fun... food... family... friends... It's FAIR TIME!!!

It's that time of the year again in northern Indiana... the time for the Elkhart County 4-H Fair!

Thanks to Grandpa Kirk (my dad), he insisted that our three youngest enjoy another year as 4-Hers, so each has a lamb to show, and Bailey entered one of her drawings.  It's Bailey's 10th year in 4-H so there are extra festivities for her, as well.

Bailey, Spencer & Easton showing their 4-H Dorset lambs last year at the fair

Fair things we'll miss this year:

• Steak Tips... with potatoes & grilled onions
• People watching from "our spot" at the front of the Lamb Barn
• Lamb burgers & Lemon Shake-Ups
• Chatting with friends as we walk around the fairgrounds
• Frozen custard from the Dairy Bar
• Watching the kids show their animals
• Taco Salad
• Round Robin Contest
• Potatoes from the Gyro Stand
• Queen Contest
• Tom Thumb Donuts
• Checking out all the 4-H exhibits and commercial booths
• Hot air balloons
• And so much more...

What do you like at the fair?

There are a few things we won't mind missing... the hot, humid days followed by thunderstorms, mud and puddles... dust, dirt, flies... smelly barns... waiting in long lines of traffic in/out of the fairgrounds.

Here's a look back at a few pictures of our kids showing their sheep in their early 4-H days...

Morgan & Bailey showing in the Sheep Open Show in their early years

 

Spencer showing in the Sheep Open Show one of her first years in 4-H

Easton in the Sheep Open Show before he started 4-H

And, let's not forget our extra friendly, extra tall lamb, fondly called "Horsie".  He acted more like one of our pet puppies than a 4-H show animal...

So, for all our dear friends in or near Elkhart County, Indiana - enjoy the next NINE days at the best county fair in the country!!!

We'll miss you... but, you can still stop by the front of the Lamb Barn and visit any of our kids; they'll be sitting in the same spot we've enjoyed for the past 12 years!
 

 

Happy fair days to you all!

God is good... all the time!

I'm feeling a bit nostalgic today... probably because I've been alone for a few days and have had plenty of time to reflect on this past year and God's faithfulness.

One year ago today, we posted the most difficult blog post - it.is.well - about our decision to resign as missionary candidates to Lyon, France with ReachGlobal.  We were heartbroken. depleted. unsure of our future. but trusting!  Many wise people spoke into our lives at that time.  Here is one quote from our post that rings more true today for us -

"He knows how to guide and lead us though his ways can be impenetrable to our finite minds. It is never easy to come to terms with a decision to change course when convictions for a certain direction have been so strong. I have never doubted that conviction in your regard and still have the certainty that the Lord has been calling you to serve him in a special way."

 

God has indeed changed our course over the past year and led us to a very special ministry with college students at California Baptist University and to a young church family in Palm Desert!  Throughout the year, God led us one step at a time, and provided for us each step of the way. 

I like lists... you probably know that already.  So, let me just share with you some amazing ways God has provided:

1. Chris' job came in August 2012 as the Administrative Assistant to the Dean of the School of Music
2. Steve was given an adjunct professor position at CBU, teaching piano classes and private piano
3. God is good... all the time
4. In January (just when we needed it), Steve was hired as the Worship Director at Cornerstone Covenant Church in Palm Desert... a total God-provision!
5. Bailey survived her senior year 2000+ miles away from us
6. Morgan worked multiple jobs, "watched" houses, and enjoyed sibling time with Bailey
7. God is good... all the time
8. Spencer & Easton completed a year of virtual high school... a fairly non-social time for them, but they survived!
9. Spencer decided to complete high school a year early... passing the CHSPE test... and enjoying graduation open house WITH Bailey in Indiana!
10. God is good... all the time
11. Steve was chosen to fill a vacancy as a full-time assistant professor in the School of Music at CBU... another blessing from God!
12. Morgan, Bailey AND Spencer were accepted to CBU... they will begin their university experiences together this fall!
13. God is good... all the time

And, to top it off... God has been working in AMAZING ways for dear friends of ours who have also been raising support to serve overseas as missionaries.  He has worked overtime this year... and provided for each of them.  One dear couple moved in January and ALL of the remaining families are heading to their assigned fields of ministry in July!!!  Please be in prayer for them as they adjust to their ministries while learning a new language and culture.  (Check out the map to find where God is placing each of our friends!)

• Tom & Tanya Clyde - in Czech Republic since January with ReachGlobal (E on the map)
• Matt & Kimberly Davis - opening a new city for ReachGlobal in London; arriving with their three kids mid-July (D on the map)
• Greg & Wende Whitus - arriving in Lyon, France with their two daughters in mid-July to work with the ICCL as the lead pastor (C on the map)
• Anastasia Carlson - arriving in Lyon, France mid-July to work in various ministries with the Lyon City Team (C on the map)
• Todd & Nicole Owens - arriving in Kijabe, Kenya with their little tribe of five kiddos in mid-July to serve the kids at Rift Valley Academy (F on the map)

"I lift you high in praise, my God, O my King! and I’ll bless your name into eternity. I’ll bless you every day, and keep it up from now to eternity. God is magnificent; he can never be praised enough. There are no boundaries to his greatness."   (Psalm 145, The Message)

God is good... all the time!

thankful.

Many have been posting their "I'm thankful for..." posts on Facebook all month.  I don't know why, but I didn't want to join in on the daily posts.  At the same time, I am so blessed and thankful.  So, as we relax at Steve's parents' house over Thanksgiving weekend, it seemed a fitting time to share my own "thankful" list... so here it is:

1. my truly amazing, gifted, kind, generous and tenderhearted husband
2. our firstborn daughter, Morgan - passionate, encouraging, speaker of truth
3. our zany, loving, tender, creative daughter, Bailey
4. our sweet, spontaneous, stylish, spitfire daughter, Spencer
5. our youngest and now tallest child and only son, Easton - deep voice, full of energy, kind, gentle spirit
6. my health - God has blessed me with a great, healthy year of which I am so grateful and don't take lightly
7. my parents and their never-ending love for me... and their willingness to take youngest two for a month :)
8. family and friends in Indiana, California and around the world
9. our "home" in Riverside, CA
10. my new job at California Baptist University - three months into my first school year and I've survived so far... looking forward to learning much more throughout the rest of the year and for years to come
11. students I have an opportunity to minister to through a smile, a kind word, a hug, and words of encouragement
12. flexibility with virtual school for Spencer & Easton to enjoy a month in Indiana with family and friends
13. as a family, joining The Gary Bonner Singers - learning TONS of music and looking forward to singing our first concerts with the group in December
14. palm trees and bougainvilleas
15. warm days and cool nights
16. sunshine and blue skies
17. great insurance coverage, facilities and service by all who we've encounter through Kaiser Permanente while Steve's been dealing with multiple kidney stones over the past four weeks
18. Roku - an awesome little box that allows us to watch our netflix, hulu, etc. on our tv without hooking up a computer
19. goodwill stores - the best black Friday (and every other day) deal place on earth
20. church opportunities for Steve to fill in as pianist, organist, choir director, worship leader over the past two months
21. God's amazing provision for our "daily needs"
22. two churches discussing openings for a part-time worship leader with Steve
23. Morgan has 3 jobs and God is continues to provide for her
24. Bailey is enjoying singing, dancing, acting and drawing at NWHS
25. Spencer is resilient and enjoying life in California
26. Easton is growing up into a gentle, sweet young man (who happens to love video games)
27. chocolate, pizza, PF Chang's lettuce wraps, and diet coke :)
28. God's love so amazing that He chose to give His only Son for me (and you)
29. Jesus' sacrifice on the cross for us and gift of eternal life
30. the Spirit who works in and through me daily

And, thank you!  We are wishing each of you a blessed season as you reflect on what you are thankful for and look forward to the celebration of the greatest gift of all - Jesus' birth!

Catching up...

Much has happened... and all quite quickly... since our first post on this blog.  We seriously haven't had any time to even sit down to begin considering how to share with everyone how God has been working and leading us over the past three months.

driving through the grapevine

Here's a not-so-quick synopsis:

• Mid-June we made the heart-wrenching decision, with the leading from our pastoral staff and ReachGlobal leaders, to resign from our missionary candidacy/fund raising toward Lyon, France
• The following days were very difficult, yet filled with God's peace with the decision
• We began to seriously pray for God's direction knowing that, just as He led us through 17 months of partnership development and training and prior to that 1-2 years of searching for His ministry plan for our lives, He has a plan for our future
• Time at MapleTronics was running out for Steve's position by the end of August, prompting us to continue ask friends and mentors for any leads in worship ministry
• Through friends in southern California, we learned of an opening at California Baptist University that would be perfect for Chris - as the administrative assistant to the Dean of the School of Music
• After talking with the new dean (and long-time college friend), we learned that Steve could also teach class piano and private piano lessons as an adjunct professor so we decided to pursue this option
• During the waiting, we took HUGE steps of faith by setting an auction date and began the daunting task of packing our house, praying all the while that God would continue to open the doors
• After multiple interviews and many weeks of waiting between each, Chris was offered the position and Steve was accepted as an adjunct music faculty
• Chris and Spencer flew to Riverside, California four days after receiving the offer to begin working in the School of Music
• On this same day, August 21st, Steve and the rest of the kids and his parents were watching most of our belongings being auctioned off - a great test of faith and willingness to relinquish things
• Final packing of the remaining items led to a stuffed-to-the-brim u-haul for Steve and Easton to begin the trek to SoCal on Sunday, August 26th
• During that same week of packing, Chris and Spencer spent days at CBU, evenings driving around town and trying to find rental properties, and nights in a hotel
• After six nights in a hotel, Chris and Spencer moved into a fellow newbie to CBU's new rental house - Dawn was waiting for her husband to arrive from Calgary and we were waiting for our family to arrive from Indiana
• We found an apartment to rent, but had to wait until September 9th to move in so we continued to camp out at Dawn's house even after Steve and Easton arrived on the scene, enjoying air mattresses and living out of suitcases
• Our u-haul was parked for 10 days at another music faculty member's home
• Last Sunday we were joined by two ever-so-gracious music students to do the task of unpacking our u-haul and trekking it upstairs into a not-quite-1100sf apartment
• The 4 four-drawer filing cabinets full of music and additional boxes of music and books were unloaded into a 5x10 storage unit and many more boxes of our remaining belongings currently sit on our little porch
• It's amazing how much we STILL have when we thought we gave us so much
• Most of our actual furniture was sold in the auction so we've found some amazing furniture on CraigsList - sofa/loveseat/ottoman set, side table, tv stand, dining room table and chairs
• We also found amazing deals on a second-hand refrigerator and microwave
• Our little place is becoming home to us... although we miss Morgan and Bailey so very much!
• Since we didn't ever actually see OUR apartment before moving in, we've found out that the freeway that sits right next to us makes for lots of noise day and night... something we're getting used to
• After three weeks on the job at CBU, Chris is beginning to understand more of the job and not feel quite as overwhelmed as at the beginning
• Steve's been learning how to balance teaching class piano to a dozen students out of two different books - one for music majors and one for non-music majors - which is quite challenging
• After researching high schools, visiting them, working through transfer options, we have currently settled on Spencer and Easton attending virtual public high school through CalPac
• Only three days into virtual school so far, Spencer and Easton have some catching up to do along with learning how to effectively learn and study in a virtual environment
• We are visiting churches and praying for the best youth group environment for the kids so they can connect with kids their age, grow in their faith and serve in ministry

Through all the whirlwind, we still feel God's hand of direction and great peace that only He can give.  As we continue to walk by faith in this journey, we are still trusting God will provide for us in a few specific areas.  Please pray with us for answers to these needs:

1. Steve's position at CBU is very part-time and we are praying that God will provide another source of income as well as ministry.  He's applied to two different churches in the area that need a worship pastor.  We are praying for open doors and God's direction and provision.
2. A vibrant youth group for our kids to get involved with in the near future.
3. Friends for our kids.  Both Spencer and Easton thrive on being with people and we know that, although they have been simply amazing in this huge change in their lives, they really do need to get connected soon with kids their age.
4. Bailey is living with my sister and brother-in-law in Nappanee and attending NorthWood HS for her senior year.  The transition into another home and away from us has been difficult for her, especially this past week as she celebrated her birthday without us nearby.  Pray that God would give her great friends and a special connection with her new family this year.
5. Morgan has moved back to Indiana from Atlanta and is looking for a job.  She is house-sitting for a family from NMC, which has been an amazing answer to prayer for her housing needs.  Pray that God would provide a source of income as well as ministry opportunities for her.  Also pray that she and Bailey can be there for each other during this year of transition for our family.

As we look back at how God has led our family over the past two years, we can already see how He has used our time with ReachGlobal and preparation time for France as a way to prepare us for this move we made to Riverside.  It was through the months of preparation for France that brought us to the place of willingness to let go of everything, planning to sell all, planning for virtual school in Lyon, preparing to leave family and friends, and willingness to go wherever He asked us to go.  And, though He ultimately led us west rather than east, we know He will provide for our needs and open doors for ministry in ways we can't even yet imagine!

So, we're back to our life verse - 21 years later - and still reveling in God's promise:

I’ll show up and take care of you as I promised

and bring you back home.

I know what I’m doing.

I have it all planned out—plans to take care of you,

not abandon you, plans to give you the future you hope for.

Jeremiah 29:11, MSG

trusting in the meantime...

Welcome to our new blog site, Still We Will Trust.  As you are aware, our family has been on a journey over the past few years as we continue trusting God through each of life's circumstances.  Our blog site, Par-Lay-Voo, was our way to share about the many valleys and mountaintops we've crossed in our journey with Him as a couple and family... and it mostly documented how God led us to pursue missions, how He directed us to ReachGlobal and the Lyon, France ministry.

Those many months through the application process, ministry partner development and training were so very GOOD for us!  We have since been reminded that following God down a long path toward an open door may be the only way He can get us to the point in the hallway to see a new hallway/path leading a different direction.  Had we not walked the past 24 months journey, we would not be prepared for where and what He has for us next.

As a young person, I (Chris) chose Proverbs 3:5-6 as my life verse - "Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding.  In all your ways, acknowledge Him and He will direct your paths."  If you are a Facebook friend of mine, you will see this passage across the top of my timeline in our favorite version, The Message.  It words it as this:

Trust God from the bottom of your heart;

don't try to figure everything out on your own.

Listen to God's voice in everything you do, everywhere you go;

He's the one who will keep you on track.

Wow!  That sounds so easy to do, but as we are experiencing it seems so very hard to do on a day-by day, hour-by-hour basis as the clarity is still quite out of focus on where He wants to use us and what He wants us to do.

God provided an amazing peace in our decision to resign from our mission candidacy with ReachGlobal.  There was much sadness and disappointment about the loss of our future lives in the ministry to Lyon, but God's peace was so overwhelming that we knew the right decision had been made.  We still know it was the right decision.

As those doors closed, others opened.  With open doors, we are learning that there still may be some travelling down "another hallway" before we can walk through the door!  This is where we've been for the past two months... still waiting, still trusting God, still trying to NOT figure everything out on our own - but to listen to God's voice in everything we do and everywhere we go.

When we were married, 21 years ago this past August 3rd, we decided Jeremiah 29:11 was our family verse.  Let us share again from The Message what we are reminded in this verse:

I know what I'm doing.  I have it all planned out -

plans to take care of you, not abandon you,

plans to give you the future you hope for.



God is working... in us, in our kids, in our future, and... still we will trust!

Thanks for your continued prayers for us!  Know that we will post again soon once He fully reveals His plans for us... and then we will continue posting about life in our household as we continue to trust Him.