“I hope we always choose the Life that reaches depths beyond our wildest dreams and obedience that conquers all other motives.”
-Mary McLeod
Hello! Each Wednesday I share some of the design-related photos that stopped me in my tracks while I was scrolling Instagram the previous week, but today I thought I’d try something different.
You may know by now that I am quite taken with stories. The billions of little ones that are ever-unfolding within the Bigger one they’re all a part of. Well, today, through 9 of her (2000-some) Instagram photos and captions, I want to share a (tiny) bit of Mary McLeod‘s story. Her Insta-handle is @WanderingWithMary. She is a woman whom I haven’t met in person (yet!), but whom I have had so much fun Insta-wandering around the world with. 🙂
Their visit was meant to be 6 weeks.
Mary and J.P. McLeod had traveled to Uganda “one last time” to say good bye to the country they had spent so much time in over the past several years. They had decided it was time to grow roots and connect with their community in Los Angeles. But before they bid Uganda farewell on that “final” trip, God introduced them to a little girl.
Her needs: a family and an education.
Mary and J.P. *thought* that meant they were supposed to help pay her school fees and find her a Ugandan relative to live with, but they were wrong. The path God was pointing them toward lead to them moving to Uganda, to not only provide foster care for the little girl, but to (hopefully) adopt her too.
Mary says, “Our minds were blown. This was not our plan…but it was God’s, and for that we had to sit back in awe and give Him all the glory“.
So, Mary and J.P. went back to LA, worked as hard as they could for the better part of 2015, got rid of every single thing they owned, packed up the remaining items into bins and flew back to Uganda on Thanksgiving day last year. Here are a few of the pictures and paragraphs she has posted since then…
12 weeks ago…
“We arrived late Saturday evening after the sun had already set. As we pulled up to our new home, we could barely see its shape in the night sky. We walked into the front door and were happily welcomed by @ashercollie and @graceandsalt who showed us around the place we now live. I walked through every room with the biggest smile on my face. Everything felt so surreal. To be in Uganda, in our new home, with two of my best friends finally seeing all the work they had done for us in the last couple of months left me with no words but “is this real life?!”. JP began opening all the bags for us and we unpacked all of our belongings in this new place together. My two beautiful friends asked me how I was feeling and I told them “I’m exactly where I belong.”
10 weeks ago…
“This. This right here is a miracle. My family. The road to get here has been paved with sacrifice after sacrifice. First with JP and now with this sweet girl. When God places something so deeply in your heart, when He practically yells at you and gives you a big push out the door, you do whatever it takes to move forward. The road has not been easy and we are certain it won’t be moving forward in this long journey of foster-to-adopt, but one thing we have learned through this crazy year is that God makes no mistakes. For all the days of waiting, all of the goodbyes, the heartaches and yearnings… so many lessons have been learned. Our faith has been strengthened tenfold with no doubt to prepare us for whatever He has written later on in our story. For now, we sit in the joy of His many blessings that taste extra sweet because of the sacrifices made to be right here, right now”.
“The context for a miracle is sacrifice.” – Erwin McManus
9 weeks ago…
“My favorite moment is waking up and realizing it wasn’t all a dream. That I can either walk into the next room and find her sleeping or perhaps on mornings like today she will sneak under our mosquito net and shower us with good morning cuddles. Her morning smiles are filled with pure happiness and excitement. It’s as if she is also realizing that it wasn’t all a dream.”
7 weeks ago…
“I used to dream of adventures in far off places. A passport filled to the brim with stamps and visas. Meeting people on trains and being welcomed into strangers homes to eat their local cuisine. I dreamt of sleeping in tents, on couches and even in hammocks on beaches. I envisioned climbing the tallest of mountains and diving into the deepest of waters. I wanted to try everything once so I would have so many firsts in this life. I realized today that I have not been dreaming of anywhere else but right here…which is a huge first for me. Lately, my adventures have changed to her firsts. Her first time making cookies, her first time eating certain foods, her first time hearing certain songs or reading certain books, her first time saying words like “spicy” or “magnificent”…every day there is a new first. It’s a beautiful thing to see the world through her curious eyes and as corny as it might be, she is the sweetest adventure.”
6 weeks ago…
“If you are in the desert, hold on. Keep going. I’m sure you are thinking that it would feel so much easier to give up. To lose all hope. I promise you it will get better. It absolutely will. God loves us too much to let us live helpless and hopeless for long. Do you see those glimpses of hope He is sending you on a daily basis? Maybe you heard your favorite song in the grocery store today or maybe you just had the energy to take a shower. That was Him. That friend that texted you to tell you that you are on their mind or that opening in the clouds that let light shine in for a brief moment. All Him. He is everywhere even when He feels no where. The 6 weeks before our move, I was in one of the darkest places. Yes, I had a beautiful adventure awaiting me but the walk through the desert wasn’t what I imagined. I lost all my energy and joy. It was hard to get out of bed. The thought of seeing my loved ones to say goodbye made me want to crawl deeper under the covers. Every day moving forward was harder and longer. I was in a place I had never experienced and could hardly describe. Maybe the enemy was paralyzing me from fully living out these final days in the states or maybe God was calling me to be still to rest and feel every feeling possible before the next chapter of motherhood. I’m not sure yet. What I do know is that there is another side to it all. That darkness taught me how bright the Light can truly shine. I have learned a deeper meaning of joy and feel so intimately known by my Creator. If all He gave me were blessings of happiness and joy, I would never know the true meaning of His love. The fact that He not only saved me so long ago but continues to follow through on a daily basis is the ultimate sacrifice. Does He want me to suffer? No. But He knows it’s part of our relationship. I felt so weak in those days that felt longer as the countdown dwindled down but when I woke up to a new day, I thanked Him. I could only continue to walk through that desert because He was by my side. And now I can only continue to dance on my mountain top because He is right here holding my hands. Through it all, He is always with me and He is always with you.”
5 weeks ago…
“I look at this leaf and see a reflection of my life…of my story thus far. Each main branch represents a chapter and all of the little leaves are amazing details of that chapter. Even though there are so many parts to this one leaf, they are all connected together…one life, one journey. My life has been a wild adventure, just like this piece of nature. Everything changed for me when I decided to live a life of complete surrender. I humbled myself, slid over to the passenger seat and let Him do His thing. Sometimes I wonder if I can handle one more branch or even just one more little leaf…but then I realize that no matter what He does, it is for me and not against me. I pray for God to use me every single day. Does that terrify me at times? Yes. Yes it does. But it’s the most beautiful fear I have ever known. It’s a fear that doesn’t paralyze but instead pushes me forward with great strength and childlike wonder. I know He is capable of crazy things. God can come right in and change everything in just a second. While that is enough to make someone run the other way, I run towards Him. I continue praying for a wild story, one that uses me every single day and allows more little leaves and branches to keep on growing.”
3 weeks ago…
“Today the little one wandered around outside playing while I sat at our table finishing up some work. All of a sudden I had one of those moments when everything becomes brighter and more serene. The Holy Spirit rushed in through the front door and flooded the entry way. From the corner of my eye, I saw the curtains dance in the wind and I felt them tickle against my back. I heard “Spirit of the living God, fall afresh on me…melt me, mold me, fill me, use me… ” playing in my ears and sending the words of the hymn deep into my bones. I felt it in every part of my soul and hoped the feeling would never leave. These are the moments when I truly believe God gives us the tiniest glimpse of heaven to remind us that He is always with us even when we feel we are all on our own.”
1 week ago…
“Working together on Saturday’s used to look a whole lot different. Usually there would be sitting in traffic on the 405 heading to a wedding, sneaking glances during the couples vows and if we were lucky sharing a dance towards the end of the night and always stopping by In-N-Out for a victory meal. Today we got to document some amazing children’s stories and cuddle up on a bumpy boda ride all the way home. Either way, we still pinch ourselves.”
3 days ago…
“I pray you don’t look at my Instagram feed and think that I live a perfect life. Or that I am someone who has all their stuff together. Or that I don’t stay up late feeling guilt for not being the best __________ that I could possibly be. My life is not perfect and I am genuinely sorry if it has ever seemed that way. I have gone through a lot and even though I can openly share about the obstacles I’ve been faced with, oh goodness, there are more on a weekly basis. All of these hardships could break me down but I try to find beauty and forgiveness in however God dreams of showing me…and He usually does it through community and creativity.
He shows me in the way He choreographs words to dance through my mind and into the world. He shows me in the way light shines off of a wall or when movement matches up with music playing in the background. He shows me in simple, neutral tones that tell a story of redemption to me. Lately, He has been showing off with the most magnificent hues of green I keep finding all around me that make me feel like I am wrapped in His perfect embrace.
Is this real life? Yes. Because it’s how God shows me hope, balance, and inspiration. Am I masking the current pains, anxieties and fears to pretend that all is fine in my world? Not at all. I’m simply sharing the bits of life God invites me to creatively focus on that bring light to my darkness, to hopefully help shed some light on your darkness as well. My life is not perfect and for that, I am grateful. If everything was just wonderful all of the time, I definitely wouldn’t be able to see the beauty He creates on a daily basis to remind me that I am perfectly imperfect and more than worthy of His unconditional love.”
I hope you are as inspired by Mary’s unfolding story as much as I am. If you’d like to keep wandering with her too, you can find her on Instagram and on her blog…
…and in Uganda. 😉
Cami
Thank you for sharing, I truly needed to hear it this morning.
God Bless
Cami
Linda
I can imagine how much her story touched you. Its a beautiful story for anyone. But for someone who has waited so long and has so much to give…I pray that God fulfills your heart and soul and sends your son to you very soon! You will be wonderful parents. I don’t need to personally know you to feel that. I feel it in everything you write. God bless.
Jenica
What beautiful words that can help so many. I love the way she views the world and this life. We could all use a little more “community and creativity” on this journey to get us through the rough patches. Thanks for introducing us to Mary!
Maryanne
Beautiful words of hope.
Shari
Oh my! Just what I needed today. Thank you for sharing
Iryna | RedBarberry.com
Beautiful story, beautifully delivered!
Kim
I have felt that same Holy Spirit filling “deep within my bones” and like Mary, wished it would never leave. But, I believe we have those moments sporadically because the power and glory of God is too much for our human minds/bodies to handle. It is a rare treasure like she says to give us a glimpse into heaven. She shares it beautifully and I love that we all get to marvel at His miracles in her life for a few minutes. Thanks for sharing.
Sherri
Thank you for sharing, Layla! I love discovering new blogs/Instagrams!! It’s the stories that get me every time! I found a family in MS that I adore. Check out @honeyholden & @nickholden. They have three daughters who I also love to follow: @lydialovesmarcus, @myfourarrows, & @mrs_laurenmcmullen. They have a heart for God, & I love their stories! Love yours, too, Layla!!!!
Shannon
What an encouragement! I love how technology makes it possible to lift each other up miles away and having never met! Thank you for sharing!
Tori
Thanks, Layla. Needed this today.
Sunny
I am another who thanks you for sharing , Layla …There was a portion that I esp could hear as God’s voice to my heart and soul.
She wants to used, as we all do, and was , by sharing.
May God bless and keep her and her family, as well as yours.
We are all members of One body,