Rest

After a series of amazing events that happened last Tuesday, I boarded a plane with 10 women I had just met and headed to Bonita Beach, Florida on Thursday.

The short version of the story: Jeff and I were in Indy at a discipleship training school and they said that the women from the class were going on a retreat that weekend. The conversation went like this:

"Would you be able to go if we could get you a ticket?"

I thought for a minute, decided to be spontaneous and said, "Sure! When do you leave?"

"The day after tomorrow."And God knew...that was EXACTLY what I needed. Funny how He knows, isn't it? For the first time in 6 months, I felt like just me again. It was a time of rest, great conversations, time alone with God, walks on the beach, picking up shells, soaking the sun on my face, and being still. Thank you God for these new friends, true sisters in Christ.

The bicycle

Clay has been very interested in bike riding lately, but unfortunately his bike is in storage in California. My Dad had the idea to get out my old bike from second grade. I guess the bike could be called "vintage" since it's over 25 years old.

Dad had it refurbished a few years back and it came complete with a banana seat, handlebars with streamers, white walled tires, and a bubble gum pink frame. Clayton LOVES it! He has been riding like crazy, and today rode about 3 miles with me.

He would probably go longer if I let him. It's pretty fun to see him gaining independence and loving life as a six year old.

Guess who?

We recently had a special announcement to share with our kids. Here's how it began:

Jeff: Hey, Clay and Emma, guess what? We're going to have someone else in our family with a birthday in May. Do you know who that could be?

Clay: You, Daddy?

Jeff: No, my birthday is in January.

Clay, thinks a long time, then finally realizes, "Are we going to get a baby at the hospital?" The picture above shows his face when he realized that there's a BABY in my tummy. He immediately put his hand to his head very dramatically and said, "Not ANOTHER baby!" (As if we have one every year.)

And here is Emma showing with her fingers how big the baby is right now.

So, we're pretty excited to have some good news to share.

30th party

I was blessed by a surprise birthday party recently. The food was beautiful and delicious, but most meaningful to me was the sharing and prayer time. Thank you to my mom and Jeff's mom for putting it all together. And, thanks to all of these women who showed me so much love that day.

moments in the desert

November 1st marked five months since we left India. We are still here, moving our suitcases back and forth between our gracious parents' homes, and waiting on God. The wait has been a struggle and I have had lots of tears, especially lately as I seem to have hit my breaking point. I have felt so many emotions...sadness, discouragement, frustration, disappointment with God, loss of hope, and more fragile emotionally than I've ever been before.

The other day I was crying and Sensitive Miss Emma asked, "Mommy, are you crying because we don't have a house?" I didn't know how to explain it all to a 4 year old, so I just nodded. She said, "It's okay, Mommy. Clay and I aren't crying. We'll get one soon enough." That was just the word from God that I needed to hear that moment. Spoken from God, through a child . . . yet straight to my heart.

The song that speaks to my heart most right now is "The Desert Song"(click here to listen) by Hillsong:

This is my prayer in the desert
When all that's within me feels dry
This is my prayer in my hunger and need
My God is the God who provides

This is my prayer in the fire
In weakness, or trial, or pain
There is a faith proved of more worth than gold
So refine me Lord through the flame

All of my life in every season
You are still God
I have a reason to sing
I have a reason to worship

I read an email that Jeff wrote a friend of ours recently. It really sums up our life right now. I asked him if I could share it because I loved how he wrote so honestly.

"as for us, yes, life is quite difficult at times. adrienne and i were just saying tonight that in many ways this journey is so much more challenging than india. the unknown, the waiting, the doors that open so wide that light comes rushing in, offering hope for our souls, only to get squeezed shut, revealing the darkness once again. three weeks ago we thought we were looking at three good options and now all of those have been put on hold. it seems that the waiting game continues. nevertheless, there is a work that God is doing in us that can only happen in the crucible. it feels like that's where we are and though i wish that He would show me what the future holds, He has not failed to be present.

while i'm anxious for the waiting period to be through, i suppose that i will miss the moments of seeing God speak through the generous gifts of friends and family, the words of truth spoken through strangers, and the proximity to God i've experienced simply because we are in the wilderness. "