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So yes, I know most of you are aware there are many, many challenges within life. Whether it is a personal struggle through a tragedy, or an internal battle trying to distinguish between what type of peanut butter is best for your family (yes, we are a Jiff-only family)-challenges are everywhere. But for us as a couple, both Travis and I have experienced some crazy weirdness and struggles throughout the last few weeks.
We have been “on the go” since June 10th. (Yes, we’re STILL on the go as I sit and write this) We have faced challenges of several kinds while also reaping blessings along the way. Shall I start the journey within this post? Why yes, I shall! HA!
Our traveling and “on the go” lifestyle began in early June with us traveling to Virginia to visit a friend I hadn’t seen in 4 years. (We met at Liberty Univ. while taking a class together for a week. She lived in Savannah at the time, but she and her husband moved to VA a few years ago). What fun it was to meet up with her again, officially meet her husband, and have Travis meet both Jen and Shawn with their twin babies!!!! What a blessing it was to stay a few days and catch up/meet/and just have fun together! I can’t tell you how many things we have in common between the husbands looking similar to one another to both couples knowing how to play Dutch Blitz! It’s the little things, people that keep relationships going! 🙂
We came home from VA to begin a week of Vacation Bible School at our church where both Travis and I were “crew leaders”, and at the same time had Travis’s 12 year old nephew staying with us for a few weeks. VBS was a challenge for both Travis and I as we both felt like pulling our hair out for various reasons, but mainly for some taxing behaviors from one or two kids we were responsible for, including our nephew! This VBS week was a complete whirlwind as we were forced to call T’s brother and his wife to pick their child up because of some behaviors we were seeing and could NOT have the scary behaviors in Niagara Falls, which we were planning on taking him to the day camp we were working with the following week.
The following week found us in Niagara Falls, working with Hope Club of Niagara Falls, NY- a ministry run by some of our dearest friends. (I’m planning another post about Niagara Falls in the near future to further explain this amazing ministry). But needless to say, the week was FILLED with planning and teaching the love of Jesus to some 150 kiddos from the surrounding community. Travis and I were in charge of the Bible lessons, and let me tell ya, I think we learned more sometimes from the lessons as we needed to be reminded that Jesus is continually directing our purpose as individuals and as a couple!
And finally, as our community in NW Ohio was cleaning up from 90 mph winds during a storm Friday, we were headed home to stop for a brief night to wash clothes, repack, and check out the local damage from the storm, and attend a friend’s husbands visitation, we headed out to Iowa to visit Travis’s family while leaving my parents staying at our house because they had no power for 80+ hours.
Soooo, now you have a slight picture of the little whirlwind of business and some challenges we have been experiencing within the last month. We still sit here in the 100 degree humidity in Iowa, but there have been some good times to finally get to relax a bit. But even through the relaxation, God has been reminding me in various ways that He is still needed each and every day. (Why do we tend to forget this little important nugget of Truth!?!)
Several weeks ago Travis and I began leading a discussion group/study at our church on the book Radical by David Platt. A-MAAAAZING book. It’s truly a must read for any Christian who desires to learn more about how Jesus has directly called each of His followers to be disciples. Eyes are opened differently after reading the authors commentary on what it truly means and takes to be a disciple of Jesus Christ. Our purpose is challenged, and our life-calling is surrendered.
I’ve been personally re-reading a favorite book of mine- Same Kind of Different as Me by Ron Hall & Denver Moore. And like always, am completely challenged in ways I tend to forget about…This book follows a wealthy southern couple and at the same time follows a poor homeless black man. It’s a true story and totally worth the time and the tears to be reminded how God moves in ways we don’t understand. But one gem of a lesson in the book happens to be one of my favorite quotes: “The truth about it is, whether we is rich or poor or somethin in between, this earth ain’t no final restin place. So in a way, we is all homeless-just workin our way toward home.” -Denver Moore
It’s important for us to remember that no matter our wait to learn of our life-purpose or even as we wait to hear anything about our adoption, we must not just sit…we must be working our way toward Home-toward heaven, and live each and every day as purposefully as possible- even through its challenges and craziness. Are we up for THAT challenge????