Joy In The Journey

Here's a picture of us that was taken early this year. And, actually, the only one of us that still looks the same is Joseph. We're not so good at remembering to snap pictures. I'll update with another picture of our family soon.

We are having so much fun around here . . . but let me say, it is hectic. We're working like mad dogs to get our house finished. My handy husband put wood floors in the downstairs last year, but from that, we've gone rustic. We're finishing the wainstcoating and the trim . . . painting, staining, etc. Our motivation, of course, get the house on the market so we can get the equity out, eliminate debt and then travel in our trailer as often as we can before we leave the U.S.

Meanwhile, homeschooling will begin on Monday. Yes, it is Labor Day, but the kids have no idea it's a holiday. I mean come on, grilling burgers and eating watermelon can be tagged on to the end of any day. The kids are so excited. Katherine (6) is just ready . . . she's been ready all summer long. She's very smart and remembers everything from last spring. She will probably fly through the curriculum I have for her and we'll end up looking for more. Joseph (5) keeps me on my toes. Last year I finally resulted to motivating him to learn to write letters of the alphabet so he could actually be able to write the word “Jedi” and the name “Luke Skywalker”. Elizabeth (3) wants so badly to do school. If she is not included, she will be crushed. So I will busy her with learning to draw shapes, maybe some letters, and Bob Books. Bob Books are wonderful. Then there's Samuel (1). He is weaned, so in theory this year should be easier. However, he is mobile. Meaning he can deshelve entire rows of books, pry keys off my husbands laptop keyboard, open cabinets to rearrange and pull out anything they may contain, and he's always sure to make the most of any opportunity to get into one of the bathrooms for a little hands in the toilet fun. It's an adventure . . . a fun one at that!

In the midst of all of that, God continues to confirm in our hearts His calling for us to go overseas. We meet with our IMB Candidate Consultant on September 24. From there, we'll have a roadmap of the rest of the process . . . possible dates for conferences, etc. Our praise is that God has led us both to a directive in our debt and school loan elimination. Of course, directive 101: trust Him and His timing. In addition to that though, He's helped us to prioritize how to handle everything. All praise is His, Amen?