Wedding Ring

Well here it is after 16 years and it has never come off more than a couple days due to injury, and now it's beyond repair (out of shape and too thin to bend). Many of you know me and Jes have pretty much gotten rid of everything we own, and this is the last thing I have that has been with me through almost half my life now. I don’t consider myself a sentimental person but I have a strong feeling of not wanting to let go of this ring. As I think about being married at 19 not much more than a child and having it with me through 3 ½ years in the 82^nd it’s been out of the plane door with me a little over 30 times, and out one Blackhawk. It was on when I saw the ocean the first time and fell in love with it, for fishing trips to the Florida Keys, Bahamas, and Jamaica. Through buying our first house in Lacrosse, WI, our 2^nd in Douglas Georgia, and third in Ingalls MI. It was on when being at my sister’s wedding in Yaounde Cameroon and fishing the Lobe River in Negril not far from there. It was on for all my other brothers and sisters weddings. It was there for all my past jobs including contractor, heavy equipment operator, chimney mason, equipment mechanic, and most importantly my salvation and my growing walk with the Lord and into the mission field. It was on while meeting all kinds of awesome people and making friends for life. While seeing Ketchikan Alaska from a float plane, Notre Dame in Paris, pulling sunken beams from the bottom of a lagoon in Belize, sleeping in a cabana for 9 months. Countless fishing and hunting opportunities. The births of my five year old daughter Sage and my eight month old son Silas, and these are just the things off the top of my head. The girl that came with the ring has always supported me without the blink of an eye and never caused me grief. This ring has never caused me any pain except the one time my body hung from it off a dozer, and the second time my body hung from it off a very high chimney. And last time I got it a little hot after bumping it with a welder. As I think about this I want to put it in a frame and hang it on the wall but am reminded of Matthew 6:19-21

“Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal, but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.”

So as I look at this ring I realize those memories have nothing to do with this piece of metal and has zero effect on my future with Christ. The only significance it has is what it stands for so without regret it’s time for it to go and I’ll get a cheap upgrade that can take the abuse I’ll give it.    

Obedience is better than sacrifice...

Recently I (Jes) have decided to try drinking a small amount of coffee in the mornings. The Lord has certainly gotten me through this last 8 months of little sleep but I've been dreaming of coffee for over a year ;) I decided to get some Maxwell House which is what I drank in Belize. 

As I ceremoniously sat at the table to have that first cup, it struck me how different my view was the last time I drank it. It was over a year ago, in May. The day I found out I was pregnant with Silas. I made my last pot of coffee, sat on the counter in the kitchen in the lodge in Belize in front of the window overlooking the back yard. As I sipped my last cup, sweating and watching the wish-willies fighting over the best spot on the roof of the pump house, I knew my next cup would be very different. 

So here I am in lower Michigan, cold, in an apartment in the city, looking out over our backyard that is not really ours, through a window holding various rocks Sage has found and 3 caterpillars in their crysalis forms, with curtains in knots so Silas can't pull them down again. Things could not be more different! And yet, they are the same. 

1 Samuel 15:22 "....Listen! Obedience is better than sacrifice, and submission is better than offering the fat of the ram."

While we were missionaries in Belize, we updated our blog every week.  We received tons of support, verbally and monetarily. We were interesting, we were doing something different. Not just to others but to ourselves!  Even though it was a sacrifice in many ways to be there, in some ways it was easier. We were doing something obvious. We had left the comforts of home, everything familiar to us, friends and family etc. to serve God in Belize. Everyone knew why we were there, we didn't have to do anything special to stand out. Then God showed us what was next for us, and here we are being obedient, but not sacrificing as much. 

We haven't been updating the blog very often, for one because doing it every week really was a lot of work and it's been nice to have a break, for two because we both have a lot going on between Joel working and doing ministry and me homeschooling Sage and taking care of our baby boy, but also because we kind of feel like what we've been doing just isn't as interesting as it was 2 years ago. 

Obedience is better than sacrifice!

We know we're doing what God wants us to do at this moment. No we don't know what's next on His list for us, we take it a day at a time. 

We'd like to start sharing some of the things we're learning while we are here, things the Lord has been teaching us. Just because it's not as entertaining doesn't make it less important!  Also I'd like to encourage all of you that wherever the Lord has you right now no matter how interesting it seems to you and those around you, if you are being obedient then you are doing exactly what you are supposed to!

So keep an eye out for future blog updates that will be more than just what we are physically doing, we'd like to share what is going on in our hearts.  We know this is even more important than physical works and we are ready to share!

4/07/15

Once again it's been awhile since we've posted, but it turns out having 2 kids is twice as much work and time as one!

Things have been going really well here. First of all our little boy, Silas Jude, was born at the end of January. He was 9 lbs 9 oz (I know!). He ended up having to stay in the NICU for 6 days because of blood sugar issues but was sent home completely healthy. He's doing great and Sage is a wonderful big sister. She loves helping with him and making him smile, he has a special one just for her :)  She doesn't like him much when he cries though, we're working on that ;)

Joel has continued the same schedule we shared last time, but now he is also teaching the youth on Wednesdays and is going to the church bible study on Tuesdays. Something going on just about every day!

We're excited to share that Pastor Kenny was able to get enough funding to buy a new church van! Thank you if you helped out, it is a huge blessing to the village. Here's a couple pictures:

We still keep in touch with friends in Belize and everyone seems to be doing great. We're hoping we can visit maybe next year when Silas is a little older. Sage wants to see her chickens ;)  It's so strange to think of what we were doing at this time last year and how different things are now.

It looks like Joel will be joining the youth on a mission trip to Brazil this summer. We'll update about that once he knows more about what they will be doing.

We will be in WI to visit at the end of May for Joel's sisters wedding. We should be around for a couple weeks, hopefully we'll be seeing some of you!