4 Generations Under One Roof!

Spring is here, and with it comes a season of change! The old is passing away, and new life is taking its place- there is new grass peeking through the hardened soil, tiny leaves budding on the trees, and a few brave flowers blossoming (only to get a little snow shower this morning due to crazy Jersey weather)! In the Spring change is good- we are all tired of colds, and scraping our windshields of ice, and wearing so many layers... and we are ready for warmth and flowers, and sunshine! We are embarking on our own season of change...

In June we will be leaving our home of five years, and moving in with Josh's parents (his grandmother also lives with them). And while we know it is exactly where Jesus wants us, we know it won't be easy all the time. Please be praying for our transition- that everyone involved would have the patience, good humor, and grace needed to blend four generations into one home.

I have just finished reading a great book, that has really helped prepare my heart to make a new home for my family in someone else's home. It is called "Dwelling: Living Fully from the Space you Call Home" by Mary Beth Lagerborg. Here is a summary quote from the last chapter:

"The home our souls long for here provides a place where we're accepted as we are. It contains beauty and the comfort of favorite things, and it is a safe and stimulating place to work and to express creativity. We are nourished at the table with food and conversation and we enjoy healthy life rhythms of play and rest. At home we have the opportunity to take care of things entrusted to us and to grow in spiritual understanding. We enjoy the legacy of generations and family celebrations. We treasure a place to build friendships and a base from which we can venture into the larger world and return. We will never have home just right this side of heaven, but we can keep changing and remodeling it through life and circumstances. There's no work more rewarding."

I am excited about the challenge to create home wherever we are (definitely a good skill to have as a missionary!), to incorporate the comfort of our favorite things into our new home, and to enjoy the legacy of generations on a daily basis (having family so close is not a luxury we will have in Uganda). I truly believe that our hard work will be rewarded!

So today, thank God for the place you call home, and all those who are family! They stretch us and bless us and keep us close to the Father's heart!

-Kelly