It's definitely going to be a choppier summer than I'm used to, but so far, so good.
School's been out for two, almost three weeks now, and they've been very productively restful (if that makes any sense). Restful in that they've been pleasantly simple and recharging for this introvert that thrives on alone time or one-on-one time with people, productive in that I've been able to dive deep into my Biblical Counseling course, write a few papers, and make a lot of headway on a writing project I'm working on for ABH. I'm really excited to see where God is taking me in this season.
My writing project for ABH is a book about 8 different names of God and personal stories of people who have experienced God by that name. They asked me to interview several people to add a variety of stories and life circumstances to the book, in addition to the original Biblical story around each name. I've been working here and there with the editors on the Biblical part, but I put the personal interviews to the side when I moved. Now that I'm ready to pick it all back up and work on it, God has very strategically used this project as a way for me to get to know a lot more people in a deeper way and to build new friendships with people. Once again, I stand in awe of Him and the way He weaves all things together for good.
New Song Adventure Camp #1 is currently going on at New Song Mission this week, with three more camps to follow this summer. There will be a week off in between each camp. I've been helping out over there for a big chunk of my days this week and will work through the second camp, as well. I will probably help out on at least the first day of the third camp so I can meet all the campers because several of them may be full-time students for the coming school year. I am super thankful I came in July last year so I had the chance to help out with one of the camps because the very first child I met that week ended up coming back as a full-time student.
We have new girls' houseparents that just moved in last week and jumped right into camp this week, hosting a full house of girls. The way God drew them to New Song is a really neat story and evidence of how God orchestrates every detail to bring a mission together. New Song hired a videographer to make a video interview with our boys' houseparents to recruit another couple to join the team as a second set of houseparents. That videographer had no idea when he started the video interview that he was recruiting himself--and his wife! We're so excited to have them on our team, to get to know them, to support them in their new role, and to finally have some girls back on campus!
David is here for the summer working alongside his dad and his uncle Matt, getting his hands dirty, strengthening his arms back up after a long recovery from surgery, and he's continuing to learn a lot of new skills in the construction and handy-man business. He jumped in the day after he got here and hasn't had a day off yet. He's also taking an online class, will leave early August to take another class before his fall semester of his senior year starts. I can't believe we're already looking at a college graduation! Time will tell what kind of job offers or living situation/location he'll be looking at next summer after graduation, so just in case he doesn't head this way, I'm savoring and cherishing every bit of time with him here this summer. And I'm trying not to live life so budgeted and tight with money so we don't miss out on any fun, meaningful experiences together.
With David's extra hands, Mike has been able to tackle a few more projects around the house, the main one being the kitchen! After a long fiasco with getting our propane tank moved and hooked up, all of our appliances are now working correctly. We got the backsplash up and they started on the flooring. It's not done yet, but what has gotten done really changes the entire feel of the whole house and just feels so good! There's still a bit of work that needs to go into the kitchen that will like take place over time, but it already looks and feels so much better. The last people would be amazed if they walked in and saw the kitchen now. The bright red, yellow, and green mess has now taken on a more modern farmhouse look with whites, grays, browns, and light blue.
We just turned the page on the calendar yesterday to celebrate ten full years with Juan David. July 11th will be 10 years since his official adoption into our family, but June 13th is the day God gave him back to us by giving us custody of him and the day that I treasure in my heart. I sure do miss him. I don't post often about him, but he's doing well, learning more and more at his job as a pool technician, and slowly filling his apartment with the decor of his choice. He spends a lot of time with his girlfriend or with his two buddies that he grew up with in Colombia who visit him often or he visits them in Austin. He's flying up here in July to join us for a family camping trip to Michigan, and I am so excited to see him and show him where we live and work.
God's done a lot of work on my heart lately, and the main change has been my growing awe of seasons and how every season has a purpose.. I've been walking close to two miles a day, and the changes I see in the plants, trees, and flowers each month never cease to amaze me. Just when I get used to walking past a certain wildflower or color blooming on the trees, it withers, dies, and disappears with a different one just about to bloom. What a great reminder that even the flowers yield to their specific season in life. Every season has a different purpose.
As I sat outside one morning out on my mini-deck once again, missing my beautiful covered porch back in Texas, wishing I had a big deck or patio already to display all my nice patio furniture and host friends for lunch or tea or coffee, God stopped me right in the middle of my thoughts and said, "Look around you! Watch the wildflowers bloom, the deer run out of the woods into your yard, the birds fly from tree to tree, the hawks overhead looking for their next meal, the sunset to the right, the sunrise to the left. Listen to the sounds of nature all around you. You used to sit on a nice, covered front porch to look at houses boxed in all around you, cars driving past at all hours, flowers that had to be planted and constantly manicured, and birds that would fly between the two or three trees that went with each house. You could barely catch the sunrise out back and the sunset had to compete with all the houses right in front of you. You had to ride your bike several miles just to take a short ride through a nature trail when now you are surrounded by a huge nature trail every direction you look. Take it in. So you don't have a big deck or all your fancy furniture displayed, but instead you have all of this!"
Speechless. How do I respond to that? I close my mouth and open my eyes to capture the wonder of God's creation all around me. I'm so thankful for that change of perspective.
