But God…

 

I’m daily reminded that God is faithful, and these past weeks have been nothing but God- God surrounding us, upholding us, moving us, changing us, loving us, as we continue to take one day at a time. Actually sometimes, it’s just a moment at a time! A victory that I held in a harsh word, delight from a child’s hug, laughter at the park, a moment to cry, moving forward, and knowing that bedtime is coming! 

The last two weeks have felt like some of the longest in my life, and I don’t consider myself a dramatic person who exaggerates life! Roger has been gone for four weeks this coming Tuesday, and we are on the countdown to seeing him again. While the boys have been so helpful in helping pack and move and load stuff, they still need a lot of direction and admonishment to do the “next right thing” which sometimes means walking away from a brother rather than engaging with him! 

We’ve moved to the apartment, have mostly packed our storage unit, cleaned, worked, and then taken our turns with colds and sickness. Its been a different adventure to live in the “city” so to speak, but I am so thankful that God provided this perfect spot for our family. It’s close enough to walk down to the harbor, stroll to the park, or adventure to go window shopping. Last Sunday afternoon we walked down to the park, and the kids had a good time playing together. It’s a good thing we got out on Sunday as its rained most of this week!

 Tis the season for colds, and it was our turn this week. With a large family, it seems to eventually sweep through all of us. I used to be super careful about my kids not “sharing germs”, but then it didn’t seem like it mattered and everyone got sick anyways! Now I feel like maybe we can just get it over sooner if we just share germs faster! Either way, I think we are on the up-and-up. I took an at-home Covid test on Thursday to make sure that I didn’t have Covid, and it was a relief to have a negative test! Apparently, I’m a tired mom with headaches, but not Covid! Every store in our area is sold out of at-home Covid tests, but I managed to get a few in a Sam’s Club delivery. It’s a special blessing that I got them when I did as the very next day, they were sold out! You can go get tested a certain sites, but there is still a few days wait to get in, and to be honest, I’m not a huge fan of everyone knowing my business-personal opinion there. 

It was a long week of isolation and loneliness- well, I felt lonely. I’m not sure that the kids did as they had each other to argue with! I’ve felt kinda crummy most of the week, so trying to do remote learning on top of that was just really hard. I was not a very fun mom, and depression was hard hitting this week. I cried more than I usually do, I’m sure we haven’t done all that we were supposed to, and I’m sure I let more  slid than I should’ve, but for now, I’m just thankful that it’s Friday! (Now Saturday) Since we are currently living in our apartment, but trying to finish up at our house, that added to the confusion of remote learning. The printer is out our house, but we ran out of white paper. So then we printed it on colored paper, and then ran out of ink! At this point, all parties were done-mom, students, teacher-on-duty, children-done. (Done is code for “frustrated and overwhelmed”) We will do the best we can and leave the rest (not my usual approach to things, but it is what it is!) 

Roger passed his check ride!! We rejoice in this in big way, as it’s another step for Roger in the right direction. We also have the huge praise that Roger was paid for his training! This is a huge answer to prayer for us as we just weren’t sure how God was going to provide for all our needs in October, but He did- as He always does! Roger seems to be enjoying his new job, and we are praying for our housing situation in Michigan. It’s hard to know exactly what direction to be looking in as we don’t have a church family or school that is helping direct that direction. When the kids and I go out in December, we are praying that God will provide a bit clearer of a direction of where He would like us to live. A lot depends on the schooling situation for our children, and that’s a part that is heavy on my heart. Two of our children really struggle with academics, and while they are diligent in their studies, school is hard. The thought of returning to homeschool during the high school years is daunting at best, but God knows the future. I’m thankful that He loves our children even more than I do, and He goes before us. 

Travis had the opportunity to go with some friends to Boston about a week ago. His friend, Abel, invited him to come to a Dude Perfect tour show, and Travis was thrilled! Travis does not show a lot of emotion over anything, but this was one thing that definitely excited him! Abel has been a good friend to Travis during his years at our Christian school, and it was fun to see Travis have such a good time. He came back tired but happy! We are so thankful for Claire and Micah’s generosity in including him on this adventure.  It was a fun adventure for him, and it’s often fun to go to something without a sibling. 

We are having a few snags with our house closing, so we’d appreciate continued prayers for that. We need to install a water filtration system, and the appraisals are taking longer to complete these days. Please pray that we can find the right people to do the jobs, and that we can close our house this month! It’s very wearying trying to manage a lot of pieces right now, and it would be a blessing to wrap up this part. It’s been bittersweet as we moved out last Saturday knowing that we had spent the last night in our home. For five plus years we’ve lived at this house at the end of a dirt road. We’ve hosted family and friends for overnight stays, entertained for youth group events, baby showers, birthday parties, and so many memories around our large dining room table. It’s a melancholy feeling to wrap up the final days and details here. (Final details means dumping random contents in a box these days!) I told Roger that I have no idea what will end up in Michigan, and I’m pretty sure that the bunk bed pieces are in three different boxes! Oh well! We will figure it out as we go! 

Sometimes it’s easy to feel defeated by our circumstances and surroundings, so I wanted to record a few blessings from this week. While there was a LOT of rainy days this week, we did spend a few evenings playing games together as a family. I’m thankful for technology and that the kids can “see” Roger every evening when we have Bible time and pray together. I’m thankful for my friend, Allison, whom endured a gazillion texts from me this week, but encouraged me daily. I’m thankful for coffee (and creamer). I’m thankful for a spouse who loves me and encourages me when I feel like I’m making a royal mess of many things. I’m thankful for grace- God’s grace. I’m thankful that every day is a new day, and that I have children to love (and drive me crazy). I’m thankful that I was able to go back to exercise class this morning! There’s a few things I need to survive these days apart and those include- Jesus, coffee, and exercise! I’m thankful for love and forgiveness, and that regardless of how I “feel”, God’s love in unchanging, constant, and sure! 

Thank you for your continued prayers as we need them. 

     Photo credit: biblword.net

Moving Mountains! God is Able!

 So much has happened in a little over a week that it’s hard to keep everything straight! However, the biggest take-away has been that God is so faithful! Every since Roger’s boss passed away fifteen months ago, we’ve wondered what God had in mind for our family. Roger is a man of steadiness, faithfulness, and compassion so when he told me that he thought that God was going to be moving us away from Maine, I tried to prepare myself for that. (Which wasn’t/isn’t really possible, but God has been faithful through it all!) 

On Monday, September 27th, I posted that we were getting ready to put our house on the market on Wednesday, September 29th. At the time of that posting, we did not have a place to live for the school year for the kids and I, but we were diligently praying. Shortly after that post was published, I got a text from one of my best friends, Allison, asking if we were interested in looking at an apartment her husband was going to rent. Yes! Roger was able to meet me at the apartment, and together we took a walk through it. It is not furnished (but that means we can get a smaller storage unit), but it is only a little over a mile from the school! It’s right in town, so it doesn’t have the yard, but the ocean is just about a block away! It’s going to be a great and awesome place for the kids and I through the school year, and Roger has seen the place we will be living. It really was an act of God that this apartment became available! And it’s amazing to see God work in and through His children to meet the needs of the body of Christ. I am praying specifically that God will greatly bless both Jason and Allison for their willingness to be a vessel used by God in our lives. So that was one huge blessing!

Secondly, the house went on the market on the morning of Wednesday, September 29th. By about 8:30am our realtor texted me to tell me that she had showings lined up on the house already and that she would be showing the house multiple times on Wednesday. It was a good day to have showings as we had soccer practice after school, so by the time she sent the text saying that we could go home, we were all done with practice. We got our first offer on Thursday morning, as well as more texts from our realtor saying that she would be showing the house again all day on Thursday! We continued to pray that God would give us multiple good offers, and that we could be under contract by the time Roger needed to leave for Michigan.  Our house was not shown on Friday, as our realtor was taking a course, but it was shown again all day on Saturday. By the time Saturday evening rolled around, we were missing being at home! However, all offers had to be submitted by Sunday at noon, and by Sunday at noon we had eight offers on the house! We serve an amazing God! 

On Sunday morning, our church gave Roger a “send-off” with fellowship, breakfast food, farewell cards, prayers and well-wishes. It was a flashback to our church in Wisconsin as well as the church we were a part of in Alaska and in Arizona! Roger will be missed by his church family and our teen group also. It was a kind and thoughtful gesture on behalf of our church family, and a memory that we will remember. Roger and Garett left before the church service was over as Roger had to be in Sanford, Maine to take his multi-engine test that afternoon. The weather wasn’t great, and I know that Roger was concerned about passing, but again God showed Himself strong and Roger passed! Thank you, Jesus! 

That left our realtor, Jestine, and I to figure out what to do with the offers on our house on Sunday afternoon. Our realtor has been amazing, and we are very thankful for her help and experience! I had the privilege of teaching her son in Kindergarten last year, and it was nice to get to know Jestine better. We had several people write us letters about our house, and it made me wish that I could give our house to some of them! All of our offers were good, so it was a challenge to figure it all out. Jestine helped me understand some of the offers a bit better, and by five o’clock we submitted the paperwork to the offer we accepted. By six pm, Jestine messaged me that we were officially under contract! Hooray! God at work again! Our children were delighted to hear the good news, and house showings and children are not a good mix! Travis told me that he didn’t know where to put any of his stuff and that he couldn’t find anything with the house being so clean! Garett asked if we could stop putting stuff in the van now that the house was under contract - anything that I didn’t know what to do with, I’d tell the kids to just “put it in the van for now”. So, yes, we are all thankful, grateful and thrilled to be under contract. We have home inspections, radon tests, water tests, septic tests, etc. all to happen in the next few days, so we would appreciate your continued prayers. (As well as prayer for the appraisal that will be happening)

Monday was a CRAZY day for Roger and I as we dashed around all over creation trying to complete things that I was going to need Roger to help me complete! Travis had a cold so he ended up staying home on Monday. He was not sad to miss school and spend extra time with Dad! Roger and Travis tracked down a storage unit place, and God provided us with a storage unit that was willing to bring the “storage pod” to our house for fifty dollars. The kids and I can pack the storage unit, and then they’ll come and pick it up for us. This was a huge blessing for me! I was trying to figure out how on earth we were going to get all our stuff to storage, but now that the pod is in our driveway, it’s going to be much easier. We all stayed up late on Monday night as we took apart beds, loaded stuff into the pod that was already packed, and tried to get as much done as possible. Our closing date isn’t until mid-November, but I would love to have the kids and I packed up and moved to our apartment by the first week in November. It’s hard to be between two different places, packing, cleaning, organizing, decluttering, teaching school, managing children, making meals, driving, etc, so if we can eliminate some of those stresses, it will be better for all of us! 

So in just a few days time -as in about a 72 hour window- God answered multiple prayer requests! He gave us offers on our house. He provided a place for us to stay for the school year. God allowed us to find a storage unit. God helped Roger pass his multi-engine test. God showed up in a big way, and I’m still in awe of it all!

I was telling Roger that I kept feeling like the story of Gideon in the Bible. God tells Gideon what He wants Gideon to do. Gideon basically keeps asking God “are you sure?” Gideon throws out a sheep fleece one night and says if it’s wet in the morning and the grass around it is dry, then I’ll know that God is in this. So God does exactly that! Then Gideon says “Well, if the fleece is dry and the ground is wet, then I’ll know God is in this”. So what does God do? Exactly that! That’s kinda what I’ve been feeling. “God if you want this to work, and if this is YOUR plan, you’re going to have to show Yourself strong and mighty”. God has consistently done that for us. He’s made every step thus far extremely clear, and I know that God will continue to do so. 

It feels like Roger has been gone much longer than not quite a week, but we are just taking it one day at a time. Mid-quarter reports came out on Thursday, and I’m happy to report that our children are doing well. Travis does tend to get worked up about school, but at the end of the day, he’s a hard worker and he’s plodding along at exactly his speed. We are thankful for their teachers, both for their desire to educate our children but also their desire to point them to Jesus. 

The boys attended a birthday party on Saturday except Garett as he was working. We couldn’t be at home as our home inspection was happening, but it all worked out. Our van has been in the shop for a few days so we were borrowing a friends vehicle. My friend, Bethany,  helped me coordinate returning our friends vehicle, picking up our vehicle, and even coming over in the afternoon to help pack up some things. We are blessed to have people in our lives that are willing and able to help us out! I’m not always great about asking for help, (something I need to work on) but I’m thankful for each person that has offered or stepped in to either encourage myself or our children. 

I have so much more I’d love to write about, but I’ll close with asking you to pray for us about an unspoken prayer request. It’s not a secret, and I’d be happy to share it with you via email or message. But I’m just not ready to share it here yet. It has to do with people and relationships and people doing the right thing. Please pray with us and for us! We so appreciate all the love and support that has been shown our family as we navigate these new waters. God is good!