Our Prayer

In August of this year, our 4^th daughter launched into her own life which left 2 daughters of our six still at home.  When we bought our house with 6 bedrooms, we always envisioned it with all rooms filled.  Our younger girls share a room.  It is their choice and we support it because even though we have an occasional argument, they love each others company and support.  So when Melly left, we asked God how he wanted us to use our empty bedrooms to His glory.  I know, if any of you have prayed a similar prayer—beware because God has a sense of humor.  And He will respond.  And He will stretch you.  He will grow you, amaze you, humble you and test your ability to obey His word.

His first answer was easy.  My cousin and his wife were moving to Houston and needed a place to stay for a couple of weeks as they searched for a prospective home.  It was easy and we had fun.  

 The next answer was even easier.  God sent us our favorite missionary from Peru—she needed a place to stay for a few days before she could return to her mission field with a permanent visa.  She is always a joy to spend time with and we came away from that encouraged and uplifted.

Then came a long term guest. A good friend moved from east Texas to come and work with us in our business.  This one came with some adjustment.  He is used to living alone and not having the hustle and bustle of a busy household but we have adjusted and so we have only 3 more rooms to fill.

Around the same time, our grown daughter living in Houston asked if she could home and live with us every other week as her husband began a job out of town every other week.  That presented a few more challenges.  Your grown children come back home and the role is all different and you have to see them in a different light and they have to see you in a new way.  The biggest challenge came in the form of a 10lb ball of fur.  I confess, I love my granddog.  But……he is a puppy.  He has puppy behaviors.  And I am a built in babysitter for him while my daughter maintains her busy life of school and 2 jobs.  Lively and active, he likes to jump on furniture, bark incessantly at the wind, and shred any type of paper he can get his little paws on.  But we have worked through it and have established a rhythm that works for us all.  I don’t cook tater tot casserole while she is here and she stays out of our way while we homeschool.  

But the next answer has been easy and difficult.   A friend of a friend needed help.  He has a brain tumor.  His wife is pregnant.  They have a 2 year old.  His mother came with him.  So we filled some more rooms and learned to love people in a crisis.  They are here because they live in Alaska and this is his 2^nd brain tumor and he needed specialized medical care that can be found here in Houston.  The easy part is you fall in love and they feel like our own family rather quickly.  The difficulty comes in as we begin to love them and share their pain and struggles.  And that is hard.  But worth it.

And all of this time, God is still working on our hearts to fill our rooms.  It came in the form of a file 2 inches thick of paperwork.  Paperwork delving into every aspect of our lives.  Paperwork to become foster parents.   I know—crazy right?  I talked to a friend the other day and discussed my dilemma of my empty rooms and how to fill them and she said I should sell the house and downsize.  That sounds very appealing to me…….. But that is not the plan.  So here I sit in front of piles of papers and try to envision what is coming around the corner.  Is it a single child that needs a home for a short time?  A sibling group that needs us for a longer term?  A pregnant teenager needing support and guidance.

 And the questions.  Can we do this?   Are we equipped?  Are we enough?  Are we too old?  Maybe this is meant for a younger crowd.  Are you sure this is what you want from us God because that pile of papers looks awfully tall and intimidating.  And don’t know if I can do this.

I walked through my house today and prayed over the rooms.  I do not know what the future holds for each of them but I will keep praying.  God, show me how to use the rooms of this home to bring you glory.  But more than that, equip us.  Give us the tools.  Show us how to trust You in every step.  And show us who needs to fill these rooms.

Enough

People never seem to have enough hours in a day.  But we never get it ‘all’ done.  How do we choose between the good.  The better.  The best.  Do we take the time to really listen, really help, really encourage, really make a difference?

A letter.  A note.  A card. A word. A smile. Or even a thought.

Urgent and important.  How do we decide what comes first?  Our values?  Our Job?  Our family? Work? School? Church? Sports? Activities? Hobbies? Meaningless hours on a screen.  TV. Computer.  Phone. Tablet. Isolation.

When do we stop?  Connect with others.  Connect with God.  Connect with meaning.  Connect with purpose.  Breathe.  Live.

Stop.  See the person in front of you.  Turn every screen off.  Hug.  Hold. Listen. Feel. Connect.  Breath.  Pray.

There are enough hours in a day.  And the people in your life—not just the ones you are related to, deserve the luxury of a connection with you.  

A life well lived is a life connected.  Connected to God, family, friends, and even strangers. 

Hours.  In a day.  There are enough.

Fear

Fear has been on my mind a lot of late. As of this coming Sunday night, Norm will no longer be employed. He will be a full time business owner with several employees and still have a family to support. It has always been his dream to take his ideas and with God’s help make a difference in the world. As exciting as this is, fear has been on both of our minds. Will the business work? Will we be able to afford our insurance? Can we pay our bills? With the unknown looming before us, fear seems to be on the fringe of all of my thoughts.

Today, I put my youngest daughter on a plane with a man I have never met. And I was afraid. Veronika is a burn survivor—she was burned as small child before we adopted her. She is a pretty courageous kid—she has faced numerous surgeries, hours of therapy, and months of healing. And she has spent a week of every summer for the past 6 years at Camp David. Camp David is a special place—a camp for burn survivors and their siblings. Burns are a horrible injury. It is rarely a once and heal type of thing. As the child grows, her scars do not always grow with skin and most burn survivors face years of reconstruction surgeries and then have to relearn how to move the injured area over and over again. Camp David is a place where all of the kids really get each other. They know the challenges, frustrations, and triumphs. And amazing men and woman volunteer their time to build these kids up. Many of them firefighters. Fire fighters are a rare breed—where most of run in fear, they stand and face terror and save the helpless.

I put my daughter on a plane with a firefighter. He was chosen, like Veronika because they both have faced fears, overcome, and shared immense compassion for helping others. They were chosen out of all the staff and campers at Camp David to go to Washington DC for a week as guest of the International Association for Fire Fighters and tour and experience all that our nation’s capital has to offer along with 50 other survivors and fire fighters. I am proud and happy that Veronika was chosen but I have never sent one of my kids on a plane that young, that far away from me, and not knowing a single soul that she would be with. I was afraid.

In the weeks working up to today, I had talked to our firefighter friend several times, confirming details and trying to get a feel for who he was and abate my fear. Veronika wasn’t afraid. She has seen her firefighter at camp nearly every year as he comes out and helps the kids go fishing and do carnival night. She knows him and is comfortable with him.

We waited for his flight to arrive from Austin and he came out of security and met us. We had to check Veronika in for her flight and work at changing their seats so they could sit together. He was wearing a t-shirt from his fire house—a memorial shirt to never forget 9/11 and he brought an extra one for each of my girls. While we were standing in the airport checking in, more than one person noticed him as a firefighter and thanked him for his service. I felt my fear begin to dissipate. Then, just before I was to say good-bye to my girl, I asked if he minded if we prayed for their trip. So in the airport lobby, we prayed and after the prayer, he told me he was a Christian. His daughter has attended camps at the Christian University my other daughter attended.

I knew this was a once in a lifetime chance for Veronika to go on this trip. But my heart struggled with the fear of sending my child away with someone I don’t know and to a place where we cannot be with her. And God sent a Christian to escort her. He took my fear and God said ‘I have her protected and I have sent a protector.’

I don’t know what tomorrow holds. I am confident in my God. I am confident in my husband and his ability to run a business. And I am confident that my daughter is loved by a Holy God even more than I can comprehend and that she rests in His care. And I will not be afraid.

The Lord is my light and my salvation—
whom shall I fear?
The Lord is the stronghold of my life—
of whom shall I be afraid?

When the wicked advance against me
to devour me,
it is my enemies and my foes
who will stumble and fall. Though an army besiege me,
my heart will not fear;
though war break out against me,
even then I will be confident.

~Psalm 27