Our First Week!

As we wrapped up our first full week in North Carolina, we are reflecting back on all that transpired during the week!

Last Monday we arrived to our home in North Carolina around 6:00pm. It was a little later than we had wanted but traffic was somewhat slow as we moved south down the east coast. We were thankful to finally arrive! The kids had no desire to look in the house as they immediately began tramping around in the outdoors, exploring the woods, opening the shed doors, discovering a snake shed inside one of the sheds, and just being happy children. I had already known that the house was going to need some work, so I had tried to brace myself for whatever might be waiting for me. Roger had already spent a significant amount of time cleaning bugs out of window sills, wiping down fan blades, cleaning windows, etc, but the walls definitely need some cleaning and painting! The floor is nice throughout the whole house. It’s a nice color, but its not as durable as I’d like it to be with a family of seven! However, it’s not going to be changing anytime soon! We need a refrigerator, the water iron count is too high, and the air conditioner system being replaced are our priorities! However, Roger had left his vehicle at the airport in Raleigh when he flew out to Maine to pick us up, so that was the first priority! We spent Monday night unloading enough of the u-haul to find beds for everyone to sleep on. We were all exhausted and a bit overwhelmed, so it wasn’t the funnest time ever but we got the job done. Wyatt had the job of opening and shutting the door for the rest of us that we unloading. He’s having a hard time giving his hand a break, so we gave him an easy job. After about 45 minutes of opening and shutting the door, Wyatt told me, “I always thought that the easy jobs were fun, but this is like the most boring job ever!” It was a good reminder to him that the easy job is not always the fun job! 

Roger had off on Tuesday, so we left early Tuesday morning to go to the airport to pick up his truck. It was a good time for us the two of us to talk on the way to the airport, and I was thankful. The kids were already up and running around the property by the time we returned home at 7:30am. We had told them not to ride the dirt bike until we returned, so they were happy to see us pull up in the driveway! Tuesday was a full, full day of unpacking the rest of the u-hual, returning the u-haul truck, and trying to make some sense of the madness/chaos of the unpacking! We had thought that Roger would have off on Wednesday, but a fire had sprung up so his boss asked him to come back to work on Wednesday morning. 

We really did need to get a refrigerator, so Roger and I got up early on Wednesday to go to Lowes before Roger went to work. Who knew that there were so many refrigerator options?! I just knew that I needed a big one, and the rest didn’t really matter. We were on a budget though, so that did affect our decision. We picked one out and arranged to come back in the evening to pick it up. It was the last one available, so I’m thankful that we went and picked out a refrigerator in the morning. Roger went to work, and the kids and I worked on many, many things. It was so overwhelming to even know where to start, but I know that bathrooms and the kitchen are two very important areas! I cleaned and scrubbed one bathroom while Chandler worked on putting together some shelves for the storage shed, and Garett and the other boys worked on picking up trash, exploring the yard, and building dirt bike trails. Roger came home from work around 6:30pm, and we ate supper and then headed to pick up the refrigerator. I hadn’t originally planned to go, but since we were getting a refrigerator, I decided I might as well do some grocery shopping. So Emma and I went in the van and the boys in the truck. Well, the refrigerator wouldn’t fit in the back of the truck with the topper on! So guess what? The refrigerator had to go in the van! We probably looked like some type of crazy people as we worked to shove a refrigerator in a mini van, but we did it!It was another late night as the older boys, Roger and myself worked to get the refrigerator in the house. I’m telling you that this refrigerator had better last for many, many years!! But, praise the Lord, we have a refrigerator! 

Roger flew a lot of hours this past week as he was patrolling the fire. On Thursday evening, we made a trip down to the neighbors. Roger had spoken with them earlier about the boys possibly fishing in their pond or riding their dirt bikes down the farm lanes. The neighbors had said “sure”, but we wanted the boys to go meet the neighbors before using the pond or the farm lanes. The neighbors are very friendly, and we enjoyed our conversation with them. They showed us the house that they are working on remodeling, and while showing us the house, the neighbor was pointing out all the old features of the house that they had preserved. “Look at this fireplace,” she proclaimed. “Y’all are familiar with air heads? Do they have those up thar in Maine?” I was completely baffled as the only airheads I’m familiar with are in candy form or when my children act like they don’t have any sense. Thankfully, Roger was able to bail us out, “Arrowheads, yes, we have those in Maine.” Oh, arrowheads!! Yes, I know what those are! I explained tot the neighbor what I thought she had said, and we got a good chuckle out of that. They were happy to let the boys fish in their pond and use the farm lanes for the dirt bikes, so that is a huge blessing for our children. Our home is in the perfect location for loud children and noisy activities. 

On Friday, we worked some more- surprise! The boys were up early to go fishing at the pond, and then we painted! We primed and painted both Emma and the boys room. Emma picked out her own color for her room, and it’s not exactly what color I would pick, but she’s delighted. On Saturday, Roger had to work due to the fire, so that was disappointing. We also knew that he would need to work on Sunday, so going to church with the kids would be on me. It’s not my favorite thing to do- visit new churches, but I really don’t like doing it without Roger. However, Sunday came around.

On Sunday morning, the kids and I headed out to visit a local church in our nearby town. The perks would include that the church building is about 7 minutes from our house, the cons were that we knew nothing about this church. I hadn’t been able to find much information on the internet, so I told the kids that I knew nothing about how the service would be. We were early- too early, so we drove around the small town of Faison. For a town of 900, there are about five different churches! Three Baptist, one Methodist, one Presbyterian, and one Pentecostal. We also discovered the town of Faison’s Recreation Center. They have a beautiful baseball field, playground, batting cage, and a Gaga pit. It was nice to discover this little gem not too far from our house. Well, it was time for church to start. As we pulled up to the church parking lot, I reminded the kids that I didn’t know anything about what the church service would be like. The only thing I knew was that they didn’t have a woman pastor so I figured that was a good start. 

The people at the church were very friendly and welcoming. But it’s hard to miss a family of five kids coming into church! The church family was preparing for Vacation Bible School this coming week, so it was kinda hard to get a feel, but we did appreciate the warm welcome. The church service opened with a very, very slow hymn. As we wrapped up the song and sat down, Emma muttered under her breath to me, “That was like the slowest song EVER!’ Shush! Thankfully, she didn’t announce that loudly! We also sang the doxology, which is very traditional, but then before the worship song a few ladies got up to lead the congregation in singing, “You are good”, which is not a traditional song at all! The preaching was on point with what we would agree with, and the pastor was unashamedly preaching the Gospel. He spoke on how we are each created for God’s glory and we are His masterpieces. He encouraged the people to become actively involved in the county’s pregnancy center and suggested ways that the people could show God’s love in action to other this week. In light of the overturning of Roe.vs. Wade, the pastor re-iterated that the abortion decisions would now fall to the states. As believers, we still have plenty to do to be involved in the abortion crisis in our nation. After the service, the kids were invited back to Vacation Bible School that night. Emma was pretty confident that she wanted to go, and the boys were confident that they did not want to go. Emma is a bit of a social butterfly, and she is definitely missing her friends. The boys do too, but they have each other. I told Emma that I would take her to VBS, and that I would stay there. I don’t know these people at all, and I’m certainly not just dropping off my kid! Thankfully, there was also a class for adults so that would work out well. When it was time to go, Travis, Emma and Wyatt all decided to come to VBS. They did have a very good time, and I was thankful. It was nice to attend an adult Bible class, and I appreciated the opportunity to have some adult interaction. We arrived home around 8:37pm, and Roger had just gotten home about 10 minutes earlier. We need some more rain to help put out the fire he’s patrolling. The chief pilot told Roger that he’s never seen the fire season go this late in the year in the twelve years that he’s been on the job. But fires don’t contain themselves to just Monday through Fridays, so it is what it is. 

On Tuesday, we visited one of the areas Christian schools. We are very much in the praying stages, but God does seem to be opening doors for our children to attend at the Christian school. Christian school is expensive! Without any financial assistance the cost would be over 20k to put all five kids in the school! That’s not a feasible option, so we’ve been praying about what God would have us to do. When we visited the school yesterday, we were talking about my previous experiences in Christian education, and what I had been involved with prior to moving. The administrator suggested that perhaps I would be interested in working at the school as a Teacher Assistant. That would provide us with an additional 25% discount for the first year and a progressing discount as the years go on up to 50% off in five years.  Whew! It was a lot to take in, and we were all very overwhelmed. The school is about 325  students, and there are a lot of classrooms, academic requirements, sports, music and drama  opportunities. Roger and I already knew that if we were going to put the kids in the Christian school, I would need to get a job somewhere. This definitely seems to be a door of opportunity to work where the kids are in school, be able to meet a lot of the staff, and be able to pay for the school bill. What I would make would almost pay for the tuition bill of 15k. Christian education is a sacrifice, and is it perfect? No, it’s not, and neither are we. We asked God to provide a way for our children to be able to go to a Christian school if that was His plan. He seems to be opening doors to do just that. We continue to walk by faith, and we would appreciate extra prayers as we make decisions. God is so good! 

I was totally surprised to find that you can buy almost all the pig at the local grocery store! Whatever do people make with pig ears, pig stomach, pig skin and pig tails!? I’m curious to know! This is definitely pig country, and pig meat is cheap. I’m thankful for that, but I don’t think I’ll be buying these parts of the pig anytime soon! 

A week of “Lasts”- But God is Good!

 This has been a week of “Lasts”. Last time going out to our friends cabin, last time having coffee with a friend, last time for the boys to go fishing, last time at a friends house, etc. It’s been a week of big emotions, lots of mixed feelings, and the devil has fought hard to keep us defeated every step of the way! We’ve been weary in the battle this week, but God has been faithful. There’ve been times that I’ve wanted to respond to something in a certain way, and it’s the Holy Spirit that has kept more from opening my mouth (there’ve been times when I’ve opened my mouth and I shouldn’t of also!). 

Last Sunday afternoon, we had a baptism for a few people in our church. This special event seems to kinda “kick off the summer” so to speak. The water is cold, but five people were baptized in the lake on Sunday. It was a good time of fellowship for the adults and the kids spent some time after the baptism fishing, swimming or tromping in the woods. Our two older boys stayed for teen group down by the lake, while I took the younger three home. My good friend, Allison, had made arrangements for five ladies to get together for supper at a restaurant. Wyatt is 13 so I had no qualms about leaving the three youngest at home while I went to supper for a little bit. Emma, however, had different ideas. Lately, whenever I leave to go anywhere, she begs to come with me-laundry, grocery shopping, dropping off something- anything. She was upset that I was going to leave her at home. As I tried to pry out what the problem possibly could be she sobbed, “I’m just worried that you won’t ever come back. That there will be an accident and something will happen to you.” Um-okay!? I’ve never been in an accident (by the grace of God), and I rarely go anywhere by myself, and I always come back! As I was trying to muddle through all this, my friend, Allison sent me a text and  offered to pick me up for supper. Meanwhile, Emma was offering to just bring her books and coloring pages and she could just stay in the van while I had supper with my friends. Again, probably not going to work. I told Emma that God would watch over me just as He always has and that Allison was going to be driving me to supper. “Allison?”, her tired voice spoke. “Okay, I’m glad she’s going with you mom and she’s driving. Have fun.” What?! What just happened here? I was so confused and baffled, but apparently Emma is mostly worried if I’m driving by myself somewhere. I have no idea why, and I haven’t figured it out yet. (I’ll let you know if I do!). 

Anyways, I had a wonderful time with four very special ladies to me. Some have been friends to me almost the entire six years we’ve been in Maine, one came along just this year at a time when I really needed a good friend, but they all hold a unique and special place in my heart. They know my quirks and oddities, and my crazy tribe of children, and they love me anyways. We’ve been through a hard year, and each of these friends can relate in some way to a few of our struggles. I’m blessed to call them among my closest friends, and I will miss them greatly. 

We spent most of Monday (6/12) packing and cleaning. It was a very boring day, but we did get a lot done. I did take the boys fishing in the afternoon, so that was fun for them. 

Tuesday dawned mostly sunny and a day that all the kids were looking forward to! Fun at a friends house! The boys all went over to their friend, Levi’s, house while Emma hung out with her friends Sadie, Evelyn and Lucy. It was a full day for them, and the boys played more games of baseball than anyone could possibly keep track of! We ended the day with supper with the Davis’ family one last time. We enjoy our moments together, our kids playing basketball or airsoft, etc. We’ve become good friends with their family, and we are thankful for them. 

Wednesday brought about one last time at another friends house. Hannah’s kids are a lot younger than most of ours, but for whatever reason, they are all really good friends. Hannah has supplied many loaves of bread to our tribe over the years, and we are thankful. Hannah has been a good friend to me, and I’m thankful for her listening ear, patience, and just desire to raise her family for God. We talked about many things over the course of the morning, and it was a good opportunity to say another “goodby”. The older boys spent the afternoon playing airsoft at a friends house. They had been invited to camp out in the yard for the night, but since all of our camping stuff was in storage, it was easier if I just came to get them around 8:30pm. When I came to pick them up, the boys were all gathered together in a circle, and Kai’s dad was praying over the boys. It was a very touching moment to hear someone else pray for their protection, their futures, wisdom, discernment and their future wives. I was blessed by hearing someone else pray for my children. 

Also, on Wednesday night, I spent some time on a walk with a friend. Sharon is a dear lady in our church that I look up to and admire greatly. I know that she prays for me diligently and has encouraged our family often. It was good to take a quick walk together and catch my breath for a minute. This week was rough and it felt like the Devil was throwing darts left and right. I had received a discouraging email on Wednesday morning, Allison’s dad was having some significant health problems, the van was making funny noise, and I was just tired and overwhelmed by it all. I know the kids were feeling mixed emotions about leaving, but also so excited to be together again as a family. (Me too!) Roger and I had been apart for 68 days, so we were anxious to get our family back together again. 

On Thursday morning I attended my last fitness class in Maine. I’ve enjoyed going to workout class at 5:00am for the past year, and it has been such a great experience. I’ve come to enjoy these moments, and I will definitely be missing working out with the 5:00am group! After working out, I went over to have coffee with my friend Robin. Not many people would be up for having coffee and a guest at 7:00am, but Robin welcomed me! We sat on the porch and visited for a while. Robin has been a good friend to me over the years, and I have fun memories of making a church dinner with her and WAY too much cranberry sauce! I appreciate her wisdom, patience and soundness in God’s Word. I treasure these women that have poured into me over the years. I’ve made so many mistakes along the way, but God has been so faithful and true. 

Later on Thursday morning, I took the boys over for one last morning of baseball and capture the flag with Levi and his siblings and cousins. Emma and I took the time to go on a “date”.  First we went to the school to say good by to a very dear teacher friend of mine, Mrs. Martz. We have prayed together for the school, for each other, for the staff, and church for the last five years. It was hard to say good-by to someone who cares as deeply about Christian education as I do. She’s been a mentor and encourager to me many times over the years. We prayed together one last time, and cried (because we are both good at that!) but the wonderful thing is that we will both continue to pray for many of the same things even though we will be 1000 miles apart. We will pray for God to be glorified, for the teachers, administration and students. We will pray for revival and for God’s will to be done. He’s done it before and He will continue to show Himself strong, of that we are most confident! 

Emma and I continued on our date.  We  walked downtown Rockland together, spent a few gift cards, and enjoyed our time together. It’s sometimes hard to find quality time to spend with our children, so I was thankful for these moments. We went back to pick up the boys in the afternoon and Levi too as we were headed to Allison’s cabin to swim and fish. Well, the boys were going fishing, and Emma was going swimming. And I was just going to sit in a chair next to Allison and watch- way too cold for me! The cabin is another spot that holds many memories, and the week was full of moment after moment of having “last experiences” at our special spots. It was overwhelming at times, but God gives us grace and peace even in the midst of change. 

Friday- Roger was arriving!! It was a bit of a dreary day, but we were excited about Roger coming back to Maine. He had arranged for me to pick up the keys for the uhaul so that we could start loading it that evening. The boys mowed the grass for our older neighbors one last time, and we worked hard at packing up the last of the apartment. Wyatt had an appointment for his hand, and it has not healed enough to not have it in a cast. Wyatt was disappointed but he handled it well. This new cast is a partial cast. He can take it off to shower, but it’s still very uncomfortable and we will need to find an orthopedic doctor in a few weeks. (A bit overwhelming, but God knows!) Roger’s flight was on time, so that was a huge praise! We headed back up the coast, loaded up all the stuff in the apartment (except the beds) and went to bed! Saturday was going to be a busy day!

Moving day or almost moving day! Saturday was overcast, cool and scattered showers, but we had a uhaul that needed loading. The boys have become such good helpers, and we are so thankful for each one of them. Wyatt had to be told to not over do it with his hand, but we did get it all loaded in the uhaul by about 1;15pm. My friend, Renee, brought over lobster rolls around 9:00am, so we had those for breakfast! I’m so thankful for her thoughtfulness, and it was a sweet good by. The lobster rolls were enjoyed quickly but they were delicious! Wyatt is the only one who is not a lobster fan, but the rest of us had a least two each! 

We spent Saturday afternoon saying a few goodbyes to dear friends. We met up with Shawn (a friend of Roger’s) and his family for a walk to the park. Then my sister, Hannah and her husband, Josh, came down with their little ones to say good by. We had pizza together as we only had a few things left in the apartment! We will certainly miss being around their little ones, as our kids love the littles! It looked like it was going to rain, but my friend, Allison, texted me and said, “want to take one last walk on the breakwater?” Yes! So we walked the Breakwater which was a chilly and cool walk in June! However, we soaked up the last few moments and memories together even in the chilliness. Because all our belongings, except for some random last minute stuff was in the uhaul, we slept on the floor on Saturday night. It was a good reminder that we (Roger and I) are not in our 20s anymore! However, we survived. We were up early on Sunday morning to finish getting the last of the stuff into the u-haul before church. And by the Grace of God, everything fit in the u-haul, and we were on time for Sunday School! 

Our church gave us a beautiful farewell breakfast on Sunday morning. It was quite emotional (and still is as I think about it), but it was a lovely time reflecting on memories and times together. We are going to miss our church family. A few ladies in our church had coordinated the breakfast, and it was clear to see that it was done in love for our family. We were blessed. It’s hard to say good by, but we know that God has a perfect plan for us. The kids each received a big bag of treats and fun activities for the road. Roger and I received a beautiful picture of the Breakwater Lighthouse and many, many cards- lots of thank-you notes to write! It was a hard morning, but a good one as we were together as a family. We know that God continues to have a perfect and on-going plan for us. The transitions and change are not always easy, but God is so very faithful. I’m so glad that we serve the God WHO cares! 

I have more to write about our trip to North Carolina, but I need to get back to unloading boxes and re-directing children who are very interested in all their “stuff” that has been in storage for nine months! Thank you for your continued love and prayers. 

Last Week of Memories in Maine! Fishing, Reading, Packing- God is Faithful!

 Our time in Maine is coming to a close. In less than a week, Roger will be here to help us empty out our storage unit, pack the u-haul truck and head to North Carolina. It’s hard to believe that it’s really almost here! For so long, moving has felt like a distant dream but it’s quickly becoming a reality. We’ve spent this last week packing, packing, cleaning, fishing, packing, fishing, cleaning, packing…see a pattern here?! We’ve also have spend some time with friends for the last time, and we’ve said good by to a few people that we know we won’t see again. 

I’ve felt extremely fatigued and to be honest,  a bit depressed over the last week. While I am very much looking forward to being together again as a family, transitions are challenging…finding a new church home, new friends, a new school, all those things are very daunting for myself but especially for our children. Emma has been excited to move to Michigan and now North Carolina, but now that the time has arrived, she’s been emotional and a little distraught about leaving her school and friends. I get it. We long to be together as a family again, and I am certainly not cut out to be a single parent to five kids! When we moved here almost six years ago, we didn’t know a single person in the area, but God provided a Christian school and a church family. He slowly provided friendships (some of them deep enough to last for a lifetime) and we built relationships with people. We set down roots, and we expected to be here for a long time. 

However, when Roger’s boss died in 2020, God began to slowly reveal that He had another plan in mind for our family- we just did not know what that plan looked like! As we prayed and pondered, God continued to work in our hearts that change was coming. We knew that we were asking God to provide Roger with a job that would allow him to be home every night. As we prayed for that, God opened the doors for a job for Roger in Michigan. Roger was able to complete his multi-engine rating, and he started that job in October. We put our house on the market, and it sold in five days. Roger started the job in Michigan, but there was not a house/property to be found that would meet our needs. Meanwhile, God provided an apartment here in Maine that the kids and I could live in for the school year. Roger flew to Maine every month, and the kids and I went out to Michigan for Christmas. We were excited about being closer to my parents, but still there were no properties to buy. At Christmas time, Roger spoke to me about the possibility that this job in Michigan might not be a good long-term fit for our family. Say what?! Roger was concerned about some changes that were coming down the pike, as well as several other factors. We didn’t say anything to anyone for a while, but just kept praying and asking God to make His plan clear to us. As soon as we told the kids that we weren’t moving to Michigan, Emma announced it to the world! So we weren’t moving to Michigan, but where were we moving?! Roger made plans to return to Maine to get a local job while we continued to pray. However, in the middle of March, Roger had a phone call with a friend that suggested a job in North Carolina. North Carolina?! He had a phone interview and they asked him to come down the next weekend. Roger drove down to North Carolina at the end of March, and I flew down for three days. It was a quick trip, but it was clear that God was on the move! We drove all around the area (that was when gas was quite a bit cheaper!) and began to explore housing options. Roger drove back to Michigan to give his two week notice, and I came back to Maine to keep teaching. Roger started the job right after Easter, and we put an offer in on a house a week later. God’s timing is always on time. We’ve now closed on our property, and in a little over a week we should be arriving at that property as a family of seven. We are excited about that!

This week:

We spent Monday morning at the Smith’s house. The boys and Emma played in the yard and in the pool while Bethany and I visited together. On Monday evening the boys went fishing, while Emma and I sat on the bank, got eaten by mosquitoes and read books. Tuesday evening found us at church for a wiffle ball game. The boys have really enjoyed that. Wyatt has learned to bat and catch with his left hand while wearing his cast. He also rides his bike, and he still manages to go fishing…no wonder the doctor wanted him to put it in a cast instead of a brace! We are praying that he will be able to have it removed this coming Friday. 

We’ve also spent some time with a classmate of Garett’s. It was raining, so we went bowling. Wyatt also managed to bowl with his left hand! This particular friend seemed to need some extra encouragement, and I pray that we were able to do that for him. We have the opportunities to be the hands and feet of Jesus in this fallen world around us, and I certainly don’t want to waste these moments. We took a drive out to see our old neighbors this past week, and we had a good visit with them. I don’t think they know Jesus as their Savior, but they know that we love them and Jesus. The boys had the opportunity to cut their grass for them, and show them Christ’s love through serving. 

Travis and Emma had a play date with their friends, Abel and Lucy. Emma and Lucy have been friends since 3 year old preschool, and Emma has said often that she is going to miss Lucy. Travis is not much of a talker, but he and Abel are good friends, and we’ve been blessed by their friendship to our children. Emma and Travis enjoyed a whole day walking, eating, playing, and making memories with their friends. I’m thankful that Claire (Abel and Lucy’s mom) invited Travis and Emma over this week. It’s important that our children also get to say good-by to their friends. 

Because the boys have been doing a lot of fishing, I’ve been doing a lot of reading! Normally, I’d drop the boys off and then go home and come back and pick them up. However, we’ve been trying to cut some expenses (we have an unexpected expense on our new property) so I’ve just been sitting while the boys have been fishing. I finished two books this past week, and I’m almost done with the third. The first book I read was “For the Love”. She made some really good points about discipleship and ministries. She asked her readers the questions “What does ministry look like?” Is ministry having something for the church people to come to every night of the week? Awana, small group, visitation, etc. or is ministry more about the “church” going to the community? Is it having dinners with our neighbors, helping out a soup kitchen, playing with our children and engaging in lives around us? I’m not saying that Awana is not good or that we shouldn’t have church functions. However, balance anyone?! (I do have some convictions and feelings on both, but here is not the time or place or space!) Anyways, I was going along reading the book, agreeing with much of what the author was saying about raising kids, loving Jesus, and the church, but then I looked up the author. Let’s just say that the person who wrote the book seven years ago, and the person she is now are not even close! What a disappointment! Thankfully, I was able to “chew the meat and spit the bones” so to speak, but wow! The amount of people/authors/pastors/ that are “deconstructing their faith”  and walking away is overwhelming at times! We need to take God at His Word which means that at times I don’t understand His master plan, but I trust my Heavenly Father! Yes, bad things do happen to good people. God allows things that we do not understand, and we may NOT ever understand! But we can trust that God is working out things for His glory. Anyways, that was the first book. 

The second book I read was kinda an autobiography about Laura Story. She wrote the song “Blessings”, and it’s become a very popular song. However, she wrote it at a time when she could not see the Master’s plan but she had to trust Him. Her husband had a brain tumor, almost died, has had to overcome several handicaps, and yet Laura and her husband continue to praise and serve God. It was a good read and my struggles seem to pale in comparison to what they’ve gone through. Yet the good news is that God cares just as much about my struggles as He does those that are struggling with cancer, infertility, death, overwhelming burdens.etc. 

The third book (one that I haven’t quite finished) is “Mama Bear Apologetics”. This one is a good book, but it definitely requires a bit more thinking. However, we cannot skip over the fact that we live in a different world than we did 30 years ago. It is my (and Roger’s) responsibility to raise our sons and daughter to thrive in the gender that God CREATED them with. We cannot bury our heads in the sand and pretend that there is not an agenda to demoralize boys (girls too). It’s a crisis in our nation and world, and we need to equip our children to understand God’s design for them. We need to be prepared to speak the truth in love, but yet we cannot just sit by and pretend that it’s okay for everyone to choose their gender as that is not the Master’s Plan. 

We are tired of packing, cleaning, and repeating! However, we are getting closer! This morning we went out to our friends (Allison and Jason) cabin on the lake. Emma went swimming while the boys fished. I have to say having Wyatt sit in a kayak with a paddle and a fishing pole in the same hand has made me nervous! I’ll be thankful to get that cast off, and I pray that we can make it another five days without getting it wet! 

Through it all, God has been so faithful to us. We are anxiously counting down the days until we move together to North Carolina. I’ve been in touch with a Christian school in the area, and we have plans to tour the school the last week in June. Christian school is expensive!-very! We took a pay cut when Roger took the job in North Carolina (but firmly believe that this was exactly what God wanted for us), and I won’t be teaching this fall. Please pray that we will have great wisdom to know what we should/could do. 

We want the very best for our children, so if that’s homeschooling then I want to do it well. If it’s Christian school, then God will make that clear to us. If we do decide to put them in a Christian school there are a few very specific things that we would be looking for in a school. 1) An environment where our children can grow in their walk with the Lord through discipleship, mentorship, and opportunities to put their faith into practice. 2) We are looking for a school to partner with us in training our children. While we are ultimately responsible for them, it is important to have a school that will help us in that goal of raising them for God’s glory. 3) Communication- we will be new to the area and the school so communication is going to be very important. It’s sometimes easy to assume that people/parents/students/ know the rules, but not everyone has grown up in that particular school. No school will be perfect as it’s made of imperfect people, and we would certainly add to the equation of imperfectness!  I did have a discussion with the administrator of a school in the area that we will be living in, and we are looking forward to meeting in person. I am so very thankful that God has a plan. He is not surprised at any moment in time, and He wants what is best for me, Roger and our children. He is at work, even when I can’t see His plan. 

God is so good. I hope that you can see Him at work in our lives as well as your own. We appreciate your love and prayers as we enter our last week in Maine. 

I’m including a link to the song Blessings. Sometimes when we know the story behind the song, the lyrics become even more meaningful. I know that I’ve been blessed by this song- enjoy. God loves you so much!

A Busy Ten Days- House closing, broken hand, school ends, trip to Boston, etc!

 

School is out for the summer! By the grace of our Great God, we made it through the year! It seems surreal to be done for the year as the school’s around us still have a few weeks. A few school districts in our area don’t get done with school until June 23! 

The last ten days have been a blur, but I know if I don’t write something down, I’ll forget almost everything! The last week of school was over before I could even blink! We had field trips, made tie-dye shirts, tried a few experiments that went wonky, went on a beach combing hike, awards chapel, and the last day of school! My students were tired, and so was the teacher by the time Friday came around! While I was ready to be done with the school year, I did cry as I looked into the faces of my 16 kindergartners one last time. We learned so much together this year. They learned 11 Bible verses, and probably about 40 Bible songs. We studied miracles of Jesus, what is prayer, the story of Queen Esther and so much more. They learned academics, but I hope above the academics they grasped the fact that their Heavenly Father loves them and He desires a personal relationship with them. I love them all dearly, and I am looking forward to seeing how God uses their lives. 

We had a special class time in our kindergarten room this past week when Pastor Mark came in to our classroom to answer some of their questions. My students enjoyed the opportunity to visit with him, and it was good for them to have some informal discussion with our pastor. 

Thursday was awards chapel for grades pre-k through 9th. No matter how short I think it’s going to be, it’s always longer than I planned! For the most part, my class did very well sitting through over an hour of talking and awards! I did share a few funny moments from my class when I got up to present my classroom awards. Here are a few of my memories: 

                 One Friday, I wore nylons with my dress to chapel, one of my students rubbed my ankle and then promptly asked, “What happened to your real legs?!” 

                I was overhearing a conversation in the hallways between two of my students. Student A: “You’re such a tattle tale!” Student B (immediately): “I am NOT! I’m going to tell the teacher you said that!” 

                We’ve been learning the books of the New Testament. I asked my students to tell me one of the books of the New Testament. One student excitedly said, “II Kilometers!” Um - I think you mean II Corinthians! 

                When I presented the awards of certificate of completion to my kindergartners, almost every one of them gave me a hug. The one child that did not hug me, put out his hand and gave me a very formal handshake! I about laughed out loud because this is the child that has constantly hugged me, wanted to sit on my lap, and be right close to me alllll year long! It’ll be a fun memory! 

Emma received an award for “Self-control” in her classroom. Travis received an award for “Perseverance” as well as the “Royal Knight Award” for the 2nd quarter (an award for displaying positive Character traits in a school quarter). Wyatt received the Royal Knight Award for the first quarter. Chandler  received the Royal Knight Award for all four quarters in his class as well as “Male Athlete of the year”. And Garett received the Royal Knight Award for the 1st and 3rd quarter as well as a special book from one of his high school teachers. I was so proud of them as those are awards that are a reflection of their character! They are FAR from perfect, but I am so proud of them for sticking it out through a difficult school year. God is good. Roger and I are thankful for each one of our children, and while we have our very difficult days, God gives us grace and new morning mercies. He also provides forgiveness and restitution. I am blessed. 

On Friday night (5/27) Chandler had his 8th grade graduation. He did wear dress clothes, but then he forgot his belt! He immediately went to change after the ceremony, but he looked nice and presentable. His teacher presented him with some fishing lures as his graduation gift as she knows how much he enjoys fishing. Chandler’s teacher was/is amazing! I have been so thankful for her, and her Godly influence on Chandler’s life. She’s mentored me, challenged me, and prayed with me many, many times over the school year, and I will miss her. I am thrilled that Chandler had her for his teacher. God knew that Chandler would need her for his teacher this year. 

Chandler had a soccer game in Boston this past weekend. Due to the graduation on Friday night, we ended up leaving for Boston at about 3:45am. It was a long day, but a good day with the kids. It looked like rain, but thankfully the rain held off during Chandler’s game. We did take a short trip into Rhode Island just because we’ve never been there before, and then we could cross another state off our list of places we’ve never  been. However, we ended up in downtown Providence, R.I. And it was in the middle of a college graduation! It was a nightmare of traffic! Travis got car sick, and he was throwing up in the car. I cannot handle barf, so I was trying to drive and not throw up! Needless to say, it was an experience we will never forget! We had a good time as a family, and although we missed Roger greatly, I was thankful to have some time with our children that was not centered around school activities, school projects, or school property! Also, I was pretty impressed that I drove to and from Boston with five kids by myself! I’m not a huge fan of big city driving, but God gave us protection and good traveling weather. 

Monday was Memorial Day! We celebrated by going up to Hannah and Josh’s in the morning. We went to a lake park with them and their family. The boys enjoyed fishing while Emma did go swimming in the frigid lake water! They ate a lot of food, played, fished and swam and then it was time to go home. It was a fun morning of visiting with family, and we were thankful for the opportunity. On Monday afternoon we went over to the Davis’s house for supper. Our kids enjoyed playing basketball, football, and swimming in their pool of very frigid water! I enjoyed some adult conversations with Tim and Jess about many things including discussions about Christ, the church, and the role of the church. I’m not a theologian or deep thinker by any means, but I do enjoy discussions on things that matter for eternity like missions, evangelism, families, discipleship, etc. Wyatt ended the evening with coming home with a swollen hand. He had had an exuberant fist bump with someone, and then his hand started swelling. I’m not a “rush to the ER” type of person, so we tried ice, some pain medication, and I was hoping that a good night’s rest would solve the problem. 

However, Tuesday found us in the walk-in clinic in the afternoon. I had texted my sister, Hannah, about Wyatt’s hand. She said that she would probably take him in to be seen due to the swelling in his hand. I called the pediatrician and they suggested bringing him to the walk-in clinic or the ER. We went to the walk-in clinic and spent most of the afternoon there! Wyatt took a nap on the exam room table, and I sat on the floor and closed my eyes. I thought they had forgotten about us, but they were just busy. When the doctor came in, she looked at his hand, suggested that it might be broken, and said that we should head over to the hospital for xrays. So, we had about an hour and forty-five minute wait, and then a five minute visit and then over to the hospital! Fun times! Thankfully, the hospital visit was quick and we were in and out of x-rays in 15 minutes. The doctor called about an hour later and said that yes, Wyatt’s hand was broken! He would need to go see the orthopedic doctor in the morning. WHAT?! We made it almost 16 years without any broken bones and here we are! Oh, his brothers are never going to stop giving Wyatt grief about being the first person to break a bone among the kids! They will tease him about breaking a bone so that he doesn’t have to move moving boxes, but then help him with his sweatshirt or pouring a cup of milk (at least for the first day!). When we went to the orthopedic doctor on Wednesday morning, she said that she wanted to cast his hand. I told her that we were moving out of the state in 18 days! She said that she would like to cast it and then we will come back right before moving to have the hand looked at again. For some reason, the doctor thought that casting the hand might be better than a splint once she heard that Wyatt had three brothers! Haha! She said that she felt like a cast would allow Wyatt to do more of what he wants to do rather than trying to be really careful with the splint/brace on. It didn’t take a very long time, and we walked out of the clinic with a hand in a cast! We are praying for a quick healing! 

We closed on our house in North Carolina on May 23! The closing went fairly smoothly, and we are thankful to have a property in North Carolina. We have some things that we know need fixing (quite a few) so Roger has been busy on those projects. We will be continuing on various projects on the property to make it “home” for a while, but I am thankful to have things to do to keep everyone busy this summer. We ended up purchasing the property for 20k under the asking price, without any other offers on the property, and an expedited closing (less than 30 days). God is so good! The kids are looking forward to some space, and I’m looking forward to them having some space! 

We will be leaving Maine on Father’s Day weekend. Ironically enough, it’s will be almost six years to the day when we moved TO Maine! Roger will be flying in on Friday, June 17th. We will be emptying out our storage unit and packing the moving truck on Saturday. Then we plan to leave on Sunday morning after church. It’s sure to be an emotional Sunday, but God has always been so faithful. We are very much ready to be together again as a family. We know we will have some hard learning curves as we re-adjust to life as a complete family again but also in a totally new environment and space. I still remember a very, very long, lonely summer six years ago when we moved to Maine, and we did not know anyone in the area. God was faithful then, and He will be faithful now. 

Please pray for us as we will be looking for a church to attend become involved with. We are praying for wisdom about the school year. (We would kinda like to possibly put them in a Christian school again, but school is expensive! I would need a job to be able to afford to put them in Christian school. However, God has done miracles for us before.) We would appreciate your prayers for our family. 

The past ten days have been very full of activities as well as lots of emotions. We are so ready to be together as a family again, but also we are feeling the sadness of moving away from what is familiar and secure to us. Emma was two when we moved to Maine, so this has been her life. Wyatt is still struggling the most with moving, but now that school is out, he is becoming more excited. I was able to finish packing up my classroom at school this week with the help of my friend, Shaina. It was a bittersweet feeling to walk away from the little classroom that bustled with the life and enthusiasm of 16 students. I’ll miss teaching, but we will see what God does in and through us as we continue to follow Him. He is so faithful-even when I’m not! Thank you for your continued prayers.