I'm Reminded

Time to write, time to write... I mean that in more ways than one these days.

*disclaimer: this paragraph is totally out of place in this post.  I am fully aware of that. I'm almost offending myself by leaving it in.  But, if I wait much longer, my excitement to share is going to fade.  I don't want that to happen...so...I am excited to let the world know that we did it!  WE BOUGHT A VACUUM (see #6 in confessions post).  I should be more embarrassed for how long we went without one, but I'm not.  Our floors now look awesome.  WE BOUGHT A VACUUM!


And now, on to much more important things...
I've really struggled for the last week or so.  I think it's because we're back in Austin, back to our "normal" lives after spending four weeks with our family and friends over the holidays.... yes, four.  We were gone from our home for 29 days and surrounded by friends, family, and familiarity for the whole time.  It was sweet.  As you can imagine, plunging ourselves back in to "real life" was tough (aside from having our own bed...I love our bed and it will take a lot of bribing and cash to get me to sleep in someone else's for that long again).  In a nutshell, I've been bummed and I've asked myself over and over and over why we ever made this move.  After a number of closed doors, I got to a breaking point a couple of days ago and told God that I wasn't sure he still remembered us; that we'd gone too long without "a break" - without finding a church, a job, a friend.  That morning, through my tears and very raw, I  asked God to simply remind me that He was still with us... 

I continue to follow Troy and Tara Livesay's blog and the work they're doing in Haiti.  There are some VERY amazing stories.  You must read them all.  I was specifically struck by this post (go read it now) and Tara's mention of Emmanuel - God with us...

When I asked God the other morning to remind me that He hadn't forgotten about us, He was silent.  For those of you who know me well, you know that I struggle with patience sometimes always.  I got a little offended that God didn't speak to me that morning, or the next one or the next one, and I told myself that I was right... God really had forgotten about us.  And for a short second, I let myself believe it...

Sunday morning Dylan and I visited a church. We loved it.  I know this may not seem like a big deal, but trust me, it's huge.  We've visited countless churches in this city and have not been able to find a match... it's the one thing we've really asked the Lord for, and we'd almost given up hope.  As I was sitting in service on Sunday I heard God gently say to me, "I'm with you"...

I wrote about Amos a few days ago and I'm elated to let you know, not only is Amos home with his family, but so is Kembert and Amilia and Frankie and Naomi and Gino and Sammy.  Amazing, amazing stories.  You must read them all...

I could tell you a couple more of our own stories that have unfolded over the last couple of days... but I'm not going to.  This post would be too long and they're stories that are too hard to tell.  But let me assure you, I've heard God say "I'm with you" over and over in the last few days, and I know it is true...

He is Emmanuel.  to me.  to haiti.  God with us.