(A Recap)
February has come and gone. And we made it! My mother-in-law made it through her cancer scare, our axle got fixed, and the entire month of February passed with only a few minor flare ups from the infection that attempts to take my life. This is a huge victory! 🙌🏼🙌🏼🙌🏼 I can’t even express how grateful I am to be typing these words.
Not only did we survive February – we actually managed to make a few slow, steady steps of progress toward our goals with this ministry! Again, this is a huge praise. Ministry is hard, y’all. And we are not independently wealthy. 😂 Which means we’re constantly scrambling, trying to figure out how to work, educate the kids, keep all our relationships healthy, keep our focus on God, work on our health, stay sane, and work in the ministry God has called us to do. It’s a lot! But February was an encouraging month for us, even if we did just manage to take a few baby steps.
So. Who’s ready for a recap of our February? 🙋♀️🙋♂️ Me, too. ❤️ Let’s do this. (Reminder: Posts in italics = our words)
February kicked off with our return to Arkansas.
I’m not sure why, but I take this photo almost every time I’m heading west through St. Louis. 🤷♀️ So there’s that.
Time for an update! Here’s the sitch:
🙌 We’re back in Arkansas. Mother-in-law is out of the hospital, and is recovering well. Her surgery went well. No cancer found in the lymph nodes or any surrounding tissues, so it appears that she is cancer free!!! 🙌🙌🙌 This is a huge praise. Thank you so much to all who have joined us in prayer on her behalf. We appreciate it! 💗
👎 We started dropping like flies before we even left Ohio. 3/5 of our clan has succumbed to…something. Flu? Cold? Exhaustion? 🤷♀️ No one knows. But, we seem to be on the mend now. Praying the other 2/5 stay healthy! 🙏😷
😩 Axle is still not fixed on the RV. This is unfortunate. We’re ready to start hitting the road again! Not quite ready to take on full-time travel just yet…but we’d like to start getting back in the saddle. The RV was supposed to be ready this week. Now it’s supposed to be ready next week. We have no doubt it will be ready whenever He’s ready to send us. So, we’re trying not to worry about such things. 😬😉
🙌 We’re alive. We’re safe. We’re (relatively) healthy. The same can be said for our loved ones. We’re working, homeschooling, and trying – once again – to get into a good, productive rhythm. I ran into a friend of ours last night. Someone I hadn’t seen in far too long. And I found myself uttering the phrase, “Yes. We’re still in ministry. It just doesn’t look like I thought it would.” But what ever does? 🤷♀️ I can’t complain. God is good. 💗 Life is good. And I’m still excited about where He’s leading us. Even if it does feel like He’s taking the uber-scenic long way to get to where I think I’m going! 😂
Thank you to everyone who’s sticking with us & offering encouragement. It helps so much more than you know. I can’t wait to share more with you…whenever I get the chance! 😏
Of course, before I could really start my February, I had to give everyone a recap of January’s happenings. 😏
It’s late. I’m tired. But I did it. 🙌 Please excuse any typos. I’ll try to catch them in the morning. New post is up on the blog!
Surprisingly, the post above got an interesting comment. The comment was from a dear, dear friend whom I love very much. The comment was also hurtful. It expressed frustration that we had not been sharing testimonies enough. The comment begged me to not share my own stories, but to share others’ because, “that is what can change people.” This broke my heart. All too often, people are hesitant to share their stories with us. They say their testimonies “aren’t anything special.” That they’re “not worth sharing.” I strongly disagree. So I felt compelled to offer up the following explanation.
💗 We love you. I’m sorry you’re so frustrated. I get it. I’m frustrated, too. The past few months are not at all how I thought I’d be spending my time! But, this is my race. It is the one He has set before me, and I will run it to the best of my abilities.
I don’t know why God does things the way He does. I don’t know why He would send us all over the country to gather such amazing stories, then promptly plant us in one place for a time, only to get hit by wave after wave of obstacles. But. I do know that He is good. That His will prevails. And that I can plan all I want…but He will direct my steps. I rest in those truths.
Also, I must respectfully disagree with one of your statements. My testimony is just as important as any other. If my story is not worth telling, then neither is anyone else’s. Mine, yours, everyone’s…they all point to the One who sees us, knows us, and loves us. And He will use all of our stories for His good. Of this, I have no doubt. And – even if all of our voices were silenced – the rocks themselves would cry out. ❤️ This is something I’m very passionate about, because I’ve struggled with it so much. I’ve felt the pressure. “I must share these stories – right now! The Kingdom is depending on it.” Lies. I am required to be obedient. To walk humbly. I give my best efforts, and leave the rest in God’s hands.
I have been sharing the testimonies of others. They’re in every blog post I write. Just read and you will find. 😉 Would I like to share more? YES!!! And I will, Lord willing. Until then, know that my thoughts, prayers & love are with each & every person we have met along our journey. I’m so thankful for all of you. And – even though the stories have not made it into print yet – they ARE being told. We talk about the testimonies we’ve gathered to everyone who will listen. I still believe it’s just a matter of time before I’m able to share them here. Please join me in prayer as we wait upon the Lord.
I’m not exactly a confrontational person. And the person who commented is the absolute sweetest. I am positive it was meant to be nothing more than encouraging…but I’ve heard too many people echo those same thoughts. And I firmly believe every testimony matters. So. I took a deep breath, and kept trudging through February. Now, I was able to get to sharing some testimonies! 🙌
What do you wish people knew about God?
“He is perfect in every way – whether you understand it or not. He is perfect in every way. In the sweetest seasons, He’s perfect. His plan is perfect. In the seasons where you have been crushed & you feel like He has been unjust or unfair, He has still been perfect. So seek to understand Him through the truth of His Word.”
(Arkansas)
“Recently, He’s broken me free from a lot of different oppressions in my life. Spiritual oppressions. He’s gotten me to a place of boldness & confidence that I’ve always wanted to have and desired to have, but haven’t had. I’ve really battled fear. A lot. And fear really held me down. When God broke that free, and I felt that sense of freedom, I’m like: “I can’t turn back now. I’ve got to continue on. I’ve got to keep on going.” It’s just a whole new life right now, that I’m experiencing. And I’m excited to see what God does, and where He’s going to lead, and where He’s going to guide.”
(Maine)
That’s it. That’s all I had time to share before the end of February was upon us…and we had a little trip planned.
“May Your glorious name be praised! May it be exalted above all blessing and praise! You alone are the Lord. You made the skies and the heavens and all the stars. You made the earth and the seas and everything in them. You preserve them all, and the angels of heaven worship you.”
– Nehemiah 9:5-6
And so will I. 🙌 We’re in Florida. We’ve been taking a little time to be still and know. Praying you take time to seek Him every morning. He’s there. 💗
That’s right! We hit the road again. Just for a trial run. After the past few months we’ve had, we wanted to have some fun with our children. So, we took two weeks and went to Florida. One week was spent visiting a community we’d visited last year. That was wonderful. 💗 We spent the second week giving our kids some of that Disney magic. ✨🥰 Even at Disney, though, I managed to work just a little bit.
I am always amazed at how God works things out. ❤️ I came across this photo as I was working last night. “A dose of encouragement a day keeps the devil at bay.” This is a quote from someone we interviewed in Arkansas…that we shared with the pastor of the church we stayed with in Idaho…who felt so moved by it that he shared it with his entire congregation. 💗
When we started this journey, I thought I knew exactly what we’d be doing. I thought wrong. 🤷♀️😂 Still, I’m constantly reminded that God is good. That He does things His way, in His time. And that we never know what ripples or effects our words will have. This ministry allows us to take your words & spread them around the country, to encourage others. Thank you. Thank you for sharing your lives with us so we can share His goodness from sea to shining sea. 🙌
Well. That pretty much covers it! February is the shortest month of the year, and I’m hoping this is the shortest recap blog post I’ll have this year! 😉😂 I’m writing this on March 7. We’ve already made it back to Arkansas, and I’m gearing up for another productive week. Spoiler alert: The trip went well, and I’m looking forward to whatever God has in store for us next month. What an amazing story He’s weaving! 🙌
Interested in sharing your story? Like what we’re doing, and want to help keep the campfires burning? Want to offer a word of encouragement? We’d love to hear from you!
