Extended Family

These past two weeks have been a blur for me, and as exhausting as they've been, I've been so blessed by my extended family. I wrote last week about spending time with my Embassy family in Denver, and I was overjoyed to get to share with them on Sunday about the work I'm doing in Germany, and I loved getting to hug Jacqueline for the first time in almost two years, to be prayed over by Derrick, and to meet some future missionaries to France raising support while attending the Embassy this year. These people are my family, and it is so good for my soul to spend time with them just as it was so good for my soul to meet my little nephew Parker for the first time the day after his first birthday. I loved watching him crawl around and pull himself up to take tentative steps around his environment.

Parker and I are in a similar place in learning to walk. He totters a bit and falls after a few steps, but I'm with him in the determination to try again when the walking gets tough. He gets applause and encouragement every time he tries again, and I feel the same. I'm so blessed to have hundreds of people cheering me on each time I stand up to walk again.

I have people from every area of my life speaking in words of encouragement for which I'm incredibly grateful. Since arriving in America, different areas of my life have collided with encouragement, and I'm so excited by the time spent with everyone. I carted a BFA yearbook across the ocean for a former staff member and got to spend a few minutes sharing my journey when I met Tim and passed on his copy of Phases 2015. While we've never served there at the same time, we share a passion for these TCKs and serving them in the name of Jesus.

I'm also incredibly grateful for the opportunity to serve the same Jesus as Deedra who graciously gave me an afternoon of her busy visit to America from Cambodia. This woman is amazing. I'm at a loss for words to describe how grateful I am for her in my life. A few years younger than my dad, she spent some formative years in the Philippines at the same time as my dad. Years later, our families are still connected, and I will be forever grateful for the crazy random run-ins we've had in my adult life. I talk for hours about how fortunate I feel to have this woman choose to spend time with me and speak truth into my life, but this isn't the place for it. Instead, I'll just let you know that it was an important part of my recovery to have lunch with this woman who could listen to all the details of my life - medical and spiritual - and speak truth to my ongoing healing.

On the topic of speaking truth to my ongoing healing, I'd be remiss to skip over the opportunity I had to spend with my uncle before leaving Colorado. I am really fortunate to have an extended family who are all actively seeking the Lord, and my uncle spent time with me in prayer asking for my healing. I'm still anticipating miracles - join with me because we know it's possible. 

I'm anticipating the physical gifts every day. I've been receiving so many other gifts along the way, and I am so grateful. The best gift so far is the reunion of my three best friends and I; these women are my deepest friends, my family. Sarah, Rachel, Jordyne, and I were reunited for the first time in almost three years at four this morning. Rachel, Jordyne, and I left Colorado yesterday evening and made it to Twin Falls, Idaho to our precious Sarah in the wee hours of the morning. I'm overjoyed for the next forty-eight hours of bliss that the four of us will have together. We often joke that God had to send us to different time zones because the world couldn't handle so much awesome together in a single place, so look out world because we're together for the long weekend. This planet just might change.

Let's anticipate it. Maranatha!