Rachelle D. Alspaugh's Blog, page 11

1st night at "home"

 Well, a full month after closing on the house, we woke up to freezing temps outside in the camper (with a decent space heater because we're now out of propane), so we decided it was time to move inside. There are no usable bedrooms right now, so we set up a bed in the living room. It's a step.

Due to all the construction going on, we're not even going to try to use the heat in the house yet. We do, however, have two of those fireplace looking heaters that keep the living room pretty toasty. They make waking up feel cozy, too. And I sure am happy to actually be able to get in and out of the bed so easily now, and waking up to a cat or two snuggled up to me. Gotta love those two little critters. 

We've got a long way to go on the house, but we've already done a lot in just four weeks. Well, Mike and his brothers have, I should say. I've put primer on a few walls and windowsills. This really is not my thing. I'll admit, buying this house was a HARD decision for me, one that I cried over more than once. It's not the picture I envisioned when I moved here. I mean, normally you get excited to show people your new house. But this house was filthy and falling apart, and as beautiful as the land is, it definitely needed some TLC, too. I didn't want anyone to even see the house until Mike fulfilled his promise to fix it up and make it perfect for us. He (and his brother) saw something I couldn't see. They have skills to do things I had no idea they could do, and they had such confidence that together, they could do it.

So, here's the story on the house. We closed on our Texas home on June 19th around 8 in the morning. A few hours later, I saw a house go on the market only ten minutes from New Song with 10 acres of mostly wooded land for pretty much the same price we just sold our home for. It was built in 1938, had a fire in the 50's, and had some work done on it way back then. It's only been through three owners total in the last 84 years. Mike called to ask about seeing the house that night, and the realtor said the house was going to need pretty extensive work. Well, Mike and Matt didn't let that scare them, so we took the whole crew to go look at the house and inspect it the next morning. 

While Mike, Matt, David, and Matt's father-in-law assessed what needed to be done, I walked around the jam-packed, overly cluttered, dirty house with the realtor (a really sweet Christian lady) and tried to see potential. Then we went outside and walked a single trail through the property. I walked away feeling disgusted, ready to keep looking at other homes. The four men with me couldn't stop talking about the potential of this place and all they could do with it. Mike wanted to make an offer right away so we didn't miss our chance. 

From the top of the hill looking down. The house sits right in front of that opening. 

I wasn't sold at all, so we all met together that evening to go over the cost of the materials and the time it would take to fix this place up. They assured me that within two months, it would look completely different and be a place I would really like. Not done, but definitely in a good, livable condition. I said, "okay, well then we need to subtract what it will cost us to fix it and offer them that much lower if we do decide to make an offer." They all agreed. If the offer wasn't accepted, then we'd know it's not the house for us.

I wrestled all night with the decision. I had visions of buying a new home and settling down quickly. I did NOT have visions of all the work ahead or of living scattered for any longer than necessary. This house held neither of the things we both had said we wanted and needed in a new home. But their confidence in being able to fix it really inspired me, for some reason. Almost like an, "Oh, yeah? Then show me" kind-of attitude. 

So I woke up the next morning and felt like God impressed upon my heart to let Mike lead on this one. To trust him. So I said, "If you really want to make an offer on this house, then I trust you with that decision." I asked David what he thought, and he said, "You're going to regret not jumping on this location, that close to New Song." He had a good point, too. Any other homes we'd been looking at with the land we wanted and in the location we wanted were far out of our price range. And the cost to repair this home was significantly lower for us than for most people because of Mike and Matt (and their brother Mark when he can make it down from Warsaw) being able to do it all on their own. Their dad gave them some incredible skills,  and they can do some pretty amazing things when they all come together. 

Well, needless to say, he made the offer, and they accepted it. But they couldn't close for almost two months, so we stayed at New Song for that whole time, part of the time in the camper, part of the time on campus in the main house. I can't complain. It was like living in this tranquil paradise. 

But we did finally close on the house, and now it's non-stop work. Clearing land. Burning trash, dead trees, and tons of overgrown brush. Painting, tearing up rooms, tearing out drywall, cutting holes in walls. Redoing a kitchen. Installing new doors and windows all over. Rebuilding a basement wall. Lots of digging. Lots of dirt everywhere. The dirt everywhere doesn't help much when I'm trying to clean an already dirty house. Oh, and it smelled. But little by little, the more we clean and paint, the more that smell has gone away. 

Now pretty much every Saturday means a house full of men and boys working at my house, with Chrissy bringing lunch or dinner and at least one of her parents, too. The sound of hammers, saws, and equipment is music to my ears, though the constant need to entertain guests when I am absolutely helpless and have nothing to offer is a bit draining on this introvert. Chrissy made the comment, "Just think of all the memories we're going to have!" And recently Matt said, "Yeah, the same memories I have of when my parents bought a house like this that we had to fix up on our own. And everything we learned, and the pride we felt when we finished." And that's when I think I finally got it, the why of their desire to get this house and fix it, to make it better than it's ever been.



The amazing team, with Matt as their fearless leader. They really do inspire me with how they work together so well. And how they look up to him for his expertise, even though they all have the same set of skills. 


Our first guests

My beautiful niece, Reese, the only girl cousin in the mix. She's like me, not at all enthused about all the dirt. I promised her that next time she comes, we'll head to the coffee shop. 
My courageous, fearless mother-in-law who is so thankful to see her 3 boys all together more often now. 
My little nephew, Jaxon, who I am just now getting to know.
Just one of the many dirt piles. That one's pretty small, actually.
I had no idea how much time and skill it took to install new doors and storm doors.

Mark's job was to tear that pink paneling down, but he went a step farther and then tore out all the drywall, too. With a big surprise ahead! (The washer and dryer are only in there right now because they're fixing the basement wall under the laundry room.)

Just a little trinket Mark found in the walls when he tore out the drywall. I guess that means that room must have been built on in the 60's, not the 50's like we thought. We're thinking they built it themselves possibly with timber from the land. 
We were quite surprised when we found those huge LOGS used to build the room. This part used to be a closet that we tore out completely. It smelled musty and mildewy, anyway. 
Our beautiful new doors and storm doors. When we moved in, the door there did not even lock. 
I can't tell you how happy that door makes me!
The mess when Mark was done. 
The new sink cabinet that Chrissy's dad built for us.
Our new stove that's not hooked up yet. 
The new bathroom door that didn't even fit at first because the opening wasn't big enough for any doors you can buy today. 
The front door. 
Trying so hard to get that wallpaper off!
Cleaning up that huge mess of drywall all over the floor in what will one day (hopefully soon) be my master bathroom and walk-in-closet.
My sister-in-law is much more useful and resourceful than I am here out in the country. Mike did teach me how to drive that tractor the next day, though. 
Looks a lot better!
Clearing out and leveling out what was their horse pasture beside the house. 
The yard already looks so much better! Imagine when it has grass growing there. We're keeping the little stable looking thing, though, to keep our firewood stacked.  

I'm learning a lot about myself in this process. How much I don't like to get or be dirty. How much I depend on my daily routines and how flustered I get when I don't have them. And how ungrateful I can be when all I see are baby steps. It's a daily, hourly struggle, but God is working on me. Restoration takes time. It doesn't happen overnight. And it's a beautiful thing when it's all said and done. 

As stressful as the process is, though, the nature all around me is so peaceful and calming. I love seeing deer occasionally walk through my yard in the morning. I love how quiet it is. And I love watching the trees change to so many colors all around me. I've always been a flower person, but I'm really mesmerized by God's artistry in the trees right now. He's such a creative God.

I'm learning a lot about my husband in this process, too. Like how much he was meant to work with his hands. How much he was meant to be operating some kind of equipment. How much he needs space to live and breathe and move out in the country. To build and fabricate things without tripping over his own feet. To build campfires as big as he wants and whenever he wants. To know he can hunt again during hunting season, and right on his own land. To drive and operate his fun vehicles on his own property. How much more at peace he seems being able to use all of the skills his dad passed on to him. And how much he needed to be around his family after his dad passed away, and how much they needed him to be closer after nearly 20 years. 

Building a new community

One of the hardest parts about moving is breaking off from your community, your people. You go through that awkward stage where you still feel like you're part of them, keeping up with everyone and everything from a distance, as if you're on a long trip. But soon you start to realize that life is moving on without you, and sooner or later, you're going to need to build up a new community where you are. 

I have a small community at New Song, but I love it. It's me, Julie (my teammate, aka--the Student Life Assistant), Bob and Lisa (the founders/administrators of New Song), and Olivia, the young office manager upstairs. A few other people come and go, but we're pretty much the core team, just waiting on the houseparents that God will draw to complete our team.

Then I have a family community, which is pretty amazing. Matt, Chrissy, their 3 boys, and Chrissy's mom and dad, who treat us like we are their family. In fact, my fridge is filled with leftovers right now from meals that they shared with us, either by bringing over lunch while they helped at our house, or by inviting us to join them for dinner with Matt and Chrissy. 

We found a church we really like that we call Mini-LakePointe because it seems to operate so very similarly. We attend weekly, and we found a community group (like a Life Group at LakePointe) that we really liked that meets twice a month in a very casual atmosphere on Wednesday nights. We also found out one of the couples lives pretty close to us. Out of that community group, I think they form Discipleship groups, but we haven't been a part of it long enough to really know how it works yet. 

The Women's Ministry has a few events per year, so I attended their annual Ladies Night Out(side) where a bunch of women just gathered around by the fire outside, had some yummy treats with a warm drink, got to know each other a bit, and then sang a few songs together by the accompaniment of a guitar. I'm so glad I went and had the chance to get to know a few more people. Toward the end, I connected with a fellow-adoptive mom of now-adult children. I hope to see her around so I can talk with her more. It's definitely not easy just showing up at events where you don't know anyone, especially for an introvert like me, but it's been worth it! 

They also have a fall Bible study and a spring Bible study, both lasting only a month. So for the month of October, we're doing a study of Jonah together. I went last week and enjoyed meeting with a small group of about 8 women, half of which seemed pretty new, like me. It's just a really nice way to get to know a few more ladies in the church and to get plugged in. I let the women's ministry leader know that I'd like to get involved in the women's ministry called Shine in any way I can. I heard they have an annual ladies' retreat in the spring that a lot of the women had great things to say about, so I'm looking forward to that, too. I'm so glad I found a church with a solid women's ministry program so I had an automatic way to find new friends. I've met several ladies in the last two weeks who have college age kids like me. 

Mike helped out at the church work day a few weeks ago, too, and met several guys pretty quickly, including both the Pastor and the worship leader. It makes a big difference going in to church and having people know who you are and a little bit about you. The church is definitely a young church, with the average age probably being a little younger than us. But from what I've seen so far, the people are very grounded spiritually, participate in deep discussions on Scripture, and they serve a lot. David really liked the church when he was here, and Mike's mom and his brother really liked it when they visited with us, too. 

I've also started mentoring a younger gal who I met through New Song. She made several comments about how much she really wanted someone to disciple her, and then she approached me and asked me if I would meet up with her once a week or so to just talk. We found that we both really like the coffee shop atmosphere, so I'm really enjoying my time with her. I'm honored that she saw something in me that can help her grow as a Christian. She's definitely on fire for God and is soaking up all she can. I really admire her for her desire to grow in the Lord. 

So for now, that's the community we're working on building here while we are in the middle of "re-building" our house. We really miss our different communities in Texas, especially our ReEngage community and our Life Group community, but we're thankful to find similar groups here to become a part of. It's always tempting to stay home so we can work more or longer on the house, but the house will be that much sweeter when we have friends to invite over once it's done. 
I also found an adorable little shop the other week about 20 minutes or so from here called the Mulberry Cottage. It's a quaint little place in Nashville (the tourist area) that sells all different kinds of prayer journals. I think it's my new favorite go-to place whenever I need a new journal or want to find a gift for a special friend. And it just so happens to be at my new favorite tea shop where I can get some really yummy chai! Perfect place to take some "me-time" or to take friends and family who are visiting. 

Under "Re"-construction

I've been noticing a theme recently regarding this whole move to Columbus, IN. Though it sounded like God was up to something completely new in our lives and writing a new song on our hearts, just like the name of the ministry He called me to, I'm realizing that it's not about doing something new. It's about making all things new, taking what already was, reconstructing and enhancing it, until it becomes new again. The old is still there, it will just be better.

It's kind-of an exciting, adventurous twist, but it takes a lot of patience and faith in the process. Though I've been here for two and a half months now, I still feel so unsettled. I'm back to living in a camper, with some of my stuff in my house, some stuff in the camper, most of my things are in storage about 20 minutes away,  and still a few more of my things are at New Song with me in my classroom. Some of my clothes are in a big bin in the camper (but definitely wrinkled), some clothes are hanging in a closet in the cat room (and have taken on the "smell" of an old house), some are in boxes, some are in suitcases in the back of my car, and some are still sitting in storage. Life is definitely scattered, which explains my current difficulty in concentrating. 

My kitchen has no sink in it currently, since Mike and Matt pulled out the rotting sink cabinet to build a new one and fix the wall behind it, so we have to wash dishes either in the little camper sink or in the bathroom. My main fridge is still in storage, so any groceries I buy are only on a week to week basis because they have to fit into two mini fridges. We threw out the old disgusting stove and picked out a new one, but we haven't had a chance to pick it up yet, so we're doing all of our cooking out of a microwave/oven in the camper. Lots of ready-made items for us, which saves time and effort on cooking, but isn't always the most cost-effective. (To be honest, though, we seem to be eating a whole lot less now, too.) The AC is not working in the camper, so when the temps are above 65 or 70, ants come out like vultures if I leave a single crumb out anywhere. 

We're in the process of working on rebuilding/reinforcing the basement walls--something Mike and his brothers are experienced in doing, so this last weekend brought a lot of digging and left a lot of mud and huge dirt piles in the driveway. Which means a lot of mud gets tracked into both the camper and the house. Thank goodness there's no rain forecasted for awhile. 

I'm a linear thinker and tend to be very narrow-focused, so it's hard for me to start a project and not see it to completion before starting a new one. My husband is quite the opposite, as he's got projects going on all over the place, and he just jumps between them all depending on his time, his mood, his energy, or the weather. Since most of the house remodeling is his specialty, guess what that means? I just bite my tongue and smile, saying "Thank you for all of your hard work." Though inside I'm cringing that little gets done to completion. It's hard to get momentum going when you're always overwhelmed--until I take the time to count all the things going on and all the progress on each one. I'm trying my hardest to look around and find things to appreciate every day. 

So for now, New Song will be my "clean" haven to go to, where I'm thankful to spend at least 8 hours each day. 

On that note, New Song is also in a period of reset and re-construction. Though the buildings are all finished and look great, the ministry is in a period of transition and enhancement. At a time when the campus is usually full of life, activity, and energy, it sits quietly on most days with very little noise other than meetings and zoom calls going on at the main house. 

We're still waiting on God to reveal the new houseparents He's going to bring to us, with a few prospects still chewing on the possibilities, while trying to work it out logistically. Our prayer is that they'll just know when God calls them and won't be able to resist because the calling is so strong. Like Peter and Andrew did when Jesus called them--they just dropped their nets and followed. He did it with me, so I have no doubt that He's in the process of calling them now. All I can say is, despite how unexpected the opportunity arose, I have felt 100% at home since the day I arrived on campus. Like God literally prepared a place just for me. 

My team is amazing. We spend a lot of time just talking, connecting, and praying together. I work with a 25-year-old teammate who's known God called her to work in missions for as long as she can remember. We both have traveled and lived abroad, and I've been able to listen and understand her current period of readjustment to our own culture and society. We connect easily and really get each other on a spiritual level. I couldn't ask for a better teammate to work with. 

I have one student, whom I have absolutely fallen in love with, but we communicate through a computer screen each day for now. We start our mornings by playing some kind of ice-breaker game to get to know each other more, then we read a biography or autobiography of someone who demonstrated godly leadership, I pray over him, and then he works on his own and lets me know when he needs help. He's a great kid and works hard (usually, unless he's hungry or out of his normal routine), but he's lonely. For the most part, I'm the only interaction he has with anybody all day, all week, besides his mom and older adult brother. I take that very seriously and am humbled that God thought of me to be that teacher in his life. My heart hurts for him, and he's longing to be back on campus where all the life is. When I'm praying for God to bring houseparents, my prayer is also for my little student and the waiting list of more students than New Song has ever had waiting. By the time we get houseparents, we may end up with the largest class ever here at New Song so far. Which I guess is why this "lull" on campus is so important right now so we can be prepared to offer the most enhanced New Song Leadership Academy that we can. God's up to something.

In the last 6 weeks or so, we've revised and rewritten New Song's mission statement, developed a mission statement for the new New Song Leadership Academy, worked on writing or purchasing curriculum for a Spanish class, a leadership class, an Econ class, and a Bible class. We've worked on strengthening relationships with another organization that works with families and sends the kids to our camps (which opens the door for them to come to our school). And we're not preparing for a Mom's spiritual retreat here on our campus in the end of October. I'm really looking forward to blessing the moms through that upcoming event. Most of them come from Indianapolis, so giving them a chance to get out of the city and spend a few hours on our peaceful campus will be so refreshing and rejuvenating to them. Just one step onto this campus and you'd understand. 

Though I do look forward to actually teaching a class again, I can't say I'm not appreciating every second of this time to prepare. I could have been back in Garland today, preparing for or analyzing meaningless test scores that take more away from teaching than anything. But instead, I sat in a quiet room, listening to quiet music, watching a quiet fireplace, while creating a prayer walk activity for the mom's retreat. 
In addition to the house re-construction and the New Song re-set, I'm excited to finally start developing some community outside of my work. I plan on attending an upcoming women's night at my new church, where they say we'll be gathering around the campfire to sing and fellowship together. I have only met a few ladies so far and don't really know any of them, so this will be a new start for me. Then Monday night the ladies' Bible study starts, so I am looking forward to getting involved in that and studying the book of Jonah together. I am also starting to mentor another young woman in her mid-twenties that I go to church with. Women's ministry is one of my passions, especially Bible study, so building that community and finding ways to serve in this area fill me with a lot of hope and purpose. I've really been missing my Bible study community that I left behind in Texas. 
Well, I think I've taken enough time writing this post for the evening. There's a paintbrush and a can of primer calling my name inside.  
Stay tuned on all this re-construction going on. 

He makes all things new

Moving home

Celebratory lunch together on September 9th, right after we closed on our new property. I say property because the house on it won't feel like home for a while yet.  In fact, we're not even living it. We're living in my mother-in-law's camper on the property right behind the house, just going in to take care of the cats who are barricaded in one room and the bathroom right beside it. Both the house and the property have been pretty neglected and need quite a bit of TLC. But thankfully Mike and Matt and Matt's father-in-law run a business for just this sort of thing, so I'm trusting in their vision and hoping the main things won't take too terribly long. I can say, though, that I can see a whole different side of Mike come out here already, seeing how much he needed space to move, breathe, work outside, and just play around. And space is definitely going to be our new friend here, at least outside of the house. 
We've only had possession of the house for four days, and we've already accomplished a LOT. Here are a few pics.  The first thing I wanted to do was rip all those ugly bushes out. Not just trim them, but get them out of there.  The second thing I wanted to do was paint over that hideous green wall.  And that yellow and red kitchen. 
Mike couldn't wait to tear down that old chicken coop.
And we couldn't wait to get that first fire going to start throwing everything left on the property on it. They had cleaned a bunch out, but we've found so many things buried in the brush and vines on the land they had neglected for quite a while.
Who knows how long this swingset has been there, but the vines have completely taken over it and have it trapped now. 
My nephews were pretty excited about the treasures they found, including a Lightning McQueen car, a dump truck, and a Razor scooter. 
Matt and Chrissy showed up with dinner the first evening so we could enjoy exploring the property together. Then they came right back over the next day with tools in hand to get to work. 
First ride up one of the trails to find where our property ends and where the neighbor's begins. 
Just one of the junk tractors found buried in the brush. 
Coming back from that first ride.
Meeting the neighbor on the second ride, who showed them where the property lines were and how to find them. 
Chrissy's boys having a little fun on the trampoline left on the property (the one that is going to disappear very soon either by selling it or burning it!)
Mike and Matt finding the spot that marks where the property ends.
The purple flowers that mark the property line, at least for now. 
Walking back to the house. Our property is on the left from about where I am to take the picture all the way to the top of the hill past their heads. 
The dry-for-now creek that runs on our side of the street. At this point there are no trails leading to it, but we'll clear a trail sometime soon.
The creek that runs on the other side of the street across from our driveway.
A new way to relax in the evenings, (and keep up with all the clean up around here) at least while the temps are nice and it's not too wet or cold.
Another find as Mike was cutting through the vines and clearing more land behind the shed. They chained it to the truck and pulled it right out of there. An old John Deere tractor that I'm sure they'll fix up and get running again someday. 




We went back to New Song to sleep on Friday night, but Saturday afternoon we packed everything up, cats and all, and drove to our new "home". I can't say I'm excited to live back in a camper and to leave our beautiful accomodations at New Song, but it does feel nice to know we're parked at home now and won't be moving to any new locations besides inside the house. 
Little 5 year old Wes came over on Saturday ready to work. Chrissy was ready to help me tear that kitchen apart so we can start the painting and remodeling as soon as possible!

Mike and I went out Sunday to start picking out different cabinet doors, sinks, counter tops, and appliances that we liked. Matt decided that we probably should tackle the kitchen first since it's the first room you walk into in the house. I agree. It will help me see their vision and not feel so overwhelmed at the rest of the house.\
Just another old junk tractor found buried in the brush. 
There sure are a lot of places to play around on the four wheelers here. 
Wes just decided he wanted to hang out on the rock crawler to finish eating his chips after dinner. 
Within 24 hours after we took possession, we got all those ugly bushes yanked out!



Wow! You can actually see the house! I have visions of a nice, wrap-around deck eventually. We'll see if that will happen yet this fall between all the other projects. First we need to tackle those windows and the ugly pink door. Yes, I did say pink. 


Monday night it rained, so we got busy putting primer on the walls in the kitchen. It was so satisfying to see that green, yellow, and red start to disappear!
As you can see, we've got our hands full with lots of projects going on. But it's definitely a satisfying feeling to see things get accomplished every day. The chicken coop got torn down already and now is a covered area to park my nephew's four wheelers. Mike has cleared a bunch of land around the shed/campfire area. We've burned a lot of brush, old logs laying around, and trash. We're hoping to be living in the house within 6-8 weeks, a house that my brother and sister-in-law tell me is going to look and feel completely different. Since this is what Matt does for a living, I trust him. I'm not going to say I'm not overwhelmed, though. This is way out of my comfort zone.
But the cutest comment of all was on Saturday evening, a day after we took possession of the house, when my little nephew said, "This house already looks so much better than when we bought it!" I guess it really is a family project, and WE are all in this together. Stay tuned.








 

The gift of time

 If I've calculated right, I've been here for eight weeks now. Just shy of two full months. Eight weeks isn't long at all, but at times it feels much longer, and at other times it's just enough to bring on all the nostalgia for the life you're just now realizing you left behind. 

We're in that awkward stage of not being brand new, but not being settled either. We've met the people who scope out the newbies to introduce themselves at church to make you feel welcome, but we haven't been there long enough to plug in to a group or start finding our people. Hopefully we'll decide on a group to join in soon. 

I love my coworkers and the people I'm in ministry with here at New Song, and I would consider them my friends now, but they all have their own friend groups that they meet up with in the evenings and on weekends, and I haven't been here long enough to find my own friend groups. I did reach out to the women's ministry lead at church to find out how I can get involved in and serve with the women's Bible studies. That's usually where I can find my people, so I am looking forward to the next women's event and study coming up this fall in just a few weeks. 

As much as I desire to start connecting with more people here, I will admit that I am so, so thankful for the gift of time that God has given to us here, especially as a couple. Mike and I have had more leisure time together in the last eight weeks than we've had in years. Life is starting to take on a new rhythm, and it's a much healthier rhythm than we've had in a long time. The start of school has not worn me out like it has the last nineteen years (thought I'm sure that the first few weeks after the kids come onto campus will definitely stretch me mentally and physically). I don't feel pulled in a thousand directions, and my new work family is an absolute delight to be with every day. And there are no words to describe the peace and serenity in this environment, especially during this pause as we wait on God to bring new houseparents and we work on a reset of the whole academic program here before the kids arrive. 

Mike now works the same hours every day, with an occasional hour earlier start on some days depending on where the job site is. He comes home the same time almost every night. And he's off both days on the weekend. He doesn't have to work weird shifts and wait for a schedule to be posted. He doesn't have to deal with people calling in sick and trying to find replacements for them or do their job on top of his own. He doesn't have to work himself to death to keep building commission. He comes home physically tired from doing physical work all day, but he's not stressed, frustrated, or beaten down like he's been for the last several years. And since neither one of us have found our "people" yet, we spend all of our evenings and weekends together. Every once in a awhile, we have a chance to hang out at with his brother and Chrissy or with Chrissy's family. 

It's a gift of time that I thank God for every day. 

I remember one of the things I liked so much about our relationship when we were dating was the fact that we both had a sense of adventure and enjoyed being on mission together. This move has been an adventure from the start, and every day we see God in it completely. He has provided for our every need, including a place to store our stuff at no charge and get things out as needed whenever we want, an extra five weeks with David so he could work with his uncle and become part of our life here,  jobs that we both love, opportunities to serve New Song outside of my job responsibility, a conversation with a coworker that led us to our new church started by someone from Texas, making it feel so much like home to us, a camper to stay in until the AC broke, and a place to stay in the main house on campus right above my classroom while we waited for our house to close. It sure is a long walk down the stairs to go to work each day! 

How our new church started. Notice the mention of Rockwall, TX? 



Mike fixed some equipment here at New Song that wasn't running. And then he joined in when a work team came and cleared out a bunch of land with the equipment he just fixed. 

And even though everyone expected to start school in August, they had one student's mom agree to me teaching her son virtually while he worked through their normal curriculum online, which has been a HUGE blessing to me, to him, to his mom, and to New Song. 

Now at the end of this week, Mike and I will embark on our next adventure in the mix when we close on a house that is about to undergo a huge transformation over the next few weeks and months. Which means leaving the peace and tranquility of this beautiful place to stay in the camper again, but this time on our own land and space that we hope will one day give off the same vibes of peace and tranquility.  I will admit that I dread the work ahead and at times really wish I had at least one pretty picture to share about my "new" house, but seeing it as our next adventure really does help ease the anxiety of more unknowns ahead. 

So, for today, while we don't yet have a house project in front of us, we took the day to go for a Sunday drive and explore. 

Just one of the famous look-out spots.




A quiet picnic area



A nature preserve we've passed many times and wondered about


This move really has put a new song in our mouths. A new sense of purpose and adventure every single day. 

Praying for our kids

I still am having a hard time wrapping my mind around the fact that I moved back to Indiana and left both my boys in Texas. On the one hand, it makes the separation from all things Texas feel less like an amputation of my heart because it keeps me connected to several aspects of the life I left behind. On the other hand, they are now building lives without me there, so whenever we do get the chance to go back and visit (or they come up here), all the dynamics will have changed. 

I guess you could say I've officially launched them into the world of independence. David had already begun to launch himself, except for when he wanted to work on trucks with his dad, while Juan just needed that extra push to begin this inevitable step of life. None of us are big talkers, especially on the phone, but we text each other often and keep in touch that way. When I think about how far away they are, I remind myself that I flew off to the most southern country in South America for the first semester of my junior year of college, the same year of college that David is in now.  And though I came back home to live with my parents again after that, I was not the same person when I returned. Our family dynamics were never the same. I got a taste of independence and the world outside of my little town, and I never really could settle back in. 

There comes a point in our kids' lives when we have to release them and accept and adapt to a new role. They are no longer ours to control and manipulate, or even protect. We have to entrust them to God and take several steps back. We have to trust that we did the best we knew how in raising them, to forgive ourselves where we now realize we messed up, and trust that God is a better parent than we could ever be.

I was so excited when my friend and writing mentor, Mary DeMuth, announced that she was writing a book about launching our kids and JOYFULLY stepping in to this new stage of life and parenting. I jumped at the chance to be part of her launch team, and I'm honored to share my review of her book here. It releases in just a few days on September 6th. I've already pre-ordered my physical copy (only read the advanced e-copy for the launch team), and I hope this review will inspire you to order your copy, as well. 

This book touched me deeply. I love the way Mary creatively used the famous love chapter in 1 Corinthians 13 to give us a guide of how to biblically love, pray, and listen to our adult children as we launch them into the world or watch from a distance as they flounder in the world, trying to find their way. The tie to Scripture enlightened and empowered me to intentionally relate differently to my own adult sons, while the stories and examples she used gave me empathy to other parents I may have erroneously judged in the past for situations I could not understand. The vulnerability in her own personal stories brought me comfort to know other parents struggle with similar scenarios and emotions as I do as a parent in this stage of life. But above all, this book challenged me to think and see differently. Love, Pray, Listen convicted me to remember myself as a young adult, needing trust and encouragement more than anything else, knowing I had to fall and make mistakes in order to grow and mature. God used challenges in my life to mold me into the person I am, so over-protecting my children (or trying to control their choices) from their own set of challenges does not benefit them at all. Instead, I need to first love them as God loves them, (realizing He loves them even more than I do), pray for them to hear God’s voice, and then really listen to both their words and their behaviors with a true desire to understand their heart. This is not a book for quick reading, but rather a resource to keep handy when I am struggling to relate to or pray for my adult children, especially when they make decisions that I cannot biblically agree with or condone. 

Click on the book to preorder

Biblical Counseling

A few years ago, I sat outside at a park with a friend, just talking about life. Our hopes, our dreams, and our present realities. She looked at me and said, "I'm really wondering what my next steps are going to be. My next thing. Is there anything you've been wanting to do differently in your life? If money weren't an issue, what is one thing you'd like to pursue doing?"
She got me thinking. I said, "Well, I've never told anyone this, but I'd like to go back to school and get my master's degree in counseling. Not just any counseling, though. Biblical counseling." After serving as a counselor in the connection center in my church for several years and after teaching countless women's Bible study groups, I found a had a real passion and gift to listen well and counsel others with Biblical advice. Even in a public school, I stayed quiet often, but my coworkers often came to my classroom before or after school to talk about their problems and ask for prayer. They said they came to my room when they just needed to feel a sense of calm (aka--a sense of God's presence).
"I could really see you doing that, being a counselor. You'd be really good at it." 
I chewed on the idea for awhile after that day, and eventually I announced to my husband that I made a decision. "When David graduates from college, it's my turn to go back." Most teachers get their master's in something related to education or administration. But just like I didn't want to pursue a degree in education the first time around (I got a degree in Christian Ministries), I had no desire to go any further in the world of public education. Once I got my master's in Biblical counseling, that would be my ticket out of the public education world.
I finally had a goal, a dream, a financial plan to make it happen without any loans, and it didn't seem that far away. I'd waited this long already to go back to school, what would another few years be? But once you have that thought in your head, even a few months can seem too far away. 
And then God interrupted all my plans and called me into full-time ministry a few years before I planned. Well, about twenty years later than I expected, but then about five years earlier than I planned for financially. I moved halfway across the country for a much smaller income, with David only halfway through college, and I will have to admit that I wondered how my new plan to go back to school in a few years would fit into this mix financially. 

God has a way of letting us know that he knows our thoughts even when we don't voice them. He knows our gifts and our passions, our hopes and our desires, and he places us very strategically so they can be of use for His glory. 
As I sat in week 2 of our training here at New Song, I couldn't help but sense God tapping me on the shoulder when I read the agenda for the afternoon. "Intro to Biblical Counseling." 
For the next hour, we sat around the table discussing how the entire ministry at New Song revolves around giving Biblical counseling in every issue that arises with each child that resides here for any length of time. Any opportunity to counsel a student Biblically trumps all other activity, including academics. An assignment or test can wait. A chance to plant God's word in a child's heart in a teachable moment cannot. 
I may not have that degree yet, but God knew my heart and my desire, and He gave me a prime opportunity to put that gift and passion into practice on a daily basis here at New Song. I only have one student for the time being, but I am reminded of the amazing opportunity to teach him about Jesus first thing every morning and to then pray over him before he even starts working for the day. 
Looking back to that conversation with my friend at the park, I realized that God ordained that conversation. He planted that desire in my heart to start mentally and spiritually preparing me for a task ahead that I never saw coming. 



 

Almost a week down

 This week really sped by now that I started teaching virtually. My one student has been a load of fun and personality, and he's connected well with me. 

We start out every morning talking about how we feel, how we slept, what we're excited about, and what we're thankful for. (We'll start the day with a gratitude journal once the students are all on campus). Then we play a little get-to-know-you game where we share one new thing about ourselves and have to repeat everything the person shared on all the prior days. So far it's easy with only four days, but I don't think we'll take the game much more than two weeks. 

After that, we talk about what makes a good leader, and then we read a chapter of a book about Jesus and discover what leadership traits he modeled for us. 

We then go over his agenda and assignments for the day, I pray over him, and then he gets to work. For now, we leave the camera on for most of the day (with a two hour break between 11-1), and he knows he can just ask if there's anything he doesn't understand. We also get back on at 1:45 for a Fitness break that we do together. We've done stretches, animal moves, and today it was a "sweat and spell" activity where he had to do different silly exercises depending on each letter of his name. We had fun and laughed a lot. I sat out a few of the activities, like cartwheels and somersaults. When he asked why I wasn't doing them, I just said, "Once you get past forty, you just don't do those things anymore." Haha.

His last assignment every day is to write in his journal about how he feels, what he learned, what he enjoyed, and what he hopes about the next day. I love how putting journal writing as the last thing makes him beg to write in his journal! That's exactly how it worked with my last class. Hey, it's one way to get them excited to write!

I am thoroughly enjoying getting to know my new teammate/student life assistant, Julie. She's a native Columbus resident, born and raised here, so she's a wealth of information and a great resource to me. She's also got an amazing missional heart, so we connect very well and on a very deep level. I couldn't ask for a better person to share a classroom with every day. We both know that we're here as partners on a mission field and coworkers in a ministry. We are still praying for the right set of houseparents to answer the call to join our team here at New Song to help us disciple disadvantaged kids and raise them up to be godly leaders in their communities. If you know anyone interested or equipped with the right gifts for such a ministry, please have them contact me or reach out to Bob at newsongmission.org. We are praying in faith for God to bring just the right couple so our kids on the waiting list can soon call this their home away from home. 

Now that David's officially back in Texas at DBU, Mike and I are finally starting to relax a little bit in the evenings after work. We've all been battling quite a bit of sickness the last few weeks and are realizing just how exhausted we are. Besides being physically exhausted from stomach issues and a really bad cold passing around, we're also mentally exhausted from so.much.change. So, if you don't hear from me by phone, text, e-mail, or even on this blog for a lengthy period of time, don't take it personally. We're still trying to process a whole lot of new things and don't have a lot of mental or social energy to give after a full day of work. 

Just a few good summer memories

Last night out with David in Columbus





 

Recap of the last few days

Am I dreaming?Yes, I literally thought those words as I sat in this absolutely adorable little tea/coffee shop in Nashville on Friday morning with my new teammate and office manager for a team building/get to know you time. We weren't talking about test scores, discipline, parent involvement, lesson plans, new curriculum, new laws, etc., you know, the things you usually talk about the Friday before school starts. Nope. We just sat together and shared our stories, our testimonies about how God has worked in our lives. All while I sat drinking a delicious cup of chai. As we all shared and got to know each other on this deeper level, I heard this voice in my head saying, "Wow. This is real."






I guess I really can call us the dream team. I'm so, so thankful to have been chosen and called by God to be here on this team. 

Early the next morning, Mike, David, and I left with Matt and Dane to head up to Warsaw for the first time since we moved here to help Peggy move the remaining big items, and several bins of clothes, decorations, dishes, etc. to the basement and garage of her new house.
We took about three loads of three trailers, and now she and Mark will get the remaining things out this week before she closes on the house on Friday. I am a bit excited about the new house she's moving into because if you look just two houses down the street, you'll find the first house Mike and I lived in when we first got married. It used to be white, but now it's a really pretty blue. It was a pretty small house, but oh, how I just loved that screened in front porch. I spent pretty much most of my time out there. I'm excited that Peggy's house has an identical screened in porch in her new house. I know where I'll be hanging out whenever I come visit. 

My old house. 

That night we took a break from moving and went to the New Paris races, where Mike, Matt, and Mark went as kids growing up, and where Mike took me a few times when we were dating and as newlyweds. I"ll be honest, I didn't really enjoy them much back then, but the experience could grow on me a bit more now. I enjoyed picking out the nicest looking car and hoping it would win. :)

A stray cat showed up at Peggy's old house a year or so ago, and she just had kittens. Aren't they sweet? 
I enjoyed spending some time getting to know my beautiful niece, Reese, a little better this weekend. I am thankful to be within a few hours of her so maybe we can spend a little more time together. She is the only girl grandchild on the Alspaugh side of the family. 
Still finding more stuff from the barn, garage, and shed to take back home to our own barns, garages, and sheds. There's something inspiring about watching those three brothers, and David, all team up together to get a job done. 
David, the cat whisperer
On the way out, we stopped at the cemetery to visit their dad's grave. The first that Matt and Mike had been back since the day of the funeral. The first that I had ever been there. 
A stone is coming soon. 

Mike and David taking a closer look at the golf clubs they brought back from his dad's house. 
Life's just kind-of one big sense of adventure right now.