It’s been a Month…

We have been here a month. 

Sometimes that feels like forever. Sometimes it feels really lonely and far away. I miss my friends and family and my church. I miss the “comfortableness” of knowing where things are and recognizing faces out in the community.  Almost everyone here is a stranger. We know the neighbors, one other couple, and that is about it… well, the ladies at the Amish market are at least familiar faces now, but I wouldn’t say I know them. Other than that… 99% of my face to face time with people is made up of Eric and my children. I love my family… but I need PEOPLE! I’m struggling to make connections. We still don’t have a church, which is hard. Sundays are really hard. I want to find a place to grow, and connect, and thrive… and we just aren’t’ there yet. So some days it is a definite, “we have ONLY been here a month?” kind of day.

Sometimes it feels like time has flown. I look around and I still have boxes to unpack. I don’t have paint on the walls, or décor hung up anywhere.  It kind of feels like a huge hotel room that we are just hanging in for a while, and then we get to go back home. I feel like, ”seriously? I have been here a whole month and this is all that is done?”

And sometimes it just feels like life. :) This is my life, we are chugging along and we are doing it.

 We finished swim lessons

We’re having the neighbors and friends over.

The kids are ready to meet more people, ready for school to start.  It is hard to watch your kids struggle. I don’t know what to do, or how to comfort, because quite honestly I am feeling just like they are. So I pray for them and with them and we are trying to find the things we like here and get involved where we can. They are kind of at their capacity of “sibling time”.  Brayden is banned from Landen’s room (see sign below) and Brayden hides in my closet from the other kids to read (he has read 6 Harry Potter books since we have been here). 

And the practical jokes are in full force (note the large tarantula dangling from string and the dog in a bathrobe).

Allen, Eric’s brother, was working out of Baltimore, so he made the trip down to see the kids. They were so excited to have a familiar face and someone that loved them and gave them lots of attention.  It was a less than 12 hour visit (which consisted of Allen being an awesome uncle and letting everyone sleep with him) and then he was gone. We were thankful for the visit, but sad to see him go.

I have been doing my morning devotional from the book Jesus Today by Sarah Young. Eleni has decided to join me on these. I’m going to be honest and say at first I was a tad frustrated that my “quiet time” was now invaded by a little girl who wanted me to read aloud and then had a million questions. But three days in, I really felt it as a huge blessing that God was sending this eager little girl in every morning, unprompted or provoked, yearning to learn about His promises.  So I went from frustrated to honored in a matter of 3 shorts days (I’m getting better at this patience/teaching me life lessons thing).

So this morning I was reading her the devotional and it was talking about God putting us in humbling circumstance in order to grow and know that He is in control.  “Although this is an uncomfortable position, it is actually a good place to be.” I was explaining to her that even though it is hard not having our friends and family here, God put us here for a reason. It might be hard right now but God has big plans for us… that is why He moved us here.  (Definitely what I needed to hear this morning) So as she looked back at me, I could see her little mind working over time and I was waiting for some thoughtful , sweet response and I got, “Mom, I don’t think so. God didn’t move us here… the President did.” Touché Eleni, touché!  :)

What a crazy month! Thanks for joining me on the journey!