painting and lumber-jane

Adjusting well to life here. Today I picked up paint for the kitchen cabinets- pics to come. We are also starting to plan for our bedroom to go in the loft of the A-frame so i am excited about that!!

Today though Chris asked if i wanted to help him find wood for our new stove. I knew what he meant- finding a tree in the woods and sawing it up- yipee. I did not get to run the chain saw yet as we were cutting up an oak and they are very hard, but i did get to run the splitter! The down tree was about 200 feet off the road so chris would cut the logs to size and I carried (maybe he did get the better end of the deal :) ) anyway- we partially filled the truck and then he took me to a different part of camp to show me how to use a hydrolic wood splitter- i found it to be a lot of fun, although chris assured me it would get old lol! it was amazing to watch these huge pieces of wood be forced into the blade!

So this weekend we will probably be working together on the wall behind the wood stove and i will also, hopefully, be wrapping up the kitchen until we can pull out the faux paneling.

I have been blessed since coming by all the family in Christ and i am also very thankful for the opportunity to be surrounded again by creation! I have found plants i've never seen before!! pics to come :)

Three days

We arrived to SAC on Tuesday morning. We were blessed and encouraged by the many people who helped us unload the truck, stopped by as we unpacked, and even fed us these passed few days.

Yesterday we started in, cleaning, wiping down walls and scrubbing the bathroom. Mom helped me plant a few things I brought and helped me dig some ferns out of the woods- she actually also helped me dig up rocks to make a boundary for the path to my house ( i like rocks). Then she and my dad helped me prep and paint the cabinets for our kitchen.

- all the while Chris was wrestling with the Kitchen. He pulled out and drained the water heater in order to move it into a closet, then cut into the wall behind it to prep the plumbing for a sink. In the process he removed a light fixture from 1968- (yay).

Today it rained quite a bit which made the projects in limited space more tricky. But, through it all, we managed to move the fridge into place, pull new wiring, arrange the new kitchen cabinets and unpack- arrange some things- don't get me wrong most of our life is still in boxes!

We have been very thankful for Skype! Got to talk to family yesterday and today and that is very encouraging.

Please pray for us as we continue to learn and open ourselves to what it it is to be a vessel. Pray for provision and for us to understand his providence.

*Blessed to Serve.

The story:

a brief history of how ... and why we are driving across the country today.

Today -September 19, 2011- we sold our house! And now everything we own (except Pippin) fits in a 16 foot trailer aaaand the car towing behind. Pippin is sitting in between Chris and I :) So here's what happend

We moved to Indiana in the first place July 2009 because we wanted to build some equity and were fairly stir-crazy in our tiny basement apartment. We started renovating 5418 Central the day we moved in- pictures on facebook :) - including new stairs, new electrical, refinished floors, new windows, it was amazing!

We were thoroughly enjoying ourselves-really! And, yet there was a question, "how long should we be doing 'this'" this part of our life where we were saving up, paying off debt and enjoying a lot of comfort. Chris and I talked about how , when we were dating, we prayed that God would only draw us to marriage if our ministry would be more effective together than it would be apart. So, this is the gist of what we were contemplating.

One night chris taped some paper on the wall of the dining room and said- 'ok, what do we want to do?' We wrote down our hearts' passions, our dream jobs, our giftings, things that would need to happen financially and physically. We love camping, Chris loves working with his hands, I love working outside, and with art. He hoped for a hands on environment- i hoped for a ropes course. And then we started praying.

Between that night and now we were distracted, we were confused, and sometimes we were just swamped. But at some point we started looking at camps. We felt out hearts aligned with our gifts to work in a camp setting. For several months we were completely unsure of what was going on or what would happen next and i became pretty discouraged this past spring about where we 'belonged'.

Then we learned about an open position at a camp in NY for a Facilities Director. Chris sent them a resume and we had a few conversations with the camp that were open and exciting. So we decided to cancel our camping trip in June and drive out to see the camp for ourselves.

We were warmly greeted by the staff, volunteers and the board- our investigative trip turned into a job interview and offer!

We came back home after a whirlwind 36 hours with a load to pray about. The desire came down to two things- Would God release us from the financial burden of our house and truck? and Would we let go of a life we had gotten comfortable with? More prayer, some fasting, asking for wisdom and prayer from others. Ultimately, Chris and I went to the beach one night - sat down and decided that we wanted to do this.

We listed our house on July 6th and told the camp we would come if it sold or we had an offer by September 1st.

A lot more praying, and waiting and surrendering, and doubting.

Would God bless our desire to go, or would he teach us more by having us stay? No offers in July and August flew by with only a few showings- August 27th I was working at the church and a video played I have to mention because I felt my will rend before the Lord. (a very quick aside is something i learned from a dear friend, "Not my will, but yours be done" became very real to me during this time and thanks to her) My God is sovereign over all my desires, all time- all i can NOT understand. I can not begin to make a plan to match what he has designed to glorify himself.

The next day (sunday) we made a tentative plan for what we would do if the house did not sell- something we had not done. Monday night our realtor called with a verbal offer- a cash verbal offer, which we worked out. We signed a contract for sale on August 30th!!

The inspection and appraisal came through by September 5th and we agreed to close today - September 19th, and so began a whirl wind of packing and notice at work- literally two weeks from labor day we pulled away.

So, we are moving to NY today, to Sacandaga Bible Conference where Chris will oversee all the facilities and I will get to help with programming and activities - they have a high ropes course.

There are many smaller stories of God's providence threaded through here but I didn't want to lose too many of you along the way. Those will come. As of now, please pray for us as we drive, and transition.

By his grace, for his GLORY!

Weekend

Woke up to a small ice storm here in Indiana... bummed. Not so much because the weather is acting like winter, but because the weather was NOT acting like winter a few days ago. Here again I write about my love for plants. I am just worried all my bulbs will die after thawing to 60 degrees and freezing again... hmmm.

Growing up I didn't expect to enjoy gardening- i hated it when i had to help my Grandma weed her garden, and my mom had pretty specific rules about the use of our back yard so that we didn't harm the flowers- or the birds, I even tried my hand at gardening when i was little and fried everything from lack of water. Well, living in Chicago four years reminded me of my love for nature and opened my eyes to the wonderful and cathartic experience of gardening.

I wouldn't say i'm actually very good at gardening- but the opportunity to revive and plant and divide plants- it feels ... like our journey in sanctification. I see symbolism in the ever changing seasons, the obstacles, the bruised but beautiful plants, new life, death, regeneration... and the work of one who controls it all... (except that i don't actually get to control it all) It's beautiful and i am very excited to return to my garden in a few more months!!

Lately I have been trying to think of things to write on this blog. It's not that life is boring - its actually changing and growing quite a bit... but I can't really think of thinks I want to express. I'll work on that.

In the mean time, spring is coming- i saw two daffodil pips as I drove up to my house today. Therefore (if you know me) you know I will be outside pretty soon and often.

Also looking for a second job. If I was still in chicago i would probably nanny in a heart beat- but it's not as... effective here. :)

more to come.

Favorite Pics from 2010

I was very excited when I saw this chair next to such a beautiful blue shutter!


Its almost as if you can hear him saying, "I don't like snow."



This was a photo shoot I did with a friend to work on my photo skills!

Time in NY!!

This little mushroom was so miraculous- it took a while to get the settings right but no photo shop here!

I could pitch a tent right here!

Chris took the one above- Yes, he's very talented!

He took this one too, I LOVE IT!

Dawn

Hats at an antique shop in NY

Happy 2011.

monday is laundry day

well.... we are out of towels, and i am out of jeans... Monday is laundry day, and last monday we did about 7 hours of driving and family-ing so i have quite a bit.

This past Christmas was extremely poignant for me, a lot of changes, a bit of dissonance- as i realized that it takes resolve, and courage to change... but mostly it takes the Holy Spirit. I missed family this year in an ache-y way I know many can understand. But through it I was blessed to find a frame of reference.

I remember the first time I learned 'frame of reference' in science class... it has ever since had spiritual significance for me. My 'first-world' problems are so insignificant when I am reminded ... when God reminds me of a bigger picture, of bigger needs, of my own materialism. I am given a frame of reference

- and it's an outpouring of grace.