Our Family Circus

My 10-year-old niece is a thrill seeker!   She loves amusement parks and there is no ride too scary for her.   My sister enjoys them too but a brain tumor has removed her ability to enjoy them without consequences.  She can ride the rides, but she won't be able to drive the car home afterwards.   Therefore,  she packs a to-do-list and makes phone calls while my thrill-seeking-niece rides.   Dolly and I went along with them for a trip this summer.   Dolly would ride with the thrill-seeker and my sister and I could have that time together.   I got to ride some too!   It was a fun day of getting to know my sister and my quiet yet fearless niece. My sister suggested I ride a roller coaster with the girls.   The ride beat you up, dropped you down and of course went fast.  I had to keep coaching myself to not stiffen up but to be a "wet noodle" to enjoy the ride.    One part of the roller coaster ride took a steep dive into th...

My "word" of the year is "Deny Thyself."   Each year the Lord lays a word on my heart and I get to watch it unfold.  This year...….WOW!    Month-by-month I see this unfold. January I was challenged to deny myself U.S. treats while we were in on furlough. So long sugar for the month of January.   Deny Thyself In February, God called me to deny myself in the relationships with the missionary staff we lived and worked with.  Serve and honor them above myself.  Deny Thyself March, the mission's parent organization sent in 2 representatives that told us we were going under a new parent organization.  This was a big change that came with many more changes.  Deny Thyself April, the new organization stepped in.....it was like a step parent and we were all trying to figure out how this worked.  Deny Thyself May, we were asked to leave the organization and the country we loved. Deny Thyself June, we left our home, life, mi...

A couple of weeks ago, I posted on FB a list of blogs my head had written that week.  The thought of change and dirty diapers came to mind as change is going on at the mission and frankly, it has been hard and stinky!    It seemed to be a direct correlation to diaper changing.  At the time, the title made me smile a bit but I did not realize how big that change would be. Only a few days shy of 4 years, our family will leave our home in the beautiful Kenscoff Mountains. We have prayed many, many times about our being here over the years as the Lord has held yet refined us through the struggles.  The Lord, knowing we were here until we heard clearly from Him,  made it crystal clear.   The mission is now under a new parent organization.   With the new direction the mission will be going, our services are no longer needed.   We will go in grace and gratitude for all the Lord has shown us here.  What a beautiful place this is...with beau...

We have been back in country for a full week now.   The first few days were harder than I expected.  I assume it is the change in altitude and a late flight followed by an early flight that knocked me off of my feet.   I don't recall ever sleeping that hard.   (I am glad to know that I can still do it!) We enjoyed the beauty of the snow when we were out.  The coziness of homes with  double-paned windows, insulation and heat kept us comfortable when it was cold outside.   In fact, I shared with My Dear that I was warmer at night in the states than I am in our mountain home. Upon our return, I stood at the clothesline with a fresh appreciation for the sunshine that we were getting and how warm the blankets on the line felt.   I have stood at the clothesline many times with gratitude.  On this day, I looked at the t-shirt quilt that My Dear's mom made for Billy before our move.  It was such a precious gift for a boy who was leaving all ...

Friday afternoons I get to hang out with some pretty cool people for English class.  This class is not required for anyone, for anything, and there is no accountability to be there.   It allows for us to have fun together and does not demand a scope and sequence which makes it fun to teach too! Recently, in class, I talked a bit about social rules for Americans.   There are many visitors to the mission and probably just as many eager students who want to practice speaking English.  I recall being approached by them when we first moved here and feeling a bit uncomfortable.   Funny enough, I asked two female interns about how they felt because my initial feeling of discomfort are gone and well, this is my normal now. We talked about "personal bubbles," approaching a man vs. approaching a woman, touching or not touching....just STUFF that is cultural that we don't even think about.   I will confess that sometimes when we discu...

In February 2014, there was a children's conference in KY.   My heart was heavy the entire weekend. My Dear had taken the children to NC to visit grandparents while I was away.   We were trying to cushion our children during a difficult time but My Dear and I knew I should continue with my plans. I sat in a seminar and the speaker shared about a child that was a part of her children's ministry.  Shelby had a passion for raising funds so kids in Haiti could go to camp.   I listened to how she walked along side of this child and fostered her passion. After the session, I waited for the classroom to clear out.   I stepped forward to talk with Missy, the speaker.   My voice began to shake as I held a secret that was wrecking my heart.   My friend Fay was with me and I had already shared my secret with her....in fact, the Lord had spoken to Fay before He spoke to me.  The Lord knew I would need this as one day Fay told me she was praying for me.....

I have learned there is no consistency to what my day of rest might look like.   Today's was very different but I can honestly say, it was a good day! Snoozed the alarm 3 times for church.  You should know that I am not a "snoozer."  This was not a good start. Instructed the big kids last night to set their alarms.   Fussing to prepare for church is no longer an issue for me.  They do it themselves and if they are not there when it starts, there are consequences in the area of their free time.  THIS is liberating for me!  And big sister woke little sister for me...who had a new dress so you only had to tell her once to get ready. We came home from church and read a chapter in our book together and prayed. I put on a pair of jeans and a long sleeve shirt.  It felt like spring here today but our concrete house is much like a cave.  I have to wear a skirt anytime I leave our housing area.   Few bus...