Thursday, December 16, 2010

The end of a chapter

How do I even start to write reflectively on the last 5 years of school now that Marc is a day away from being done? There is way too much. I think I'll focus on the highlights of God's faithfulness to us through this journey, because in the end, it's all about Him. Without Him we would not be experiencing the joy that tomorrow will bring us.

* Marc and I got married on 8/5/05 and almost immediately decided that Marc should go back to school. We may have been slightly idealistic as we set out on this endeavor. We didn't know how to pay for it, how long it would take, the ups and downs we would go through, or even what Marc would study! We just knew that being obedient to God's voice in our lives meant Marc going back. So with no job lined up, he quit his job at Lowe's because it would not work around his school schedule. He started January 2006 at Kuyper College. We trusted and God was faithful.

* He almost immediately found a part time job, and a month later took a full time 2nd shift job.  Jehovah-Jireh - Our Lord Will Provide.

* We had a few problems figuring out financial aid/loans. The week before the end of the semester, Marc got a letter saying that he couldn't take exams if we hadn't paid for the semester (which we hadn't paid a dime yet!). Within a day or two, we got word that the loans had finally gone through, and the semester was paid for. God provided. Jehovah - Jireh!

* We decided to start a family. Isaac was born in January 2008. Now, he is an absolute joy, but having him presented us with a small hurdle. Who would take care of our son while I worked and Marc went to class? My parents, Marc's mom and my sister have been watching Isaac (and now Hope) faithfully every week since I went back to work. Words seriously cannot express my gratitude to them. Other family members and dear friends have also watched them as I have had events with church and other things come up. Without any of them, we would not have made it. Our God is faithful.

* Marc couldn't get any loans last year or this year. We have kinda tapped out our available funds with loans. And we had/have no extra money to spare. There was a period where we thought that after 3 1/2 years, he might not be able to finish. Then my parents offered to help us out with a loan. 1st semester covered. Then our tax return was bigger than expected. 2nd semester covered. Then we couldn't pay rent. $500 was randomly left on our garage door to help with some of it. God provided. Again. Jehovah - Jireh

* Last fall we felt overwhelmed with our schedules. We prayed and felt sure Marc was supposed to go part-time to school for that semester. God knew we would need that extra time to deal with Quimby and to grieve after our miscarriage. Our God holds our future. Our Lord is our comforter.

* This fall, we had no way to pay for school (again). Marc met with the finance person at Cornerstone and they agreed to allow us a grace period to pay for the semester and to pay it after we got our taxes back in 2011. Seriously? What University does that? Our God provided. Again. Again.

* Marc has had a fantastic cooperating teacher at an amazing school. He has loved his experience at Northpointe and would love to actually teach there if an opportunity ever arose. The school you are placed at and teacher you are put with can make or break your student teaching experience. Both have been better than we could have imagined. El-Roi. Our God who Sees.

* There's nothing like having a baby the first full week of student teaching! While we LOVE our son, he was an extremely difficult baby. We were kind of gearing up for the same experience with Hope. We were surprised when she actually slept at night and was a happy, content baby during the day. She started sleeping through the night between 2 & 3 weeks and by about 4-5 weeks was sleeping 10 hours a night. If we had another baby like Isaac, this semester would have been incredibly trying. Hope is such a peaceful and happy baby. Jehovah - Shalom. Our Lord is peace. Our Lord gave us peace.

* There have been times that Marc has been stretched beyond belief. Working full time (or more) plus going to school either part time or full time for 5 years is incredibly demanding. Marc has given up a LOT of sleep over the last 5 years. He's given up hobbies, free time, leisurely reading, time with friends, running/training like he would like to, and probably more time with us than he would like. He has rarely complained. Seriously. I can think of maybe a handful of times. That's it. I have been blessed with a husband who is determined, passionate about his calling and won't give up. Elohim. Our God is strong and mighty, and gives us strength when we need it.

* Other random things in the mix of the last 5 years includes me switching jobs, moving, becoming landlords, my dad having a heart attack, Marc having kidney stones, hosting exchange students, friends and other family helping us with money for Quimby, friends helping us demolish and rebuild the kitchen at Quimby, random gifts of clothes for Isaac left on our porch, the grace of our church with prayers and help with rent, free babysitters from a few of my youth group girls, being accepted to teach English in China and having to decide not to go, a free bed from a friend, a youth group student dying, Marc working at several different jobs, totaling a car & transmission dying in a car within a few months of eachother,and now, potty training. :)

And now we are on the brink of closing this chapter. We have been incredibly blessed throughout this journey. While it has been tremendously difficult in so many ways, it has also been rewarding. It has taught us to trust God and be obedient when it seems almost foolish, how to rely on others and ask for help, how to lower our pride to accept help, the value of education and following God's call for vocation, and utter reliance on our Savior to pull it all together and make it happen.

I wish I could repay all our family, friends and church who have supported us on this journey. A simple "thank you" just does not seem sufficient. This is a celebration for us all, and we truly would not be at this place in our lives without you all. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. I love you all.

And finally, I am SO PROUD OF MY HUSBAND! I'm not sure how he has done it all. He is going to be an amazing teacher, of that I am certain. I am blessed with a godly man who follows God's direction for our family. I love you, Marc.

So, how can you read all that and not believe in God's sovereign plan, his providence, his love and his faithfulness? He is good.

Wednesday, December 8, 2010

Monday, December 6, 2010

Monday Morning Musings

Communion. Our high school Sunday school class (Inklings) visited COS yesterday. We've been talking about liturgy in worship and have visited a few other churches to see how liturgy is done there. Communion was done very differently there. I enjoyed it. Rather than the plates being passed, you exit your row and join a circle up front of maybe 50 or more and pass the elements to one another while saying "the body of Christ, broken for you" and "the blood of Christ, poured out for you". You pass a loaf of bread & rip off a hunk, then dip it into the cup of juice or wine. There is something very earthy about the experience of using your hands more in this sensory experience that Christ laid our for us. It is almost too polished  and pretty taking pre-cut squares of bread and pre-poured plastic cups of juice.  This way was a new experience for most of my students. The student who passed it to me asked, "what am I supposed to say??". He was a bit nervous but I think relieved that he had to pass to me and not a stranger. Anyhow, I watched one man a few people over from me rip off a HUGE hunk of bread. My first thought was that perhaps he was getting a bit hungry & needed a little snack. Perhaps he was internally longing for Christ and took off as much as he could. Maybe that's just how much came off when he pulled from the loaf. Is there an 'approved' amount you should take? It just made me take notice when I saw it.


Potty Training. It's been 11 days. We're still having more accidents than successes. For some reason he does better for me than other people. Every time he's had a sitter, he's had an accident. It makes me feel bad that others have to deal with it, and makes me feel slightly guilty that I have to work and can't do it all myself.

Marc. We have been married for 5 years and 4 months. 5 years of that has included Marc working full time and going to school at least part time, if not full time. And in 2 weeks he will be done. HOLY MOLY!  Sure, there is a lot for him to do in the next few weeks, but the end is so close I can practically taste it. It's a tad bittersweet as Marc has truly enjoyed his experience at Northpointe and is doing something to use his gifts, knowledge and training. When he's done, he goes back to his 50-60 hour a week job running a machine. I wish he could jump right into a teaching position. I know Northpointe already has him on their sub list, so hopefully that will offer him a bit of satisfaction until we find a full time position.



Transition. I feel like I'm graduating along with Marc. We are entering the phase of looking at next fall and wondering where we will be, where we will be working, if I'll be working, where we'll be living, where Isaac might go to preschool...so many questions and zero answers. It's a bit exciting, but scary at the same time. This is truly forcing me to trust God more and more. I'm such a planner and find myself in a place where I can't. I've been praying for God to prepare us and our families for moving. It has just recently occurred to me that God might keep us here. If he does, I'm going to need him to mentally prepare me for that. I'm expecting a ton of transition, and to be honest, there might not be much. Marc might find a job around here. We might still live here & I might still work at PH. It'll be interesting to see what the next few months holds for us!