Once Upon A Time . . .

So let me tell you a story about our family. We moved here to the Allentown, PA area in June of 2001. We didn't know what we were doing, but we felt God's call on our lives to this place . . . to the church that offered us this job. Neil became the Middle School Pastor to the middle school kids at Faith Evangelical Free Church. Becca was just five when we came, Evan was three. We looked at this move as an adventure for our family.

Fast forward to 2005. Our family has grown with the additions of Spencer and Ava. We loved this church, it had become a family to us. Neil had learned so much here in ministry and was with a staff who had a tight bond. As we were watching our children grow, we started talking about moving closer to our family. Our kids were missing out on relationships with their cousins, grandparents, and other extended family. I was homesick, plain and simple.

So we started praying, and seeking opportunities for the next several years. Each and every time, God closed the door (for a variety of reasons). Sometimes this was a quick and easy process, other times is was painful. Meanwhile our ministry here has continued to grow and flourish. I love the kids that have come through our middle school ministry {called BOB for Body of Believers}. I am always sad seeing them leave us and go to high school!

Personally, God was teaching us so much during this time. We were being stretched. Growing up. In the middle of this, our current church started going through a rough time. We began wondering, why are we still here?

You know what? God is so faithful. There are many questions that haven't been answered. I can't yet see the big picture, and perhaps I never will. However, through it all, I have learned to depend on Him to meet our needs and He has been faithful, He has provided. I can say that the relationships and bonds that have been formed in the last three years (yeah, you know me, I am all about the relationships! :-)) have made this time of waiting SO WORTH IT. I would never take any of this time back.

Okay, so onto the good stuff! Two weekends ago, Neil and I flew to Kansas to candidate at Mill Creek Community Church for their Youth Director position. It was awesome. We knew right away that it was the place God had for us. We felt an immediate connection. We knew a lot of people at the church from our days at FBC. We loved the teens that we met. We left so EXCITED about this new ministry.

Please be praying for this situation. Neil has told the elder board, and we are sending out a letter to the youth this weekend so they have the heads up. We will talk about it with the youth next Wednesday before announcing it to the whole church on Sunday. We felt like it was only fair to tell the youth first, since they will be the most affected. Neil is also meeting with youth staff to make a transition plan. While I am very excited about the move, it will be hard to leave such an incredible youth group.

Our house will be on the market this Monday. July 6-10th I will be flying to KS on my own to house hunt. Please pray that our house here sells fast, and that I find a good home for us there. Oh, and pray that I can keep this house clean!

Lord willing we will be moving the beginning of August.

Two more days . . .

Of school. ;-) Today Spencer has his class picnic/field day at the park. I sent him out all sunscreened up. It is hot, muggy, and miserable outside! *ETA: I went up with Ava for awhile, they had a clown and Spencer was a helper for the clown . . . it was very cute. Here are some pictures:



Spencer with his teacher, Mrs. Navarinski, better known as "Mrs. N"





Wednesdays are a short day every week at school. I think our school district is the only one in the country that has short day Wednesdays every week! It is the day we are sopposed to do doctor appointments, etc. and it is teacher's planning time. Apparently, many people love it here . . . since we have lived here, there has been two votes on changing it, but it was overruled and the schedule remained the same. Spencer is in half day Kindergarten, so he goes to class on Wednesdays for ONE WHOLE HOUR. Can you imagine what a good use of time that is, LOL. By the time they get settled, it is time to go home!
So anyway, back to my story. Spencer had to go to school with Evan today because of the field day, he gets an almost full day. And my house is so quiet with just Ava home with me. I am getting a taste of how next year will be!

And on a completely unrelated note, this is a taste of what I find every time I get on the computer:



Becca loves the camera Mimi got her for her birthday, can you tell?! She has a billion pictures of herself and her friends. I can't help thinking, if I had a digital camera at her age, I would have been the same way. Watching her grow and mature is so much fun. Not sure if I am ready to parent a teen, but I guess we will find out, ha!

*JuneWedding+strapless bridesmaid+paleness=insecurity

I am too old to be caring about whether or not I have a tan. Hello! I am thirty five years old! Seriously, shouldn't I be beyond this by now?? When Meg asked me to wear a strapless dress in her wedding, I was totally fine with it. Months ago, this was just a mere speck of a thought. At first I thought I would just do a spray on tan, but that is kind of expensive and I would need a trial run before the wedding, which means even more moola for something kind of vain and silly for a one day ordeal that isn't even "about me". Then I moved on to the doing nothing stage, where I settled myself to being the pale bridesmaid. Yesterday I took the kids to the swimming pool for the first time this season. I do not own a strapless swimsuit so I settled myself to looking stupid by tucking my straps under my armpits so that I wouldn't get strap lines. The only time during the afternoon that I pulled them back up was when Spencer wanted me in the big pool with him. I didn't want to, but weighed it as the lesser of two evils. I [for sure!] don't want to be the mom who shows her ta tas to the entire community while playing in the pool with her six year old! So I endured, and when I got home guess what I found? Strap sunburn. You know what I mean, burn marks surrounding where the strap were. I just have to keep telling myself that I just don't care, I just don't care.

Vanity, Vanity, all is vanity.

Something is in the air.

Things are buzzing at our house. Lots of things going on, plans being planned, work being done. It is never a dull moment here! The kids still have one more week for school. Yes, crazy I know. They are so ready to be done. In the last few weeks of school they mostly do fun stuff like picnics and fieldtrips anyway! I have all these ideas for things I want to do this summer. We need to go to the beach, cause, well, that is just essential. Even if it is just for a day I will be happy with that. I reeeeally want to go to Niagra Falls while we still live here. Thinking of doing that soon, maybe over a weekend with camping in the next month. My mom and dad are coming to visit next week on Friday. We have all sorts of projects for my dad to do while he is here! They will be here over 2 weekends (Neil will be at camp during the week they are here) and Neil and I are going away alone for the first weekend. I am trying not to be crazy with anticipation, but it is hard because next weekend will be one that should {not to be too dramatic or anything!} determine our future in many ways. More to come on that after the weekend.

Anyway, have a great Friday!

Struggle

I keep wanting to get on here and blog, but I am having trouble finding words to express what I am feeling. There are a million things going on in my mind. Everyday I have to keep giving my desires over to God. That is so hard because my internal dialogue circles round and round, day in and day out, all bout me and what I want. I want to be here, do this, do that . . . and on and on it goes. And changing that internal conversation needs to happen but it has to be a choice I make every day. It is a hard habit to break. We can go for what we want, do what we want to do, but if our motives are wrong, will God really bless us? And in the end, will we have the satisfaction that we so desperately crave? I want to be content. Not just the warm and fuzzy overall "I love my life" kind of content... I have that now. But the content that is deep down, satisfied living in the palm of God's hand. Knowing without a doubt that I was formed for a purpose and that is what I am fufilling. I want to search in the Bible for His answers, rather than just browsing a quick alternative version of the Bible because it's an "easier read". That is tough to do for me. Yet when I look back over my life, the challenging stuff is the best stuff in the long run. The things I struggle with and for, mean the most to me and I cherish the most. This time in my life right now, where I am at in my head . . . it is changing me. I will look back and remember this when I am old and gray. I just want this to also be a time where I have no regrets.