It’s an unusual place to be in for me, but the whole month of September almost went by without a single blog post! (Did you miss us?!) :)
I have sat down several times over the course of the month to try to write down some thoughts and to give an update on our family, but the words weren’t flowing or my thoughts were too jumbled. My thoughts are still jumbled, and my words still are not flowing, but it’s time for an update anyways. Bear with me as we share some important updates on our family.
First of all, we are moving! As you process that information, you can rest assured that this was not an easy or hasty decision. It’s one that we’ve wrestled with on and off since about February, but God has made it increasingly clear that His plan for our lives is in a different direction. There have been many, many tears over this decision and more to come, but God is faithful! Oh, He is so very faithful! As we’ve prayed, we’ve seen God at work. He’s opened the way for us to walk in this path, He’s never forsaken us, He’s encouraged us through using people when we’ve been discouraged. We serve an amazing God! Through all of this, we want our children to know that God will be glorified and that He is worthy to be praised -even when it’s not necessarily what we would’ve chosen for ourselves.
Secondly, our house is going on the market on Wednesday! That’s another reason that I haven’t updated the blog as it’s a big job to get a house ready to go on the market and especially one that seven people live in! One of our children has already been very stressed over school, and this packing, decluttering and disrupting his life, has made this month a great challenge for him. I faintly remember telling Roger about seven years ago when we were getting ready to sell our house in Wisconsin and move to Arizona that “I don’t ever want to do this again!” And here we are! Roger has had a pretty rough work schedule this last month as he’s had to work every single weekend (Friday, Saturday, and Sunday) for his entire last month. That’s added to the challenges as the kids are in school Monday through Friday. But it did mean that Roger could work on many projects on our house. He took many trips to the dump as well as many trips to the scrap yard. Our house is looking pretty amazing these days, but it’s not feeling like home!
So, what’s the plan? Whenever we decide to make a plan, generally God redirects our paths, but we do have a tentative plan. When our house sells, we will be homeless. Sounds fun, right?! Honestly, I absolutely believe that God orchestrates our lives so that we will depend on Him for every moment.
Back to point #1- Roger has accepted a job in Northern Michigan. He will be flying for an aviation company out there that will also allow him to build multi-engine time. More importantly, he will be able to be home every night. There are many, many aviation jobs out there. But we know our time with these children is so very short, so having Roger at home at night is a big deal to us. However, we will be separated for a time (this kinda feels like de ja vu of our experience when Roger was in Florida for flight training!) Roger will be leaving for Michigan the first week in October. God has provided a place for him to stay for short-term. The kids and I will be staying in Maine for the time being as I am teaching kindergarten, the kids are in school, and there is a housing shortage in Michigan also!
As our house goes on the market on Wednesday, we are diligently praying that God will continue to provide in a great and mighty way for our family. Depending on how long it takes our house to sell, the kids and I will need a place to stay for the school year. God has already revealed one possibility, but we are still very much in the waiting. Roger will be flying back as often as his schedule allows to spend time with us. We are planning to go to Michigan for Christmas break, and we will continue to work together to see each other as much as possible. We are thankful for those that have offered us “buddy airline” passes for Roger to fly back as well as so many that are praying that we will find a place to live. Again, the Lord is good and faithful!
The last month has been difficult on all of us and that would be an extreme understatement. We’ve worked hard, cried, yelled, hugged, packed, cleaned, decluttered, and we are “done”. As Travis told me yesterday, “I can’t wait for this part to be over!” (As I told him to pick up his stuff and put it somewhere else!) Roger has had a rough last month at work, and it didn’t end the way that we wanted it to. We have some amazing memories of this company and this spot in Maine is dear to our hearts. Several of Roger’s co-workers have come up to him to tell him how much they enjoyed working with him. Several younger guys commented to Roger that they learned so much about manhood, character, and work ethic just by working with Roger. An older gentleman gave Roger a gift of money and said, “I’ve appreciated your family. I know you’ll be able to use this.” Another friend happened to tell Roger, “I’ve seen a lot of naughty kids in my days, but your kids have always been a pleasure to be around. It’s encouraging to know that there are still families trying to invest in their kids.”
Yesterday a bunch of people from one of the islands that Roger has flown to for the past six years came out to say good-by to him. Roger said it was one of the most emotional moments he’s had in his lifetime. He told me when he go home that it was a good thing he was so familiar with the runway as he could barely see through his tears. Oh, this is hard- so hard. There is SO much more here, but sometimes it’s just to complicated to share my heart. Please do pray for us as we navigate these unfamiliar waters again. Pray that God will show Himself strong and mighty to our children. Please pray that Roger and I will have great wisdom, understanding, and communication, as we are separated for a bit. God has shown Himself strong and mighty, but we are still emotional drained and hurting. The school kids have been focusing on a song at school “Jesus, Strong and Kind” and every time I’ve heard it this month, I can feel my eyes water. “We can always run to Jesus, Jesus strong and kind.”
It’s not all about Roger and I as we also look into the faces of our five children. Chandler and Garett are excited about the move, and are praying that God will give them some hunting land. (I don’t think they care too much about where they live, they’d just like some hunting land!). Chandler said that he thinks he’d like to move back to Maine someday. “I really liked living here, Mom. I think I want to move back someday.” Wyatt and Travis are very unsure about the move to Michigan, and Wyatt told me that he’s glad that he has one more school year in someplace that he already knows and has friends. (Travis would prefer to move someplace where there is NO school!) Haha! Emma thinks that moving will be a great adventure and she’d like to bring all her friends with her. I’m thankful that God knows their hearts and needs better than even I could ever dream.
In the past month, the kids have completed four weeks of school. The four boys are playing soccer. Garett received some very nice notes from some staff and teachers. Chandler made his first big purchase - a bow. And he’s excited to practice and go deer hunting soon. The older boys went to multiple neighbors and people and asked about hunting on their land. Everyone they asked either said “yes” or “I don’t have enough land”. I could not believe the amount of people that told them yes! That was exciting for them!
In closing, we do ask for your continued prayers. We did not envision this step in our lives, but God goes before us and beside us. We rejoice in the fact that He is worthy!
