🍁🍁Life Lessons...Even As Adults🍁🍁

Every day gives us welcome invitation to grow, celebrate, endure pain, and look for the blessing, don't you agree?

The past two weeks (I've found that about every Tues. my heart is prompted to share) have been filled with so many emotions and lessons.  I feel like I'm the student instead of the teacher; the role I play to our boys.

Two of the greatest blessings in our lives

We jumped into our school year which means structure, more taxi-driving to co-op, some resistance, lots of cheering on and more than 1 surprise  in the educational journey.  We have embraced the true definition of flexibility and have been reminded of the power in Ephesians 4:32...."be kind to each other, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, just as God through Christ has forgiven you."  Do you ever feel, like me, that you've crushed a certain life lesson only to be faced with it again...BAM??  Maybe I didn't quite have it fully mastered....ouch!  Our boys will sometimes ask why Doug and I aren't disciplined when we do something wrong, and then we're faced with the task of effectively explaining we are disciplined by the Father Himself through our conscience.  Sometimes they grasp that and other times you can just see the explanation drift right over their heads.

Doug and I also discussed how pain isn't always a physical feeling and really isn't always bad.  Emotional pain and relationship pain can cause just as deep or even deeper imprints on our lives.  As we have walked out, and honestly continue to walk out daily, this mission's journey we have recognized that relationshipping deeply makes our pending relocation so much harder.  However, the flip side to that is that we are beyond grateful for intimate friendships~they are integral in the patchwork quilt of our lives.  We were blessed to be a part of a gathering of people this past weekend who were there to share in the journey the Lord has called us to.  It was one of those beautiful times where we could see community being lived out before our very eyes.  We laughed, connected, shared, ate and then repeated that all throughout the day!  We love to invite friends into this adventure we've been called to.  So many thriving and genuine hearts were represented.  And with this came pain, too, because we love these people.  We will miss these people.  Our lives are richer because of these people.  So we tarry on, knowing we are blessed to overflowing with friendships here and know the Lord will add to our treasured tribe when we move across the ocean.  

Where we will serve

Earlier we mused over life lessons, and I had the pleasure (insert tsk tsk) of learning one before leaving our house for the party.  You may relate~I had expectations of others.  When they weren't met then my heart got hurt.  My knee-jerk reaction would have produced NO positive results.  Only more hurt.  It's so hard fessing up to my ugly heart and sin.  But, oh so refreshing when I stop, surrender it, verbalize it's not about me and then I get to be a part of God redeeming the situation later that day.  I know the enemy wanted me to wallow in the injustice and the unfair circumstances, but rather I acknowledged my hurt and then released it.  This was healing and freeing.  I regularly look at these fractures in my heart and wonder what the Lord is preparing me for~because it's never for naught or wasted, right?

I am a big memory~making girl, and over the past 18 months it is something else how I embrace and linger in the moments/experiences knowing this may be the "last" _________________________________ (fill in the blank) for awhile.  I got to race with my "home-girl" this past weekend and seriously just loved having the concentrated time to talk.  It's the simple endeavors, like making homemade applesauce with my momma, that makes my sometimes anxious heart not anxious. Cataloging in my memory bank these special times.  

LOVE this girl....

Forever a work in progress.  Feeling so very loved.  Victory out of ugliness.  Remembering this game of life is more about others and will continue to teach us lessons until we take our last breath.

Celebrating the BIG and the SMALL~

The Hounshell Fam. 

Hold Lightly....With Open Hands.

As my heart and mind prepared to share I couldn't help but pray and plead with the Lord in light of the massive forest fire blazing ferociously super close to home and the hurricane off the coast of Florida.  This is because it is affecting thousands...especially personal family and those we call "family of the heart."

In times like these I am reminded of the power of community, coming together, helping one another as Jesus would/does help us.  Simply put, it is people linking arms with a common heart~to love and serve fellow human beings.  So grateful for good and right in the midst of great loss and devastation.

Our mission's journey has been generously sprinkled with people who love, serve and participate sacrificially, well and BIG.  In the past 2 weeks there have been some significant detours in the road~constantly drawing us back to Jesus and the Giver of all good things.  The beautiful piece of land that we shared in the last post is now not on "the table" for the time being.  We are beyond-words thankful to Steve and Julianna, Pastor Alagos, and Judy Grace and her father for their tireless work to advocate for our family there.  So we pray.  And we lay it down.  We trust.  And we believe all in God's timing.

Family fun...getting support letters ready to go out

I am gonna be real and raw~this back and forth of, "we have the land...", "we don't have land" has made my heart a little crazy and a whole lot of learning to trust in our Jesus who knows every detail well before I am informed. 😊  Another example of why it's vital to cling on tightly to Him and lightly to literally everything else.  So much easier said than done in this broken world, right?

I can't help but believe and journal regularly, though, that these delays and minor setbacks are all part of the Bigger plan~so we (really I because the other 3 Hounshells tend to do pretty great) need to abide rather than stress and worry.

The process and journey did add another element of realness this week when we gathered with some dear friends, who also have a heart for the Philippines, to pray over our support letters. 

heading to the post office to mail these beauties

This picture represents so many lives and hearts that bless us, walk with us, love us and lift us up boldly~gulp.  It was a beautiful moment to listen to our boys pray and share their hearts.  As their parents we don't take those holy words lightly.  It was like taking a snapshot of their hearts to remember those utterings for a lifetime.  To participate in something like this for the first time was, well, like dwelling on hallowed ground.

When I dropped them in the mailbox today it was a mix of emotions.....in awe of the Lord, surreal, "oh my goodness this is happening", and a peace that I knew could and is only from Him.  Have you ever felt these emotions~ALL.AT.ONCE??!!

In the mix of all of this we also have been preparing for a new school year and our 7th year homeschooling. Being totally honest, this summer was rough and tough in terms of growing pains (emotionally), navigating teenage hearts and learning to let go...DAILY.

We will have a junior and a freshman~amazing and "WHOA" all in the same sentence!  To raise up God-fearing and God-praising young men in this day and age requires intentionality, heaps of generous grace (ah, that's why God had me choose generous as my word this year...having no idea it would relate directly to our boys) and a loving commitment like no other.  So, Doug and I continue forward~confident we don't parent alone.  Thank you, Jesus. Thank you, Jesus.✞

And, as we close I am brought to tears by the song "It is Well" by Bethel Music and Kristine DiMarco as it has the power to emcompass every circumstance and situation in each of our lives....period. 🎔

https://youtu.be/YNqo4Un2uZI



Praying boldly and courageously,

The Hounshell fam.