Thirty-four days. Less than 5 weeks. Isn't it funny how the same duration of time can seem short or long based upon the anticipation or dread we feel about a certain date or certain even?. Even more puzzling is the conflicting emotions that come when that same period of time seems both short and long, or you're experiencing both anticipation and sadness. We've waited five long months, and still have one more before we are finally in Haiti, but the amount of time we have left to enjoy with family and friends (and Chipotle) seems so short. We are doing the best we can to make the most of every opportunity we have.
So much has gone on in the past two months, and there is so much to do in the one month we have remaining at home. At the end of September my time of employment at The Rock of Roseville officially came to a close. I had been on staff there for over eight years, and so much of our lives are intertwined in the fabric of The Rock. It's the only church our girls have ever known. Ellie was born 1 week after I started working there. I had expected there to be a fair amount of anxiety and/or detachment issues, on both sides, but amazingly I experienced very little. I take that as further confirmation that this next step in our journey is right, and good, and where we are supposed to be. In October we held a fundraising dinner to raise support for our trip. It was a fun evening with family and friends, and even though I hate asking for money, and did a terrible job in presenting, the love, grace, and generosity of everyone there allowed us to reach our initial goal of $10,500. We cannot say thank you enough to everyone who has given to support us. So many of you have responded to our request to join us in this journey and we are so so so grateful. We currently have a little over half of what our ongoing expenses in Haiti will be covered by monthly commitments and we are so very grateful for everyone who has pledged to support us monthly. Thank you from the bottom of our hearts. I was a little concerned about our income during the remainder of this year, but as it turns out, that was unfounded.. During this journey I have held to the belief that God was the one that called us to go to Haiti, and that therefore He would be responsible to provide as long as we were obedient and answered the call. He has done that in so many ways. From freelance work, to starting my own business, to people generously choosing to support us in this journey, we have had every need met, and then some. Right before Thanksgiving we were blessed with a family trip to Disneyland with Sheena's sister and her family. Our kids had a blast with their cousins running around the busiest place on earth. They are definitely going to miss each other while we are away. And so, over the next few weeks we will continue to pack up our lives, spend time with family and friends, enjoy the sights, sounds, smells, and spirit of Christmas, take advantage of every opportunity to be COLD, and eat lots and lots of Chipotle. Tass
0 Comments
|