A week of Appointments, an Ultrasound, an X-ray, and Life! (I'm not pregnant!)

Woohoo!! We survived another week without Roger! The week has been full of appointments, a pulled tooth, an ultrasound, and X-ray, celebrating Papa's birthday, school, and other moments! The last time I checked, we were all still sane (although that is debatable!). 

I took Wyatt to his doctors appointment on Monday. After asking a bunch of questions, the doctor asked if I specifically remembered any incidents where Wyatt might have injured that leg. I looked the doctor in the eye and replied, "Wyatt is one of four boys! If I kept a record of every incident and bruise, I could write a 300 page book by now!" The doctor laughed and agreed with me. :) Since the doctor was unsure about the lump, he decided to send Wyatt to have an ultrasound and X-ray done. So off we went to the hospital. Wyatt did very well at the ultrasound and sat still. After she put the goop on his leg and took a bunch of pictures, she said, "Okay, Wyatt, you did great!" Wyatt looked at her and replied, "Yes, but the lump is still there!" Wyatt clearly expected the lump to be gone after the ultrasound and he didn't think she did a good job! (It was a fun memory!) The doctor called back that evening to say that the ultrasound and X-ray did not reveal exactly what the lump is, but it did reveal what it is not. It has blood flowing to it, and the doctor would like to have an MRI done on it. So, Wyatt is headed to have an MRI done on Thursday, March 10. Because of the length of the MRI, and his age, Wyatt will have to be sedated for the MRI. I wish that Roger could be here, but I think it will be just fine. We'd appreciate your prayers. 

On Tuesday, we celebrated Papa's birthday. He took everyone to Pizza Ranch, which was enjoyed by all! I think the food could be awful, and I'd be fine with it. It means that I don't have to make a meal or clean up! :) 

On Wednesday, Chandler had a dentist appointment. Travis's tooth pain seems to have gone away,at least for the moment, so I'm hoping that he can make it until his appointment on April 6. Chandler was to the dentist to have a filling put in a cavity. However, they discovered that one of the fillings from a cavity had come out, and the tooth was decayed and infected. So Chandler ended up getting a back tooth pulled. Lest you think we don't take care of our teeth around here, we do! It just seems like if it's not one child, it's another! Oh well! 

On Thursday the surgery center from the hospital called. Since Wyatt will have to be sedated for the MRI, he will have to have a pre-surgery physical. We will have to be at the hospital on Thursday by seven am., and it's about forty-five minute drive from our house. I can see Wyatt being super annoyed that he can't have anything to eat or drink when he wakes up...this could be interesting! Although I'm really not too nervous about the MRI, I do miss Roger at moments like these! 

Wyatt had his pre-surgery physical on Friday. Since we were going to meet up with some friends for lunch after the appointment, I took all of them with me. They did very well at the doctors office, and the doctor said that he could feel four sets of eyes on him with every move he made. We have a great children's doctor, and I am very thankful for him. He does a good job with the kids, and they seem to like him. After the appointment, we met up with some friend for lunch. The kids had a great time playing together, and it was a good opportunity for me to fellowship with my friend. 

On Saturday my dad took me to breakfast. Growing up, breakfast with dad usually meant he had something on his mind. It was hard to get past the fact that he just wanted an opportunity to see how things are going and to see what our plans for the future are. It was a good visit, and I'm glad we did it. After breakfast, my mom, Emma, myself, and two gals from my parents church, took a visit out to some Amish stores. It was a good time of company, while my dad took the boys to the park to snowboard. Everyone came home ready for showers, supper, and bed! 

Oh, how I miss Roger! We are doing well, I think, but this  is hard. My parents would like 

to see us stay here until the school year is over;  after thinking about it, it does make a lot of sense.  We are slated to be done with school around the second week of May, so that's only a few weeks away. It will take some pressure off of Roger to "hurry up and find a house", and we will be able to finish out the school year. Although this probably isn't my first choice, we do want to make sure we are in the center of God's will, and we need His hand of direction to find a place to live. Roger has looked at several properties, but nothing is jumping out at him. I found a property online that I wanted him to look at and he did. However, it was on a five acre parcel of land, but the state prison was just beyond those five acres! I realize the prison has to be somewhere, but I'd prefer it not be that close to me! It appears that most people are looking in our budget, which means that the properties that we can afford tend to fly off the market. Howeve, God has His hand in this as well, and He will continue to guide and direct. 

One thing that God continually brings to my mind is how good He is to me. I am one blessed mama to have these five children. Although these last two years have been far from ideal, Roger and I have grown more committed and faithful to each other and the Lord.  I've been studying the passage in Ephesians chapter three, and I am claiming the promise of Scripture in verse 20. God is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think. How awesome is that!! And for whatever He chooses to do,  I'll give Him the glory. Have a blessed week! 

                               

                              Emma talking to Roger

Moments and Meltdowns...Yes, They Happen!!

Today I am praising the Lord that we have survived one week of Roger being away! What a week it was for all of us including moments of tears on both our children and my part at some point in time. I'm thankful that God's grace is sufficient for me; I'm thankful that He never leaves me nor forsakes me; I'm thankful for new mercies every day. 

Roger left for Maine last Saturday. I wasn't sure what I was going to do to distract the kids from the long day, but God provided am opportunity for us to visit with some friends. Gretchen and Sean were taking a quick trip to Ohio to help a friend, and they asked if I would be willing to come and watch their kids. It was the perfect distraction for all of us. The kids had friends to play with, I had a treadmill to run on, and we all had a little more space to ourselves. 

As usual, Sunday was a rough day for all of us. Somehow, the devil can discourage me more on this day than any other. I also tend to be more tired and emotional, which means that I have to put up an extra guard against impatience, inconsistency, and frustration. I can see that our children are struggling more with Roger being gone this time as am I. My children are facing their own battles, and while I'm trying to be sensitive to that, it's hard to find the time to spend with each of them. Travis has become a "leach" meaning that he wants to go with me everywhere, know where I'm going, when I'll be back, and wants to sleep in our bed every night! He is crowding my personal space, but I'm trying to be okay with that. 

I was able to have lunch with a friend on Tuesday. Tressa works in Berlin and invited me to join her on her lunch break. We had a good time together, and I'm thankful that my mom was willing to watch the kids for an hour for me. 

Wednesday was a busy day with grocery shopping, errands, and church. We had a missionary speaker at church, and I always enjoy seeing what God is doing in other parts of the world. It was a long day, but a good day. 

Friday:

I've been having a lot of "female" problems as of late. It concerns me that I am tired all the time, feel depressed often, struggle with fatigue, and I gained quite a bit of weight in one month! After talking with Roger about some of my recent struggles, I decided to make an appointment with the doctor. There was a cancellation, so I was able to get into see the doctor right away. I explained some of the issues that I've been experiencing and told her that I just feel "off". It was a very disappointing visit for me. Her basic conclusion is/was that my body is going through some stressful time, and that it will balance itself out. I'm to wait six months to see if my issues get better,  and if not then she will run a thyroid test and a hormone panel of test. Meanwhile I'm to take ibuprofen every six hours for the next four days to help balance things! Yeah, it was a disappointing day, and I left with more questions than I started out with. I'm not sure what to do next, but I do feel like I'm at a low point with how I feel. 

In addition to that, Travis developed a severe toothache today! He has a tooth that looks like it has an abcess growing. It was too late to call the dentist by the time I realized how severe it is, so we could be in for a very long weekend! He's in quite a bit of pain, and of course, he wants to be right near me! It seems like it was a little better this evening after a dose of ibuprofen and a tea bag on the swollen spot. 

In addition to that, Wyatt has a lump growing on his leg! (I know...by now you think I'm making this all up! Trust me, I am not!) Wyatt has had a little bit of a bump on his shin, but yesterday he started complaining about it hurting. I checked it out and noticed that it has grown larger since I last looked at it. He has an appointment on Monday to have it looked at. 

In other news:

The boys were able to go ice skating tonight, and they had a great time. My dad took them skating at the pond at the end of the road and a couple of other families from church joined them. I know the boys were excited to be able to go tonight and it provided them with a fun, free activity. I'm thankful that my dad was able to spend some time with the boys this week, and I treasure the moments that they have with their papa. Chandler ended up with a black eye from a hockey stick, but it was fun. 

                          

   

Roger is getting settled into the job in Maine. He is thrilled to be back at flying and is enjoying getting to know the company and area a bit better. We are hoping to start looking at homes as soon as he is finished with his training. I'm a little worried about getting a loan, the process of finding a house, and several other details that must be worked out. However, God knows exactly what must happen and when, so I need to just WAIT! Waiting is hard, but it's a good reminder that God is enough. 

We appreciate your prayers, and we love you all so much.

Sarah 

Departures and Depression

Wow! So much has happened since I last hopped on here to write about the adventures in our lives! Let's see...Roger has a start date at his new job; his previous job in Arizona called to see if he wanted to come fly for them again; we've been working hard at school;  we snuck in a quick trip out to South Dakota to see Aunt Jen; my parents are back safely from their travels, and life is moving forward! 

First of all, Roger is thrilled to have a start date for his new job! He will be leaving around the 20th of February to head out to Maine. We've been looking at many, many, houses online, but as we well know, pictures can be deceiving! Roger has to complete two weeks of training (unpaid) before he will officially be hired on. Once that takes place, then Roger can begin to start house hunting. We've decided to buy if the Lord allows us to find the right place. Although this flying job isn't a forever job, it will most likely be a four to five year job. Renting a house for a family of our size is...well, crazy! We are praying about the right house, in the right location, with the right price. 

I can see the anxiousness coming out in our boys even though Roger hasn't officially even left for Maine yet. We are all feeling the need for our own space again, and we are dreading the separation that is coming. However, it's different then when Roger left for Florida for his training or even different from the job in Arizona. I think we all are gearing up for Maine to be "home" for a while, so there's a different type of anxiousness. We are once again waiting to see how God is going to fit all the pieces of this puzzle together, and we are trying to not rush God's perfect timing. 

I'm  fighting depression hard this time as Roger leaves for Maine. Waiting on God is exactly where He wants me to be, but this is hard! I'm going to be apart from my best friend, my soul-mate, the father of our children, and my steadfast parenting partner for an indefinite period of time. While I am so very grateful that my parents have allowed us to stay with them, we both need our own places. There's something very different about moving back into your parents house after almost eleven years of marriage and five children! My parents love our kids; but our kids are also loud, messy, noisy, and they come with lots of Legos, nerf guns, and mud! When Roger left for Arizona, we still had our own homes, so while single parenting was challenging, I'm still facing some very different challenges this time around. However, God knows my heart, and He will use this time to draw me closer to Himself, I'm sure. I chose to write about these feelings and emotions, because someday all of this will be a memory in the past. God is good...and He's still God. 

Roger will have a busy week this next week with finishing up at the job he's been working at, getting caught up on his flying skills, packing up, trying to spend some individual time with each of the boys, and getting his life insurance policy updated! The last one is one that I am adamant on! I was reading over the policy and discovered that his life insurance policy does not cover aviation accidents! Although I am not planning on anything happening to my man, it's definitely an important thing to amend!  

The kids, my mom, and I took a short trip out to South Dakota. Although it's a twelve hour drive, it's a lot closer to come from Wisconsin to South Dakota then from Maine to South Dakota! Originally Roger had planned on coming with us, but when he received word about the job in Maine, we decided that I would be best if he stayed in Wisconsin. However, it's our first Valentine's Day that we haven't been together for so that's an interesting change. My sister has graciously opened up her apartment to us, and the boys have been enjoying spending time with her. She lives in an apartment by the school, so the boys have access to the gym. Since the school has a few days off, the boys have been running and playing  non-stop!

It was a good trip, and I cherish the memories with my sister. However, it's back to reality! We just have a few short days until Roger leaves, so we are trying to make the most of our time. And in making the most of our time, I'm signing off to spend time with my family. 

The Good and The Bad

I've been in the process of writing this post for the past three weeks! Life has been a little crazy!

The Good: 

My parents left for North Carolina last Wednesday, January 13, and my dad flew out on Friday for the missions trip to Haiti. While it hasn't been very warm in North Carolina, it's been warmer than here in Wisconsin! We've had some sub-zero temperatures, which apparently my children haven't noticed! They bundle up more and they don't stay outside as long, but they've definitely been enjoying the winter activities. 

We went ice skating on the little pond at the end of the road last week. Since Garett is now wearing my hockey skates, I had to find a different pair in the box...seriously, when did he get so big?! I ended up wearing a pair of figure skates instead of hockey skates. Wow! Those skates were dangerous! I've been skating since I was about eight, but I've almost always wore hockey skates. The figure skates have the toe pick on the front, and I took several spills on the ice. I was reminded that I'm 32 and not 16 anymore! However, we did have a really good time and the boys are looking for the next opportunist to ice skate. 

Roger and I were able to get away for an overnight this past weekend. I set it up for a surprise for Roger, and it was a lot of fun. One of our dear friends from Alaska had sent us a Christmas card with a gift of money. This was the perfect opportunity to use that gift, and it created lasting special memories. One of my friends, Gretchen, took all the boys. And my friend, Jenna, took Emma for the night. I can't remember the last time we were able to get away by ourselves without a specific list of things we needed to do. It was fabulous! We stayed in a hotel in Brookfield, WI, and met up with our friends, the Longsines, for coffee the next morning. We visited and talked, and Roger and I enjoyed every moment of our little vacation. Since we don't know when the next time will be, it will be nice to have such a fun memory to look back on. The only down side of the weekend is that Roger ended up sick. He'd been fighting a cold for a while, but by Saturday night, he was pretty congested. 

Roger stayed home from church on Sunday, and I took the kids for church services. It was cold on Sunday at about -15, and it reminded me of many cold Alaskan mornings. We ended up staying home from church on Sunday night as I wasn't feeling that well either. It was an early bedtime for everyone in this family. 

Today, Tuesday, January 19, was an interesting day for us. The phone rang about 9:30, while the kids were doing math class. I don't answer the phone at my parents house and just let it go to the voicemail. However, it was the activities director from the nursing home wondering if my dad was going to be doing the nursing home service at 10:50! I called my mom to find out if dad had made other arrangements; and it was discovered that in the business of the trip preparations, he had forgotten. I told the kids to go brush their teeth and get ready to go to the nursing home service. I called the activities director back and told her that we would come and sing some songs to the elderly folks. After talking with Chandler and Garett, we decided that I would play the piano, Chandler would lead the songs, and Garett would preach. I told Garett to pick out a passage from the Bible and he could read it to them. Chandler did a great job of welcoming the folks, calling out the song numbers, and praying for the service. The boys all sang "Jesus Loves Me", and Garett read Psalm one to them. Garett did a very good job reading the passage, praying, and saying a few words...and I do mean a few! I was very, very proud of their willingness to help out and participate in the service. I had my hands full at the piano with singing, playing, and supervising Emma! However, it was a good opportunity for my children to serve, and I was certainly blessed by the service. Afterwards, I treated them to lunch at McDonalds since they did such a good job helping me. The nursing home service created a little bit of a chaotic school day, and we have a little extra reading to do tomorrow, but it's all good. I'm thankful that we had the opportunity to serve the Grandpa's and Grandma's in the nursing home, and they seemed very glad to see all the children. 

                    

    

Update: Last week went by so quickly that I didn't even get a post up on the blog. Between schooling, parenting, housekeeping, and fellowshipping with different families and moms, it's been a busy week! 

Chandler celebrated his eighth birthday on Tuesday, January 26. Wow! He's growing and changing, and it's happening so quickly! He asked if he could go snowboarding for his birthday instead of having a birthday present. We looked into the cost of a snowboarding ticket and a snowboard rental, and we were amazed at how expensive it was going to be for just Roger and Chandler to go snowboarding. We did a lot of thinking and researching, and eventually we decided to look into the cost of buying a used snow board and boots. God provided Chandler with boots and a snowboard for his birthday! Roger took him to the local sledding hill, and Chandler took to it like a duck takes to water. First time down the hill, and Chandler made it all the way down without falling over! Craziness! He is thrilled to have his own equipment, as he is looking forward to going with Uncle Josh and Aunt Hannah once we move to Maine. I'm thrilled that the boots and board will have three other children to get to use out of it, so we will completely get our money's worth. :) 

The Schilders graciously invited us to use their home for Chandler's Birthday dinner and cake celebration. It was closer for all the friends from church and a lot more space. We had a great time of fellowship with several families. I think there were 17 kids there plus all the parents. Chandler asked for tacos and rice for his birthdays supper. He picked out an ice cream cake instead of regular cake as he doesn't care for cake. It was a good time, albeit a bit of craziness! 

I was also involved in a baby shower for a dear friend of mine, Katie. I was asked to plan the games, and I enjoyed that. It's fun to try out new ideas for games, the only down side is that you don't know exactly how well the game will actually go over...but I think it was fun. :) 

The bad:

I say the "bad", but it's not really bad. It's just a hard spot in our lives. I feel like we are preparing for change, looking for change, embracing change that is coming, and it's just not happening! God's timing is always, always perfect, but sometimes it's difficult to see the rainbow through the clouds. If one more person asks me, "You guys are still here? I thought you were moving?", I think I might lose my mind!! 

This waiting on God has been much harder this time than when Roger was in school in Florida. When Roger was in school, we had no idea where that first job was going to be. However, we had our own home, I was able to be involved in our church, and life was as normal as it could be. Yes, our income was unstable, but God always provided. Now I feel like my life is a bit of a muddle in a funnel, and while we have income this time, nothing else is the same. Honestly, it's a hard transition for me, and I have long discussions with God on many things. I can recognize the fact that I'm struggling with depression, but for now this is just something I'm muddling through. It can't be fixed, it's teaching me to wait again in God, to trust Him completely, and leave it all in His hands all of which are challenging for me! 

Roger is the perfect spouse for me in this adventure as He patiently listens to me. It's not all roses for him either, as his passion and talent lie in pursuing a career in aviation. Does God have a plan in allowing these delays, challenges, and trials? I choose to believe that He does, and that He knows all about our emotions and feelings; yet He still loves us. 

I have many more thoughts bottled up inside of me, but for now, that's where it will stay. God knows...

Happy Monday!

Delays and Delights!

As much as we desire for our lives to be smooth and orderly, we probably wouldn't depend as much on Christ if they were that way! Roger called the company he will be working for in Maine this week, and discovered that he will be delayed by about four weeks. The man who will be doing Roger's training is unable to do it until the first week in March. His wife fell unexpectedly ill, so that will postpone Roger's departure date. Although Roger is disappointed in this news, it doesn't catch God by surprise. We know that He is the one controlling our lives, and this is all a part of His master plan. That's not to say we  aren't a little disappointed in this change in our timeline of our lives. But the awesome part is that Roger has a job, we do have a place to stay, we have a good church, and it's gives us a little more time to enjoy our Wisconsin relationships...although my parents are probably looking forward to some peace and quiet! (I kind of doubt my mom will miss the nerf  guns, loud farm imitation sounds, and lots of other dirt and noise!) 

My parents are leaving on Wednesday for their trip. My dad is taking a two week missions trip to Haiti, and my mom will be visiting family in North Carolina. I know my dad is looking forward to this trip, and we are praying for safety and the furtherance of God's Kingdom. However, it also provides a great opportunity for us to be our individual families for a little while again. Our family is looking forward to this time with just our family, and I'm sure my parents are looking forward to leaving the craziness for a while! It really doesn't seem overly loud or crazy to me (most of the time) but since these kids are my monkeys in my zoo :), I do my best to take good care of them.

Roger has been working a little bit of overtime at his job, and I know that we will look back at these months and see God's hand in it all. We are still uncertain of housing, moving our stuff, and all the logistics of getting our whole family to Maine. But since we are taking everything one day at a time, we just continue to do what is right in front of us to do. 

We are back into the swing of school, and we are hard at work. I've been trying to double up on some lessons as I know that a move is in our future. Since I don't know exactly when that will be, I don't want to be behind in school. My mom has been a huge help in schooling the boys, and I don't take that for granted. I know I will miss that aspect terribly when we move away. 

My parents both were not feeling well this week, so it was a bit of a struggle with having five young children in the house. We ended up going over to a friends house on Thursday as we wanted to give my parents some extra time to rest. So we texted several friends to see if we could come over for a few hours, and Phil and Autumn graciously said we could come there. So Roger and I picked up pizza and came over! It was a good reprieve for us as the kids had friends to play with and they got to play a new game "Pie in the Face"! They had such a good time, and I'm thankful for friends that are willing to have us over on short notice. 

Tomorrow is a fresh start to a new week. I'm looking forward to being in God's Word, seeing Him at work in our lives, and the adventures of a new week! 

God bless,

Sarah 

                       

Christmas Break!

It's been a few weeks since I've updated the blog, but my parents now have Internet!! Woo hoo!! We've been busy with finishing up the school work we needed to get done before break, enjoying lots of family time, and preparing for Christmas. 

What a Christmas it was for our family! Our family was blessed by our church youth group on the Wednesday before Christmas, and our children were ecstatic with the gifts they received. They received Legos, and nerf guns, matchbox cars, and candy, and a stuffed horse for Emma. They also received a few other gifts, and of course, I cried! It is humbling to be on the receiving end so often of people's generosity, but we are very thankful for all that have showered our family with gifts, love and prayers! 

Hannah and Josh came the week of Christmas for a few short days. It was great to have us all together again, but my parent's house did seem a tad squished! We celebrated Christmas on Tuesday, December 22, with Hannah and Josh. We also had a few other close friends join us for dinner, and it was a fun time of food, fellowship, and celebrating Christmas. Hannah and Josh had to leave on Wednesday, and it was hard to see them go. However, I am thankful to know that in a few months we should be close enough to get together for special times with family. 

                            

   

On Christmas Eve, we attended the candlelight service at our church, and then came back to my parents home for Christmas with my sister, Jen. One of my favorite gifts this year was from the boys. My dad spent some time with them on a woodworking project. It's not up to my dad's standard of perfection, but I see the love and hard work that four boys put into it...I love it! Another of my favorite gifts was from Garett. There was a definite change in his gift giving this year as he moved from thinking about what he would want to what someone else would want. He spent his own money, and asked Roger to take him shopping. Garett told Roger that he wanted to buy mom some lotion. So Roger took him to Bath and Body Works. Garett picked out the lotion all by himself. How did my little boy grow so quickly! Roger purchased a new Bible for me with my name on it. I haven't had a new Bible since my college days and this one has my married name on it! I was blessed and spoiled by my family! It was a good time with family, and of course, lots of food and gifts! Christmas Day was a quiet day in the morning, but after lunch we went to play some games with another family from our church. I'm thankful for the opportunity to spend time wit dear friends and family this holiday season. The day after Christmas was the Prahl family get together. We headed up to Wausau for the afternoon as that is where most of my dad's family lives. It was another opportunity to spend time with family and reflect on the blessings of the past year. 

We finally had our first major snowstorm on December 29! We had some very excited children when we woke up to about ten inches of snow! But oh, how the muscles worked on that day! My dad, Jenn, and I spent quite a bit of the day shoveling, and Garett drove the four-wheeler with the plow. He did a good job for the most part and stuck with it for quite a while. I was proud of him. The boys have built snow forts, wallowed in the snow, dug tunnels, and spent about six hours outside every day playing in the snow...and they aren't tired of it yet! However, they are sleeping fabulously at night! 

On New Year's Eve, we attended the activity at my dad's church. They had a sledding activity, followed by a potluck dinner and devotional and family games at the church. We had a good time playing dominoes, quirkle, and other games with the families in the church. 

Our Christmas break passed by entirely too quickly, and I'm not ready to go back to school on Monday! I'm thankful for the memories we made, the opportunities to share about Christ, and the love of so many this Christmas season. As our children grow, I treasure these memories as a family even more. I was in tears this past week as I thought about how fast they are growing, how much we want to teach them yet, how many failures I have as a parent, and my desire to see them grow to become Godly young men and a young lady. It's definitely not a small feat, but I can see the hand of God at work both on them and on me. God is good. 

Roger is gearing up to head to his job in Maine. He is hoping to leave the end of this month, but it just depends on how the pieces fall in place. We are going to miss him terribly when he is away, but it's not for forever. We are looking into houses, properties and rentals online and hoping to have some lined up for Roger to look at when he arrives in Maine. 

So, in a nutshell, that was our Christmas break. How was yours? 

                         

   

Pre-Christmas Blessings!

                        

     

Our Thanksgiving Day was spent with friends and family. My parents hosted the big dinner at their house since we are currently unable to host an event at our house! It was a good time of food and fellowship. The next day we discovered that we had accidently been exposed to hand, foot, mouth virus! We disinfected and cleaned everything, and we prayed diligently that no one would get it. That particular virus has a three to five day incubation period, so I stayed home with the kids on Sunday. Although they seemed to be as healthy as before, I didn't want to run the risk of them passing something on to someone else. We listened to a Bible dvd, and I sent them all outside! However, on Tuesday the incubation period was over for the virus, and no one had gotten sick! Praise the Lord! 

In other news, Roger has been working steadily at a job. While it's not the most exciting or adventurous, it provides a paycheck. I know that Roger is looking forward to taking this job in Maine, but we are thankful that God provided something in the mean time. 

I was asked to give the devotional for our annual ladies Christmas party at church. I was completely out of my element, but God gave grace to me. It was a good challenge to me, and I was reminded of all that God has taught me. The ladies Christmas party is an event that ladies from our church get together for an evening of food, fellowship, games, and a devotional. We also have the option to pick out a secret pal for the following year. I generally do participate in picking out a secret pal, but this year  I decided not to do it. Since we are leaving for Maine, it would be hard to give small gifts to my secret pal. The main idea of the whole thing is to pick out someone from the basket and then spend the year praying for her. It's also a nice idea to leave small gifts or cards at church for the person you have. It's a way to encourage, pray, and get to know one of the ladies from our church. Unfortunately, my secret pal from last year appeared to have forgotten that she picked me, but that's the way it goes sometimes! 

Our family has been enjoying a two week vacation at someone else's house! Some friends from our church took a vacation to Hawaii. They needed someone to feed the dog and cats, and they gracious asked if we would like to stay in their house while they are away. It's been a great opportunity for us to have some of our own space, and enjoy some time with just our family.  Kelli told us that we should feel free to have friends over and to make ourselves at home...so we are doing just that! We've had several families from church over, and we've enjoyed re-connecting with friends. It has been a wonderful experience for our family, and we are thankful that Josh and Kelli invited us to stay in their home. I've been going over to my parents for school every morning, but then in the afternoon we come back, have lunch, take a rest, and enjoy some space on our own. The boys have enjoyed playing with "new-to-them" toys, and everyone has their own bed to sleep in! Yay! God is so good to us! 

I thought last year was a different Christmas for us, but this one is shaping up to be just as different as last year! Last year we had a home, but this year we do not. This has been a little bit challenging for me as I love to have people over, decorate our home, and do all our own traditions. It's hard to have all of our things in storage, and I miss having our own home. However, this isn't for forever, and God knows that this is where we need to be. It does make me look forward to the day when we can put up our own Christmas tree again, dig out our Christmas stockings, plan get-together and events with family and friends, and enjoy our family Christmas traditions. I will say that with this Christmas being a different one for our family again, it allows us to share with our children the real and simple meaning of Christmas. It's about celebrating the birthday of Jesus, sharing our joy with others, and working on our relationship with Jesus Christ and those around us. We are blessed! 

As you also prepare for the Christmas season, I challenge you to take a moment to reflect on your priorities. This year I chose to do a Christmas devotional for the month of December. I am also writing out Scripture passages every day that have to do with Christmas. It's been a real encouragement to me, and I've been enjoying the journey. 

Our love to you all,

Sarah

                          

The following is the devotional I did at the Ladies Christmas Party:

Devotional 

I Kings 19

I really wanted God to impress upon me some deep theological truth that I could share, but that's not what God brought to my attention. Instead He gently reminded me of all the promises that He encouraged me with while in Arizona. There is no possible way to recap all that God taught me and reminded me of, but I thought I'd touch on a few lessons that were and are very special to me. Sometimes it's not what we know, but how we apply what we know! 

Philippians 4: 4-13

I firmly believe that one of the reasons God directed us to Arizona was to remind us that He is enough. Actually, I was reminded of how shallow my relationship with my Heavenly Father was. In a church the size of Wyldewood, it's easy to get caught up in business. It's easy to be involved in multiple things, ministries, and activities, and while those are good things, they can distract us from our relationship with God. God gently showed me how He is enough and that my relationship with Him needed some work.Over and over again, He reminded me that He is faithful, to think on the things of God, to rejoice, to pray fervently, and to be content...even with mushrooms growing inside the trailer! God is so good! My challenge  is for you to examine what you do and why. It's not that ministries, people, and activities are bad...we need them, but we need to be careful. Some of us are doing too much, and some are doing too little. As we enter the new year, I just want to remind you to take some time to discover and listen to what it is that God wants you to do. 

In addition, God reminded me of his lesson to Elijah after his victory at Mount Carmel. Elijah had just experienced this great mountaintop experience, and yet he's discouraged just a few verses later. As Elijah sits in the cave, God comes and speaks to him. First He sends a strong wind, then an earthquake, then a fire, and finally a still small voice. 

Lonliness is a deep and real challenge. Elijah felt all alone as he sat in the cave. He was focused on himself, and God interrupted his pity party. I'm thankful that God did that for Elijah and He does the same for us today. Although we don't hear the audible voice of God, He does give us reminders that we aren't alone and that He knows where we are. I feel that because of our Arizona experience I can relate better to missionary wives. God has already spoken to my heart about praying more diligently for our missionary wives. They face a hard job on a foreign field away from family and friends, and loneliness is a real and deep challenge! I am so very thankful for those that sent a card, a text, or told me they were praying for us. Those are some memories that I hold close to my heart, and I value those friendships and blessings. And they're are others that need encouragement far more than I did or do!

We all get lonely and discouraged from time to time. Even in a big church, I can guarantee that there are a few ladies that are lonely. I have a two fold challenge...one for the ones that are lonely, and one for the ones that need to reach out to the lonely ones. :) So, you should find that you fit in one of those categories. :) 

First of all, if you find yourself in the category of being lonely, let's look again at I Kings 19. After God send the strong wind, the earthquake, and the fire, He speaks in a still small voice. He asks Elijah what he is doing in the cave. Elijah replies that everyone has forsaken God and only he is left to serve God. Instead of immediately addressing Elijah's statement, God instead gives him a task to do. He tells Elijah to get going and annoint Hazael to be the next king over Syria. And then he tells him to annoint Jehu to be the next King of Israel. And also tells him to annoint Elisha to be the next prophet. With three separate tasks to do, I don't think Elijah had any more time to think about himself! That being said, how about you? Do you find yourself in the category of feeling alone? My challenge is really quite simple...ask God to help you see beyond yourself and find someone you can be a blessing to. It costs .44 cents to mail a card....just do it! (Getting mail was a huge highlight for me in Arizona) So, write a card to encourage someone, take coffee to a friend you don't know very well, go visit the nursing home and bring your kids along...ask God to specifically help you to be a blessing to someone else! And you will probably discover as I have many times, that you are the one who receives a blessing! 

Or perhaps you are in category number two...you are someone who needs to reach out to the lonely ones. After God gives Elijah his three jobs to complete, he ends their interaction with a strong statement in verse 18. We often look at this verse and think "wow, all those people who still love God!" And it's true, seven thousand is a strong number. However, do you think maybe a few of those seven thousand felt like Elijah and needed someone to encourage them and tell them that they aren't alone? I sure do! This was a time when the followers of Jehovah were scared for their lives, so I'm pretty sure they could've used some encouragement! And what about you? Do you have your eyes on Christ and are you asking Him to help you find someone who is in need of encouragement? I'm not saying this is something you need to do once a week or even once a month, but I'd suggest setting a date on your calendar at least three times a year. Set the alarm to go off on the date a week before it occurs, and ask God to show you someone you can reach out to. Again, perhaps it's a simple as writing a card to someone (which can be done in under ten minutes!) Or perhaps taking coffee to someone you don't know very well, or visiting the nursing home and bringing your kids along...ask God to help you be a blessing to someone who is lonely! 

In closing, the application is the same. :) If you are lonely, reach out to someone. If you are not lonely, ask God to impress someone upon your heart, and reach out to them. :) God has given me a whole new perspective on what loneliness is and how powerful it is, so that is what God directed me to share with you tonight.