I’ve wanted to sit down and write for some time...not just because I love to write…but because I wanted to write to YOU! You have walked this road with us. You have been praying for us and encouraging us. We are so thankful for you all and I have wanted to share what God has been doing.
Each day is a gift from the Lord and there is so much to be thankful for. “This is the day that the Lord has made. Let us rejoice and be glad in it!” (Psalm 118:24) Yet, as Ecclesiastes has been teaching me this summer, that doesn’t nullify the reality that there are hard days…even downright bad days. We live in a fallen world, after all. Until Jesus comes again (and He will!), joy will mingle with sorrow, sweetness may still be etched with sadness and blessings will often come through trials. Ecclesiastes 3:1 says it the best: “For everything there is a season, and a time for every matter under heaven.”
This summer, we have experienced several of those activities, those seasons, those times:
For the first time in our married life, we own our own house! We’ve planted for sure ;) and we can’t wait to build up the inside and clean up the outside till it feels like ours. There may not have been much dancing…but there was plenty of “fancy footwork” and much laughter by all those that came out to help us move in our belongings and we are beyond thankful for the graciousness, kindness and help of our new church family. Within an hour and a half the truck was unloaded, we had food for our pantry, fridge and freezer and a meal was waiting for us to eat. I can tell you that my heart was dancing to the tune of thanksgiving for the provision the Lord gave through the saints we have come to serve alongside of! We are thankful beyond words not only for the help that day…but for the continued gift of food, encouragement and help this past week!
Our thankfulness has continued with each passing day! Samuel, Faith, Titus and Caleb started school at James Valley Christian School on Thursday. I still can’t believe our kids are able to go there! What a blessing it has been to make friends their own age so quickly…and they have been encouraged by the kindness shown to them. Samuel and Faith have already enjoyed a senior class party and Samuel is playing on the soccer team. Micah starts evening classes (full time) at the Huron Community Campus today and both he and Grace have work interviews the beginning of this week.
Before we moved, we tried to keep the mindset “people over packing” and now, as we settle, our heart’s desire is “people over projects”. So, our home might take a while to get set up the way we want...but we don’t want to lose sight of relationship building, even as we seek to “build” our home. And, speaking of building, we are so thankful for the way God has “built” our neighborhood. Unbeknownst to us when we placed an offer on our home, we have several neighbors who are also part of our church, some with kids of the same age…along with new friends from the school right behind us! Baseball in the back, basketball in the front..my heart has been rejoicing in how the Lord has orchestrated all of this!
There is so much that is new: new places, new faces, new names, new routines, new jobs, a new home…to name a few. But the greatest “new” of all…the one that infuses everyday with strength and joy is what we cling to and what we proclaim above all: God’s steadfast love and mercies! We pray His new morning mercies and steadfast love are your delight, too!
“The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases; His mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness. “The Lord is my portion,” says my soul, “therefore I will hope in him.” Lam. 3:23-24
This summer, we have experienced several of those activities, those seasons, those times:
- a time to plant and a time to uproot
- a time to tear down and a time to build
- a time to weep and a time to laugh
- a time to mourn and a time to dance
We got into our cars and headed out on an adventurous move that involved a massive detour south! We experienced the majestic beauty and creativity of our great God through Zion, Bryce and Arches National Park. There were times we were speechless at the beauty we were beholding! There were times we giggled as we drove through the changing landscape (at one point, if you told me we were on the moon, I would have believed you!). Through it all there was an overwhelming sense of awe and amazement that resulted in praise to the One who made it all!
And then the page turned. The heading read “Huron, South Dakota” and the words of Ecclesiastes were gently etched in the opening lines: “Planting and Building….Laughing and Dancing”. We were home!
Like bookends on a shelf, we saw two of my brothers and their families (and our dear Faith Bible family) at the beginning and spent time with my sister and her family at the end. I love my family and I love the gift of time with them….it was a precious way to start and end our chapter of adventure in this summer of change.
And then the page turned. The heading read “Huron, South Dakota” and the words of Ecclesiastes were gently etched in the opening lines: “Planting and Building….Laughing and Dancing”. We were home!
For the first time in our married life, we own our own house! We’ve planted for sure ;) and we can’t wait to build up the inside and clean up the outside till it feels like ours. There may not have been much dancing…but there was plenty of “fancy footwork” and much laughter by all those that came out to help us move in our belongings and we are beyond thankful for the graciousness, kindness and help of our new church family. Within an hour and a half the truck was unloaded, we had food for our pantry, fridge and freezer and a meal was waiting for us to eat. I can tell you that my heart was dancing to the tune of thanksgiving for the provision the Lord gave through the saints we have come to serve alongside of! We are thankful beyond words not only for the help that day…but for the continued gift of food, encouragement and help this past week!
Our thankfulness has continued with each passing day! Samuel, Faith, Titus and Caleb started school at James Valley Christian School on Thursday. I still can’t believe our kids are able to go there! What a blessing it has been to make friends their own age so quickly…and they have been encouraged by the kindness shown to them. Samuel and Faith have already enjoyed a senior class party and Samuel is playing on the soccer team. Micah starts evening classes (full time) at the Huron Community Campus today and both he and Grace have work interviews the beginning of this week.
Before we moved, we tried to keep the mindset “people over packing” and now, as we settle, our heart’s desire is “people over projects”. So, our home might take a while to get set up the way we want...but we don’t want to lose sight of relationship building, even as we seek to “build” our home. And, speaking of building, we are so thankful for the way God has “built” our neighborhood. Unbeknownst to us when we placed an offer on our home, we have several neighbors who are also part of our church, some with kids of the same age…along with new friends from the school right behind us! Baseball in the back, basketball in the front..my heart has been rejoicing in how the Lord has orchestrated all of this!
There is so much that is new: new places, new faces, new names, new routines, new jobs, a new home…to name a few. But the greatest “new” of all…the one that infuses everyday with strength and joy is what we cling to and what we proclaim above all: God’s steadfast love and mercies! We pray His new morning mercies and steadfast love are your delight, too!
“The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases; His mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness. “The Lord is my portion,” says my soul, “therefore I will hope in him.” Lam. 3:23-24
Comments