One Year

A year ago tonight, my water broke and we headed to Lester for labor/delivery of our expected baby. We didn't know if it was Aaron Matthew or Isabelle Lorraine that we'd be meeting. Time really flies when you are having fun (and raising young children).

It has been a glorious year. A year for stretching. A year for growing. A year of new challenges, new trials, new adventures. Sweet, sweet memories, bitter tears, frustration, joy, laughter -- all rolled into one year. In considering the lengths at which God has gone to get our attention with this assignment here on this island of Okinawa, I am glad that God's voice was heard and received (and obeyed) in our lives. I am so thankful that God is a God that pursues us through all our stubbornness. I am so glad that God is a God of comfort, an ever present strength in trials.

I am a big fat liar if I say this past year has been easy. It has been anything but - and life continues to throw at us anything and everything we can imagine. But God is in the middle of it all, and at the end of the day I can come back to the foot of the cross and sit quietly to learn where I can do things better tomorrow.

There have been a few times in my life where I really could not conceptualize where I'd be a year from now. One of them was my last semester at Michigan Tech -- knowing I was leaving school with intentions to enlist in the Air Force. Having no idea of timelines, jobs, or bases I'd be sent to a year from then was exciting. Even in a young Christian walk at the time, I knew God has big plans (which He did), and I was excited.

This time, now is another instance where I can't even begin to imagine what will be going on a year from now. It is not excitement that fills me as the primary emotion. Of course I am excited. But I am also weary. I long to say "isn't this enough?" and "how about some snow?" and "what now?". Ah, but when the Lord tells you to stay put, obedience is by far the best course of action. All I know is that Christ has been tugging at our hearts to stay put (yes, in this hot and humid land of eternal summers, and YES, we are still snow people....). When God keeps knocking, you really should answer and find out what His purpose is. So, with that said, we are making the efforts necessary on our part to allow God to open/close doors outside of our control to keep us here or send us away as He sees fit. We'll return to the states this coming February (or to another overseas assignment), or we'll be staying here a while longer. So in a year, we'll be here, or we'll be {there} -- wherever {there} is.

I love knowing details.

One thing I do know for certain -- this next year will be a wild ride for sure.

Happy Birthday tomorrow, little Isabelle Lorraine. I am SO glad it was you!