Challenges

Life is full of challenges.

I just read an article that was sharing the importance of living in the now, not waiting for the next thing.  I feel that I have savored the seasons in my life most of the time.  Just not the tough seasons.  Those ones I want to pass quickly.

I think of Josh's last year here at home.  EVERY SINGLE THING would get me choked up or in a full fledged cry.  Knowing there were so many "lasts" that year was so hard for me.  But now that he is at college, I really do have so much peace.  Don't get me wrong.  I miss him incredibly.  (I do have a bit of jealousy when my fellow freshman college parents are getting to visit their kids and it has now been over three months since I last saw my son.)  And knowing the wait til I see him again is long.  But, I am peaceful in this season for him.  I am thankful for the way that the Lord is taking care of him even better than I ever could.  I am thankful that he is blessed to attend such an amazing school.

Back to challenges.  Yesterday I met with someone who wants to adopt.  I feel I have become an adoption advocate.  Because every child deserves a mom and dad.  A children's home, no matter how amazingly it is run, is never the ideal in a person's life.  But adoption is challenging.  Sometimes the hard days outweigh the good days.  But you also begin to savor the easy days.  The Happy days.  And our eyes must not get caught up in the here and now, but the goal.  We must lay down of ourselves, over and over.  And we must ask our first children in the home to lay down of themselves too.  And we must never give up.  It is not an option.  People looking into adoption must count the cost before beginning the journey.

I picked up a book yesterday about the Twenty things adoptees wish their adoptive parents knew.  I have literally only read the dedication...But she is standing over her adoptive parent's graves, thanking them.  Thanking them for loving her when she was unlovable.  Pouring into her when she seemed unreceptive.  That she was thankful for everything they had done.  Every time they had fought for her. 

Adoption is one of the most challenging things I feel I have done.  And now, here we are in the middle of it again.  But when I look to the future, when I see God's bigger picture, and I am reminded that this is the season He has put our family in...it is not so hard:)

What season are you in?  Are you allowing God to mold you or becoming resentful?

There once was a girl with a botfly in her leg...

Several weeks ago, Tori went cavetubing with one of the teams that had come to minister with LifeNet.  She got bit by a mosquito...which is just life here.  The difference is that this bite would never heal.  She was very concerned and worried that it may be a bot fly.  Warning:  Google at your own risk...its pretty disturbing.

A couple weeks ago, I decided to take her to the doctor.  The doctor had never seen one before but assured us it was just a bad bite and would heal with time.

Still the mysterious bite did not heal.

Yesterday afternoon, we once again began discussing what it could be, what we should do.  I suggested she clean it really good with some rubbing alcohol.  Apparently, that was the trigger.  She began to see yucky stuff come out and then just as Net was starting last night, she saw the head.  Yes, like an alien, coming out of her leg.  I don't know how, but Jesus, but she held it together through the NetGroup.  As soon as Net was over, we knew what we needed to do.  We piled vaseline to cover the hole and suffocate the worm so it would poke through.  And when Lee got home from the van run, he slowly, and carefully pulled it out...and it was fat....  Poor girl.

So, there once was a girl with a botfly in her leg.  Noone believed her, not even the doctor.

Well, she proved them wrong.

And I am glad this tale is over...

This Past Weekend

As I write this, it is pouring outside my window.  And I love it.  Rain brings in breeze and wind and cooler temps.  The only thing I don't like is the mud...but I don't mind cleaning up as much when it is not as hot:)

This coming week, we will have completed our first nine weeks of homeschool.  Tori has a full load as a sophomore this year and Erika has almost completed third grade.  We are anxiously awaiting the delivery of her fourth grade curricullum.  Kailey is adjusting to homeschool as well.   She likes best how it usually only takes half a day to complete her work, rather than all day long.  It is hard to believe we are already a quarter of a way through the year.  My days fly by between household and homeschool duties.

We are blessed that Erika and Kailey get to enjoy ballet and other dance classes through YWAM twice a week.  They both enjoy going so much and it is a great outlet for them.  Elizabeth, Tori and I walk most school mornings now and it is such a great start to our day.  Today, Tori began to take Art Lessons from a lady here in Belmopan.  She has so much natural ability and I cannot believe how much she learned in just the first lesson.  And I love that the girls now each have something, outside the home, because we are all home so much:)

This weekend was a lot of fun.  Friday night, one of the families invited over several couples.   They cooked us amazing Barbecue with all the fixings and then we played some games together.  There was lots of laughing and we lost track of time, not getting home until after midnight.  We let all the younger girls sleep in Saturday morning and Elizabeth and I got up and went to Marla's.  We had a great time.  

Sunday, our church participated for the third year in a row passing out waters.  The wait before we start is long and hot, but the joy of passing the cool waters to the hot parade watchers is awesome.  Erika and I ended up getting on the back of the float to help pass the waters from there, as that is where help was needed more.  But the whole weekend, I was just overwhelmed with our church family.  They are all willing to serve.  And believe me, this passing out waters is no easy task.  We all went to bed at 8 pm Sunday night and took Monday off:)

I want to give photo credit, as most of these pictures were taken by Tori.  I am amazed at her photography skills, as well as her artist skills:)

Elizabeth kept us all laughing as she danced the parade away.  But she was exhausted like the rest of us that night...

This collage is from Friday night and Sunday...

I love this selfie Tori took this summer.  Since she was the photographer, there were none of her at the parade.  Kailey and Tori both worked so hard passing out all those waters!!!

A few weeks back, we needed a getaway as a family.  It was an awesome field trip to visit an Iguana Farm.  If you know me, I should get big points for even going in the cage.  But I must admit, I did not hold any iquanas...  I was the designated photographer with Tori's camera, so she could enjoy the iguanas.

Life remains busy as we transition still to lots of changes in our household.  One of my great joys is when I get to hear from Josh.  He is doing great.  They have special things they do for the kids of missionaries and that blesses me so much.  He has also been blessed by visits from our families and care packages.  I miss him so much, but am so happy that he is enjoying college life so much.

Plugging Along

Sometimes it is in the monotony of serving day after day.  The little things.  The baby steps.  That is where we sometimes find ourselves right where we are supposed to be.  I have been in this spot of homeschooling, cooking, cleaning, laundry, repeat...  And sometimes I wonder what is the point of it all?  But there is a point.  I have a 7, almost 8 year old little girl, who was placed in our family to change her destiny.  So that she would know Jesus.  And I have an amazing almost 16 year old daughter, who I see blossoming before my very eyes.  She is beginning to babysit...and yes, it makes me nervous.  Yet, it speaks of the character that others, beyond myself,

 see in her.  And now we have a young teen that we are trying to mold, welcome, love, into our family.  And it is in the day to day that will happen.  It is in helping her learn many new things.  It is in teaching her simple things.  And it is in the family days where we just get out of here for the day.  Those days are exhausting physically, but oh so good for the soul.

 

After the cares of ministry were weighing us done a couple of weeks ago, we just left for the day.  And it was great.  Yes, it looks like paradise.  We won't talk about the hike there and back:)  But I saw lots of smiles that day.  And our packed picnic lunch tasted so yummy sitting beside the falls.  My heart was sad missing my Josh.  He would have loved this day.  But I am thankful that he is having new, fun experiences on his own.

Then this past weekend, the FMI Director, Jim Scott, came to visit us.  This is one of Tori's favorite people in the whole world.  We were so blessed just to hang out with this guy.  His sermon on Sunday morning touched a billion different points in my spirit.  One being that God calls us to do things that don't make sense to other people.  I feel like that is the story of my life (our life).  Why would we adopt a girl that is mostly grown?  Only because God Himself told us to.  And it's in the day to day, the little things, that we have to focus on the bigger picture.  Obedience to a Heavenly Father who knows what is best for his children.

Another really cool thing that happened this past weekend.  Just in the day to day.  Learning to hear God's voice.  I go to the children's home every other Saturday.  I had a hard time pulling something together this past week for Saturday.  And so I felt I should show a Christian movie instead.  As the movie played, I felt I was supposed to ask if any of the girls needed prayer.  This is not something I normally do.  I prayed with about ten of the girls, but THREE of them accepted Jesus.  It was all quite emotional...but special.  Because they are my girls...that I deeply love...and have relationship with.  And I got the privilege of praying with and for them.  

And that made the day to day stuff worth it all.