Yeah I miss blogging. Rob went back to work a couple weeks ago and he has filled our house with laughter once again. He is feeling so good that the whole family can't help but be happy. Be praying for my I have an unspoken prayer request that I don't feel comfortable talking about. It's made me very weary. Just keep me in your prayers! I'll blog again soon!!
Friday, November 11, 2011
Monday, October 17, 2011
I'm singin in the rain...I'm singin in the rain!
It's fall and unlike California we actually get a fall here. We have had tons of rain this year and in just the last week the leaves had started changing color. This is something I love about the east coast.
I feel as if God is continuelly testing us over and over and I am becoming weary. We are 2 weeks behind on our rent I have 20 bucks to my name and I needed a job 3 weeks ago. Rob obviously has some nerve damage from the surgery that put him back to bed today. I'm sitting by the phone waiting for this job to call me back that I really really want. It makes me sick to think I might not get it and I want it so bad. Stress has made my stomach upset and I have started coughing like crazy.
I know that all this is preparation for the field and putting complete trust in the Lord. I have complete confidence that He will provide. I'm just human and can't help but tell God to hurry up and remind Him that I have tithed everything he has provided. Weary? you say. I'm tired of the testing and asking Him to stop. It is certainly taking it's toll on me. I almost feel old. Am I complaining no just sharing how I feel.
Even with all this going on my son Robby reminds me to keep "singing in the rain". He sings like an Angel and he'll sing "Lord I lift your name on high" or "little drummer boy" and pretty soon all five of us are singing even Jason tries to sing. It humbles me. When I have a short fuze or I'm frusterated or just tired my 7 year old brings me back to what it is all about. I am looking forward to the holiday season. At the same time I miss my new naz family. I am looking forward to robs family traditions that have always been the same and amazing. I can't wait for my kids to experience it as well. I think I am done with this blog and I've given my hurt and I am glad I have such an awesome family.
Lord put your hand on us and help us out of this rut. Thank you for your faithfulness and thank you ahead of time for what you are providing us! We love you and we serve you with our lives! Thank you for our marriage our children and shine FM that we wake up to every morning!
AMEN!
I feel as if God is continuelly testing us over and over and I am becoming weary. We are 2 weeks behind on our rent I have 20 bucks to my name and I needed a job 3 weeks ago. Rob obviously has some nerve damage from the surgery that put him back to bed today. I'm sitting by the phone waiting for this job to call me back that I really really want. It makes me sick to think I might not get it and I want it so bad. Stress has made my stomach upset and I have started coughing like crazy.
I know that all this is preparation for the field and putting complete trust in the Lord. I have complete confidence that He will provide. I'm just human and can't help but tell God to hurry up and remind Him that I have tithed everything he has provided. Weary? you say. I'm tired of the testing and asking Him to stop. It is certainly taking it's toll on me. I almost feel old. Am I complaining no just sharing how I feel.
Even with all this going on my son Robby reminds me to keep "singing in the rain". He sings like an Angel and he'll sing "Lord I lift your name on high" or "little drummer boy" and pretty soon all five of us are singing even Jason tries to sing. It humbles me. When I have a short fuze or I'm frusterated or just tired my 7 year old brings me back to what it is all about. I am looking forward to the holiday season. At the same time I miss my new naz family. I am looking forward to robs family traditions that have always been the same and amazing. I can't wait for my kids to experience it as well. I think I am done with this blog and I've given my hurt and I am glad I have such an awesome family.
Lord put your hand on us and help us out of this rut. Thank you for your faithfulness and thank you ahead of time for what you are providing us! We love you and we serve you with our lives! Thank you for our marriage our children and shine FM that we wake up to every morning!
AMEN!
Saturday, September 17, 2011
If we are the Body......
If we are the Body why aren't His hands healing why aren't his words teaching......
A couple of questions have come up about our plans, how are we going to afford Bible School? and what about Robs health? What is the weather like? Is there a church there? What else will we be doing? What have you done to start preparing the Kids?
Bible school is something I will be doing online and Grants may cover almost all of it and quiet frankly we're not worried about it. I also got the question "Is this something that the agency wants?" No they would take me as I am and when I told them what I wanted to do they were totally excited and it was cool with them for me to finish over seas if I need to. "Why pastoral studies?" I want an over all education of every ministry that can be in a church and how to get it started. I want a taste of everything so that I can share what I learn. The area we have been called to has no church. They are almost all muslim, and the missionaries that are there and the contacts they have had for Christ are the only church. I plan to be able to not only nurse the wounded but feed the spiritually hungry. I want to be able to do VBS as well as have the ladies over for a bible study. By the time we get there, there may be a group meeting and what knowledge is learned can help it grow. It is also a Calling.
Is there a Church there? not in the village we will be in. It is primarily muslim like I said earlier. God has softened their hearts in the last 9 years and they are not only welcoming but they are trying to find out why these Christians are here and are continuously asking the "Christian Lady" (Petra Wirrell) to pray over their sick.
Rob's health? When we were presented with this opportunity MR. Lane with GOM said if we're suppose to go God will take care of his health. His point was proven this week. On monday we were told that the hernia repair surgery was going to be postponed because his sugars have been impossible to control. They wanted his sugar to be down below 150 on the day of the surgery. He hadn't been able to touch 250 in the past 3 months since these hernias. We tried to do our part and cut out as many carbs as we could without going too low. About six weeks ago he saw a new endocrinologist and he asked Rob to write down everything he put in his mouth and how many carbs and how much insulin he was using. On thursday he saw a diabetic educator and she looked at his journal and told him there wasn't much more he could do to his diet. Everyone automatically assumes that when you have diabetes you can't have any carbs at all. That's type 2, when you have type 1 even when your sugars are high you have to have at least 1 to 2 servings. She told him he has to for his insulin your body does not give you a bolus amount all at one time like when you give yourself injections. It's not healthy to go without carbs your body needs them to balance with that shot of insulin. She couldn't stress that he was already doing all he could and now it was up to his endo. Last time we made an appointment it took a month to see him. Thursday he called after his DE appointment and she actually had an appointment for the next morning. Rob walked out with a whole new insulin control base and last night he was 116. Today he never came close to 200. They are 2 people that are fighting for Robert and following up every week until he has recovered from his surgery. The last few days have overwhelmed Rob because he finally is getting the education and support that he needed 2 1/2 years ago and to be told he was doing everything right was so encouraging. His surgery has been scheduled for 10/7, they didn't postpone as long as we thought. God will take care of Rob's health now and on the field.
The weather where we will be, is going to be interesting. The temperature only flunctuates about 20 degrees between 65 and 85. There are 2 seasons dry season and rain season. This jungle village is not far from the nearest city but the road conditions make the 30 mile trip almost impossible to reach the city in under 2 1/2 hours. When someone is in desperate need of medical care that is a deadly length of time. So this hospital is crucial.
What will we be doing other than working on fixing up the hospital and nursing? Rob would love to get a community garden growing. This would not only feed our family but the patients at the hospital as well. I'm sure that VBS's and other community outreaches will be planned and then follow ups will be done and hopefully a church will be started over time of course. We will also see where we will fit in with the team that is there already. We also will be helping to host short term teams that will be coming a couple times a year to help us medically.
Our children know what we have been praying about but they don't really. Robby has a better grasp on it than the others. We have also been trying to teach them that you can be missionaries anywhere. We handed out flyers to VBS this year to all the neighborhood kids and we got 22 children over the course of the week to register. We then borrowed the church van and got them all there. Some of them only came once but it planted a seed. As a result we will be starting a character club on fridays. They will be coming to our house to learn about the Lord and to have some fun. We will be doing this through Children's Bible Ministry who is giving me the materials I need.
Pray for Us!
Pray for Robs surgery and recovery.
Pray that I find a job that God wants me to have to help prepare me.
Pray that our children remain healthy.
A couple of questions have come up about our plans, how are we going to afford Bible School? and what about Robs health? What is the weather like? Is there a church there? What else will we be doing? What have you done to start preparing the Kids?
Bible school is something I will be doing online and Grants may cover almost all of it and quiet frankly we're not worried about it. I also got the question "Is this something that the agency wants?" No they would take me as I am and when I told them what I wanted to do they were totally excited and it was cool with them for me to finish over seas if I need to. "Why pastoral studies?" I want an over all education of every ministry that can be in a church and how to get it started. I want a taste of everything so that I can share what I learn. The area we have been called to has no church. They are almost all muslim, and the missionaries that are there and the contacts they have had for Christ are the only church. I plan to be able to not only nurse the wounded but feed the spiritually hungry. I want to be able to do VBS as well as have the ladies over for a bible study. By the time we get there, there may be a group meeting and what knowledge is learned can help it grow. It is also a Calling.
Is there a Church there? not in the village we will be in. It is primarily muslim like I said earlier. God has softened their hearts in the last 9 years and they are not only welcoming but they are trying to find out why these Christians are here and are continuously asking the "Christian Lady" (Petra Wirrell) to pray over their sick.
Rob's health? When we were presented with this opportunity MR. Lane with GOM said if we're suppose to go God will take care of his health. His point was proven this week. On monday we were told that the hernia repair surgery was going to be postponed because his sugars have been impossible to control. They wanted his sugar to be down below 150 on the day of the surgery. He hadn't been able to touch 250 in the past 3 months since these hernias. We tried to do our part and cut out as many carbs as we could without going too low. About six weeks ago he saw a new endocrinologist and he asked Rob to write down everything he put in his mouth and how many carbs and how much insulin he was using. On thursday he saw a diabetic educator and she looked at his journal and told him there wasn't much more he could do to his diet. Everyone automatically assumes that when you have diabetes you can't have any carbs at all. That's type 2, when you have type 1 even when your sugars are high you have to have at least 1 to 2 servings. She told him he has to for his insulin your body does not give you a bolus amount all at one time like when you give yourself injections. It's not healthy to go without carbs your body needs them to balance with that shot of insulin. She couldn't stress that he was already doing all he could and now it was up to his endo. Last time we made an appointment it took a month to see him. Thursday he called after his DE appointment and she actually had an appointment for the next morning. Rob walked out with a whole new insulin control base and last night he was 116. Today he never came close to 200. They are 2 people that are fighting for Robert and following up every week until he has recovered from his surgery. The last few days have overwhelmed Rob because he finally is getting the education and support that he needed 2 1/2 years ago and to be told he was doing everything right was so encouraging. His surgery has been scheduled for 10/7, they didn't postpone as long as we thought. God will take care of Rob's health now and on the field.
The weather where we will be, is going to be interesting. The temperature only flunctuates about 20 degrees between 65 and 85. There are 2 seasons dry season and rain season. This jungle village is not far from the nearest city but the road conditions make the 30 mile trip almost impossible to reach the city in under 2 1/2 hours. When someone is in desperate need of medical care that is a deadly length of time. So this hospital is crucial.
What will we be doing other than working on fixing up the hospital and nursing? Rob would love to get a community garden growing. This would not only feed our family but the patients at the hospital as well. I'm sure that VBS's and other community outreaches will be planned and then follow ups will be done and hopefully a church will be started over time of course. We will also see where we will fit in with the team that is there already. We also will be helping to host short term teams that will be coming a couple times a year to help us medically.
Our children know what we have been praying about but they don't really. Robby has a better grasp on it than the others. We have also been trying to teach them that you can be missionaries anywhere. We handed out flyers to VBS this year to all the neighborhood kids and we got 22 children over the course of the week to register. We then borrowed the church van and got them all there. Some of them only came once but it planted a seed. As a result we will be starting a character club on fridays. They will be coming to our house to learn about the Lord and to have some fun. We will be doing this through Children's Bible Ministry who is giving me the materials I need.
Pray for Us!
Pray for Robs surgery and recovery.
Pray that I find a job that God wants me to have to help prepare me.
Pray that our children remain healthy.
Wednesday, September 14, 2011
"Here I am send me"
All right it's time to lay it all out there. We have something to share with those of you who actually read my blog. A few of you already know because I've asked you to pray for us while we pray for God's guidance. Most of you know that we were called to missions as teenagers and that has been our goal for our life. It's been a journey trying to figure out what God wanted our professions to be on the field and as you all can imagine for a couple years there we thought that our goal would only become a lost dream.
In April (right before we left for Baltimore) we were contacted by a missions agency Global Outreach Mission. They presented us with an opportunity that we weren't sure we could do because of Robert's Diabetes. We told most people that we were looking at assignments here in the states. Wellll that was a little fib because we didn't really know. They wanted us to go to Sierra Leone. We thought "impossible" for awhile but after praying about it and letting them know what our initial concerns were, Rob and I started to get creative on some ways to get refrigerated medication to Africa. We decided that if God wanted us to go He would find the way. Well we got an email about a week later form the VP Len Lane at GOM and he said he had great news for us it WASN'T impossible. In fact he contacted the GOM Medical Missions Coordinator for Africa who resides in The Congo and he said that he has 2 full time missionaries in one of the most rural parts of Africa that have type 1 diabetes and they are fine and it doesn't hold them back. WOW
So what have we decided to do about it? Well in the last few months God has used this time to once again challenge us, but we have clung to Him the whole time. We have decided with hours of prayer that we have been called to pursue this opportunity and we will be mailing our applications this week. We told Robby awhile ago what we were praying about and how Africa was a possibility but that we would go where ever He wants us to. A couple days later he came to me and said "Mommy we're going to be missionaries to africa" and I said "how do you know?" "Because I prayed for us too and asked God what he wanted us to do and know I feel that that is where we are supposed to go". In the last 4 months we have waited to turn in our applications because we wanted to make sure that we aren't just pursuing it because we can but we wanted to make sure that it was a calling. Always having my conversation with Robby on my mind Rob and I started doing research on where it was and what's it going to be like, climate, how rural was the area?, etc.
So now let me give you a little info. Our assignment would be at a hospital in the village of Mokanji. In the Southern Province of Sierra Leone. The country has been ravaged by a war that ended in 2002. After the end of the war the government gave GOM the hospital because they didn't have the money to do the renovations that it needed. The bombs and shooting had left it an empty cement shell with nothing not even doors or windows. The only stipulation was that GOM had to get it up and running as a hospital again. The government was able to provide a nurse for what they call a clinic in a small part of it but she has very few supplies and people die every couple weeks due to malaria and other ailments that she can't get enough medicine for. The first missionary couple (the Willets) assigned just arrived in January PTL!!! They have already seen God work many miracles. He is a carpenter and she is a pharmasist. They haven't even started work at the hospital yet because he has been focusing on getting their house built and solar panels put up. Most importantly he has been putting in 4 community wells to give the village running water for the first time ever. He says the hospital is too big a job for him to do on his own. They also have been preparing for the next missionaries due to arrive sometime in 2012. One of our concerns was our children and now we know that if we go they won't be alone. Why? Because the Abraham's have 3 little ones that are 5, 3 and 1. One of them is a Nurse Practitioner and one is a Physicians Assistant. What will our jobs be well i think that is kind of obvious a nurse and well.... a jack of all trades who will do what ever is needed to help fix up this hospital and then help maintain it.
What about the people? Well it is primarily a muslim village. God however has softened the hearts of these people and now they come to ask the "Christian Lady" to come and pray for loved ones that are ill. The Tribal chief showed up at the missionaries house the week after they arrived and brought the small gifts of appreciation and thanked them for coming and caring for his village.
What are we doing to prepare? I've decided to keep going in school but this time in a different direction. I have enrolled in Nazarene Bible College and will be working for a BA in Pastoral studies with a minor in Missions. Why? you ask, because there is no church there and I have had this fasination with studying all aspects of ministry so that whatever the need spiritually, Rob and I can work on meeting it no matter where we are. I'll be doing it all online and I start in November. We will both be taking perspectives classes in the coming months and spending a lot of time in the word which has now become habit.
When will we go? Well it's going to take us at least 2 1/2 years to raise support so I think it will be at least 3 to 3 1/2 years. By then I should finish my degree which takes 39 mos. If we could go tomorrow we would. Nursing will be my job. Being an ambassador for Christ will be my life.
What do we need from you? Prayer
Jesus asked Simon in the book of John "do you love me" and then He told him to "feed His sheep" and he did this 3 times. I know that this is my Call not only to take care of physical hunger and needs but to "feed" Christ's sheep spiritually as well. Why because I love Him for what he did for me and the World and He has made this a desire of my heart. Nothing is impossible when God is on your side.
meg
In April (right before we left for Baltimore) we were contacted by a missions agency Global Outreach Mission. They presented us with an opportunity that we weren't sure we could do because of Robert's Diabetes. We told most people that we were looking at assignments here in the states. Wellll that was a little fib because we didn't really know. They wanted us to go to Sierra Leone. We thought "impossible" for awhile but after praying about it and letting them know what our initial concerns were, Rob and I started to get creative on some ways to get refrigerated medication to Africa. We decided that if God wanted us to go He would find the way. Well we got an email about a week later form the VP Len Lane at GOM and he said he had great news for us it WASN'T impossible. In fact he contacted the GOM Medical Missions Coordinator for Africa who resides in The Congo and he said that he has 2 full time missionaries in one of the most rural parts of Africa that have type 1 diabetes and they are fine and it doesn't hold them back. WOW
So what have we decided to do about it? Well in the last few months God has used this time to once again challenge us, but we have clung to Him the whole time. We have decided with hours of prayer that we have been called to pursue this opportunity and we will be mailing our applications this week. We told Robby awhile ago what we were praying about and how Africa was a possibility but that we would go where ever He wants us to. A couple days later he came to me and said "Mommy we're going to be missionaries to africa" and I said "how do you know?" "Because I prayed for us too and asked God what he wanted us to do and know I feel that that is where we are supposed to go". In the last 4 months we have waited to turn in our applications because we wanted to make sure that we aren't just pursuing it because we can but we wanted to make sure that it was a calling. Always having my conversation with Robby on my mind Rob and I started doing research on where it was and what's it going to be like, climate, how rural was the area?, etc.
So now let me give you a little info. Our assignment would be at a hospital in the village of Mokanji. In the Southern Province of Sierra Leone. The country has been ravaged by a war that ended in 2002. After the end of the war the government gave GOM the hospital because they didn't have the money to do the renovations that it needed. The bombs and shooting had left it an empty cement shell with nothing not even doors or windows. The only stipulation was that GOM had to get it up and running as a hospital again. The government was able to provide a nurse for what they call a clinic in a small part of it but she has very few supplies and people die every couple weeks due to malaria and other ailments that she can't get enough medicine for. The first missionary couple (the Willets) assigned just arrived in January PTL!!! They have already seen God work many miracles. He is a carpenter and she is a pharmasist. They haven't even started work at the hospital yet because he has been focusing on getting their house built and solar panels put up. Most importantly he has been putting in 4 community wells to give the village running water for the first time ever. He says the hospital is too big a job for him to do on his own. They also have been preparing for the next missionaries due to arrive sometime in 2012. One of our concerns was our children and now we know that if we go they won't be alone. Why? Because the Abraham's have 3 little ones that are 5, 3 and 1. One of them is a Nurse Practitioner and one is a Physicians Assistant. What will our jobs be well i think that is kind of obvious a nurse and well.... a jack of all trades who will do what ever is needed to help fix up this hospital and then help maintain it.
What about the people? Well it is primarily a muslim village. God however has softened the hearts of these people and now they come to ask the "Christian Lady" to come and pray for loved ones that are ill. The Tribal chief showed up at the missionaries house the week after they arrived and brought the small gifts of appreciation and thanked them for coming and caring for his village.
What are we doing to prepare? I've decided to keep going in school but this time in a different direction. I have enrolled in Nazarene Bible College and will be working for a BA in Pastoral studies with a minor in Missions. Why? you ask, because there is no church there and I have had this fasination with studying all aspects of ministry so that whatever the need spiritually, Rob and I can work on meeting it no matter where we are. I'll be doing it all online and I start in November. We will both be taking perspectives classes in the coming months and spending a lot of time in the word which has now become habit.
When will we go? Well it's going to take us at least 2 1/2 years to raise support so I think it will be at least 3 to 3 1/2 years. By then I should finish my degree which takes 39 mos. If we could go tomorrow we would. Nursing will be my job. Being an ambassador for Christ will be my life.
What do we need from you? Prayer
Jesus asked Simon in the book of John "do you love me" and then He told him to "feed His sheep" and he did this 3 times. I know that this is my Call not only to take care of physical hunger and needs but to "feed" Christ's sheep spiritually as well. Why because I love Him for what he did for me and the World and He has made this a desire of my heart. Nothing is impossible when God is on your side.
meg
Saturday, September 10, 2011
Land of the Free and the Home of the Brave!!!!!
Tomorrow is September 11th. Where was I 10 years ago? I was 16 and I had returned just 3 weeks earlier from Kenya. I had been on the mission trip where I met Robert. We flue into New Jersey from Ethiopia and than we dispersed to our connecting flights home. I think I remember flying American West but to think that I had walked those terminals just 3 weeks before made me sick. It was 6 am on the West Coast when the first airplane hit the World Trade Center. My mom came in and woke me up and said "Meg something has happened you need to come watch this". We went into the den and there was footage on and I remember even how upset the reporters were and how they didn't know what was going on just as much as we did. And about 20 mins later we all watched in horror as the second plane hit. I had wrapped myself in a blanket that Rob had bought me before we left Kenya and it was the most convenient of comforts. No one spoke our hearts were breaking for a country as those towers fell I found myself in prayer for the families of those still inside. I couldn't keep my eyes off the tv I remember curling up on the floor in the fetal position wrapped in my blanket and just watched and cried. Everytime a new report came up about the Pentagon and then Pennsylvania my prayers shifted.
In the days following a patriotism I had never seen before engulfed our nation. Phrases and Flags were everywhere. "One Nation Under God", "United We Stand", "Let's Roll","God Bless America" and more were painted on windows of buildings, and put on bumper stickers. I couldn't help but think how many souls would be saved because they cried out to God? At the same time I wandered how many actually knew what it meant when they said "God bless America"? And the biggest was how long it would last before America turned it's back on God again? What good could come of a tragedy of this magnitude? Every year in Churches around the world people step into a church around Christmas and Easter to do their "Christian Duty"and to help them feel good about themselves. These people may have pain that is hard to face and they can't stand to step in Church other than twice a year. What good came of this? There is now one more time a year where people now find themselves in a church or in a place where hope is given and prayers are sent heavenward. For once this day is not about feeling better about themselves but about looking up. Up to where the Towers used to stand and Up to the only God who cried along with our country that fateful day. Up to the only God who has held the victims families as they were overcome with grief. Up to the only true God who through mans transgressions has, is, and always will love us.
Last week we sang a song to my sister in law as a joke and was reminded how human we are. It's her birthday tomorrow and we started singing a very funny version of "happy birthday"
Happy birthday, Happy birthday buzzards flying in the air, people dying everywhere than the laughing we were overwhelmed with stopped when we realized what we had just sang. I almost cried when she said I think enough people have died on my birthday". "Your right" I said and we all nodded and what was supposed to be a joke ended up being a moment of silence for those lost that day. Very Humbling.
Tomorrow will be a day we can remember where we were that day but for us it will also be a celebration of life with a birthday dinner at our house and then a concert at church in the evening. Tomorrow WILL be a good day. Can you imagine being a Christian American taken hostage and being with your Jihad captures during 9/11. Martin and Gracia Burnham watched as 40 Jihad cheered and had pride when hearing what the terrorists did that day. We have an amazing God who does not require us to kill to get to heaven. The crazy thing that hit me hard when reading Gracia's story is the reality that Jesus died for those high jackers as well as me. They will spend eternity in hell for their choice but the reality that Christ died for EVERYONE is hard to grasp. Makes me only want to answer the call sooner.
Thank you God for loving even me.
In the days following a patriotism I had never seen before engulfed our nation. Phrases and Flags were everywhere. "One Nation Under God", "United We Stand", "Let's Roll","God Bless America" and more were painted on windows of buildings, and put on bumper stickers. I couldn't help but think how many souls would be saved because they cried out to God? At the same time I wandered how many actually knew what it meant when they said "God bless America"? And the biggest was how long it would last before America turned it's back on God again? What good could come of a tragedy of this magnitude? Every year in Churches around the world people step into a church around Christmas and Easter to do their "Christian Duty"and to help them feel good about themselves. These people may have pain that is hard to face and they can't stand to step in Church other than twice a year. What good came of this? There is now one more time a year where people now find themselves in a church or in a place where hope is given and prayers are sent heavenward. For once this day is not about feeling better about themselves but about looking up. Up to where the Towers used to stand and Up to the only God who cried along with our country that fateful day. Up to the only God who has held the victims families as they were overcome with grief. Up to the only true God who through mans transgressions has, is, and always will love us.
Last week we sang a song to my sister in law as a joke and was reminded how human we are. It's her birthday tomorrow and we started singing a very funny version of "happy birthday"
Happy birthday, Happy birthday buzzards flying in the air, people dying everywhere than the laughing we were overwhelmed with stopped when we realized what we had just sang. I almost cried when she said I think enough people have died on my birthday". "Your right" I said and we all nodded and what was supposed to be a joke ended up being a moment of silence for those lost that day. Very Humbling.
Tomorrow will be a day we can remember where we were that day but for us it will also be a celebration of life with a birthday dinner at our house and then a concert at church in the evening. Tomorrow WILL be a good day. Can you imagine being a Christian American taken hostage and being with your Jihad captures during 9/11. Martin and Gracia Burnham watched as 40 Jihad cheered and had pride when hearing what the terrorists did that day. We have an amazing God who does not require us to kill to get to heaven. The crazy thing that hit me hard when reading Gracia's story is the reality that Jesus died for those high jackers as well as me. They will spend eternity in hell for their choice but the reality that Christ died for EVERYONE is hard to grasp. Makes me only want to answer the call sooner.
Thank you God for loving even me.
Saturday, August 27, 2011
"I'm singing in the rain"
Normally I write my blog entries when I can't sleep in the middle of the night. Today however I'm at my in-laws doing a couple loads of laundry before this hurricane hits and the chaos starts. I am not looking forward to this hurricane. I never thought I would go through an earthquake and a hurricane in the same week. We were at a crab feast last night and everyone was getting calls from our power companies with automated messages to expect power outages for at least 24 hours starting Saturday evening and into Sunday afternoon. I can take rain and I can take earthquakes, but I fear wind. I've always hated wind. It's something that makes me sick to think about it. Growing up in southern California Santa Ana winds are inevitable, but I was never able to sleep through it especially when it whistled around the windows. So there is a lot of anxiety and I may be crying with my kids tonight if they can't sleep either. I actually told Rob last night : "When this thing hits I need you to man up and be my protector. You've been through this, I haven't and I'm scared. You know my fear of wind." He seemed understanding.
All this talk of wind and rain and Rob brings back a memory. 10 years and about 3 weeks ago or so. I was on a mission trip to Kenya. I was almost 16 and had vowed to God that I wouldn't date anymore. That I would have a courtship with the man he wanted me to marry and that I would only look within the church for someone to spend my life with. I would focus on school and start working on myself and wait a couple more years before I start looking at boys again and I would wait until I was spiritually ready to look for a mate. Basically I vowed to not casually date and I asked for God to bring him into my life when He thought I was ready. Little did I know when I had made that vow that God had placed him right in front of me.
I felt close to Rob like a brother just like all the other brothers on the trip. A couple weeks before we were to leave I started feeling things that I didn't like because I had told God I would wait on Him. I kept thinking things like "he's going to make a good husband for some one" or " I hope the man I marry is going to be that good with kids". I felt like I was being plagued because the feelings only grew and so I did the only thing I knew and I prayed. I asked God to take away these feelings. I wrote Rob a letter and told him my heart and to pray as well. He wrote me back and told me that he was feeling the same way and even told me he wandered what it would be like to kiss me. He said he would pray as well. We got in trouble for "pairing off" aka spending too much time together even in a group. A couple days after the letter and not talking to each other we had a bad storm. Thunder, lighting, rain,and Wind. We were getting ready to leave in a few days and they told us that we could sleep in tents slumber party style if we wanted to spend extra time with friends we made. I found myself alone in a tent by myself, I figured it would be nice to have some time to think. I had no idea the storm would be so bad, my tent started falling apart due to the wind and it was caving in around me.I remember the tent bending in a way that the ceiling almost touched my face. I remember going through who all was in the tents and thinking "there is no room for me... all the girl tents are full". Right before my tent callapsed I jumped out and took off running and ran into the first boys tent I saw.
Robert's! He shared the tent with Tyson, another young man I had viewed as a brother. I scared the heebeegeebee's out of both of them because I dived in and landed right between them. I was soaking wet and sobbing from fear. Rob stroked my drenched hair until the sobbing slowed and he leaned forward and whispered "who are you?" I laugh now when I think back. I was faced down with my face burried in a pile of someone's laundry and it was sooo dark. I said "it's me". When lightning flashed he saw who it was and pulled me into his arms. After I stopped crying completely he climbed out of his sleeping bag and told me to climb in and gave me his sweatshirt. I told him my tent had collapsed and how much I hated wind. After Tyson fell back to sleep we stayed up and talked into the wee ours of the morning. Before I drifted off to sleep he leaned forward and whispered in my ear " I have never told any girl this before but.......... I think I'm in love with you." I answered him with an "I know I love you".
He told me later that he had set his alarm to wake me up before a leader found me in a boys tent. He couldn't go to sleep however and sat in his tent and watched me sleep. As I left that morning he kissed me lightly and said "I love you" I said "I love you". Than from no where Tyson says "I love you too Meggan". I tried so hard not to laugh, I was afraid I'd wake the leaders. The leader found me standing in front of my tent just a few moments later. He said he'd get the boys to put it back up, but never asked me any questions.
It's crazy to think that 10 years ago we started our lives together with a storm and we have been facing storms of other kinds ever since. With God as our Rock, 10 years later with 4 kids and 4 fish we'll be facing another storm that will drive me into his arms again. This time knowing that his arms will be around me "till death due us part" and with no hesitation whatsoever, and only with 10 times more love than those first "I love yous".
All this talk of wind and rain and Rob brings back a memory. 10 years and about 3 weeks ago or so. I was on a mission trip to Kenya. I was almost 16 and had vowed to God that I wouldn't date anymore. That I would have a courtship with the man he wanted me to marry and that I would only look within the church for someone to spend my life with. I would focus on school and start working on myself and wait a couple more years before I start looking at boys again and I would wait until I was spiritually ready to look for a mate. Basically I vowed to not casually date and I asked for God to bring him into my life when He thought I was ready. Little did I know when I had made that vow that God had placed him right in front of me.
I felt close to Rob like a brother just like all the other brothers on the trip. A couple weeks before we were to leave I started feeling things that I didn't like because I had told God I would wait on Him. I kept thinking things like "he's going to make a good husband for some one" or " I hope the man I marry is going to be that good with kids". I felt like I was being plagued because the feelings only grew and so I did the only thing I knew and I prayed. I asked God to take away these feelings. I wrote Rob a letter and told him my heart and to pray as well. He wrote me back and told me that he was feeling the same way and even told me he wandered what it would be like to kiss me. He said he would pray as well. We got in trouble for "pairing off" aka spending too much time together even in a group. A couple days after the letter and not talking to each other we had a bad storm. Thunder, lighting, rain,and Wind. We were getting ready to leave in a few days and they told us that we could sleep in tents slumber party style if we wanted to spend extra time with friends we made. I found myself alone in a tent by myself, I figured it would be nice to have some time to think. I had no idea the storm would be so bad, my tent started falling apart due to the wind and it was caving in around me.I remember the tent bending in a way that the ceiling almost touched my face. I remember going through who all was in the tents and thinking "there is no room for me... all the girl tents are full". Right before my tent callapsed I jumped out and took off running and ran into the first boys tent I saw.
Robert's! He shared the tent with Tyson, another young man I had viewed as a brother. I scared the heebeegeebee's out of both of them because I dived in and landed right between them. I was soaking wet and sobbing from fear. Rob stroked my drenched hair until the sobbing slowed and he leaned forward and whispered "who are you?" I laugh now when I think back. I was faced down with my face burried in a pile of someone's laundry and it was sooo dark. I said "it's me". When lightning flashed he saw who it was and pulled me into his arms. After I stopped crying completely he climbed out of his sleeping bag and told me to climb in and gave me his sweatshirt. I told him my tent had collapsed and how much I hated wind. After Tyson fell back to sleep we stayed up and talked into the wee ours of the morning. Before I drifted off to sleep he leaned forward and whispered in my ear " I have never told any girl this before but.......... I think I'm in love with you." I answered him with an "I know I love you".
He told me later that he had set his alarm to wake me up before a leader found me in a boys tent. He couldn't go to sleep however and sat in his tent and watched me sleep. As I left that morning he kissed me lightly and said "I love you" I said "I love you". Than from no where Tyson says "I love you too Meggan". I tried so hard not to laugh, I was afraid I'd wake the leaders. The leader found me standing in front of my tent just a few moments later. He said he'd get the boys to put it back up, but never asked me any questions.
It's crazy to think that 10 years ago we started our lives together with a storm and we have been facing storms of other kinds ever since. With God as our Rock, 10 years later with 4 kids and 4 fish we'll be facing another storm that will drive me into his arms again. This time knowing that his arms will be around me "till death due us part" and with no hesitation whatsoever, and only with 10 times more love than those first "I love yous".
Saturday, August 20, 2011
A spoon full of sugar helps the medicine go down!
Such an awesome song!!! I also think that this is a good topic title for my blog tonight. We have had a very emotional week. We have been camping all week at deep creek lake and WOW! what a week.
We had plenty of booboos! The greatest tumble was Ahna who went to far up on a hill with her scooter and as a result had a huge road burn at the underside of her thigh. We start the week on her birthday and what a birthday. When tubing, she tried with Daddy and she only lasted a couple minutes. When daddy started bragging about how she tried and pulled her in his lap and told her how proud of her he was..... a memory mommy will never forget.
Jack caught 4 fish and was braver than all the kids and went tubing on the lake by himself. What? my Jack? the one that wouldn't leave the step at the swimming pool last year.
Robby made friends with neighboring kids and discovered the joy of a jumbo marshmallow s'more. He too went out on the tube by himself a little more hesitant than Jack, but when doing it with his Dad found it was much more fun.
Jason was annoying running out to the road all the time. We had to deal with it because he only wanted to follow everyone who left the campsite including brothers and sister and other kids going up and down the street on scooters, bikes, and skate boards. It was awesome to watch him run to his aunt Rebekah after she took a shower like she was gone for a year. When he lifted his arms to an uncle who self proclaims that he's never having kids, was an awesome thing to watch.
We said goodbye to our niece Alexandra who went off to college in West Virginia after camping with us for a few days.
Robert's brother said one of the most awesome times he's had in a while was when Uncle David, Robert, and Patrick went fishing ... just them.
I had time to do a lot of reflection and I dealt with a lot of emotions selfishness, jealously, anger, sadness, loneliness, confusion, shock, happiness, joy, love, belonging, fun, laughter and many more. Every family has issues and this family showed them but it's what you do with them that shows understanding and love. This family I can safely say Loves to Much! Maybe that's why I love them so much.
It's been 8 years since I handed Robert a tissue after I walked toward him ready to be his wife. The last 4 years have been the hardest on our marriage but the most victorious. I have watched my husband almost die of something unknown until the last second luckily before it was too late. We had a lot of problems in our marriage 2 years ago. When the road gets rough you can't just get off at the next exit you have to make it a choice to fight for your marriage. My dad did and so did I. We chose to fight for love and we beat the odds in a marriages.
Now our marriage is growing and not by our hands but by God's. I love you Robert Edward Moore Jr. I love you more now than the day you became my husband!!! I am loving growing up and growing old with you. You are an amazing wonderful father and you are my other half and I would die without you and for you!!! Thank you for picking me.
Lord thank you for carrying us these last 4 years and I pray that you will hold us for at least another 40 years!
We had plenty of booboos! The greatest tumble was Ahna who went to far up on a hill with her scooter and as a result had a huge road burn at the underside of her thigh. We start the week on her birthday and what a birthday. When tubing, she tried with Daddy and she only lasted a couple minutes. When daddy started bragging about how she tried and pulled her in his lap and told her how proud of her he was..... a memory mommy will never forget.
Jack caught 4 fish and was braver than all the kids and went tubing on the lake by himself. What? my Jack? the one that wouldn't leave the step at the swimming pool last year.
Robby made friends with neighboring kids and discovered the joy of a jumbo marshmallow s'more. He too went out on the tube by himself a little more hesitant than Jack, but when doing it with his Dad found it was much more fun.
Jason was annoying running out to the road all the time. We had to deal with it because he only wanted to follow everyone who left the campsite including brothers and sister and other kids going up and down the street on scooters, bikes, and skate boards. It was awesome to watch him run to his aunt Rebekah after she took a shower like she was gone for a year. When he lifted his arms to an uncle who self proclaims that he's never having kids, was an awesome thing to watch.
We said goodbye to our niece Alexandra who went off to college in West Virginia after camping with us for a few days.
Robert's brother said one of the most awesome times he's had in a while was when Uncle David, Robert, and Patrick went fishing ... just them.
I had time to do a lot of reflection and I dealt with a lot of emotions selfishness, jealously, anger, sadness, loneliness, confusion, shock, happiness, joy, love, belonging, fun, laughter and many more. Every family has issues and this family showed them but it's what you do with them that shows understanding and love. This family I can safely say Loves to Much! Maybe that's why I love them so much.
It's been 8 years since I handed Robert a tissue after I walked toward him ready to be his wife. The last 4 years have been the hardest on our marriage but the most victorious. I have watched my husband almost die of something unknown until the last second luckily before it was too late. We had a lot of problems in our marriage 2 years ago. When the road gets rough you can't just get off at the next exit you have to make it a choice to fight for your marriage. My dad did and so did I. We chose to fight for love and we beat the odds in a marriages.
Now our marriage is growing and not by our hands but by God's. I love you Robert Edward Moore Jr. I love you more now than the day you became my husband!!! I am loving growing up and growing old with you. You are an amazing wonderful father and you are my other half and I would die without you and for you!!! Thank you for picking me.
Lord thank you for carrying us these last 4 years and I pray that you will hold us for at least another 40 years!
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