ChurchFriendFamily

Okay, so here we are, at the Darden's house (our friends, from church, who are out of town and have offered us a place to do laundry, clean up and rest) catching up on business and facebook. I find that I have a few minutes until the laundry is done drying and I thought I'd update you all (Ha!) here at our blog. It's official. We are out of our house! The keys have been handed over and we are done with renting in the state of Maryland. I have to say that we have been terribly blessed - I'm not sure that terribly is the best word for this situation, but it's what came to mind! - we have had a ton of help and support over the last couple of weeks from our friends here in SoMD. Our church family astounded us again (at this point, I don't know why I am always surprised!) and Katy's Sunday School class came out in force, with 2 adults and 8 teens this morning, to finish up the cleaning of the house! It was fantastic! They were in and out in about 3 hours, and they cleaned that house cleaner than it's been in well . . . quite awhile! They worked hard, and while the cleaning was a huge blessing, it was amazing to see the future of the church at work! What great families we have at LBC, raising amazing kids who love the Lord! Thanks again kids! You were are huge help! We also had a contractor friend from church who replaced the recently broken window, and while he was there, allowed us to borrow his super long ladder to replace some burnt out lightbulbs at the height of the vaulted ceiling. Two days ago, Marie came and the two of us, she and I (Trinette) cleaned out and scrubbed inside and out the two fridges that were at the house. Not an easy task - a total labor of love, but having her there made the time fly! She is a sweet friend, and I will miss her terribly! We have been living in our dear friends' (the Rog's) trailer, and will be staying there until we exit MD. They have been so gracious and patient with us and our weird schedules this whole time! Suzanne threw us a last minute going away party at their house last night. It was so good to have many of our dear friends come and wish us well. We will certainly miss the fellowship that our church family has provided us here. There haven't been too many tears yet . . . Karen Dooley was the first to get me crying, but that was a couple of weeks ago! And then Barb, whose house I sit in now, got me all teary eyed when we left dinner the other night. I'm sure that this upcoming week will hold many tears for all of us, except Karl who will be hunting in Wyoming! Please pray for us all as we transition over the next few weeks. Pray for my health, as allergies have kicked into high gear with the grass cutting going on, which doesn't help the pneumonia that doesn't seem to be getting as "better" as it should be. :/ Pray for safe travels for Karl as he flies out to Wyoming and back, and for me, as the kids and I travel south to the Charlotte area. Pray for our friends as we leave, that they will be happy for us in our new adventure, and that God will meet every need, spoken and unspoken as we depart. Blessings to you all! Love you!

Tomorrow, Today and The last week...

So tomorrow is the day. The moving truck comes and we start getting packed up. It's a bit surreal, and I'm not sure we are ready. We have been sorting and pitching and purging for weeks now. The dogs, chickens and pigs have found new homes and the guinea, well she "found" a new home too (in guinea heaven we'll say.) The kids are hitting panick mode, realizing that they won't see their friends many more times before we drive away. I am hitting emotional mode, realizing that I won't see my friends many more times. For today though, we are packing up what we'll need with us for the next 4 weeks on the road - an impossible task - and finishing up last minute things.

Over the last week or so, we have had some bumps in the road . . . a broken window, a broken 46 inch TV, overflowing septic, and I ran over one of the kids' bikes yesterday morning! UGH!!! Oh, and I am fighting pneumonia! We are actively claiming the name of Jesus Christ over this move, our health and our transition, and we clearly are feeling attacked! But Satan will not win this battle. We are working diligently to have good attitudes and understanding with each other as we all feel a little crazy. We know that God will supply for our every need, and we are filling ourselves with Him, so that when we get bumped, our overflow will be from Him, not from ourselves.

The last week of our time here in SoMD will be really over the next 10 days or so. There are dinners with friends and play dates for the kids, and many, many goodbyes to be said over the course of these days. Please, as you think of us, pray not only for us, but for our friends that will remain here. We know that God is the God of all comfort, and we know that he will comfort each of us and our friends, that allows him to do so. It's hard for some, to express how much they'll miss us, or our kids without making us feel a pang of guilt over the life we have chosen for our family. It's hard not to resent these people in these moments. Especially for me. Please pray that I will be given grace beyond measure for these moments.

So, tomorrow marks the first super obvious step in our departure. What a busy week we will have. Thanks for covering us in prayers. And know that I will happily return the favor, anytime.