Well, it's been a while since I have given an update. We have had a crazy couple of weeks. Two weeks ago we found great renters for our home! They were the first ones to come to our house to check it out and they are a complete gift from God. We moved out on Father's Day and they moved in on Friday. We couldn't have felt more at peace with leaving our home in their hands.
We moved into the church's mission house or as Noah likes to call it, "the little house on the hill." Living here brings some change and adjusting. Our kids now will share a room and Paige is no longer in a crib. At naptime they just play and laugh together until I decide to separate them so they can sleep. Noah and Paige have bonded so much in the last few weeks. It is so precious to see. My mom came to watch the kids so we could finish up projects at our home and then Friday morning we left for vacation to Rhode Island. This vacation could not have come at a better time. We are exhausted and need to not think about anything. Just enjoying time with our family!
Several people made this move and finishing projects on our home possible. HUGE thanks to those who helped with this!
Lastly, something really funny happened on our trip up to RI. We always stop after about 10 hours so we can get a good night sleep at a hotel. Well, we always come in the winter and it's never a problem. We haven't been in the summer for a long time. I think we stopped at about 10 or so hotels and there was no room in the inn. Finally we came to the last place we were going to stop, a pick between Hellertown or Bethlehem. We chose the latter. Guess what? We found a room in Bethlehem! Jesus really does save!! LOL
In all of this we have just seen God's grace in our lives over and over and over again. Undeserved. Unearned. We are so thankful! We are so excited to enjoy Rhode Island this week!
Sunday, June 27, 2010
Tuesday, June 15, 2010
Abraham's Difficult Test
Last Wednesday night as we read Noah and Paige their Bible story we read about Abraham's difficult test (when he had to sacrifice Isaac, but God provided a ram instead). This was an interesting one to explain to Noah without scaring him silly...but we managed. Hopefully not too scarred. lol
Then, Friday night I had the craziest dream....it felt more like a nightmare. I had a dream that I was outside and had built an altar out of stone and Noah was tied to it. I was about to sacrifice him as the Lord had told me in the dream. It was as if I were Abraham! In my dream I was wailing, moaning and Noah was tied to the altar and was screaming, "no mommy, don't hurt me....why?" Just screaming. Even now as I write this I shudder...it felt so real...so terrible.....absolutely awful! Just as you see in pictures in old Bibles with Abraham's arms lifted high with a sword/spear (whatever they used) to sacrifice Isaac, I too was doing the same thing.....except my face was filled with sorrow and rage and terror all at the same time. It was a nightmare to me. I jerked awake shaking in the middle of the night and so relieved to know that I never had to do that, but also felt a bit morbid for dreaming such a thing. Thankfully, after calming down and praising God that I never had to do that, I fell asleep.
The next morning as I was getting ready for my day, I remembered my nightmare. I began to pray and ask God if there was a reason why I had this dream. Maybe there was something he wanted to teach me? There have been many times that God has awakened me in the middle of the night because he had something to say to me, but never with such a vivid and horrific dream. Well, remember how in the previous paragraph I said I was relieved that I never had to sacrifice my son? God spoke to me on Friday morning and gave me a couple of reminders.
1. My children are not my own. They are HIS. They have been entrusted to me for such a short time, but they are HIS. This reminder alone makes me realize what a special privilege I have been given and makes me want to treat and teach my children so much more carefully. What an honor to lead them to the Father. Oh, I want to be so faithful to my Savior!
2. I need to sacrifice my children. Not physically sacrifice them as what was happening in my nightmare. Not to do what Abraham had to do! Side note: let me tell ya, this dream made this story so much more real to me! It made me be able to imagine even better what Isaac was feeling and thinking. How Abraham felt. What were those servants thinking? And Sarah? I too would have built an altar right there and fell on my face in worship to the Creator and Provider! But, I am to sacrifice my children spiritually. I have to continually remind myself to hand them back over to God.
Moving to Romania has brought along some internal challenges and taking my children to a place I know pretty much nothing about is scary and hard for me at times. The fact that we are moving twice, once next week and then again in Jan. makes me a little nervous. I want them to feel secure, stable, safe. But, I also have to know that God is first in my life and in Steve's. So, if we are being obedient to Him, I can't help but believe that God has Noah and Paige all taken care of. Not so say that we don't have responsibilities to take care of them and teach them, etc. But I know that He is going to guard them and protect them, though that may not always happen the way a parent thinks it should. I know Noah and Paige are in His hands.
3. I felt a tiny pinch of how the Father felt as He sacrificed His own Son. I am by no means saying that I understand that. But, my dream felt so real and it hurt my heart so bad. Emotions were so high and there was sorrow, rage, terror, anger, confusion, sadness and so much more. How could He have done such a thing for a wretch like me? Lord, Thank you for your ultimate sacrifice of Your Son!
Today, remember that your children are a gift from the Lord, to be cherished! Remember that they are not your own, but belong to the Lord.
Then, Friday night I had the craziest dream....it felt more like a nightmare. I had a dream that I was outside and had built an altar out of stone and Noah was tied to it. I was about to sacrifice him as the Lord had told me in the dream. It was as if I were Abraham! In my dream I was wailing, moaning and Noah was tied to the altar and was screaming, "no mommy, don't hurt me....why?" Just screaming. Even now as I write this I shudder...it felt so real...so terrible.....absolutely awful! Just as you see in pictures in old Bibles with Abraham's arms lifted high with a sword/spear (whatever they used) to sacrifice Isaac, I too was doing the same thing.....except my face was filled with sorrow and rage and terror all at the same time. It was a nightmare to me. I jerked awake shaking in the middle of the night and so relieved to know that I never had to do that, but also felt a bit morbid for dreaming such a thing. Thankfully, after calming down and praising God that I never had to do that, I fell asleep.
The next morning as I was getting ready for my day, I remembered my nightmare. I began to pray and ask God if there was a reason why I had this dream. Maybe there was something he wanted to teach me? There have been many times that God has awakened me in the middle of the night because he had something to say to me, but never with such a vivid and horrific dream. Well, remember how in the previous paragraph I said I was relieved that I never had to sacrifice my son? God spoke to me on Friday morning and gave me a couple of reminders.
1. My children are not my own. They are HIS. They have been entrusted to me for such a short time, but they are HIS. This reminder alone makes me realize what a special privilege I have been given and makes me want to treat and teach my children so much more carefully. What an honor to lead them to the Father. Oh, I want to be so faithful to my Savior!
2. I need to sacrifice my children. Not physically sacrifice them as what was happening in my nightmare. Not to do what Abraham had to do! Side note: let me tell ya, this dream made this story so much more real to me! It made me be able to imagine even better what Isaac was feeling and thinking. How Abraham felt. What were those servants thinking? And Sarah? I too would have built an altar right there and fell on my face in worship to the Creator and Provider! But, I am to sacrifice my children spiritually. I have to continually remind myself to hand them back over to God.
Moving to Romania has brought along some internal challenges and taking my children to a place I know pretty much nothing about is scary and hard for me at times. The fact that we are moving twice, once next week and then again in Jan. makes me a little nervous. I want them to feel secure, stable, safe. But, I also have to know that God is first in my life and in Steve's. So, if we are being obedient to Him, I can't help but believe that God has Noah and Paige all taken care of. Not so say that we don't have responsibilities to take care of them and teach them, etc. But I know that He is going to guard them and protect them, though that may not always happen the way a parent thinks it should. I know Noah and Paige are in His hands.
3. I felt a tiny pinch of how the Father felt as He sacrificed His own Son. I am by no means saying that I understand that. But, my dream felt so real and it hurt my heart so bad. Emotions were so high and there was sorrow, rage, terror, anger, confusion, sadness and so much more. How could He have done such a thing for a wretch like me? Lord, Thank you for your ultimate sacrifice of Your Son!
Today, remember that your children are a gift from the Lord, to be cherished! Remember that they are not your own, but belong to the Lord.
Sunday, June 13, 2010
Girls Night Away
On Friday night my mom and two sisters came to our house. On Saturday morning the four of us got up and headed out to Townsend, Tn. Chasity is my eldest sister and she just turned 35!! We all went out to celebrate with a night away. This was such a sweet gift, as it was the first time the four of us have ever done something like this. And now I cant wait for the next one and wish we had not waited so long to do it. We went to Townsend to avoid all the traffic that Pigeon Forge and Gatlinburg bring. It was so quiet and peaceful....just what we all needed. We had lunch at Lily's Barn and then went tubing down Little River. We stayed at an Inn there and spent the evening walking and swimming. Finished the evening with dinner at Timber's. It was such a great day!! I love my family so much and it was sweet to get away and make some memories together! Thanks for everything Mom!
Tuesday, June 8, 2010
Can taking a risk be loving?
Today I began packing up our house. Mainly the kitchen got packed today. During the kids nap time I sat in the floor wrapping up dishes listening to a message by John Piper. I love this man (i don't know him personally, but I like to pretend that i do!) ;) It was about risks and the cause of God. Perfect timing for me to hear this message, as my heart is a little or a lot sad that we are moving in two weeks and leaving all of our things (no dishes, furniture, etc. going with us) and all that we are so comfortable and familiar with.
Some days I wonder if Steve and i have just lost our minds. What are we doing? What kind of people uproot their families, taking their two babies away from everything they know, to a far away land that we know practically nothing about. Who quits their job, with steady income, to raise support, counting on the Lord and the body of Christ to support us through this season. It doesn't seem so easy to follow the call of God, when you have to explain to a 3 year old why you are packing up his room and that you can't guarantee that we will come back here to live. May not seem like a big deal if you are reading this, but when it is your child and this home is all he has known....it is his safety net...he feels secure here....his toys are here....his neighbors are here...it is hard to pull him away from all of this. It is hard when you feel like you are disappointing parents and siblings and hurting their hearts because you will not see them for an entire year. Taking risks for God doesn't seem that loving does it?
But wait...Mr. Piper said something pretty profound to me today. We are taking risks everyday, living in a sea of ignorance, as we do not know what will happen in the next five minutes, five days, five decades. Our God doesn't live in this ignorance! He knows EVERYTHING and we know NOTHING!
Praise Him! My home is NOT my security, my LORD IS! This world has nothing to offer me and if I were to think that disobeying God and staying stateside to remain safe makes sense, I am very wrong. This would be a true tragedy. Security and safety doesn't depend on my earthly place, but my spiritual state.
What if you or I took a risk and God made it successful! What if we took a risk and the result was that one or two or many heard about Jesus and He turned their lives around?
I am not going to live for security, but for love!
Some days I wonder if Steve and i have just lost our minds. What are we doing? What kind of people uproot their families, taking their two babies away from everything they know, to a far away land that we know practically nothing about. Who quits their job, with steady income, to raise support, counting on the Lord and the body of Christ to support us through this season. It doesn't seem so easy to follow the call of God, when you have to explain to a 3 year old why you are packing up his room and that you can't guarantee that we will come back here to live. May not seem like a big deal if you are reading this, but when it is your child and this home is all he has known....it is his safety net...he feels secure here....his toys are here....his neighbors are here...it is hard to pull him away from all of this. It is hard when you feel like you are disappointing parents and siblings and hurting their hearts because you will not see them for an entire year. Taking risks for God doesn't seem that loving does it?
But wait...Mr. Piper said something pretty profound to me today. We are taking risks everyday, living in a sea of ignorance, as we do not know what will happen in the next five minutes, five days, five decades. Our God doesn't live in this ignorance! He knows EVERYTHING and we know NOTHING!
Praise Him! My home is NOT my security, my LORD IS! This world has nothing to offer me and if I were to think that disobeying God and staying stateside to remain safe makes sense, I am very wrong. This would be a true tragedy. Security and safety doesn't depend on my earthly place, but my spiritual state.
What if you or I took a risk and God made it successful! What if we took a risk and the result was that one or two or many heard about Jesus and He turned their lives around?
I am not going to live for security, but for love!
Saturday, June 5, 2010
Romania Updates
Hi friends!
Exciting news!
Our financial support is up to 62%!!!! So a HUGE thank you to those who have committed to giving one time gifts, monthly gifts and constant prayer for our family and those we will be ministering to and with! The financial support piece has been much more humbling than I ever thought. To know that our friends and acquaintances are making monthly sacrifices on our behalf means the world! And then there are those who know Steve really well, and I (Cali) don't really know at all, yet they still give! THANK YOU!!! Please keep praying to see if the Lord would have you help us on our adventure with the Lord!
Yesterday, potential renters came to look at our house. This is the first time someone has come to look at our place. Within 10 minutes they said they wanted it! We are running background checks on Monday to make sure convicts will not be renting our home. As long as that and their references check out we just may have our house rented!! It is a super nice family and there are many details about all of this that let us know this is GOD! Little things that mean the world to us! We are trying not to get our hopes up, but we're pretty pumped. All of this means that we have to move in 3 weeks!!! Insanity, yes! Today we cleaned out our shed and tonight we start packing. We will be living in the little house on the hill of our church's property. It is probably the same size as a place we will have in Romania and our kids will go ahead and learn how to share a bedroom! It is about half the size of our home now, but we still will have a great backyard and Steve can just walk over to work! Last night I began to feel the reality of all of this and leaving my temporary house.....it may sound shallow, but a part of me feels like I am grieving a little. That's the only way I can describe it. But, it needs to be quick, just like a band aid, so it doesn't hurt too much. God keeps reminding me of what I am teaching Noah....this is not our home (here in Knoxville, the little house on the hill, Romania, etc.). We really are just going to spread the Gospel wherever we are so we can go to our eternal home with the Father!
Lastly, please pray for our kids and us as we have several small projects to do on our house, some painting and a whole lot of packing and organizing. It is a little more tricky when moving in parts (we move now and then move again in Jan.) We also want prayer to stay focused on Christ and the purpose of all of this and being present with our kids! It's going to be a busy month and we don't want to get caught up in the busyness.
THanks for all the support!
Exciting news!
Our financial support is up to 62%!!!! So a HUGE thank you to those who have committed to giving one time gifts, monthly gifts and constant prayer for our family and those we will be ministering to and with! The financial support piece has been much more humbling than I ever thought. To know that our friends and acquaintances are making monthly sacrifices on our behalf means the world! And then there are those who know Steve really well, and I (Cali) don't really know at all, yet they still give! THANK YOU!!! Please keep praying to see if the Lord would have you help us on our adventure with the Lord!
Yesterday, potential renters came to look at our house. This is the first time someone has come to look at our place. Within 10 minutes they said they wanted it! We are running background checks on Monday to make sure convicts will not be renting our home. As long as that and their references check out we just may have our house rented!! It is a super nice family and there are many details about all of this that let us know this is GOD! Little things that mean the world to us! We are trying not to get our hopes up, but we're pretty pumped. All of this means that we have to move in 3 weeks!!! Insanity, yes! Today we cleaned out our shed and tonight we start packing. We will be living in the little house on the hill of our church's property. It is probably the same size as a place we will have in Romania and our kids will go ahead and learn how to share a bedroom! It is about half the size of our home now, but we still will have a great backyard and Steve can just walk over to work! Last night I began to feel the reality of all of this and leaving my temporary house.....it may sound shallow, but a part of me feels like I am grieving a little. That's the only way I can describe it. But, it needs to be quick, just like a band aid, so it doesn't hurt too much. God keeps reminding me of what I am teaching Noah....this is not our home (here in Knoxville, the little house on the hill, Romania, etc.). We really are just going to spread the Gospel wherever we are so we can go to our eternal home with the Father!
Lastly, please pray for our kids and us as we have several small projects to do on our house, some painting and a whole lot of packing and organizing. It is a little more tricky when moving in parts (we move now and then move again in Jan.) We also want prayer to stay focused on Christ and the purpose of all of this and being present with our kids! It's going to be a busy month and we don't want to get caught up in the busyness.
THanks for all the support!
Wednesday, June 2, 2010
Memorial Day Weekend
I am still recovering from a fun and crazy weekend with Steve's parents in KY. We were up way passed our bedtime every night playing cards, talking and making pies over the fire. Steve's dad turned 50 and his sister turned 20. It was a special weekend full of memories that we will have forever! We are so thankful for their lives and that God made them and put us all in a family together! We pray for many more years to celebrate life together.
After we left their house I was so happy from what a great weekend we had and that memories were made for all of us. But at the same time I was a little sad. You see the reality that we are leaving 7 months from this week is creeping in and we are wanting to have as many meaningful and fun moments with all of our family as possible. I wish I had been living like this for the last several years--making more of an effort, being a better communicator, taking advantage of every moment, treasuring each time with family and friends as if it were my last, but I haven't. And because I haven't it shows how I have taken family and friends for granted. What a gift I have been given! Seven months may sound like a long time, but we know it isn't. A lot of things have to be done in seven months, so between our own family doings and then splitting time between 3 other families....that just doesn't leave much time with each one. But one thing we do know is that we are going to treasure these times and strive to not take our families for granted!
"The lines have fallen to me in pleasant places; Indeed, my heritage is beautiful to me." ~Psalm 16:6
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