Destination: Western Caribbean

Miami, Florida, Great Stirrup Cay, Bahamas, Ochos Rio, Jamaica, George Town, Grand Cayman, and Cozumel, Mexico.
What do all these places have in common?

These are the ports of call we'll be visiting on our 10 year anniversary cruise! Yes, it's still almost 6 months away but we're very excited. We've never been to Jamaica or the Cayman Islands (pictured above). We've been day dreaming about this trip for the better part of a year now. Not necessarily this exactly destination- we've simply been looking forward to taking a special trip to celebrate our 10th anniversary.

Further background: For the last couple of months, we've pondered and researched destinations, airfares, and hotels. There was even one time last month where we almost booked a trip.

But we didn't.

Invariably, something always didn't work out. For example, we had been saving up our airline miles for over a year now so that all four of us could fly for free. When it came time to book, because of the miles it took to get there, we would have to pay (out of pocket) for one ticket. Not a huge deal but thankfully, we took it as a sign. It just didn't feel right.

So we waited...

A couple of weeks ago, I asked Morgan if he had been praying about the trip and admittedly he said no. Neither had I.

Like so many other decisions, I felt like I needed to hear from God. I wanted that reassurance that only He can give. That confidence of going in the way He wants us to go. With that, we began to pray.

We put the trip on the shelf and we waited some more...

Specifically, I prayed that God would work out every detail to our favor, in perfect harmony. I prayed that there would be no doubt, hearing His voice clearly. But perhaps the most challenging thing I prayed is this, "God, do you really want us to take this trip? If it's not Your will, please make that clear and give us the grace and peace to accept that as well."
I believe by doing this, I finally surrendered it to Him. We stopped trying to make things happen on our own. We trusted God to know what's best for us.

About 2 weeks later, I woke up early one morning and decided to take a look at some previously saved travel itinerary. By putting the trip aside for a while, we took the risk of prices changing or some part of a trip becoming unavailable. As I looked further into that morning, not only had the prices stayed the same, but by God's grace, it now took less airline miles to get there! That meant all four of us could indeed fly for FREE.

Since this was the first time we looked into the trip since we had been praying about it, we took it as a clear sign from God. This was our trip!

And a great reminder to seek prayer in all circumstances... not just the tough ones. God wants to be there to celebrate with us. Perhaps He was just waiting for an invitation?
Praising Our Faithful and Loving God!

“Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives; the one who seeks finds; and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened." ~Matthew 7:7-8