A Beautiful Mosaic

His GRACE [alone] is sufficient for me . I can do all things [He has called me to] through Him who gives me strength . These are my claims today after our first full 6 days in Monticello at Vera Lloyd.  These formerly overly-quoted cliched verses have borne new meaning in my life. Here's a recap of the last week : Saturday morning we were graciously welcomed to campus by the campus director, his wife, the program director, and a whole house of boys ready to help us unload the truck.  We were pleasantly surprised by the size and appearance of our personal apartment (attached to the home we'll be working in). We have room for visitors to come stay with us (hint, hint) and even have an extra bathroom!  Sunday morning we were invited to church with the campus director and his wife at Second Baptist of Monticello.  It was a very warm and welcoming experience, for sure!  Sunday morning was one of the (many) times this week I have realized just how much God has to teach us by b

KANSAS As I drove away from the place I will probably always call my "home" today with a U-Haul and tears flowing from my eyes, I remembered the line of a David Crowder song: The heart breaking makes a sound I never knew could be / So beautiful and loud, fury-filled and we collide It was the same line I had recalled the night before as I watched my little brother walk to his truck after we had said our final good-bye...and the pain in my chest had screamed. It was the same line that echoed for the first hundred miles of my drive.  As my heart broke.  And as the grief set in.  Unfortunately, some things cannot be felt until the exact moment they are happening to you.  For instance, you can't avoid the sadness that will slam you in the face as you leave by being prematurely sad...because you won't fully feel it until you are in fact leaving.  I think reality and grief must be characterized by the present.  Today, as I left Kansas, my heart broke. OKLAHOMA But

To those in Salina: -Please remember and consider donating to our Vera Lloyd Clothing Drive I talked about here . -Also, please consider passing along this link  to our beloved home we are hoping to sell to anyone you might know who is interested. -Lastly, please come to our Garage Sale this weekend, June 17-18 and bring your friends!  We will open at 7am both days and close when the crowds disappear.  A lot of furniture, clothing, and household items will be available for GREAT prices. 

Michael and I find ourselves squished in between so many things right now.  In between our full, abundant life in Salina that we have begun to say good-bye to and our impending, exciting life in Arkansas.  In between jobs.  In between lifestyles.  We are in the space between right now.  Life Update : We just returned from an awesome vacation in one of our favorite places on the planet, Colorado.  We spent 2 days staying in Broomfield (town between Denver and Boulder) and had a lot of fun galavanting around Denver's REI store and 16th Street Mall and Boulder's famous Pearl Street.  Then, we drove up into the mountains and spent 5 days in Breckenridge.  We hiked as far as we could (there are still a lot of snow-packed trails), biked from Breck to Frisco, relaxed in our condo, and managed to eat only 1 meal our entire trip inside!!!  The weather was beautiful and all the restaurants have patios and balconies with amazing mountain views.  Our vacation followed my last week o