Our sweet friends who are going to the Mission Field with us sent us this…LAUGHTER IS GOOD right now…
And at least, I’m not this bad…I hope
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This week is passing quickly…the boxes are stacking higher…I’ve sorted, packed, thrown, reminisced over so much. There is joy in this release, but there is also a lot of letting go. It is hard when a goodbye begins 2 months before it actually happens…family members soak in the sweetness of the kids…eyes fill with tears often. There are moments where suddenly and unexpectedly the goodbye hits someone and the grieving hits. It is so strange to be the cause of it…but the JOY is still there, in the obedience. I pack and sort and wonder why I put certain things in those big black tubs…why I give certain things to Mom to put in her attic…why do the ‘things’ matter…mostly they don’t. This week, we sell everything else that’s not in those big black boxes. I pray for a freeing release from much of the material things that have marked our lives for so many years….I pray for a filling of our souls with more of Jesus. Right now, I feel pretty much exhausted..so there is alot of numbness…I don’t like that. I want to be FULL …of life, of joy, of sorrow…but not disconnected. There’s just so much to let go of, to process, to EMBRACE. I want to celebrate this process too! Ella hugs me so much through the day… Caleb reads and cries often… Maija is passionately unaware most of the time and just keeps reminding me to pack her flower shirt! And her stuffed animals! She makes creative things out of all the tubs…the lids are now sleds pulled behind all her stuffed animals! Riah is gone so much I don’t even think she realizes that life is going to change SOON. She is doing awesome…using her left hand so well even after one week!! She can now feed herself with her ‘lefty’!! We are amazed and so thankful! Healing and strength are happening in the midst of all this! Evie throws some crazy tantrums…and can be the most delightful. She has started saying, “You ‘member Mommy, this isn’t our home anymore?” She also asks almost every day if we’re going to “Opia” today!! Oh, poor little one, she is so confused in her world…pray for her spirit to be at peace in all this. ALL THIS…He is in in all…would you pray we would have eyes wide open to see HIM in it all? We want to praise Him and give each step of this journey back as an offering…some of my offerings probably aren’t so pretty right now. I’m so thankful…Life is SO FULL…HE IS FILLING.
Now I’m thanking Him for this…my reading THIS morning… And do not seek what you are to eat and what you are to drink, nor be worried. For all the nations of the world seek after these things, and your Father knows that you need them. Instead, seek his kingdom, and these things will be added to you. show 1 comment We took a break at the park…All the kids were sharing what they were excited about. Maija, “I’m excited about God.” Me, “Mai-mai..why are you so excited about God?” She moves her hands out in her beautifully dramatic way as if introducing me to creation and says, “Momma, just look at all this!” That’s what I needed. no comments I am listening to the Passion 2012 Sermon by Louie Giglio…have you heard this new album? Here’s what he says…from Luke 7 (Message) “That they would all realize they were in a place of HOLY MYSTERY…that God was at work among them…that they were quietly worshipful…” Yes, Lord…this is what I pray here today in me…in my home.
no comments Today…was crazy. But HE did it again!! We got up early–hauled the kids off to Madigan for one more round of Immun. shots!! Then did a couple more little errands…got home…Dave began unloading the garage onto the driveway…the kids ran happily in the sun!! I was just beginning to sort, organize….start the packing that needs to be done by next week… We got a phone call…Dave came out grinning…”Good news and bad news!” We had another opportunity to show the house. I was feeling worn out, but also know this is what we’re praying for and NEED for the house to sell! I say okay and ran inside to do a quick sweep and clean of the house! As I did this routine…only in our third week, I began praying hard…mostly for JOY in the road set before me. After about an hour and 15 minutes I was done, the garage was put back together and I took the tribe out to the park for a picnic! Riah and Dave left at 1:30 for Riah’s first therapy in Seattle. They wouldn’t be home until 7:30. We watched the sweet family come and go. It was almost 3. I was locked out of my house. No nap for Evie. We got in our house closer to 4…made an easy dinner…all the kids were in bed by 6:45!! I prayed all day, “Jesus, I am thankful for this…but I really don’t know how to do this…please help me….how do I pack our family to move overseas, get ready for a selling everything sale next week, keep my house ‘showable’ and send Riah and Dave up to Seattle every day for the next 3 weeks…Not that this is impossible, but it seems out of my scope! Please help me know how to accomplish what is set before me this week.” SO…Monday night…in all my exhaustion, We got a phone call…We had an OFFER ON OUR HOME!!! Isn’t He so sweet to us!! He must have known I couldn’t do it all Here’s my new homeschooling schedule…for all of you that might do this someday. (And if anyone reading this is struggling with whether or not you’re ‘doing’ homeschool well…Here you go!!) The THEME right now is ~WE ARE FAMILY!! 6:00 Try to get up 6:30 Evie’s up 7:00 Everyone’s up…breakfast, devotions…clean up the whole house. Get everyone dressed (who needs baths?) 9:00 Go to Madigan for shots, the Post Office for Passports, Costco for Photos…or any other random errands that need to get done. (with ALL 7 of us!!) 12:00 Home for lunch 1:30…Evie Naps, Riah and Dave head to Seattle for Therapy…Bigs do ‘school’…Maija helps me pack… 3:30…Outside, because we all need it… SO THANKFUL FOR RARE Washington sun. 5:00 Dinner, Pack some more…play, read… 7:00 SO READY for bed!! 8:00 Dave and Riah get home…Bible Time, prayers…good night!! HIS GRACE IS SUFFICIENT for EACH DAY!! Hopefully all of this is doing a higher and deeper work in us…we want to be doing this to draw closer to Jesus…I am seeing His goodness to us right now. His love is amazing. He has called and He is proving Himself faithful in each step. There is so much releasing…but I feel fuller at every point. I want to know Him. He wants to be known. Our lives are about to drastically change, but He doesn’t. That is our ROCK right now. Our foundation never changes…really that’s all that matters. He is showing us to LOVE Him above all…and trust Him in ways we never have. “The LORD your God is providing you a place of rest…” Joshua 1:13 Off for a nap…thank you, Lord, for a rest. show 4 comments |
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