Encouragment, a Uhaul and Sick Kids

Deuteronomy 31

8 The LORD himself goes before you and will be with you;
he will never leave you nor forsake you.
Do not be afraid;
do not be discouraged.


I so needed to be encouraged. Things are progressing to our move. We are looking at possible living situations. Eric is most likely getting a Uhaul this weekend and moving all of our stuff (90%) up to a storage unit in SLO. I know it seems silly to move things twice but storage up there is about 2/3 the cost of storage here. We will save in the long run.

I am picking up every shift that I can at the restaurant. God is definitely blessing the restaurant right now, we have been really busy, surprisingly.

The kids have been sick with coughs, fevers, and now ear infections....so much fun. So needless to say I have not had more than two hours in a row a sleep since last week.

Last night while I was working Eric said she was in a lot of pain but snuggled right in and just wanted to be held. I came home and I put the little acupressure seeds behind Kira's ears and rubbed the swollen glands on her neck and it relieved alot of pressure for her. At first she was very upset with me but then she felt the relief and thanked me.

She feels better today and we just have runny noses. We will see the nurse practioner today to make sure things are getting better and not worse.

I Want to be a Lily

You know how sometimes when your read the Word it just speaks to you or you hear a sermon and you are certain the pastor wrote it just for you? Well it seems clear to me that Our Daily Bread is pretty much writing all of their daily devotions just for me. Because every time I have read it in the last couple weeks I have been encouraged and blessed. I get the the daily devotional through my google reader and threrefore I do not have any excuse to not read it before I read my other blogs....right! A good little trick I use so that I at least read it and have a little quiet time during the day. Here is today's scripture, hello could He be talking to me anymore....I will do my best not to worry today :)

Matthew 6:25-34 (New International Version)
Do Not Worry

25"Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more important than food, and the body more important than clothes?

26Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they?

27Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life?
28"And why do you worry about clothes? See how the lilies of the field grow. They do not labor or spin.

29Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these.

30If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, will he not much more clothe you, O you of little faith?

31So do not worry, saying, 'What shall we eat?' or 'What shall we drink?' or 'What shall we wear?'

32For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them.

33But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.

34Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.

So Thankful!

Psalm 107:1-16 (NIV)

1 Give thanks to the LORD, for he is good; his love endures forever.

2 Let the redeemed of the LORD say this— those he redeemed from the hand of the foe,

3 those he gathered from the lands, from east and west, from north and south.

4 Some wandered in desert wastelands, finding no way to a city where they could settle.

5 They were hungry and thirsty, and their lives ebbed away.

6 Then they cried out to the LORD in their trouble,

and he delivered them from their distress.

7 He led them by a straight way to a city where they could settle.

8 Let them give thanks to the LORD for his unfailing love and his wonderful deeds for men,

9 for he satisfies the thirsty and fills the hungry with good things.

10 Some sat in darkness and the deepest gloom, prisoners suffering in iron chains,

11 for they had rebelled against the words of God and despised the counsel of the Most High.

12 So he subjected them to bitter labor; they stumbled, and there was no one to help.

13 Then they cried to the LORD in their trouble, and he saved them from their distress.

14 He brought them out of darkness and the deepest gloom and broke away their chains.

15 Let them give thanks to the LORD for his unfailing love and his wonderful deeds for men,

16 for he breaks down gates of bronze and cuts through bars of iron.

What an encouraging Psalm!

I have been feeling like those wandering in the desert with no place to go.

But God found them a place and He has found us a place as well.

I would have put the whole thing in bold because it all spoke to me but the part I put in bold is especially true. We have been crying out to Him and He has answered our prayers, maybe not how we thought He would but He answered.

We are moving as you know but after this last weekend up in SLO county, we feel that God is leading us to the Central Coast. Eric's parents live there, that is where we met, I went to school there and we love it up there. I have been a bit frazzled about the decision because we have lived there before. I have been reluctant to tell people because I feel like we are being back and forth about it. However if I think about it we have moved each time following God's direction and then circumstances out of our hands change and we need to move.

Eric and I feel confident that we have everytime prayed and sought out God's will and have peace about that. But realize that things out of our control change and the plans change and then we have to seek His will again. So we are there again, at a crossroads and needing direction. We know with the way the economy is we are not able to live in Orange County with the cost of living. I mean if most people looked realistically at the cost of living in Orange County and the choice not to use credit to survive, they would realize that they can't afford to live here too. However I think people do not live realistically and spend unrealistically using debt, just to keep up with the Joneses. I know I used to do that. I acquried the debt that I had because I had a empty spot in my life and I tried to fill it up with things. As soon as I came back to the Lord, I stopped feeling the need to spend aimlessly. I definitely still struggle with spending but more out of habit not out an emptiness. God has filled that void in my heart and I am so thankful.

God has provided in so many ways for us and He is continuing to provide. We are blessed and excited for new opportunities. Thanks for your prayers too. We are still not quite sure when the moving date is but it will most likely be in a month or two.

Then you might be asking well how does this effect our move to New Zealand. Well, we have known for six years we are supposed to move there, but last year we actually started talking about it with family and friends. We started to pay of debt when we moved into my parents house. With the way the economy turned my income decreased about 30-40% and we were no longer paying off debt at a higher rate, we have been keeping a float. With all of the changes in our income we knew we needed to live in a more affordable area. So we have actually been praying about our living situation and jobs for over six months and God has answered with this new living situation and new opportunities.

Exciting times!

Finding Our Way

Today I had an interview at a Montessori School for a teacher position.

Drove around and looked at rentals.

I am trying hard not to feel defeated....

I know God has this all worked out

But being in the middle of it I can not see.

I am holding on to the hope that He has promised.

Holding on to His hand as He leads me.

Hope

Isaiah 40:31

Those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength.

They will soar on wings like eagles:

they will run and not grow weary,

they will walk and not grow faint.

I have to cling to this truth right now. I want strength because I feel defeated. I want to feel above my situation like a eagle soaring not like a little bird flittering and fighting to fly. But with the strength of a mighty eagle. I want to know that in this season of uncertainty that I did my best to hope in the Lord. I know I am human, I know that I am weak, we were made this way so that we would rely on God for strength, His power and His might.

What Have I Been Doing?

Sorry I have not posted in awhile, I am in a funk. We are going to have to move but we do not know where. I doing my best to have faith the God has a plan and that we will be okay but I think it is a daily if not hourly reminder that I am not in control.

I would love prayer for direction, thank you.

So I have been kind of busy figuring out what we are doing. :)

****

On a happier note:

We were able to go to Disneyland with Eric's brother's family.

Hobie is almost 6 and Zoe and Kira are two days apart.

All the kids looking at the Disneyland map

Zoe, Kira and Hobie in line for Toy Story 3D


Auntie M

Kira Turns 4!

Four years ago Kira was born! My sweet little girl.

After 2 1/2 hours of pushing, we found out you were sunny side up!

My life would never be the same
I remember being so scared when you were having weight gaining issues,
God is so good.
We found out it was GERD and you got better


You love your Winnie the "Dooh"


I always loved that hat

Look at that belly, no problem gaining weight now

Yee Haw

Growing up to be a swimmer like mom and dad

Got into mom's makeup

So stinkin cute

My little mermaid



Happy Fourth Birthday Sweet Girl!

We love you

Clayton's Life

I saw this on my pastor from Calvary SLO's blog and was moved my this young man's story! It makes total sense with what he has to say and I think anyone and everyone can learn from this young man's story.





I hope this blesses you.