Saturday, July 26, 2008

Safe to Obey

We were working on the house today. We do that a lot. We always have. We must be crazy! I remember as a kid being interested in old houses and imagining what I would do to fix them up. I particularly remember one that we would drive past going to church. I had told my parents I wished I could fix it up. It was a vacant, run down, old farm house. (after I was married my parents ended up living near it and I got to go inside. To this day I think of how wonderful that house would have been! It was later torn down. ) When Warren and I first started dating we drove by that house after church one Sunday and he said (without my having ever mentioned it) that he would love to fix up that house! Now I wouldn't say I knew then that he was the one for me but it was a pretty good indication, wouldn't you say! lol.

Well, we're still at it and I must say, on the whole we have been happy fixing up houses during our marriage. This time, however; we're finishing with purpose. We want to get it done in order to put it on the market so when God says "go" we can. It's made for some drudgery and some weariness but we're seeing the end in sight.

I had dreams for this place. Some of them are coming true and I'm thankful God has allowed me to see them. Some I will never see as I'm sure the new owners will have dreams of their own. That's okay. I'm moving on to new dreams. What makes it hard to leave isn't the place itself - it's the memories. It's the closing of the door to what we thought was going to be our future and opening to trust. Trusting God to know what is best for us. Trusting Him with our future. At prayer meeting last week someone thanked the Lord that He was safe to obey. I liked that. It's so true. I'll trust Him that it is best for me to go to Brazil and I will trust Him that it will also be best for my family. New memories will be made and, who knows, maybe we will find another project house there to keep us happy!

Until then, maybe I'll hide in the closet until Warren is done tiling!

Wednesday, July 23, 2008

Another change

It really was a miracle that I was able to choose the paint colors for the church last summer without making a mistake. I don't say that lightly. I prayed about it a lot. I know me and I was way in over my head. God gave me the colors - sometimes I actually saw pictures of walls in my head painted the finished color. It was amazing.

I was reminded of that miracle today. I have to paint my hallway again. FOR THE THIRD TIME!
The first time it was a gray-brown color. I had wanted it more of a brown-gray color. (does that make sense?) It would have been perfect for the grand kids room which was way to blue-gray for my liking. So this week I used left-over paint that Kellie and I had used to do the nursery for Noah and Oliver. Very cute there, very awful here! It's a bright red. What was I thinking?! I don't go for bold, bright colors. The nursery had a lot of white bead board so it worked. I'm talking a hallway here with no windows. Warren said it was scary to walk through it! I don't know what color I'm going to repaint it yet but it will be repainted. In the meantime I used the red outside on an old piece of furniture I use to hold dishes. Was blue, now red. I love it!

I'll figure out the hallway. I just think I'll pray first.

Saturday, July 12, 2008

At last

Thanks to Kellie we now have the blog we talked about doing but would never have gotten around to!
Some of our friends have mentioned an interest in our process, both mentally and physically, of getting ready to move to Brazil. We'd love to share with you. Really though, we're thinking this will be a good way for us to remember the way God is moving in our lives.
So...we begin.