Summer of Blessing: A Personal Testimony

I believe God is always working, always bringing life. Yet there are times, when it seems that all we see and feel is heart break. This last winter was hard time for our family, as we grieved losing the community we moved away from last summer. Though we still stay in contact through Facebook and the occasional text, they make poor substitutes for time together. As the darkest and coldest days came, I found myself constantly praying, pleading with God to bring new life, new friendships into our lives.

As I look back on this summer, I see that God heard that prayer.

One of the friends that we left behind was our dear friend Emmanuel and his family. He was a classmate in seminary, a brilliant man. He was also a refugee from Rwanda, and his church and friends were a vibrant and friendly group of Africans immigrants who had started a small fellowship. It brought our family so much joy connecting our two cultures and finding that we shared the same passion for God’s kingdom. Facebook just isn’t the same as having a barbeque together or going to each other’s church.

This summer, God blessed us here with new international friends in Angel and Claudia. Just as we were blessed through Emmanuel, we have been so blessed to learn more about their culture and to be revived by their passion for God’s kingdom. Though they are not a replacement, they help us in many of the same ways to remember how big God is and what he is capable of, and that we are not part of a dying movement.

Other friendships we had to let go of were those we had with the teenagers of my last church. It is still hard to see their posts on Facebook and not to be there to talk to them in the flesh about what is going on in their lives.The occasional text is not the same as walking home from church to discover a house full of teens in my living room discussing relationships and fantasy football teams. Seeing baby pictures is not the same as holding their babies in my arms and giving them random baby gear we have no use for anymore.

God has blessed us this summer, again, not with replacements, but  with new teens to love and care for.  One of those relationships that have helped heal my heart is that of our wonderful babysitter, who would often sit down and talk with me about life before the kids woke up. She has brought newjoy and purpose to me.  The joy and comfort our kids had in being the youngest in the youth group there has started to shine through as they have found friendship and trust in her and even met her friends. I love ya, girl!Thanks for being part of our family.

This last winter we lost for a short time our wonderful young neighbors. It is so great this summer to have Lyndzy stopping by again, and to be able to count on Lamoine to keep an eye on things when we aren’t around. It made for a lonely spring without you, and it is so great that God brought you back to us!

And probably the most exciting way God has worked this summer, is giving me some women friends. It is something I have been praying for since our arrival. A chance in counter and a move across town has given me a chance to talk about being a mom and being a wife and balancing work in a way I need. I feel warmth in my soul after our times together and hope in the future. I am really starting to love our little corner of town.

 I can’t understand how these relationships have bloomed except to know that God was at work, and brought us together. Thank God for how he hears our prayers and brings people into our lives to make life not just bearable, but joyful. I still miss those we have left behind, but I feel like we are finally settling in and feeling at home. It is not because we know where we are going now, but because we know we have someone to travel with.