Rachelle D. Alspaugh's Blog, page 54
June 14, 2015
Celebrating 2 years as a family
Yesterday marked two full years since the day we finally got Juan David back. June 13, 2013. Hop on over to my other blog, www.unexpectedtearsbook.blogspot.com, to see a poem I wrote for him back in 2009, hoping he'd join our family very soon. Little did we know the struggle and heartache on the horizon at that moment, still four years before he'd actually join our family.
2013
2015
I told someone the other day that our adoption experience was horrible, one I wouldn't wish on anyone. At the same time, though, God was in it, and for that, I wouldn't trade it for anything.
20132015I told someone the other day that our adoption experience was horrible, one I wouldn't wish on anyone. At the same time, though, God was in it, and for that, I wouldn't trade it for anything.
June 11, 2015
Then and now
What a difference a year makes. A year ago right now, I desperately needed rest. Healing. Rejuvenation. We still hadn't gelled as a family unit. Juan David still didn't speak English. I struggled with health issues that likely came from all the stresses of the previous six years.
Today, I feel good. Thanks to Plexus for curbing my appetite and helping me move away from a sugar addiction, and thanks to the Daniel Plan for teaching me to enjoy the abundance of all the natural foods God has provided us, my body is back on track. Plus I am more mentally alert and alive than I have been in a long time. Who knew how much I would crave broccoli every morning?
Last year, I felt like I'd been running by the seat of my pants and had the life sucked out of me. This year, I felt organized, intentional, and I had an absolutely wonderful year teaching my second batch of four and five-year-olds.
Thanks to a little camper getting dropped into our laps, our first three camping trips last summer really helped us to finally gel together as a new family unit. Thanks to a newer and nicer camper that God upgraded us to, the gelling continues on each trip we take, even if we only drive about 20 minutes down the road. We look forward to taking many random trips together in our house on wheels. It is indeed a blessing.
Thanks to Journey, our church's high school summer camp in Colorado, Juan David finally broke the ice and came home speaking English, all the English he'd learned during the year but refused to apply. His silent period ended, and now he speaks amazing English and continues to improve every day.
Last year, I still felt like the reality of Juan David's adoption hadn't hit me yet. Now it seems to hit me every day, every time I see his smile, look into his eyes, watch him dance around the house, or see him play soccer. He really did come home to us. Wow. I still tear up from time to time when I think about it.
Last year, I wanted nothing more than to stay home (or local). This year, I am rearing to go, go, go! In fact, I originally planned to board a plane to Colombia today with Juan David to spend a week with Julian. Until Julian boarded a plane to Argentina. :(
It's okay, though. I am learning to embrace the present. Like the other day when I prayed for God to guide my day with Juan, to give us an enjoyable, memorable day. We ended up spending good quality time with a friend who is more like family, a friend who happens to be moving away in two weeks. Plus Juan David got to swim, so that made him a happy boy.
I'm so thankful for all we have to celebrate when I look back at all the differences between then . . . and now.
Today, I feel good. Thanks to Plexus for curbing my appetite and helping me move away from a sugar addiction, and thanks to the Daniel Plan for teaching me to enjoy the abundance of all the natural foods God has provided us, my body is back on track. Plus I am more mentally alert and alive than I have been in a long time. Who knew how much I would crave broccoli every morning?
Last year, I felt like I'd been running by the seat of my pants and had the life sucked out of me. This year, I felt organized, intentional, and I had an absolutely wonderful year teaching my second batch of four and five-year-olds.Thanks to a little camper getting dropped into our laps, our first three camping trips last summer really helped us to finally gel together as a new family unit. Thanks to a newer and nicer camper that God upgraded us to, the gelling continues on each trip we take, even if we only drive about 20 minutes down the road. We look forward to taking many random trips together in our house on wheels. It is indeed a blessing.
Thanks to Journey, our church's high school summer camp in Colorado, Juan David finally broke the ice and came home speaking English, all the English he'd learned during the year but refused to apply. His silent period ended, and now he speaks amazing English and continues to improve every day.
Last year, I still felt like the reality of Juan David's adoption hadn't hit me yet. Now it seems to hit me every day, every time I see his smile, look into his eyes, watch him dance around the house, or see him play soccer. He really did come home to us. Wow. I still tear up from time to time when I think about it.
Last year, I wanted nothing more than to stay home (or local). This year, I am rearing to go, go, go! In fact, I originally planned to board a plane to Colombia today with Juan David to spend a week with Julian. Until Julian boarded a plane to Argentina. :(
It's okay, though. I am learning to embrace the present. Like the other day when I prayed for God to guide my day with Juan, to give us an enjoyable, memorable day. We ended up spending good quality time with a friend who is more like family, a friend who happens to be moving away in two weeks. Plus Juan David got to swim, so that made him a happy boy.
I'm so thankful for all we have to celebrate when I look back at all the differences between then . . . and now.
June 7, 2015
Down time? What's that?
We sure do keep busy around here. Sometimes that's a good thing, sometimes not so much. Life is full, all the time, though.
This week brought a lot of things to a close, and now we move on into the next season. David's soccer season is officially ending today (after 11 rainouts!), and it looks like his team most likely came in first place for his division. Juan David's season closes out today, too (after 9 rainouts), and it looks like his team will most likely take second place in his division. It was a long, unpredictable season with all of the rain, so we are kind-of glad to finally bring it all to an end. We are also very proud of how the boys did.
School officially ended on Friday. Both boys did exceptionally well in their classes and on their STAAR tests. I don't have the paper results for Juan David's tests yet (other than the news that he passed them all), but David's results showed that he only missed three questions on both his Math test and his Reading test. So proud of him. I finished up my second year of PreK on Friday with 43 kids in attendance for what I called our "celebration" (we have to have both classes together whenever there is an early dismissal in order to save the district money). We had a picnic outside, sang a bunch of songs, read a few stories, and just had a great day. This year's kids (and parents) treated me so wonderfully this year, making this one of the best years I have ever had in the classroom.
Mike and I attended a program at our church called ReEngage for the last sixteen Thursdays, and it, too, came to a close on Thursday night. I'd always heard that every married couple in our church should go through it at least once, no matter what stage they are in in their marriage. So, when they opened it up at our satellite campus, we decided to give it a try. What we didn't know when we committed was just how hard it would be to stay committed due to having so many other things come up on Thursday nights. We stuck through it, though, and we are so thankful we did. Our marriage grew much stronger, we learned more about each other, we communicate more effectively, and we know that God used it to prepare us for our current season of unemployment. We are going to miss our small group meetings, but we now have the tools necessary to keep growing closer as a couple. What we took away from it the most was that every marriage has issues, and it put us in a safe place to talk about our struggles together in a group and to learn from each other. If you ever hear of ReEngage at your church or a church nearby and you have the opportunity to attend, DO IT! I do believe it's one of the greatest ministries in our church.
http://marriagehelp.org/what-is-it/what-is-reengage/ Here is a link to a song that pretty much sums up Re/engage.https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RhxELo-uD3c So here we are now, at the end of a full season of life, already jumping into another full season. So far, it looks nothing like we originally planned. No trip to Colombia. No trip to the beach. No big family vacation planned. Julian moving to Argentina and Mike losing his job kind-of changed all of that. However, on the positive side, we get to have Mike hang out with us in between his job interviews. This will be a first, and thanks to God's constant provision for us, we can enjoy our time together as a family without the stress of not having Mike's income for at least another month or so. When God says, "I will meet all your needs according to the riches of His glory in Christ Jesus" (Philippians 4:19), He means it. When He says, "Test me in this, and see if I will not throw open the floodgates of Heaven and pour out so much blessing that there will not be room enough to store it" (Malachi 3:10), He means it. I can say that with confidence because while we have been busy praying for God to give Mike a job, He has been busy providing for our needs, teaching us to wait on Him with peace that He's in control. Not once, but now twice we have unexpectedly received financial gifts combined with enough money to cover seven whole weeks of lost income. And on both occasions, their words made it clear that it was meant to be taken as a gift from God.
He's got this, and we can move forward into an unexpected and unplanned summer with peace to enjoy each day as it comes. It reminds me of a conversation God had with me back in 2011 that I wrote about in chapter 13 of my book. "This is one (summer) that I'm not letting you plan. Every moment of every day has already been planned for you." (p. 127, From the Mountain to the Valley and Back--to be republished by August with the new title Unexpected Tears, www.unexpectedtearsbook.blogspot.com)
David's departure for church camp yesterday began our 2015 summer trek with God as our guide. Looking forward to it.
This week brought a lot of things to a close, and now we move on into the next season. David's soccer season is officially ending today (after 11 rainouts!), and it looks like his team most likely came in first place for his division. Juan David's season closes out today, too (after 9 rainouts), and it looks like his team will most likely take second place in his division. It was a long, unpredictable season with all of the rain, so we are kind-of glad to finally bring it all to an end. We are also very proud of how the boys did.
School officially ended on Friday. Both boys did exceptionally well in their classes and on their STAAR tests. I don't have the paper results for Juan David's tests yet (other than the news that he passed them all), but David's results showed that he only missed three questions on both his Math test and his Reading test. So proud of him. I finished up my second year of PreK on Friday with 43 kids in attendance for what I called our "celebration" (we have to have both classes together whenever there is an early dismissal in order to save the district money). We had a picnic outside, sang a bunch of songs, read a few stories, and just had a great day. This year's kids (and parents) treated me so wonderfully this year, making this one of the best years I have ever had in the classroom.
Mike and I attended a program at our church called ReEngage for the last sixteen Thursdays, and it, too, came to a close on Thursday night. I'd always heard that every married couple in our church should go through it at least once, no matter what stage they are in in their marriage. So, when they opened it up at our satellite campus, we decided to give it a try. What we didn't know when we committed was just how hard it would be to stay committed due to having so many other things come up on Thursday nights. We stuck through it, though, and we are so thankful we did. Our marriage grew much stronger, we learned more about each other, we communicate more effectively, and we know that God used it to prepare us for our current season of unemployment. We are going to miss our small group meetings, but we now have the tools necessary to keep growing closer as a couple. What we took away from it the most was that every marriage has issues, and it put us in a safe place to talk about our struggles together in a group and to learn from each other. If you ever hear of ReEngage at your church or a church nearby and you have the opportunity to attend, DO IT! I do believe it's one of the greatest ministries in our church.
http://marriagehelp.org/what-is-it/what-is-reengage/ Here is a link to a song that pretty much sums up Re/engage.https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RhxELo-uD3c So here we are now, at the end of a full season of life, already jumping into another full season. So far, it looks nothing like we originally planned. No trip to Colombia. No trip to the beach. No big family vacation planned. Julian moving to Argentina and Mike losing his job kind-of changed all of that. However, on the positive side, we get to have Mike hang out with us in between his job interviews. This will be a first, and thanks to God's constant provision for us, we can enjoy our time together as a family without the stress of not having Mike's income for at least another month or so. When God says, "I will meet all your needs according to the riches of His glory in Christ Jesus" (Philippians 4:19), He means it. When He says, "Test me in this, and see if I will not throw open the floodgates of Heaven and pour out so much blessing that there will not be room enough to store it" (Malachi 3:10), He means it. I can say that with confidence because while we have been busy praying for God to give Mike a job, He has been busy providing for our needs, teaching us to wait on Him with peace that He's in control. Not once, but now twice we have unexpectedly received financial gifts combined with enough money to cover seven whole weeks of lost income. And on both occasions, their words made it clear that it was meant to be taken as a gift from God.
He's got this, and we can move forward into an unexpected and unplanned summer with peace to enjoy each day as it comes. It reminds me of a conversation God had with me back in 2011 that I wrote about in chapter 13 of my book. "This is one (summer) that I'm not letting you plan. Every moment of every day has already been planned for you." (p. 127, From the Mountain to the Valley and Back--to be republished by August with the new title Unexpected Tears, www.unexpectedtearsbook.blogspot.com)
David's departure for church camp yesterday began our 2015 summer trek with God as our guide. Looking forward to it.
June 1, 2015
One more brag
Gotta brag on this kid, too! I got a letter in the mail inviting us to attend David's awards ceremony at school because he would be receiving an award. We kept it a secret from him, so he had no idea I made arrangements to leave school to be there, nor did he even know about getting an award. (He wasn't too happy with me for keeping it a secret, but, oh, well, I was glad both Mike and I made it.) He got an award for Scholastic Excellence with a 92 percent average for the year. Great job, David!
May 31, 2015
Divine connections
Nearly eighteen years ago, I boarded a plane for Buenos Aires, Argentina to fulfill a dream to finally be bilingual. Little did I know that my son would be born two months later on the same continent, nor did I know that another five year old little boy in Colombia would one day call me Mom and would one day take advantage of the connections I'd make in those three months in Argentina.
Fast-forward to the age of Facebook and social media. Not only did I build a relationship with that "little boy" (now a young adult) through Facebook and eventually adopt his younger brother, but I also found and reconnected with old friends that I attended church with in Buenos Aires, Argentina.
Now fast-forward to April of this year, when I finally had the money to book tickets to take Juan David on a short trip back to Colombia to visit his brother. We were so excited to set a date to go back, until Julian told us some unexpected news.
"I want to start a new life, to make something of myself. My friend and I have been planning and saving for a whole year, and now we are purchasing airline tickets to go to Buenos Aires, Argentina to study. Just like you did. If things work out for me there, I may not ever come back to Colombia."
What? We thought he was crazy, and Juan David and I did everything we could to try to convince him this was a big mistake. There are just too many legalities and work issues and money issues, too many things that he could not foresee. But, alas, we could not talk him out of it. So I told him if he insisted on making this decision, I would pray for God to go with him, to protect him, to take care of him, and to guide him. (Mind you, he's been mad at God for two years now, ever since it didn't work out to bring him here with his brother).
So my thoughts toward the whole situation shifted. He could have picked any city out of any country in the world (or even in South America), and he picked the one city where I happened to have lived and happened to know people. In fact, thanks to Facebook, we're still connected.
On May 16th, Julian boarded a plane (for the first time in his life) and landed in Buenos Aires. He had a rough start, but he and his friend found a place to stay and are starting to get to know the city. Within a few days, he wrote me to ask for the address of the church I attended (Iglesia de la Esperanza). I sent a few messages back and forth with a friend who still attends and serves there, and today Julian visited and sent me a picture of the church after the service.
I don't know how God will lead my dear son from here, but I am humbled to know that God used my experience in Argentina 18 years ago to connect Julian to a church filled with people that love the Lord. And he just got there two weeks ago today. At least I know he's starting out okay, and God definitely still has His hand on that boy.
Fast-forward to the age of Facebook and social media. Not only did I build a relationship with that "little boy" (now a young adult) through Facebook and eventually adopt his younger brother, but I also found and reconnected with old friends that I attended church with in Buenos Aires, Argentina.
Now fast-forward to April of this year, when I finally had the money to book tickets to take Juan David on a short trip back to Colombia to visit his brother. We were so excited to set a date to go back, until Julian told us some unexpected news.
"I want to start a new life, to make something of myself. My friend and I have been planning and saving for a whole year, and now we are purchasing airline tickets to go to Buenos Aires, Argentina to study. Just like you did. If things work out for me there, I may not ever come back to Colombia."
What? We thought he was crazy, and Juan David and I did everything we could to try to convince him this was a big mistake. There are just too many legalities and work issues and money issues, too many things that he could not foresee. But, alas, we could not talk him out of it. So I told him if he insisted on making this decision, I would pray for God to go with him, to protect him, to take care of him, and to guide him. (Mind you, he's been mad at God for two years now, ever since it didn't work out to bring him here with his brother).
So my thoughts toward the whole situation shifted. He could have picked any city out of any country in the world (or even in South America), and he picked the one city where I happened to have lived and happened to know people. In fact, thanks to Facebook, we're still connected.
On May 16th, Julian boarded a plane (for the first time in his life) and landed in Buenos Aires. He had a rough start, but he and his friend found a place to stay and are starting to get to know the city. Within a few days, he wrote me to ask for the address of the church I attended (Iglesia de la Esperanza). I sent a few messages back and forth with a friend who still attends and serves there, and today Julian visited and sent me a picture of the church after the service.
I don't know how God will lead my dear son from here, but I am humbled to know that God used my experience in Argentina 18 years ago to connect Julian to a church filled with people that love the Lord. And he just got there two weeks ago today. At least I know he's starting out okay, and God definitely still has His hand on that boy.
Smart boy
So proud of this guy. He's been in the country for less than two years, and he's only been speaking English for less than a year. This was his first year in a regular high school (as opposed to the newcomer high school he attended last year), and we warned him it would be much, much harder this year.I stand corrected.
He survived the year with all A's and B's, achieved the highest rating of English in all areas (Advanced High) on his TELPAS exam (a yearly rating on how a student is doing in listening, speaking, reading, and writing--the teacher rates all areas except for reading), and he passed all three of his STAAR tests--Algebra, Biology, and English 1 (three out of five state tests that he has to pass to graduate).
He played JV football for his school (and decided not to continue it next year), he played JV soccer and was voted Defensive MVP by his teammates, and he got accepted into the soccer athletics class for next school year (which means he might play Varsity next year).
He sure is a great kid and just as smart as he tried to tell me when he first came home. A year ago, I wrote about waiting for the moment that the reality of his adoption would hit me. Now, a certain phrase goes through my head every morning when I drop him off at school, every time I take him to a church event, every time I watch him play soccer . . . it is a privilege. It is such a privilege to be his mom.
May 24, 2015
Recognition of a foreign adoption decree
Over the last two years, our social worker mentioned the idea of a doing a re-adoption process for Juan David now that he is in the United States. I knew that his adoption was full and final in Colombia, though, and a re-adoption is not even necessary in the state of Texas, so we just smiled and dismissed her idea. Getting him home after five long years was traumatic enough on our family.
Thankfully, I follow posts on a group with other parents who adopted from Colombia, and I learned that we only needed to file for a recognition of his adoption in order to get him a Texas birth certificate (which will just make life a bit easier for him in the future). I told our social worker that we planned to do that, and she looked at us like we were crazy. "I've never heard of anyone not readopting their children after they come home." Well, for some international adoptions, that may be the case, but I knew that it just wasn't necessary after Juan David's adoption. She gave me a list of lawyers to call for advice on the matter.
So, I started calling. The first one wanted to make contacts in Colombia to reterminate parental rights! Um, no. Totally not necessary. Plus she wanted $1800.
The second one didn't think it necessary to reterminate the parental rights, and her fees only came up to $1145, but she wasn't very close to home.
The third was back in my own county, but $200 more. The fourth completely understood the difference between a re-adoption and a recognition, so she required less documentation. But her fees started at $1500 in addition to filing fees, plus she recommended I find someone else in my own county so I didn't show up late for the hearing due to traffic. After I called three more lawyers, I found even more determination to find a cheaper and less complicated route. I researched as much as possible on-line by finding other people's blogs that explained what they did, I made countless unanswered phone calls to my district clerk's office, and I finally pieced it all together to figure out how to do the paperwork and file it on our own, without a lawyer.
Well, guess what? Last Wednesday, Mike, Juan David, and I appeared before the judge on our own and walked away with a legal recognition of Juan's adoption. $333 in filing fees. $4 for extra copies. Considering Mike is out of work for the time being, I'll consider that money saved as a bit of extra income to give him some more time to find the next job God has for him.
The actual process and documentation were super easy and painless. The research, phone calls, misinformation, and lack of guidance all made it hard and complicated. I am thankful for the few blogs I found with the right information, so I hope this blog post can help another adoptive parent some day. If you are that parent, feel free to leave me a comment so I can give you more specific info. about what we did.
Thankfully, I follow posts on a group with other parents who adopted from Colombia, and I learned that we only needed to file for a recognition of his adoption in order to get him a Texas birth certificate (which will just make life a bit easier for him in the future). I told our social worker that we planned to do that, and she looked at us like we were crazy. "I've never heard of anyone not readopting their children after they come home." Well, for some international adoptions, that may be the case, but I knew that it just wasn't necessary after Juan David's adoption. She gave me a list of lawyers to call for advice on the matter.
So, I started calling. The first one wanted to make contacts in Colombia to reterminate parental rights! Um, no. Totally not necessary. Plus she wanted $1800.
The second one didn't think it necessary to reterminate the parental rights, and her fees only came up to $1145, but she wasn't very close to home.
The third was back in my own county, but $200 more. The fourth completely understood the difference between a re-adoption and a recognition, so she required less documentation. But her fees started at $1500 in addition to filing fees, plus she recommended I find someone else in my own county so I didn't show up late for the hearing due to traffic. After I called three more lawyers, I found even more determination to find a cheaper and less complicated route. I researched as much as possible on-line by finding other people's blogs that explained what they did, I made countless unanswered phone calls to my district clerk's office, and I finally pieced it all together to figure out how to do the paperwork and file it on our own, without a lawyer.
Well, guess what? Last Wednesday, Mike, Juan David, and I appeared before the judge on our own and walked away with a legal recognition of Juan's adoption. $333 in filing fees. $4 for extra copies. Considering Mike is out of work for the time being, I'll consider that money saved as a bit of extra income to give him some more time to find the next job God has for him.
The actual process and documentation were super easy and painless. The research, phone calls, misinformation, and lack of guidance all made it hard and complicated. I am thankful for the few blogs I found with the right information, so I hope this blog post can help another adoptive parent some day. If you are that parent, feel free to leave me a comment so I can give you more specific info. about what we did.
Pancakes and eggs
Yesterday morning, Juan David and I enjoyed a nice breakfast together at Applebee's while the middle school Colorado team served us as a way to raise money for their upcoming mission trip.
According to the youth pastor's assistant, the morning turned out quite successful. The place was packed for the last hour, and the students worked really hard. As a bonus, we went to church last night to hear our pastor announce that we had a guest speaker for the evening--the pastor from Front Range Christan Church in Castle Rock, Colorado (the church where the kids will be serving in July). How cool is that? I am really excited for David to be part of this team. I love how his heart keeps growing with a passion for missions. Who knows what God has in store for his life. May 17, 2015
Seasons of change
Plans, plans, plans. Who doesn't make plans for the summer? Especially a teacher!
Our plans included sending the boys to camp, taking Juan David to Colombia to see his brother, sending David on a mission trip to Colorado with the middle-schoolers from church, traveling to Pennsylvania to let Juan David meet the rest of my family, finishing up our last bit of post-adoption paperwork for Juan David, teaching a Bible study, camping, and just living up our summer together. We told Juan David that this will be his last summer to just "enjoy" before getting a part-time job to start learning some adult responsibilities (he'll be 18 in November). I looked forward to the summer to just enjoy him and his presence in our family.
Timing didn't work out for our Pennsylvania travels, though, and neither did our plans to return to Colombia to see Julian. Then we started talking and dreaming about going to the beach somewhere. David has never even seen the ocean once in his life yet, so a beach trip seemed appropriate.
Good thing all we did was dream, though, because we can no longer plan out much of anything for our summer. Now we are living through a season of change with unexpected unemployment, so very few of those plans will actually make it to fruition.
Middle School - Castle Rock, Colorado - July 2015
The boys are still going to camp, David is still going on the mission trip, and I am still teaching a Bible study. Plus we meet with the judge this week to get that last piece of post-adoption paperwork signed. As far as our family vacation goes, we are counting on God to show us His plans when it's time. We are at peace. God provided income for the last three weeks, and He has provided enough for several more. If it's taught me anything, it's that I need to just live one day at a time.
I now spend my morning drive each day listening to Jesus Calling, by Sarah Young. Every day she reminds me that God is in control. He pursues me every second of every day, constantly wanting to reveal Himself in a new way. When I worry or fret or over-plan, I miss what God might want to show me or how He might want to express His love for me in the moment. When I spend my energy just trusting Him and seeking Him, I find things to be grateful for in every situation or circumstance.
He always takes care of us. Good care of us. I am expectantly waiting to see all the ways He will choose to do so until Mike finds new employment. It's scary, of course, but every once in a while, a season of change is good for everyone. By June, we'll be seeing a new principal at our school, a new pastor at our campus at church, a new chapter in Julian's life (as he attempts to settle into a completely new area to continue his studies), and hopefully a new job for Mike.
I could fret and let anxiety overtake me, but I choose to embrace yet another season of change and look forward to what is yet to come.
Our plans included sending the boys to camp, taking Juan David to Colombia to see his brother, sending David on a mission trip to Colorado with the middle-schoolers from church, traveling to Pennsylvania to let Juan David meet the rest of my family, finishing up our last bit of post-adoption paperwork for Juan David, teaching a Bible study, camping, and just living up our summer together. We told Juan David that this will be his last summer to just "enjoy" before getting a part-time job to start learning some adult responsibilities (he'll be 18 in November). I looked forward to the summer to just enjoy him and his presence in our family.
Timing didn't work out for our Pennsylvania travels, though, and neither did our plans to return to Colombia to see Julian. Then we started talking and dreaming about going to the beach somewhere. David has never even seen the ocean once in his life yet, so a beach trip seemed appropriate.
Good thing all we did was dream, though, because we can no longer plan out much of anything for our summer. Now we are living through a season of change with unexpected unemployment, so very few of those plans will actually make it to fruition.
Middle School - Castle Rock, Colorado - July 2015
The boys are still going to camp, David is still going on the mission trip, and I am still teaching a Bible study. Plus we meet with the judge this week to get that last piece of post-adoption paperwork signed. As far as our family vacation goes, we are counting on God to show us His plans when it's time. We are at peace. God provided income for the last three weeks, and He has provided enough for several more. If it's taught me anything, it's that I need to just live one day at a time.
I now spend my morning drive each day listening to Jesus Calling, by Sarah Young. Every day she reminds me that God is in control. He pursues me every second of every day, constantly wanting to reveal Himself in a new way. When I worry or fret or over-plan, I miss what God might want to show me or how He might want to express His love for me in the moment. When I spend my energy just trusting Him and seeking Him, I find things to be grateful for in every situation or circumstance.
He always takes care of us. Good care of us. I am expectantly waiting to see all the ways He will choose to do so until Mike finds new employment. It's scary, of course, but every once in a while, a season of change is good for everyone. By June, we'll be seeing a new principal at our school, a new pastor at our campus at church, a new chapter in Julian's life (as he attempts to settle into a completely new area to continue his studies), and hopefully a new job for Mike.
I could fret and let anxiety overtake me, but I choose to embrace yet another season of change and look forward to what is yet to come.
May 11, 2015
Power of prayer
Forgot to share this two posts back about our trip to Starbucks. See those two ladies behind David? They came up to us before we left and asked if there was anything they could pray about for us. We actually have a pretty pressing need right now, so we shared it with them. Right then and there they prayed with us. Not only did it really speak to Mike and I considering the timing, but Juan David made it clearer than clear that he'd never seen or experienced anything like that before. Another reminder that he isn't just part of our story, but we are part of his.
