Still in Transition

Last Saturday morning, Michael and I drove to the storage unit in our new hometown. Our truck-o-stuff had arrived and so had nearly 20 people from Community Bible Church. A myriad of trucks were filled to head to the apartment, and the rest went into storage. Thanks to the "many hands," it was "light work!" Within a few hours, church members and even family had headed home.  One more visitor came late in the afternoon to bring us supper and even more food to fill our pantry and fridge.  Michael and I tucked the girls into bed in their new rooms, sat on the couch, and sighed. Made it. 

Sunday morning we received a sincere and joyful welcome from the members of CBC. That afternoon, true to Mother's Day form, I did very little housework, and even had the luxury of a long nap after lunch. On Monday we began to tackle the paperwork that is a state to state move. With Michael's start date another week away, on Tuesday we decided to take a trip to WI to see Michael's parents and brother. So I actually unpacked a suitcase Monday night and repacked it on Tuesday morning! Finally, to today, Wednesday. We packed up the van and drove the easy (and beautiful, might I add) 2 hr drive to Julie and Bill's.

Graciously, the Lord has blessed the girls (and us!) with good sleep through all of this travel and change in bedrooms and beds. Rebekah is as sweet and smiley as ever, and Naomi is ever curious and in wonder at all she sees. For what more could a mother ask? 

It appears that come Tuesday, May 22nd, our time in transition will be at least partially over. Michael will begin his new job, and the girls may actually sleep in the same beds for a few weeks in a row. We will learn our new schedule and settle into a familiar routine. Familiarity will be welcome. Transitions are tough in some ways but God has proven Himself again so faithful to care for our every need. From a stocked freezer, fridge, and pantry to well rested babies, His goodness is shown throughout. He's not required to allow me to keep breathing much less deserve these sweet gifts. And yet He gives them because our Father knows how to give good gifts to His children, just like Jesus said. 

Thank you, Father. 

Almost There!

Tomorrow morning, Michael and I will pack up our remaining items scattered around my parent's place, drop a car off to David who will follow us and drive the 2 hours and 15 minutes to Lisbon, IA. There, we will stop in at our apartment, then head to the storage unit to unload our truck-o-stuff. Once unloaded, we'll load up a few vehicles and head back to the apartment to unload our toys, clothes, and other little necessities. In the meantime, Mom will feed the girls breakfast, pack them up, and by around 10ish leave the house with them. They'll join us just in time to eat again and (maybe) go down for an afternoon nap. By that time, I think I'll be ready to sleep, too :)

For now, Mom is painting her toenails, Michael and Dad are out having man-time, the girls are sleeping, and I'm catching up here on the computer. I know I've been a bit off the radar these last two weeks. Thank you all for your patience. I don't yet have a cell phone so for now you'll have to reach me by e-mail. I should have a new home phone soon, and Michael's got a cell so shoot me an e-mail or FB message if you'd like his number.

It's good to know that we are nearly there. Months of praying, waiting, preparing, and saying goodbyes, all leading up to this weekend. I don't have any particularly deep thoughts tonight, just wanted to give a little update. I'll post a few pics now, with more to come. We took a lot of family pictures these past two weeks, savoring our time together. I have especially been savoring the truth that I can enjoy my family these weeks, knowing that it won't be so many months until I see them again. Such a joy.

 Rebekah hanging out with her Uncle Curtis

 Naomi exploring Nana and Papa's yard, looking for bubbles

 Just two short days after we arrived, we spent the afternoon with family celebrating Jacob's baby dedication...Naomi did so well, even though she was still so short on sleep.

 My mom couldn't resist taking pictures of Naomi in her Sunday best. If there was an opposite to being called a "ham" for cameras, Naomi's the opposite. No fake smiles out of this little girl!

 With everyone together we decided to celebrate Mother's Day a few days early. Happy Mother's Day, mom!

 More Uncle Curtis time for Rebekah

 Finally, I met Elisa in person! Jesse's lovely lady friend came out to Pizza Ranch with us. Her inaugural Pizza Ranch experience!

 I just couldn't resist showing everyone in Mass this picture. Spring has SPRUNG in Iowa and everything is so lush and green already!

Having a great time with my little girlie. 

Waiting

I love waiting. It's hard, and hurts a bit, but then the object of the waiting tastes all the sweeter. Tonight I'm waiting for Michael to get to Iowa. Well, I think he may actually be in Iowa already, but he's still 2 hours away from me. It's 10:22pm and I should probably be in bed, but instead, I'm sitting on the couch passing time until my hubby arrives. The girls are asleep. Rebekah's in the guest room where Michael and I will sleep tonight, Naomi's in the office-moved up from the basement so that her Uncle David can crash on the fouton. There's gluten-free bread in the freezer and fresh sheets on the beds. I am ready for their arrival. All I have left to do is wait.

We've been doing a lot of waiting the past few years. In 2003, we were dating long-distance and waiting to live in the same city. In 2004 we lived in the same city but waited to get married. Until 2007 we waited for me to graduate from college so that Michael could go back to school. Then we waited for him to finish. In the meantime we got pregnant with Naomi and waited for her to come. She came, and we waited for Michael to find work. We moved to Mass into a temporary home and waited to find a house. We bought a home, moved in, and waited for Rebekah to come. We thought there might be a rest from the waiting after her arrival. Nope. While waiting for Rebekah it became apparent that God was moving us away from Heritage Bible Chapel. But where and when? We waited.

God provided Community Bible Church in Mt. Vernon for a candidacy visit. They extended the offer to visit. We declined. We had to wait until Rebekah was 6 weeks old to fly. She came 2 weeks late, and then we waited the 6 weeks. We visited, and then waited for the church to vote. The vote came, we decided to move, and then we waited until we could share our news with the body of Heritage. That wait was short, just a few weeks. But it felt so, so long. With the news out, we planned the details of the move and waited for it to come. Here I sit, 1 week into my 2 week stay at Mom and Dad's...waiting for Michael. Waiting for Saturday when we will move to Mt. Vernon into our temporary in-law suite. We'll move in, and probably wait until God directs us into a more permanent home.

There will always be things to wait for. Large and small, always something. God teaches us to wait. I try to teach Naomi to wait...wait for her supper to cool down, wait for me to feed Rebekah before I can play with her. It's tough to teach a 20 month old to wait. Good thing her mommy's had lots of practice.

I'm glad God is teaching me to wait. For waiting goes hand-in-hand with being a believer in Jesus Christ. He is coming again! And we "groan inwardly as we wait eagerly for adoption as sons, the redemption of our bodies" (Rom 8:23) and "wait for the revealing of our Lord Jesus Christ" (1 Cor 1:7). It might ache a bit to wait here for my husband when I haven't seen him for 9 days, but the ache to meet my Savior is deep and life-changing. Again, He is calling my attention heavenward, and honoring His promise  to "keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on you" (Is 26:3).

Glory to God.

Sifting through the changes

"Nana, Papa, moose, Jojo, bear, grrrrrr, peep, mouse, Nana up, Mama, Dada, Mimi sleep, fish!" My 20 month old daughter has had a lot of change in her life, lately, and this is how she processes it. In a quiet moment playing on the floor, or while drifting off to sleep, she allows her mind to wander and her little mouth to practice all of the words she knows. It's a little window into that mind, and I treasure the peaceful way she sifts through her thoughts. I'll often hear words that were particularly meaningful that day, such as "bird!" if we spent time watching the birds outside, or "Bella, Bella, Bella, come!" if we played with our dog Bella right before bed.

Naomi isn't the only one with change in her life, and watching her has me wondering how I will process, sort through, contemplate, and settle all of the changes going on. Michael sent me pictures of the house today. It's nearly all packed up, I can't believe it! After 6 previous moves, a familiar feeling is creeping into my heart: a strange homelessness that plagues me surrounding the move. My old home is really no longer home, my new home isn't ready yet, and even when it is, it won't feel like home for awhile. My restless heart wants to settle. So, how do I settle when the only place to lay my head is on a pillow in my parent's guest bedroom?

"If then you have been raised with Christ, seek the things that are above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth. For you have died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God. When Christ who is your life appears, then you also will appear with Him in glory." Colossians 3:1-4, emphasis mine.

The Lord has given me two comforting reminders in these verses. The first is to set my mind on things that are above. In truth, I have no earthly home. I am an alien here, a sojourner passing through a land on her way to eternity. An eternity in Heaven, where all the delights of my earthly home are infinitely increased as I worship God Almighty. My home is with God. And as if through a dusty lens, He gives that to us here. It is but a shadow of our home to come, but here on earth, our home is Christ. And that brings me to number two. Christ is my life. Christ is my home. It is not a matter of the kitchen I cook in, the bed I sleep in, or the street I live on. My life is Christ. And praise Him! He never moves.