Church Adventures, Life and Freebies!

 The past ten days have flown by with my parents here and then my sister, Jen, from South Dakota. We’ve enjoyed our time with family, and the kids have certainly enjoyed the week with my sister too. In the past ten days, Roger and I got away for an overnight; we took a family day to the beach; we visited a new church last Sunday; the boys have worked a lot for the neighbor; and we have gotten a little rain! Praise the Lord! 

Garett told me the other day that one thing that North Carolina does not have is medium sized bugs! He said that it seems like the bugs are super little, like lots of annoying gnats, or the bugs are large sized, like big beetles and spiders! I guess I kinda would have to agree! When it is dry, we have lots of the tiny annoying gnats. They go away for a day or two after it rains, and it’s pleasant outside in the evenings. We are blessed to live on a property with trees so we do get somewhat of a breeze in our yard. 

Jen arrived at our house last Thursday, and we’ve been enjoying spending time with her.  She bought most of the kids school supply list as well as contributed to their school bill- we are so thankful for her investing in our children. She’s played lots of games, helped with yard work, and done lots of grocery shopping with me. It’s been a good week, and she has a long drive back ahead of her. 

On Saturday night, we spent some time discussing which church we would visit on Sunday. We’ve been here for five Sundays. The first Sunday, Roger was working so the kids and I visited a church. The second Sunday, we were visiting Roger’s family in South Carolina, picking up Garett’s car and visiting my aunt and uncle. The third Sunday we went to the church associated with the school. The fourth Sunday, we were staying with my Aunt and Uncle for Saturday/Sunday as my parents were heading back to Wisconsin. And then the fifth Sunday, we visited another church. One challenge is that often church websites are outdated, as well as their Facebook pages. So when you check out either of those for information and the last post was from two years ago, it’s not exactly inviting to visitors. Anyways, we did a google search for area churches and came up with a bunch. We decided to visit “Miller’s Chapel” as it was about nine minutes away, the information seemed to be fairly up to date, and it said that they were a P. F.W.B. Church. I know what F.W.B. Stands for as it’s an abbreviation for Free Will Baptist. I wasn’t sure what the “P” stood for, but we would find out. We pulled into the parking lot a little before 10:00am for the service. The pastors name on the sign was not the same one that was listed on the website, but it was a man so that was a good start! Here’s a suggestion- if your church congregation is not meeting in the main sanctuary, it would probably be a good idea to direct visitors to which part of the building they ARE meeting in! Anyways, we found the spot. We stepped in and we were warmly greeted by the people standing near the entrance. The pastor introduced himself and told us to help ourselves to the snacks before the service began. It wasn’t snacks- it was like a meal! Sausage biscuits, muffins, chips, drinks, etc! The boys always seem a bit shy around food when it’s around people that they don’t know, but Emma has no such qualms. She spotted a juice box and a sausage biscuit, and she was happy. The boys took a minute, but the cans of soda caught their eye. Great! Anyways, we found a place to sit which wasn’t a challenge as there were plenty of open seats! We settled in and people came and said hello to us. The church was friendly. And the service began with a children’s devotional up at the front, which none of our kids were comfortable with going up to the front. Then they had some congregational singing which was to lyric videos. I completely understand that not all churches have accomplished musicians to help with music, so I can appreciate the fact that they had found a way to worship through song. Then the preaching began, and it was long. Those cans of soda and juice boxes had made their way to the bladder section! The preacher used his ipad (and I’m not against technology in church), but it would’ve been nice if he had asked the congregation to open their Bibles to certain passages of Scripture. Maybe it’s weird, but I like to use my Bible at church! Towards the end of the service, we found out what the “P” stood for- Pentecostal. The pastor had people that wanted prayer to come forward to the front, and then those that wanted to went up to lay hands on them and to pray. But not one at a time, everyone at one time. Clearly God can still understand us if we all pray at one time, but it can be hard to focus or is that just me?! Anyways, to close this story, we won’t be going back. There are a lot of other reasons that aren’t listed here, and I think there are people that are serving God in that church. Roger and I just don’t happen to think that it would be the best fit for our family. Moving on…

Roger and I left on Sunday afternoon for an overnight get-away. The kids are almost old enough to stay by themselves overnight, but since none of them have cell phones and no one drives, we aren’t there yet. Roger and I didn’t really have any big plans other than to spend time together and exploring the state of North Carolina. We went up the coast a ways and visited an old fort, we walked along the beach, we ate at a quaint restaurant, and enjoyed our get away. We came back on Monday afternoon as we were taking a family day to the beach on Tuesday. On our getaway, we spotted 100’s of these shade tents along the beach. We thought that getting one of those would help make our Tuesday beach day more enjoyable if we weren’t frying in the sun. However, $250.00 is more than we wanted to pay for some beach shade! Roger figured that perhaps he and the boys could improvise. 

Monday afternoon found the boys and Roger rigging up a shade tent. Roger had this old parachute, and after looking at the design of the shade tents that were so expensive, they came up with a plan. Using a piece from our tent, part of the parachute, a tent spike and some paracord, they came up with a beach shade tent. We would have no problems finding our on the beach, but maybe we should get to the beach early so no one could see us setting up our redneck shade tent. Just Kidding! We headed to the beach around 7:00am. It’s just over an hour to the beach, and it’s an easy route. The kids were excited about the day, and we had packed plenty of snacks, water, Gatorade, and more snacks! We found a spot to park (not hard in the morning) and set up our place on the beach. The kids were delighted to feel how warm the ocean water is/was and it’s hard to believe that this is the same frigid water on the beaches in Maine. Roger and the boys set up our shade tent, and we will need to make a few modifications for next time. However, it worked out for our adventure, and it was free! There were probably about 60 of the shade tents that we could see by the time we left, and as far as the eyes could see they were up and down the beaches. Could we have spent the money? Yes, but then the boys would’ve missed out on improvising, being creative, managing money and resources well, learning to not be embarrassed when things look different, and a whole host of other lessons. We had plenty of shade, learned that we can make a few changes to make it better, and enjoyed our morning at the beach. Emma is not fearful at all of the waves, and we just had to remind her that she needed to be by Roger or Garett. She did lose her googles and that was a bit hard, but she still went back out. I’m thankful that Roger was able to take Tuesday off of work so that we could have a valuable family day making memories. 

The boys have been working hard for the neighbor. They do all kinds of odd jobs including picking melons, hauling trash to the burn pile, selling cantaloupe and watermelon and whatever else needs doing. Last week they spent several days selling melons. One of the boys came home and announced that he’s never been called “sugar” or “honey” so much in his life! Haha! Chandler is not intimidated to ask anyone at the gas station if they want to buy a melon, and together they’ve sold quite a few! The lady at the gas station has been kind to the  boys and told them that they could have free re-fills on drinks while they were working. Then the boys came up with this game. You get one gulp from the cup if you don’t make a sale, but you can get two gulps from the cup if you sell a melon! Sounds like boys being boys! They come home with all kinds of fun stories and it’s fun to listen to them as we sit around the dinner table. We are thankful that they had this opportunity this summer, as it’s provided them with some money to earn as well as a time when we don’t have any friends in the area, so we are thankful! 

Garett and Chandler both start drivers ed next week. It’s a full week of class, but then it will be done. The course is offered for free for students that are going to school in that county whether private, homeschool or public. It was an unexpected blessing to find out that they could take driver’s ed for free. It’ll be a bit of a wait before they can do driver instructed time behind the wheel, but we are just taking this one step at a time. 

We appreciate your continued prayers for us as we prepare for school that will start in three weeks! Garett’s class is taking a trip to Washington DC in September, so we are praying that he will have made a good friend by then. The boys have all be going to soccer practice, and they will probably all make the soccer team. Chandler was undecided if he wanted to do soccer or cross-country, but for this year, he’s decided to do soccer. They’ll need to keep up their grades to play, and I have a few that are concerned about that. Please pray that the transition to a new school, new classmates, new teachers, new rules, etc., will be as smooth as possible both for them and their parents! 

We are still looking for a church “home”, so please be in prayer for that also. Thank you!

One Month?!

 Today marks four weeks since we’ve moved to North Carolina! On one hand, it seems like it’s been a really long time, and on the other hand it feels like yesterday. Roger enjoys his job, and it’s been a good fit for us. We’ve tried out a few churches, but we will continue to do so. There are a lot of churches to visit, so it can be overwhelming!

This past week was a busy and full one as my parents drove from Wisconsin to NC to see us. While it’s closer than Maine, it’s still a hike. We were happy to spend the week with them as the boys enjoyed working on projects with my dad, fishing, tinkering with the dirt bikes, and lots of other things. My mom worked with Emma on some school work which was not Emma’s favorite thing, but it’s good for her. We did get some rain this past week, so we are so thankful for that. It’s been a dry summer here, so every little bit of rain brings a tiny sigh of relief from the farmers that are wanting to harvest crops in a few weeks. 

Three of the boys continue to stay busy working for the neighbor. This past week they had the opportunity to sell corn in our small local town. They enjoyed it, and Garett said he much preferred it to picking squash! The farmer parked his truck in a gas station lot, and the boys would take turns asking the customers pumping gas if they’d like to buy some corn. An older gentleman came up and offered the boys a job stacking wood, and the boys were a little confused as they already have a job. The man told him that he has had such a hard time finding workers and if the boys wanted to stack wood, he would pay them. Well, none of the boys have a cell phone, and they knew that they weren’t just going to go off with someone! I suggested to the boys that next time (if there is a next time) they could suggest  that the person call their parents to see about work. For now, the boys are plenty busy with working for the neighbor. Another man gave the boys a $20.00 tip because he said that there are way too few young people out working and it was good to see boys working! Needless to say, it was a fun experience for the boys. Our small local town is a little bit like stepping back in time as everyone seems to know each other, and when the neighbor dropped off the boys, he just told them to go into the gas station and call him if there was a problem. Roger and I are working hard at teaching the boys to be independent, wise and discerning, and part of that comes with learning to figure out problems on your own. The boys didn’t have any problems or concerns while selling corn and they came back happy from their interactions with people. (It won’t always be that way, so we are thankful for a positive experience for them.) Also, I highly doubt the boys would’ve sold as much corn if they had been sitting there looking down at a cell phone for three hours! I do not have a problem with technology, but the more we can teach our future generation to actually INTERACT with people, I think the better we are preparing them. 

We went to the western side of the state on Saturday to visit with my mom’s sister, Lisa. My parents stayed there for two nights, and then left early this morning (Monday) to head back to Wisconsin. My parents and two of the kids left around 8:30am on Saturday morning to head to Lisa’s. I puttered around a bit, cleaning and packing and left around 10:45am. Roger had been planning on going with us, but he was on call this weekend. That meant he needed to be within two hours of the airport, and we would be farther away than that. It’s wasn’t ideal, and I don’t like being apart as a family, but all the kids were excited about seeing their second cousins and swimming in the pool. We ran into a lot of traffic on the way to Lisa’s house, and it took longer than anticipated to get there. When we turned onto Lisa’s road, I noticed that the brakes were making a funny sound as in a grinding sound. Great! It’s 4:00pm on a Saturday evening and the brakes on the van are bad! I didn’t know what to do, but thankfully God always has a plan. My uncle, Ryan, has a garage where he works on cars (much nicer cars than our minivan!). Ryan’s employee was getting ready to leave for the weekend, but he agreed to look at the brakes and the rotars and the brake pads were bad. Thankfully, he was able to find a parts store that had the right parts, so Lisa and I went to pick up the parts for the van. God’s timing is always perfect. By the time we came back with the brake parts, John (the employee) had the van hoisted up and was ready to put on the parts. Thank the Lord! It would’ve been a challenge to find a place to take the van on a Saturday evening, and it wouldn’t have been good to drive home with the brakes grinding. I don’t like situations like these as I find them stressful and overwhelming, but God always shows Himself strong. We ended up safely at Lisa’s house; my uncle was able to get the van fixed with the help of John; the parts store had the parts; just a lot of “God” moments! We are thankful!

We went to church with my aunt and uncle on Sunday morning, and we enjoyed the opportunity to worship with other believers. Their church service is at 9:00am as the building that they are meeting in does not have air conditioning. The church people were friendly and kind, and it makes me long for the opportunity to become rooted and grounded with a church family again. We will keep at it, but church shopping is definitely not on my list of fun things to do! 

The kids and I headed back to the east side of the state on Sunday afternoon. I had gone with my Aunt Lisa to visit another aunt that is currently in a nursing home. It was a quick visit and then back to get packed up and headed home. It’s about 3.5 hours, so it’s a bit of a hike. But it was good to see family, say good by to my parents, and see my sister (Jen) who is coming to our house in a few days. 

It was a busy week but full of memories.  I’m thankful for all my dad’s work on various projects around our house, and my mom working with Emma. We are blessed! 

Adjustments and Praises!

 It’s hard to believe but we are going to be wrapping up our third week here in North Carolina on Monday! We’ve been busy working hard at painting, cleaning, getting the air conditioner installed, having a water filter installed, visiting family, and so much more!

Roger has been busier than we anticipated with this years fire season, but the locals are saying that it’s the driest year they’ve had in a while. So hence, there are more fires. We’ve had to adjust our schedules somewhat as Roger leaves for work around 9:00am, but hasn’t been getting home until after 7:00pm. We make it work. Roger and I often have time for a walk in the morning, and we just eat supper later so that we can all eat together as a family. 

Updates from the past week: 

Last Wednesday (6/29), Emma had a flare-up of Lyme’s disease. At least that’s what I think it was as it happens every once in awhile. It’s the same symptoms, and it doesn’t often last long. She gets a low grade fever, a  bad headache, joint pain and sometimes throws up from the headache. She was down for the count last Wednesday, and it’s hard when your child doesn’t feel well. She was pretty miserable and tired for the day, but seems to have bounced back again. 

Last Thursday, the three younger kids and I made a trip out to Roger’s work. It was fun to see the airplanes, his office and get a taste of what happens there. 

Last Friday, (7/1) we traveled to South Carolina to visit some of Roger’s family. It’s just under a four hour trip, and we thought that Roger would be able to get off around 5:00pm. Surprise - he was able to get home just after seven! We had planned on leaving on Friday night, and we decided to go ahead and still leave on Friday night. It would be a late night, but then we would have all day Saturday to spend with family. On our way, we did stop at Buccy’s- anyone familiar with that chain? It’s a gas station that boasts to have 100 pumps and the cleanest bathrooms! We were all in awe of how larger the convenience store was and yes, the bathroom were clean! 

We spent the day on Saturday with  some of Roger’s family. Three of his sisters who live in Canada had come down for a visit as well as two cousins. It was a full day of sunshine, food and talking! The boys spent the day swimming for a while, then running around to the front yard for a game of baseball  with their cousin, Landon, and then back to the pool with some eating in between! Emma enjoyed swimming with two of her cousins, Charity and Karis. Travis ended up with a pretty bad sunburn and Garett had gotten some sun too. Chandler tends to just turn browner, Wyatt didn’t get a sunburn, and Emma just a little. I always seem to forget to put the sunscreen on Travis, and he burns first and then tans the rest of the summer. It was a good day, and I know that Roger was happy to have been able to spend some time with three of his sisters, parents and his brother, Nate. Some of his family we haven’t seen in several years, so it as good to re-connect. 

On Sunday we went to pick up Garett’s car. Yes, he has a car but not a driver’s license! My brother-in-law, Josh, sold Garett a car and the car was in South Carolina parked at Josh’s parents house. I accidentally typed in the wrong address so when the gps told us we had arrived we were actually still 40 minutes away! It messed up the schedule of the day a bit, and I felt badly about inconveniencing Josh’s mom, but with the price of gas, we needed to accomplish as much as possible in one long trip! Josh’s mom, Debbie, is also a friend of mine, so I would’ve loved to have visited a while longer, but we needed to keep going. She gave us some duck eggs to try, and the kids were excited about trying those. We talked a little bit about the challenges of finding a church “home”, and how both hard it is to sometimes feel connected with people. It was a short visit, but we are thankful to have Garett’s car picked up. It had been a tight squeeze in the mini van until we picked up the car as Roger’s brother had given us a grill. We were excited about that, so we definitely wanted to squeeze it in, and we did! But it was a tight squeeze! 

Sunday afternoon found us in Newton, NC as we visited my aunt and uncle there. It’s been a few years since I had been to their home, and it was a fun afternoon of swimming, fellowship and of course, eating! A few of Lisa’s grandkids, my second cousins, came over and the kids enjoyed the time together in the pool. We had thought about staying overnight, but after two nights away from home, we were all ready to get back to our house. And since Monday would be the 4th of July, we decided to head on home. It’s about 3.5 hours from my Aunt Lisa’s to our house, so we got started back home around five pm. The boys were so excited about the little dirt bike my Aunt had given them. It wasn’t running, but the boys were optimistic that they could figure out the problem and get it running again. Roger managed to squeeze it in the mini van along with the grill and three of the kids. Garett’s car also had three dining room chairs in it, so Roger adjusted those so that two kids could ride with him. My aunt had a couch that she wanted to give to us, but Roger said that there was no way that was going to fit too! We already looked like we were moving with the way the vehicles were packed! Travis made the comment on the way home that it felt like Christmas! He said, “We got dining room chairs, a grill, and a mini bike! This is so cool!” It didn’t matter to the boys that the dirt bike wasn’t working, they were excited about the prospect of figuring out the problem! 

This 4th of July was probably one of the most boring in my life, but it is what it is! We are not familiar enough with the area to know what events might be happening, and we do not know anyone in our immediate area. We spent the day working on house projects and reminiscing of past 4th of July holidays. Next year, will be different, Lord willing. The boys spent most of the day puttering around with the dirt bike. The drained the fuel, cleaned the carborator, cleaned the fuel lines, checked everything over and by the end of the day, it was running! Roger did give them some directions, but for the most part Chandler, Wyatt and Travis figured it out themselves. They are excited to have another little dirt bike around here, and it’s a good place to have one. Even Emma is learning to ride the little dirt bike. We have a Coleman mini bike and now this one that is smaller. The boys have plans to save their money and buy a “real dirt bike”. A few years ago, a dear friend of ours gave money towards the boys buying a dirt bike, and they were able to purchase the Coleman mini bike. It’s given them hours of fun as well as hours of work as they’ve fixed the chain, replaced the pull start and a bunch of other things. It’s fun to see them excited about these things, and it’s good to know how to fix your own junk, I mean, stuff! 

The boys have been working for our neighbors for the past week and one-half. It started out with just Garett working, but after a day, Chandler went down to ask if he could work too. After both boys working for a few days, the neighbor asked if the other brothers wanted work also. Travis was so excited that he could hardly contain himself at the thought of a “real job”, and Wyatt is anxious to get out of his cast so that he can start working! They’ve picked corn, squash, bagged wheat, picked blueberries, weeded gardens, and a bunch of other things. The neighbor has been good to them as they get fed lunch, snacks and drinks while they’re employed. What a blessing for the boys to be able to have a job! It’s hot, sweaty and hard work, just the right kind for growing boys. We are so thankful for each one that prayed with us that the boys would be able to find a job. God is so good! 

We’ve officially enrolled our children in a Christian school in the area. It was a matter of much prayer and discussion, but we’ve moved forward with paying the admissions fee and having the academic testing done. Whew! We’ve committed to this year. Please, please continue to pray with us and for us as the boys and Emma adjust to a new school. Academics are BIG down here, and I was a little (okay, a lot) concerned about how the testing would go. Some of my kids are not great test takers, we have one child with a diagnosed learning challenge, and two more that are probably borderline. I sent out a few text messages on Wednesday asking a few of my close friends to pray for the kids testing on Thursday morning. The kids arrived for their testing at 9;00am on Thursday morning. The secretary had already told me that the test was on the computer and that the kids should bring a book to read as they’d have to wait for their siblings. It was a long morning of testing about 2.5 hours! However, they all survived and the first thing they said when getting into the van was, “I’m hungry!” “That was soooo long!” “I dont think I ever want to do that again!” “Where can we go for a snack?” Alrighty then! The administrator had told us that he would call us sometime Thursday to let us know how the kids had done on the testing. It was a long day of waiting, but all we could do was pray and leave it in God’s hands. Around 6:00pm, the administrator called me to discuss the testing. While some of the kids have lower scores than we would’ve liked, the school is confident about placing each of our children into their anticipated grade level class this fall- THANK YOU, JESUS! Whew! So now we begin the process of being the new family in a new school, but God goes ahead of us and before us just like He has all along. I am going to be a TA at the school, and what exactly that looks like, I have no idea! I just know that I want to be a blessing, serve, and this is a great opportunity to get connected in the school and stay involved with our children’s education. Lots of learning curves ahead of us, so please continue to pray! 

We’ve been in desperate need of some rain, and the farmers around here have been concerned about their crops. It’s been a matter of much prayer in our household as we’ve taken time here and there throughout the day to stop and pray for rain (and school). Last night we got almost an inch of rain, so we are rejoicing in God’s goodness! We do need more rain, but we did get enough to stave off the imminent danger of failed crops. Please continue to pray for more rain. At this point in time, we will just deal with the nasty mosquitos that are likely to come as we get more rain- we just need rain! 

We’ve learned a lot in our 17 days here. It’s a different culture than where we came from, and its going to be a huge help for the boys and Emma to take Spanish language lessons at the Christian school. We have eaten more pork meat since moving here as pork is the cheapest meat. You can find a Mexican restaurant anywhere…we could go to a different one every week for the next 52 weeks probably! People have been friendly and pleasant to deal with (mostly!). Almost every town has a recreation center that includes a baseball field, play ground, tennis courts, basketball, and a walking trail. We’ve been given an abundance of squash from our neighbors, but also sweet corn and potatoes so we’ve been having a lot of those. We COULD buy all part of the pig at the grocery store and chicken gizzards and chicken feet too, but I’ve chosen to leave those for others that might enjoy that type of meal! 

Through it all, God has been good and faithful. We are settling in and adjusting. It’s not been without it’s challenges, but God continues to direct and provide. We just need to rest in WHO He is and WHAT He will continue to do. Thank you for your prayers! My specific prayer list would be as follows: 1) For our family as we continue to adjust and adapt. 2) For more rain 3) I need to find a doctor that will look at Wyatt’s hand and decide if it has healed. 4) For the school year (spiritual growth, academics, relationships, etc). 

Many, Many Thanks! 

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.