My Journey to being a SAHM part 3

 So the same day we went to help package food.....because it happened to be in the parking lot of Daddy's work place.  We got to see where he works, meet his co-workers, and some of the other people who work in the offices around him.

 The kids loved seeing where daddy worked. 

 Since all our kiddos have ever known is camp life- they just went over to daddy's office- in our home our the regular camp office, or to the dining hall if he was there.  They are not used to not seeing where daddy is working. 

 Can't get enough of his cuteness!!!!!  We had a picnic lunch in daddy's office and well....Jonathan eats slowly.....and I want him to eat all he can!!!  You know when you have a boy as thin as him (which I know is a part of his build) you want him to get all he can.  :)

 The office space is all donated by a company owned by Christians. 

 Around where daddy's work space is other regular offices too and all of them are for other Christian organizations that again are given donated work space by this company- Debartelo. 

 Daddy giving the tour!

 The little meeting room where daddy gets to talk with churches and Christian organizations about how Meet The Need can help them!!!  :)

The kids loved the view of Tampa from the window :)  He works pretty close to the airport area.

So.....carrying on my story.  About a year before we left Uskichitto Retreat Center before our failed adoption happened with Naomi.  Some other things in our hearts were changing.  We just really felt we needed to move for a few reasons......1) because we had NO FRIENDS!!!!!!  Seriously hard to make friends when you live out in the middle of nowhere!!!  We did have our college age summer staff who we MISS GREATLY!!!  And of course Sarah who worked for us, but other than that- yeah- NO LIFE outside our walls.
2)  We loved having plenty of space for our children and seeing them become very close knit, but we also wanted friends for our kids.
3)  I knew in my heart that in order to be the mom God called me to be- I had to step out of the ministry in order to give more of my time to my children.

The first 2 reasons are why we specifically moved here- our family!!!  They are extended family, but a part of the family we care very deeply about and they about us.  The 3rd reason isn't really something we emphasized, but Jason knew and I knew it to be true.

You see I LOVED CAMP!!!!  My eyes light up at the thought of leading worship, staff training, playing games with campers, etc.  But over the years at Uskichitto Retreat Center........God knocked on my heart and showed me over time.....that although I loved those things- I loved my children more!  Since they are my husband and I's first mission field we had to make that hard- VERY HARD decision to leave URC.

The thought right now makes my tear up because we are missing staff training and summer right now.  This is what we lived for!!!  For sooo long......  BUT not really.  We really lived for our children seeing them grow in the Lord,  learn to love HIM more, and to spend a more devoted amount of time with them in home schooling.  We made the choice to follow Christ even when that has meant a lot of changes for us.  Even when the rest of the world thinks we are crazy.  Even when it has been extremely hard.

So when we realized this we started talking about moving, and then our adoption failed......and we were devastated.........beyond words...............................

And then God brought us Joanna!!!!  OUR GIFT!!!!!!!!!!!!!

And then summer was upon us......so we went into it with JOY knowing that God would use us for the summer and then afterwards we would look into where else God may call us.  Well, then our crazy moves since then.  And Jason's HUGE BLESSING of a wonderful job working for Meet The Need!  PRAISE GOD!!!

So that leaves me with this.  Sometimes we think we know who we are and what we want.  Sometimes we think our passion is here and then slowly God changes our hearts and our minds to be in line with what HE wants.  You see- if you would have told me I would ENJOY being a stay at home mom, have 8 children, and love home schooling my children- I WOULD HAVE SAID NO WAY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

But now I am that mom!!!  The one who LOVES staying home with my babes, getting to spend ALL MY TIME more focused on MY PASSION for them, for schooling them, for witnessing and bringing them up for HIM.  I am the one who doesn't mind that I get to do the cleaning, the dishes, the housework.  Because it has GREAT benefits!  Benefits that I can't describe!!!!  I am a privileged woman!  Is it easy - NEVER, is it worth it- ALWAYS!  I am enjoying my time with my children.  Realizing this time last year I was always trying to divide my time (not doing that great at it) trying to answer phone calls, deal with staff issues, deal with camper issues, teach the kids, play with them- not much, and really being torn into too many small pieces!  NOW I GET TO concentrate on our first mission field my children. 

And that is what following God does- it changes us....grows us....challenges us.....and leads us to places would have never thought about.  :)  Praying that you get to experience the Lord moving in your life whether you work outside the home, are a SAHM, or whether you do a mixture of the two.  Whether you have no children or 15.  Pray you see the Blessing in the ways the Lord moves you :)