A Few of the Good Things Going On

Hard to believe it is July already!

With the summer flying by, it has made me think about all of the good things going on in our life…

1. We are so looking forward to our mission trip this coming week! Some may think that the only reason we are looking forward to it is because we are going back to Michigan, but that is not it at all – especially since we were just there. What we are looking forward to most are the bonding times with the group, serving one another, and seeing what God has planned for us out there. We will be working for an older lady who has just come upon some hard times. Her children are in their 40s and very well educated, but one of them is now blind in one eye and the other eye is not doing well either. She takes very good care of herself, but considering her age, she is obviously unable to paint her own house, which it does need. So we are stepping in and helping her with that by scraping and painting her house. We had her go to Lowe’s and choose a few color swatches – we feel having them choose gives them some identity in the project, instead of just going in and choosing for them. Now the paint is ordered and we are excited to see what it turns out to look like! Like I said earlier, we are also excited for the group growth – mission trips are always such a bonding experience and we are eager to see what God does in and through the group. It is hard to know what to expect, but like I try to tell myself, expectations are often human-based. Expectations can leave out God. So we are trying to go in with few expectations and just let God do His work.

2. We were thankful to be around this past 4th of July to see how our town lives up the 4th (like I talked about in the past post). It was great to meet more people, see all the happenings, and just soak in what our town has to offer. Many times yesterday, God confirmed our calling here. More and more, as the months go by, we know that Minnesota is where God wants us. Not saying that we doubted – truly, we haven’t doubted much. From the beginning of the process, we knew this was the place for us. But our confidence in moving to a knew community continues to grow as we continue to follow the call God has placed in our lives.

3. I am still working on finding ways to live with less. It may sound so redundant, but Dan and I are being continually convicted to check and recheck the type of lifestyle we are living. God has given us His world to enjoy – He has given us His world to sustain our NEEDS, NOT our wants. So why do we continually desire MORE? God is showing us ways that we can live with less STILL (trust me, it’s a long process) and has given us circumstances where we are realizing that putting our “trust” in earthly possessions just is not worth it. Not that we are homesteaders, but we could see ourselves doing that. Again, not that we are going to go and live off the grid, but realizing that God has given us everything we need to sustain our lives, is making us realize that the idea of “homesteading” isn’t far off from what we are trying to do. We are not selling everything and moving into the middle of nowhere. But we find enjoyment in the simple things in life. Decluttering, getting rid of what we don’t need, making things from scratch, growing a garden, putting value in relationships – not possessions, and realizing there is more to life than money, are all things we continue to try to work on. We feel the experiences that God has given us in our life, have only reiterated our sole need for our Savior – that there is so much more to life than possessions. So we continue to work on our lives and God continues to work in us as well.

4. Last summer looked so different. At this time we were starting to think about all the shots, appointments, and eagerness that awaited started the gestational carrier process. This summer looks so different and it is hard to not think about all the excitement that awaited. We sometimes feel our life is just a night and day difference of how it used to be, but we are the same people, serving the same God. It is refreshing to be in such a great place. We sometimes feel that everything happened so fast last year, that it is taking us longer to process it all. We are still processing. Yet we know this will take years. God gives us experiences for a reason – first of all to glorify and draw us closer to Him. So we continue to think of what last year held, yet with a thankful heart, we praise Him who has never let us go, Who never lost sight of us, and Who continues to work in our hearts.

5. Just a few thoughts for day…I hope are able to find ways God is working in your life. He ALWAYS is – we sometimes need to take the time and listen. To just be. To think about how God may be working in us.

To God be the glory, for the GREAT things He has done!