I've discovered something new in the past few months. From this time forward "family time or "all together time" will always be temporary. I totally knew this time was coming. I've even looked forward to it at times. And, honestly, there's something that I really like about it - not necessarily the not-together part, but the watching as kids grow and fly. That's what this whole parenting thing is all about anyway, right? Why would I spend countless hours lovingly (and sometimes not) training my kids to be independent, god-fearing followers of Jesus, to go follow Him, wherever that takes them, and then in any way hold or even want to hold them back? I'm not eager for them to leave (most of the time), but I am excited to see where He leads them.
Now, picking up where I left off in the previous post:
In January Tom and I flew Livvy down to Mazatlan, MX to begin her five-month DTS (Disciple Training School) with YWAM (Youth With A Mission) and to celebrate our 20th anniversary. We spent the first day together exploring Mazatlan and our hotel together. On the second day, we took Liv to the YWAM base, looked around, prayed together, and said our goodbyes. She started her journey of Spanish immersion and discovering God in new ways and His call for her. Tom and I spent the next several days hanging out at the resort, kayaking, snorkeling, shopping, and enjoying all of the yummy foods and drinks.
Livvy spent the first three months, called the Lecture Phase, of her DTS in Mazatlan in bi-lingual Bible classes. She and her team also helped out in various ministries in and around the city. The last two months of the DTS is the Outreach Phase. They spent the first month in two cities in Mexico leading or helping out in other various ministries reaching out to the homeless and hurting. Flying halfway around the world, her team spent their last month in Siem Reep, Cambodia. Although she did not appreciate the climate, she loved teaching kids in their Bible and English classes. If you would like to read more about what God did in and through Livvy, check out her blog at:
Life With LivvyJoy.
Here at home, it was the same old, same old, for the most part. We carried on with life and school, everybody learning the new norm.
The "little" guys missed Livvy A LOT! Jon and Danner especially. They went to bed several nights in tears. It was so nice to be able to call or FaceTime Liv whenever they wanted. But, as Jon said, "It's just not the same. I don't want to talk with her, I just want a hug."
Ben plugged away at school (we're still plugging), but really impressed us with his dancing skills. The boy went from poo-pooing dancing the year before when Liv and Sam were getting ready for prom, to really getting into it himself - he's got some good moves! He also continued working with DH3 (Dirty Hands Happy Hearts) building their Pre-Runner.
Sam tried track and field for the first time. He still isn't especially fond of running long distances, but he grew to like sprints and love javelin. He came very close to breaking the school's record. Next year!
Sam and Ben were t-boned in the van (not Sam's fault) and the van was totaled. After hem-hawing about what to get next, my dad helped us out with a 2019 Honda Odyssey - t feels quite fancy.
Now, thankfully, it is summer break! We made it, mostly. Whew! What a year!
Livvy came back at the end of May. She has pretty much readjusted to life and is currently looking for a temporary job. Although when she first came home she wasn't sure what she wanted to do next (besides not pursuing a college degree), she feels God leading her back to Mazatlan with YWAM. She'll attend a counseling seminar in October with the idea to join staff in Mazatlan in January. Please join her in praying for God to provide for her time at home and especially as she starts raising support.
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But, as I mentioned at the beginning of this post, life together is just temporary. We had everybody home under one roof for approximately two and a half weeks. Then Sam left in mid-June to work in Alaska. Tom's good buddy, the closest man he has to a brother, Lyle, is a hunting/fishing/outfitter/guide. The kids all call him "Uncle Lyle" and his wife, "Aunt Alex". We're all jealous because he's the first one to meet their kiddos. Sam will be set-netting salmon in Pilot Point, Bristol Bay for six weeks. Super exciting work and adventure for that guy! I'll post pictures when he gets home or back in range. We most likely won't hear from him the whole time because the internet is almost non-existent - too bad, Buddy, your phone won't work:)
Tom has been very busy! He's been working, mostly part-time hours. He's taking three summer school classes; thankfully two are almost done, and the third only overlapped for three weeks. He's also been wrapping up his/our part of the house framing (we finally decided that if we wanted to get the house done in the next five years, we'd need to hire some outside help).
God's timing is perfect! When the framers started coming and taking over the house project, Tom needed to take care of his dad. PopPop declined very quickly. Because Tom no longer needed to work on the house, he was able to walk with Jim through his last days. Tom, Livvy, and I took turns staying with him at his home here in Flagstaff with the oversite of the same hospice team that took care of his mom, Carol back in November. Wednesday, June 12th, PopPop went home to be with Jesus. We are relieved that he didn't suffer, and we take joy in his family reunion with Carol, Joy, and Jesus.
Moving to AZ from OH six years ago was a huge sacrifice for Jim and Carol - and we were blessed immensely! Their presence will be greatly missed at our dinner table every Tuesday and Friday, at soccer games, basketball games, choir concerts, holidays, PopPop's taxi service, and even the two ladies down at the Senior Center miss them too! I am forever grateful for all the time, energy, money, hugs, and "I love you"s that I/we received!
And so the summer continues..full of soccer (Danner and Zac), hiking (mama & Livvy), mountain biking (Jon), summer school, housebuilding (Tom), and gardening (Livvy and boys). Hopefully, we can maintain the easy pace of summer, not too busy, but not too bored. And hopefully, we can enjoy the time we have together without holding on to it too tightly.
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