God's "LITTLE" blessings.

We made it.

We finally arrived in the place we have been preparing for.  Over 11 years of preparation.  Of seeing God direct us, one step at a time.  It still hits me sometimes....we are really here.

There have been several "little things" that have happened since being here, which God has used to encourage me.  Little reminders that are whispers of His continued love and continued direction, one step at a time.  I want to record them so that I can look back and remember what He has done.  And I want to share it on here, so that others can be encouraged and praise Him with me.

Before we left the States, J (our now 10-month-old), could hardly eat anything that wasn't super-fine pureed.  If I mashed up bananas, he would gag and then throw up.  If I gave him tiny pieces of bread, he would gag and throw up.  So, I was only able to feed him pureed baby foods.  I packed a few containers in our suitcases, hoping that it would last us until I could find them here in the store or buy a blender to make our own.  Well, God had a different (better) plan!  Almost as soon as we arrived in our new country, J was miraculously able to eat solid foods!  It may seem like a small thing, but it has been such a blessing to be able to give him whatever we are eating (especially as we found out they don't sell pureed baby food here!)


We arrived here on December 31, with 2 small children, 7 suitcases/action packers, 2 strollers and more carry-ons than we could count.  That was it (even though it seemed like a lot when you were dragging it around the airport).  We found a house to rent for the year we are here.  It is a beautiful, new house.  However, it was completely empty.  No furniture, no closets, no cabinets, no shelves, no TP holders, no fridge, no stove, no place to put any of our belongings....you get the point.  We bought the basic necessities for being able to live (i.e. fridge, 2-burner stove top, towels and mattresses).  We moved into our house with those things and quickly found out the challenges of not having other furniture.  And then we found out that a sister organization of ours had a storage room full of furniture that we could borrow!  And the best part?  It was all RIGHT NEXT DOOR!  Only God could have planned that as He directed us to this house.  What a blessing!


Both of my babies have had digestive problems.  When B was small, his "problem" was extreme, many of you know that story.  J was not quite as bad, but he did seem to be bothered by certain foods, particularly dairy.  I went dairy-free for a while, which was difficult for this milk, cheese, sour cream, cream cheese, ice-cream-lover!  A couple months before we left, I was able to add back all dairy, except for milk.  Milk seemed to still bother him, giving him more gas and discomfort.  It was hard to not have milk, because I had heard that you could only get powdered milk in the place we were moving.  I was giving up milk for a much longer time than I had anticipated or wanted.  To our pleasant surprise, we arrived in our new city and found out you can buy fresh milk here!!  I tried adding it back into my diet and J has been fine with it!  What an unexpected blessing to now be able to enjoy fresh milk again. [As an added bonus, it gets delivered to our door, 3 days a week, at no extra charge...actually, we pay less than we would if we bought it at the store! And it's cheaper (and fresher) than most places in the US: $2.36 per gallon].

Worry and Fear

We have been in a new country 4 days.  My youngest son had a double ear infection the week leading up to our departure.  He has had diarrhea for over 2 weeks.  He has a severe diaper rash that improved some, then got worse again.  He has a rash on his chest and back, likely a heat rash or allergic reaction of some kind.  My oldest son had an ear infection and horrible cough the week leading up to our departure.  His cough is improved, but he does not seem to be completely back to normal health yet.  He woke up with a 101 fever this morning and it has been coming and going throughout the day.

As a mom, in a new place, with my kids not being healthy, it is too easy to worry.  To allow myself to give into fear.  The devotional I read today was a challenge from God, that He used to speak directly to the situation I find myself in.

"Try saying, 'I trust you, Jesus'" in response to whatever happens to you [or you kids]....think about Who I am in all my Power and Glory...ponder the depth and breadth of my love for you [and your kids]".
-Jesus Calling, January 4.

Here is the God of the universe, the Creator of my children, Who formed them in my womb before I even knew they were there, the Giver of life and health and the One Who loves each of us more than we can comprehend...so much that He was willing to sacrifice His own Son because of His love for me [and my kids].  How can I not trust Him?  How can I not say, "I trust you, Jesus"?  He loves them more than I ever could.  And He brought our whole family here to this new place, not just K and I, but B and J as well.  Praise Him that He can give me the ability to let go of my worry and not give into fear, but rather trust Him.  Because even that, even that comes from Him.  And He IS Good..ALL the time.

An early Christmas

We have been traveling for the past 4 months, so much of our stuff has been in storage for that time.  Last week we arrived back in North Carolina and will be here until we depart for our new overseas home on Dec. 29.  With less than 6 weeks left in the country, we pulled everything out of storage so we can re-organize, get rid of things we won't want in 4 years and pull out the things we want to take with us. 

A couple of days ago we opened up one of the boxes of B's toys, which he hadn't seen in the last 4 months.  It was so fun and a bit hilarious to watch him excitedly exclaim over each thing he pulled out.

"My water airplane! It's landing on the sea!" (pulls out his sea plane and "lands" it on the coffee table)
"My flipper!" (pulls out his Dutch slipper and tries to put it on)
"My police car!" (pulls out his Texas state trooper car) "There is a police car guy inside.  And a police car mom, too!"

Now we have to decide which toys are the favorites that we will take with us....we certainly don't want to fill up our precious space (6 suitcases) with just toys!  Although I know a 2-year-old who wouldn't mind that...

This is an old picture...but shows B enjoying his toys!

B Quotes: "Bruther" edition

B: "I'm a bruther.  J is a bruther.  Papa is a bruther.  Mama is a....[pause]...girl bruther"

B Quotes: Nov. 7 edition

A couple weeks ago we went to the dentist for check-ups.  We were waiting in the waiting room to be called back when an older gentleman walked out.  He had white hair with a long white beard.  He was heavy set and wore glasses.  Anyone who saw him would immediately think: Santa.  He fit the description perfectly.  He stopped when he saw B and asked how he was doing.  B, in typical 2-year-old fashion, hopped around while saying, "good".

Then, Santa, with a twinkle in his eye, asked, "I hope you are being a good little boy.  You know who is coming soon?"  B didn't miss a beat, with great excitement he blurted out, "THE DENTIST GUY!!"

Santa was obviously a bit surprised, "Ha ha...er...ho, ho, ho". :)

We weren't about to tell him B's never even heard of Santa....but at least now we can say we've all met him...at the dentist. :)