Chasing the Light

the days are growing shorter. there is a chill in the air. the autumnal breeze makes the fallen leaves dance and swirl. and i slow to chase the light. 

caleb noticed that i have written at least one post a year since before he was born... he was reading my blog. and i looked at the "recent" posts, and they all shimmer with the golden glow of sunlight. whether it is twinkle lights or candlelight, sunrise or sunset... i've always been a light chaser. 

we have reached the twilight of 2025; 2026 is just waiting to dawn. i feel a restlessness, and perhaps hope, within me. i will graduate with my Masters of Mental Health Counseling in May. josh and i have big dreams of what comes next, and no solid plans. so we prepare our hearts for the advent season and hold this dream up to the light. 

if you are interested in holding this dream up to the light with us this advent, send us an email. we would love to share our hearts with you. we want to keep in step with the Spirit and not rush ahead of Him, nor lag behind. so we need a community of believers to listen with us. maybe i'll share advent thoughts as we listen together this year. 

Into the Desert

"living, rather than preaching, the presence of Christ in the world" -Charles de Foucald

"...their life is more or less hidden from the world..."

"It is inseparable in so many respects from that of their neighbors; but the life of prayer and devotion finds practical expression in their availability and hospitality to others..."

"The search for God- and God alone..."

these are the words that are guiding me as I ask God what He wants of me this lent.

After the winter holidays, festivity and feasting what my soul needs is fasting. And I could not be more excited about the book that will guide me this year. The Desert. I have always loved the wisdom of the desert fathers. This book is speaking my heart language.

And my word for the year, lean in, is also guiding my lenten practices. I am leaning out of facebook, so I can lean in to the relationships around me. I am leaning into the hiddenness of this season. I am not just seeking God in solitude, but also in availability and hospitality to others. I am leaning in to small, everyday moments via my instagram: #monochromaticlent. My goal this lenten season isn't to give up all kinds of crazy things, but to truly and intentionally live out my highest priorities on a daily basis.

Solo Mama Survival Planner {free printable}

We shared this quote HERE years ago- but it is relevant now as Josh is traveling more often for ministry.  Pray with us while he is away- here is why:

"But why was this frustration of sickness allowed?  One cannot always discern the reason for these things, but two are plain to us: (1) We learned that when one member of the party was thrusting out into Satan's territory, it was also necessary to put a prayer guard over those who stayed at home.  We were all praying for John and his party as they pressed into the demon-plagues territory of Goomoo.  Those prayers cleared the party's way (they were much blessed there) so Satan, in furious spite, struck at the unprotected home base.  Both those who go down to battle and those who stay by the stuff need prayer-coverage.  We have never forgotten this lesson." -Isobel Kuhn, In the Arena 

Pray for me and our kids, and Lillian as our men thrust out into Satan's territory.  If you will stand guard over these who stay home- please leave a comment!

One of the precious reasons I stay home :)

And as I stay home I've got plans in place to stay well!  If you're a mama who finds herself home while your husband travels- I pray that this little planner will help you stay well!

Download Solo Mama Survival Planner HERE 

Preparing To Return

The question we hear a lot is "How do you pack for four years?"-and I will be the first to say, "You don't".  Our strategy is pack the things we love, that make it feel like home, and bring enough supplies to last until we can find a suitable replacement in Uganda.

One of our seasoned colleagues has been known to say "Let us know if you need anything... and we'll tell you how to survive without it."

We've already done our first term, so we know we can find shampoo, tooth paste, soy milk, cloth diapers, coffee (but not decaf), children's tylenol (but not oragel), etc...

Something that I've found helpful coming and going is my Expat Packing Planner {free download here}.  I'm a list girl.  When my brain is swirling in a million directions, I need a place to write all the things.  The Expat Packing Planner has space to organize your thoughts and be your brain on paper!

Step 1: Sort by like items

Something else that helps us (a trick we wouldn't have thought of before we left) is the two step packing process.  In our basement, we lined one room with all our action packers, and assigned each bin with a person/room- my bin, boys' bin, kitchen bin, food bin, etc. Then we filled each bin accordingly.  Sadly, this is only Step 1.  If you were to fly with the action packers sorted like this, and lost one person's things that would probably be the end of the world.

Here's where step two comes in.  Empty a few bins at a time and re-pack a variety of items (the more variety the better)!  A layer of books, then bulky items, small items, then pad with clothing.  Keep a running list that you can print, and have on the other side, so when you arrive at midnight you know where the boys' blankets are (not that we know anything about that).  Weigh.  And adjust to 49.9lbs.

**Warning** Step 2 looks like chaos.  Trust the process. You will get there!  

Step 2: Re-pack a variety of items  CHAOS

Stay tuned on Monday for a timely reminder from Colossians: What To Do in the Middle of Chaos.

Linking up with the Grove (if we have internet when we get to Uganda Friday) on the topic of "Prepare".