell and buy vehicles, figure out our cell phone situation for over there, get all of us vaccinated for yellow fever (a requirement to even get into Ghana), figure out how to get malaria meds, get international drivers’ licenses, purchase anything we’ll need for the next 2 years that is not available in Accra, get everyone’s last doctor/dentist/eye appointments in, figure out how to get prescription meds over there, organize everything we own for the movers (more on that below)…the list is endless!

     Many people have asked me about how housing works. Basically the US government has a “pool” of houses that they either own or rent in Accra. They will assign us to one of those, probably making the decision sometime between March and June. While we were able to fill out a questionnaire of preferences, we have no say in which house we get! Its one of those “you get what you get and you don’t pitch a fit” scenarios 😂. It could be fantastic, it could be horrible, who knows? First time moving into a house we did NOT pick ourselves, so stay tuned for that adventure!

     I’ve also had a lot of people ask how the move itself works. The good news is, the government moves us, the bad news is, its much more complicated than the Florida to Texas move! Several different companies/movers will come pick up different shipments from our house over several days in June. One shipment is unaccompanied air baggage (UAB), which they will fly over to us. We are allotted 900 lbs for this shipment, and it will arrive probably 2-3 weeks after we get there (hopefully 😂). The next shipment is household essentials (HHE). That is everything else we want to take to Ghana, but it will be shipped over by boat, so it could be months before it makes it to us! The house they will give us in Ghana will already be furnished, so most of our large furniture items go into yet another category, which will be stored in a warehouse in DC. Then there’s the 12 suitcases of stuff we’ll actually fly with (getting 6 people and 12 suitcases plus carry-ons to the airport, that will be an adventure by itself). Finally, there’s the consumables shipment, which is food/soap/shampoo/cleaning supplies/detergent, etc. not available in Ghana that we can have shipped over in bulk. The logistical challenge (nightmare?) is getting the multiple movers to pick up the right items for their particular shipment, without scooping up items from another shipment, while 4 kids are running around the house, most likely picking up and moving things, complaining they’re hungry, fighting with each other, and asking 1746 questions in the midst of it all. Wish they had a “kid shipment.”

     I will update more as things fall into place over the next few months. For now, I leave you with a beautiful prayer that a fellow mom in Houston taught me. One of those people I think about when I reflect on who has changed the trajectory of my life here in Houston. Maybe even one of the reasons God chose to send us here – so I could learn this prayer.

Some Definite Service

John Henry Cardinal Newman

God knows me and calls me by my name.…
God has created me to do Him some definite service;
He has committed some work to me
     which He has not committed to another.
I have my mission—I never may know it in this life,
     but I shall be told it in the next.

Somehow I am necessary for His purposes…
     I have a part in this great work;
I am a link in a chain, a bond of connection
     between persons.
He has not created me for naught. I shall do good,
     I shall do His work;
I shall be an angel of peace, a preacher of truth
     in my own place, while not intending it,
     if I do but keep His commandments
     and serve Him in my calling.

Therefore I will trust Him.
     Whatever, wherever I am,
     I can never be thrown away.
If I am in sickness, my sickness may serve Him;
In perplexity, my perplexity may serve Him;
If I am in sorrow, my sorrow may serve Him.
My sickness, or perplexity, or sorrow may be
     necessary causes of some great end,
     which is quite beyond us.

He does nothing in vain; He may prolong my life,
     He may shorten it;
     He knows what He is about.
     He may take away my friends,
     He may throw me among strangers,
     He may make me feel desolate,
     make my spirits sink, hide the future from me—
     still He knows what He is about.…
Let me be Thy blind instrument. I ask not to see—
     I ask not to know—I ask simply to be used.

References:

Escriva, Josemaria. “Furrow.” Scepter Publishers, 1992.