Storms of Life and Peace

Peace in the midst of the storm. That’s what I feel God is giving me today, and for the last few days I’ve felt the hand of God giving peace to me. We’ve faced a few bumps in the road the past few days, and I’m thankful that God goes beside us and before us. I don’t know what the future holds, but I know that God has all of this in His control. Our governor declared another state of emergency...it’s hard to even believe! I think this is her fourth one now?! I’ve included our most recent stats in the photo below. I’ve stopped even looking at what the media has to say about Coronavirus, but most of it is so blown out of proportion it’s almost ludicrous. There seems to be a desperate attempt to arise panic as much as possible, and yet the hard facts are that there is one active case in our county! Oh, and we live in a county of almost 40,000 people! 123 people have died from Coronavirus this year, but yet on average 227 people die from suicide each year in Maine...where’s the outcry for them?! 

Anyways, Roger’s back is feeling a bit better these days, and we are thankful for that. He missed a few days of work, but he’s back to work again albeit a bit slower these days. 

I’ve been asked to teach kindergarten in our small Christian school this year, and I am excited and terrified! I’ve accepted the offer, and I’m looking forward to seeing how God uses me this year. There have been so many changes in the year 2020, but I’m thankful that God has not been surprised. I will very, very much miss working with our preschool children, but I am thankful for this new opportunity. I’ve been pouring over lesson plan books, reading, and trying to keep all my ducks in a row! I would very much appreciate your prayers as I prepare for this year. I want to be a good educator to our students, and I want them to see Christ in and through me. Basic theology is formed in these young years, and it’s important that they learn the truths found in God’s Word as well as learn to read, write and do basic math! 

I’ve had a few distressing moments in my life over the past few days, and I did what I usually do when I need advice -talk to Roger and talk to my dad. Roger has his hands more than full these days with additional responsibilities at work, being on the school board, and life with five kids! He told me that I should talk to my dad about some of my concerns, which I had planned to do anyways. I value my dad’s opinion, and he’s one to always point me to Jesus. I expressed some of my concerns, he gave me some advice, and we prayed together. I still don’t have a much clearer picture, but it’s nice to know that my dad is praying with me and for me. My dad is a pastor himself, so one of his pieces of advice was to talk to our pastor. Both my dad and our pastor gave similar advice, “Stay in your lane.” Meaning that I don’t need to get bogged down by things that I can’t solve. Relinquish the concerns to those that can help or give advice, and let it go. Easier said than done, but again - God’s got this! (I realize that is a very vague paragraph) Just please keep praying for our family, our church, our school, and of course...me! Thank you!

A lady in our church brought over wild Maine blueberries yesterday! So delicious! By the time Roger arrived home, there was about a cup left that the kids had “saved” for him! We are so thankful for sweet friends who share such a delightful fruit with us!