Kids and Cowboy Boots

"For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways," declares the Lord. As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts." ~ Isaiah 55:8,9

 

Those were the words my husband spoke last Sunday morning at the beginning of his resignation from our church. That was the moment when I didn't realize you could simultaneously have a huge knot in your stomach, tears falling silently from your eyes, yet your heart flooded with peace. We knew that it was time. God has released us,  God was telling us it was now time to move on. I don't know how you say goodbye to people that have become your family. 

 

When we came here almost 12 years ago, we told the team we were looking for a church and a community that we could invest in. That we could raise our children in. And before the weekend was over we knew this was our new home.  Now I can say this is the longest I have ever lived in a town. Ever. In my life. This is the longest I have ever lived in a house, attended a church....you get the idea. My kids have grown up here. I will have two that graduate from here. Anyway, I wanted to say all that so people would understand this is not your typical fly-by-the-seat-of-the-night youth pastor leaving. We have laughed with, we have cried with, and we have LOVED the people- not only in our church, but the community. So if you are wondering what the big Facebook love-fest that has been going on for the last few days is about, now ya' know. (Which we have read and appreciated every single word written and feel the same way.)

 

With all the highly charged emotional fall-out in our family that has come with us leaving, we have not had much time to think about, plan for, or be excited about what God is going to do in this next phase of our life. Today, God has "traded my sorrow...for the joy of the Lord." And I can say the same for my husband. The many sleepless nights we have had wrestling with this decision, the hours spent praying, the tears before the decision was even made, have been replaced with a peace that passes all understanding. With a hope of a new life. And it is time to look forward.

 

Today we actually enjoyed talking about our NEW home and ministry which God has seemed to literally drop in our lap! We will begin working June 1st for the Arkansas Baptist Children's Homes at their ranch in Harrison, Arkansas. They have 4 beautiful homes that houses 32 boys ages 6-18 on an incredible 500 acre ranch. We will be house parents to 8 boys.  This is a ministry of the Southern Baptist Convention so we will attend with the boys the First Baptist Church of Harrison. We have visited the church are looking so forward to still ministering in a volunteer capacity. The boys on the ranch attends all the services, and participate in all the youth group activities. Elisabeth will get to be a part of Awanas.  They even go to Siloam Springs church camp - Woohoo!!!!  (Chris is never getting out of camp!  lol)  We are blessed that Jacob has such a great attitude and is really excited about going. He hung out with the boys and got to play basketball with them. One set of house parents actually have a son the same age as Jacob!  Elisabeth felt right at home running all over the place...She will be the only girl (besides house moms) on that campus!!! We felt a connection with the other staff - and 2 sets of house parents are around our age. They have mission trips planned for the boys, we have daily devotions with them before they head off to the public school. That is one thing that impressed me the most with the ABC Homes - Salvation is their main focus for the child. And intense discipleship follows.  We have been group home parents before, way back in the day - when Sarah was Elisabeth's age. Then we were therapeutic foster parents for six years and Chris was a case manager for the Salvation Army. Then we went into full time youth ministry. This is like everything we have ever done combined into one job! So we have a good idea of what we are getting in to.  A lot of people have asked if I will be teaching.  I will also be employed with ABC Homes so I will be taking a few years off of teaching and get the privilege of just being a mom again (with a few more kids added). We know this kind of work makes a huge difference.  We still keep in touch (thank you Facebook for reuniting us all) with our Boys Town girls, our foster kids, old youth group kids - no one replaces the other. We love them all. The kids in our youth group now we have been with since some of them were in preschool. How do you leave them?!?!  Gosh, I can't imagine not being around them but I know that God has graciously and lovingly told us it's time to move on and will be giving us new boys to love and pour our lives into. We embrace this new part of our life with joy and anticipation of  what God is going to do through our family.  Not that we don't have some more tears still to come in the following weeks as our time at First Baptist Church, Mansfield comes quickly to a close. (Lump is back in my throat- ughh!)

 

But we smile as we think about our totally new life "on the ranch..." And I am so getting totally cute cowboy boots for my birthday in a few weeks. I took some pictures with my phone a few weeks ago when we were there on a visit.  I honestly fell in love with it and if it is this beautiful in the ugly dead of winter I can't imagine how gorgeous it will be in the spring! YeeeeeeHawwwwww!!!!!!

 

"But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead. I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus."

Philippians 3:13,14