The Deeper the Roots...

Almost two years ago, we drove this road, never imagining that it would ever become a daily drive for our family.  After close to twelve years at Fairview Baptist, our family is taking a new path, a path that we firmly believe God has directed us to follow.

Back in 2005, we packed all our belongings and traveled to the quaint town of Wake Forest, so that Marty could pursue seminary. We had already been in youth ministry for 4 years, but he desired to learn more and become better equipped for ministry in our future. Notice the word, "future."  We were tired at that point and honestly did not want a ministry job. With a one-year old in tow, no jobs, a contract on a townhome, and his acceptance letter in hand, we arrived in the Raleigh area.  But we soon discovered jobs were scarce, and we really wanted to be together as much as possible as a family.  Through what we only saw as God's providence, our seminary tour guide recommended Marty for his interim position at a church in Apex, NC.  I'll never forget driving down Ten-Ten Road our first Sunday there and feeling overwhelmed at why they would choose us.  

Over the years, Marty's job has changed, slowly increasing in responsibility, from youth to also children's ministry and then to family ministry.  Our family grew from arriving with one little girl to having our three precious young ladies.  We saw members come and go; our students grow not only physically, but spiritually; and our love for this church grow unlike anything we had ever experienced.  

But God has called us to move; this time away from everything we've known and loved.  From the first open door in this process we have slowly walked through, praying through each doorway. When we thought something would close the door, it didn't; instead swinging the door wider. God has used random messages from people over the past several months to confirm this decision.  Daily devotions have reassured us to trust God.  

Isaiah 43:19, "See, I am doing a new thing!  Now it springs up; do you not perceive it?"

Isaiah 58:11, "The Lord will guide you always; He will satisfy your needs in a sun-scorched land and will strengthen your frame.  You will be like a well-watered garden, like a spring whose waters never fail."

1 Peter 5:7, "Cast all your anxiety on Him because He cares for you."

Even the weekend that we went to visit the church in SC, we prayed for red flags.  I prayed that I would notice every single little thing that could be an issue in whether or not we should go.  Not a single red flag.  The encouragement and connection that God allowed through that weekend confirmed in both of us that He was leading us.  We knew the only thing holding us back from going was the fact that it would be the hardest move of our lives. 

There is no way to explain how hard this process has been. Telling our girls went so much better than we expected. There have certainly been hard days and many, many tears were shed, especially that first week.  But their attitudes have been amazing thus far!  People have commented that "at least we homeschool!?" indicating that it should make things easier.  As much as this could be true, it's not.  There has been just as much mourning over leaving our Thursday homeschool group, our home that is our refuge, and most of all, our church which is all my girls have ever known.  Ministry is our life.  The people in it are our family.  

As much as we are thankful to leave on good terms with no other reason for leaving than the simple fact that God has called, it hurts. Many tears have been shed.  Feelings of guilt over leaving, thoughts of missing out on the amazing things God is doing at Fairview, and the fear of the unknown has gripped all of our hearts. 

But through this whole process, God has constantly reminded us of His promises to never leave us or forsake us. I could not imagine walking through this journey with anyone besides my love and best friend.  He has been so patient with me and has never once pressured me.  Despite moving all my life, this has been the hardest move yet.  We've never known roots could go so deep and the deeper the roots the harder they are to pull out.  

Gypsy Blood

Moving?  Yes, we are moving again!  We have already received a plethora of questions and statements, so hopefully this post will answer a few of those.

"You just moved!"

- Actually we moved into this home over four years ago.  Even the five of us have a hard time believing that it's been that long.

"You just finished your downstairs!"

- It's been over a year since it's been completed and we have loved it!  My large school room away from the rest of the house has really been a blessing!  Marty did such an amazing job with the help of friends and family (and a good chunk of tax money.)  Honestly, the only reason we could afford to live in this neighborhood was due to the unfinished downstairs.  God blessed us immensely by providing this house at just the right time.

"You live in such a great area!"

- We have loved our neighborhood, especially our neighbors right around us!  Smores & movie nights, special friends for our girls, the pool, the list could go on...  We have loved the proximity to our church, extra curricular school activities, and Target.  Let's be honest.

                              

"Why are you moving back to Willow Spring?"

- We weren't looking in Willow Spring specifically.  We always try to live as close to the church as possible, but ultimately, we desired more land and less house (the opposite of the American dream).  We didn't want to put our current house on the market until we found just the right house.  And we all truly believe that we did!

"How are the girls coping?"

- Amazingly!!  Marty and I have said again and again how resilient they are.  After we had another dream house fall through a month ago, I promised to never take them house hunting again.  But without much choice, they came to see the house we are buying and we all fell in love with it!  They have been faithfully packing, each in their own way.  They have helped clean, do school work in random places, and watched many belongings be given away, sold, or tossed without complaint.  I simply couldn't ask for sweeter children.  

"Why move at all?"

- We have asked ourselves this question many times.  But we have several reasons why we are: 

1) More land and less house, as mentioned earlier. 

2) Gypsy blood.  Not really, but we'll claim it as both of us grew up moving often throughout our childhood.  

3) We want to put down roots.  To be honest, the last 18 months have been stressful.  Without a pastor, my associate pastor husband carried a little extra and we can only claim God's strength and His grace to have gotten us through it.  We had prayed over our future. Would overseas be an option? Should we move to another state for a job with more focus? Will we be able to blend well with our new pastor and his family? God has clearly answered no to the first two questions and has brought such peace to the last.  We are so excited for the ministry to come at Fairview and feel very blessed to have our pastor!  So, with that said, we feel that God has called us to stay in this area and we want to live in a house for the long-haul.    

We knew that our current home was not our dream house.  Never would be.  But even with all the wishful thinking, this place has seen a lot of dreams come true.  Our littlest learned to walk in this house, cartwheels and handstands were perfected throughout the living room, each of our girls became confident swimmers in our neighborhood pool, and our home was available to family on their way to Japan and Ghana. 

So in less than two weeks, when we pull out of the driveway for the very last time, I'll hold back the tears.  "Tears for all the dreams brought to life here.  Tears for all the dreams waiting ahead.  But mostly, tears for the God that never abandons this fixer upper, no matter what kind of flooring she's living on."

Our Trip to Japan - Part 2

Japan, the Land of the Rising Sun... 

We never intended this trip to be focused on rest due to the intense amount of travel and the many destinations within Japan that we wanted to see, but on this portion of our journey we received such rest and the timing couldn't have been more perfect.

The second part of our trip began with more train rides (one of my favorite modes of transportation), and ultimately the Shinkansen, the bullet train.  Away from the enormous cities, past rice fields and temples, gliding through tunnels, and zooming past snow-capped mountains, we traveled up half of main land Japan to reach the area of Sendai, a city some may recognize after the tsunami hit in 2011.

(Behind this boat, there once sat a fishing village.  It was completely swept away in 2011.)

"Takayama, Takayama, Takayama by the sea... All the year, we're longing for you, Takayama by the sea..."  I'll go ahead and apologize for the plethora of pictures to come in this post.  But then again, part of my heart is in these pictures. Takayama Beach Company has been a haven for missionaries for so many years.  Old military cabins scattered over two mountains may not seem impressive to most; seaweed filled beaches, and long trails to cart your belongings to and from your car may not sound like a vacation.  But for our family, cabin #7 was home for so many summers. 

My mom and I wondered out loud why was this place so special. Maybe it's because even when houses changed growing up, there was always such comfort and security in coming back to Takayama (wise words from my mama).  It was a place of childhood freedom, of rustic cabins with open windows, of spiders, hoppers, and mosquitoes, yet it always had a resemblance of home.

 

Our little cabin #7 is nothing to brag about now, but it was the prettiest cabin on Tak & To while it was under the care of my parents.  Notice my dad still taking care of it by putting back a fallen storm covering.  What a blessing that fallen door was though as we were able to glimpse inside and see the table my dad had built, the curtains my mom had sewn, and the wood stove my parents carried up that mountain over twenty years ago. 

People have asked what my favorite part of the trip was... Where do I begin?  Spending this time with my parents has to exceed them all.  Walking the trails I walked with my dad to go fishing so many years ago, again with my family was priceless. Cooking meals with my mom, savoring some of our Japanese favorites, will never be forgotten.

Our three nights here provided a time of rest, as I mentioned before. Still trying to recover from jet lag and without a TV to entertain us, we were able to enjoy the simple things of UNO and other games, of puzzles and long walks, of fire pits and cool evenings, and a lot of time on the beach.

 

I will most likely never have another opportunity to return to Takayama by the sea, but the memories from my childhood and now the memories with my children are enough to last me a lifetime.  

Puddle Jumping, PB & J's, & Purple Volcanoes

May your weekend be filled with hot chocolate and marshmallows and maybe a little coloring...

May imaginations run wild with toys from the past...

May your meals be simple, yet finger-licking good...

 

May the world come alive through purple volcanoes and heroes of the past...

May memories of the past week be revived and things as simple as puddle jumping become the highlights of childhood...
 

 

May we all learn something new, be open to change, and just keep trying...