Whats Goin' On?

LONGGGGGG POST....SORRY! BUT WORTH EVERY WORD!

Wow! It has been a crazy few weeks around here! The end of the school year is like that! There is always something going on. It is the ultimate wind down. Last day of school, last soccer games, last baseball games. It feels good!

I adore summer. I don't believe I am able to articulate how much I love the warmth, freedom and romance of summer. It truly is my favorite season. The bonus part is that I get to have my kids home to enjoy it with me! Some mom's loathe the last day of the school year. Not this mom! I am so happy to have my kids home! I don't love the bickering that can happen at times...but it is getting easier the older they get!

A few things have gone on since I last posted...here are the highlights.

PJ graduated Fifth Grade...he is officially a Middle Schooler...WAHOO! JZ is excited to begin his Upper El career as he moves on to Third Grade...Z is proud as pie to go to Kindergarten.

Paul has been put on a very cool project at work. He works for a company that is making some new vehicles that will help protect our troops against IED's. His part of the project is just paperwork being that he is a Financial Analyst, But none the less, it is such an honor for him to serve in any small way! But this has made him extremely BUSY at work. I have been doing it all and I must say it has worked out well. In the past, probably because the kids were smaller, it was so hard when Paul was not home at night. Now it seems easier, smoother. I love little ones, but I am really happy that our family is moving into a different stage. It is a joy to see them all growing and maturing....I LOVE MY JOB!

The biggest change around here is that we have 4 college students living with us for the summer! They are so awesome! Ok, I know, it seems a little weird. And no, we don't have a gi-normous house. They are living in our basement. They are so stinkin cute! Here is how it all happened. Two of the girls came to our door and wanted to sell me some books. They are college students working here for the summer and that is their job. (I have bought books from their company before...nice stuff!) So anyway, I got into a conversation with them and found out that they were living an hour away and they were assigned to our area for the whole summer. I asked them if they had an apartment or what and they said that they lived in homes that would host them for the summer. So, well, I offered them our basement. They called a few day later and asked if they could come meet with me and well, as it turns out the one girl who is the boss is a believer. She told me how her life had been radically changed on a mission trip and that she was praying for a solution to their housing situation. So they moved in last Sunday. They work literally all of the time. They are out of the house at 6:15am and not home until after 10:00 most days. Their only day off is Sunday. But even on Sunday they have paperwork to do. They are working so hard and are so exhausted when they get home that they usually say hi and then head off to shower and bed. It is an honor to have them here. Paul and I are looking for ways we can serve them...to make their stay here truly easy. It isn't ever a coincidence when stuff like this happens. It is the hand of God and we must look for ways to be His light to a dying world.

One very cool conversation happened yesterday. One of the girls who I am not sure how her life has been up until now, has been going to church on Sunday's with the boss girl. They came upstairs yesterday and told me that they have never seen another family so willing to welcome them. They said we were truly a demonstration of Christian love.

Paul and I just want to be authentic lovers of Jesus. We want to actually do what the Bible says. (Matthew 25:31-46...the Parable of The Sheep and the Goats.) Whatever you do unto the least of these my brethren....YES! How can we sit here all comfortable in our Christianity and rot until the day that Jesus comes? Seriously. All that we have belongs to Him. Even our home. Even all of our stuff. Even our time. This isn't the first time we have opened our home to people living with us. It probably won't be the last time either.

Yesterday the sermon at church was incredible. It was basically the very thing I am talking about. We Christians need to come out from our Christian Safety Net and be a light to this world. Yes, the one girl who is living with us is a believer...but I am not sure where the rest of them stand. If this home is a light and a haven to others then I truly believe the others will know the love of God when they leave this place. What exciting times we live in! What an honor to serve a God who would step out of paradise, come to this wretched place and die for me. My life is His. Everything I have, I surrender unto Him. I am so wild about Jesus!