We had a break from school last week as we celebrated Thanksgiving. While we had our break days from school, we celebrated Thanksgiving day. I went shopping with my sister, Hannah. We picked out a Christmas tree. I made lesson plans, graded, and prepared for the next week. We decorated my classroom for Christmas. And we spent lots of time together and outside!
2020 has been full and unusual and different circumstances, and Thanksgiving was no exception. We invited several people and families over to our house, but either due to previous arrangements or Covid, no one was able to come over. It was our first time also in a very long time where no invitations were extended to us either, as it’s a weird year. Our children were a little disappointed that no one was coming over, but we did take a pumpkin roll dessert over to our new neighbors in Wednesday. It was nice to visit with them for a few minutes, and the older boys were delighted to hear that our neighbor was looking for someone to do some yard work for him in the spring. Garett and Chandler eagerly agreed to help out, and it was nice for them to be asked.
Thanksgiving day dawned a bit drizzly and overcast, but it provided a nice opportunity for us to sit and visit together for a while before getting started with the day. Originally we had planned to eat our dinner three pm, but it quickly became apparent that all the kids would be “hangry” by then! We ended up eating around one pm, but that’s the beauty of it just being us - we could eat whenever the food was ready! We asked our children what they were most thankful for this year, and what was the hardest thing about 2020. Unanimously, the kids all agreed that Mr. Kevin’s death has been the hardest thing about 2020. The answers of what they were thankful for varied from child to child. School, family, friends, grandparents, church, our home, Roger’s job, their teachers were all things that they are thankful for this year. I’m so thankful that we’ve finished thirteen weeks of school -in person! We keep praying for God’s hedge of protection, and He’s been merciful and faithful to us.
Last Sunday, our children and Allison’s girls put together fruit and goodie baskets for some of the older folks in our church. Allison and I always come up with what we call these “good, bad ideas!”. These are ideas that seem great in the moment, but when it’s just us and our families doing the majority of the work or we are tired or it’s getting long, it becomes a bad idea!! However, after over four years of friendship, we manage to laugh our way through most of our ideas! Our children made cards and helped assembly the baskets, and several ladies delivered most of the baskets to the older folks last Monday and Tuesday before thanksgiving. The kids and I had several baskets to deliver after school in Wednesday, and the older folks were so happy to have a visit and a small gift. While they kept their distances and we kept ours, they were still so happy to have someone to talk to. The visits took a bit longer than I had planned, but our kids were good sports about it all. I’m so thankful for our children!
Some of you may remember that last year, I was planning on going to Haiti on a medical missions trip. However, due to unrest, then Covid, and a host of other things, the missions trip ended up being cancelled. I had most of the trip paid for, and I was looking forward to going. However, the country of Haiti has also had some difficult challenges over the past year, which have been more starvation than Covid. I ended up giving the money for the missions trip to Parakaleo so that they could give money to the Haitian pastors to buy food for their people. I have been saving again, and God has abundantly blessed! I have all the money that I need for this missions trip! Also, this year, Garett and Chandler will also be coming to Haiti with me!! They are thrilled with the opportunity, and we are praying for God to show Himself strong in a mighty way to both of them. They are looking for jobs to do to earn some money for the trip, so if anyone local needs some work done, we have two boys that are willing and able to work hard! If you feel so led to give towards their missions trip, I know that both our boys would be extremely grateful. This is an amazing opportunity for them to go on this missions trip, and I am looking forward to this experience for them! My dad is also planning on going on the Haiti missions trip in January, so it will be three generations of us on this missions trip. God is awesome!
We do appreciate your prayers as we plan and prepare for this missions trip. It means a substitute teacher for kindergarten, a lot more work for Roger, three kids still at home that will need meals, and lots of other important pieces! Whenever I start to feel overwhelmed or stressed out about it, I’m reminded that God is bigger than all my struggles!
Last night, Roger and I attended a staff Christmas party, which our administrator put together. It was a lovely night with the dear staff and school board members...delicious desserts, fun games, fellowship, and a sweet time of memories together. We are so blessed with the staff members that God has provided for our school this year. There has certainly been plenty of struggles and challenges, but we are almost to week #14 with in-person learning! Thank you to those who pray diligently with us for the hedge of protection around our church and school. God is so good!
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