Family Reflections

Woa, it’s been 3 weeks since I wrote. To make up for it, I asked my youngins (except Jonathan who is working at camp this week) to reflect on our summer together and to share their top prayer request.

DAVID: Last year, when I told my friends and co-workers in Virginia that I would be moving back to Texas to live at home with Dad and siblings, I got more than a few strange glances. It had been 8 years since I left the Philippines to go to college, and most people my age were several years into their career or finishing up grad school. What would lead me to live with my family at this stage in life? Wouldn't it be a bit awkward?

Well, there was a bit of an adjustment sharing a room with Jonathan and coordinating laundry with Sara, but this has overwhelmingly been an incredible year. One of the things I missed the most in College was the shared experience of growing up with my siblings; being there as they matured and learned new life lessons. There is a vast difference between visiting family and being with family, and I am extremely grateful that God has brought us together to be a part of each other's daily life once again, if only for this year. I am amazed and humbled at the gifts each member of the family has developed, and am looking forward to our next reunion.

My prayer request is that we would not forget the valuable lessons we have learned this year, nor grow complacent in our spiritual growth. Please pray that each of us would daily seek to be mighty in spirit and fulfill our calling to be refreshing lights in a darkening world.

SARA: I could argue that this year (specifically this summer) has been one of the best ever. Our family being together for the first time in 8 years - such a blessing! It's especially interesting to see and hear how we have all grown up - emotionally, spiritually and physically. They say "absence makes the heart grow fonder", which I can say is true in the sense that I have never appreciated or loved my family more than I do now. Having had several wonderful months to laugh, cry, and soul-share with my sisters, reconnect with and appreciate my brothers as the men that they are now, and to be able to ask my dad for advice/help at ANY time (not dealing with time-zones has been super nice!), it's all been so very needed. I have loved and treasured it.

That being said, my prayer requests for myself in this coming year would be (primarily) spiritual growth. I know that my spiritual walk could be so much richer than it is now. Please pray also that I will adjust well to living with two guys (my brothers, but still, living with guys is way different than with girls!). :) And lastly, pray for change...I'm not really sure what for, but I need something to move me beyond my comfort in life right now. In closing, thank you all so very very very much for praying for us!!

HANNAH: My summer has been AH-MAZING! It has been so wonderful to have the whole family together. I don't think we have all lived under the same roof since 2005. We have been able to visit museums together, watch movies, get to know our church better, and eat lots of good food! If I need to ask my dad for advice, I don't have to coordinate a 12 hour time difference to talk; I can just walk over and ask him. My sisters and I have had a splendid time sharing a room again. Though there was the time Sara had a bit of a meltdown over how messy the room had become but we won't talk about that.... By far the best thing about this summer was spending time with family. I will miss them all so much.

The second best thing about this summer has been my plunge into the world of hippie-dom. So far I have made my own deodorant, toothpaste, laundry detergent, fabric softener, sunscreen, lotion, all-purpose cleaner, disinfectant, lip balm, and a few other random items that didn't work out so well. I have learned about toxins in our environment, the healing properties of herbs and essential oils, and being good stewards of God's creation. I have successfully composted our kitchen scraps and am looking to go paper-free by using rags and cloth napkins. Psalm 24:1 says "The earth is the LORD's, and everything in it, the world, and all who live in it." I want to do my best to take care of the world that he has given man dominion over and be a good steward of the body he has given me. Hopefully these habits I have established over the summer will continue on to grad school.

Which brings me to my prayer requests - grad school. In 9 days I am moving to Harrisonburg, VA. I am excited but a little scared about being a grown-up, paying bills, furnishing an apartment, taking grad classes and working as a graduate assistant. I am also a little apprehensive about having to find a church and make a new set of friends. Harrisonburg will be my fourth city to live in within the past two years. I am glad that my best friend, Allie, will be moving to Harrisonburg with me so I will have someone I know. If you could be praying for peace with the changes, wisdom for making friends and decisions, and strength for school, that would be great! And I really need prayer for being homesick for my family - I am dreading leaving them all. I am glad that us kids will be together at Christmas - but I will miss my dad! Thank you so much for caring for our family! We don't deserve it!

MARTHA: Greetings all! Dad asked us all to give a little update about life and the future, so here is my portion. This past summer has been wonderful and restful. I finished my sophomore year of nursing in May and Dad drove me down to Texas where the family is spending the summer. At first I didn’t know what to do with myself, going from super busy to super laid back. But the result has been a restful, enjoyable summer with my dad and brothers and sisters. The time I have been able to spend with my family has been priceless, full of many laughs and enjoyable conversations.

This summer I took a couple of online classes and started an experimental herb garden. Dad and I began driving lessons and I just got my driver’s license yesterday. Because of the hours we will be spending at the hospital for clinical in nursing, it was finally time to start driving and get a car. Dad was very generous and provided a little hatchback car that will carry me to and fro from the hospital and from Virginia to Texas.

This summer has also been valuable for just preparing for next year, physically, mentally, and spiritually. It has given me many opportunities to just sit and think, pray, and spend time with the Lord. I’ve thought a lot about the next few years and where the Lord may be taking me. I feel much more at peace about the future, and determined to go where He leads and cast all my cares upon Him. A blessing this summer has also been getting to know and spend time with members of Inglewood Baptist Church, the church we have been going to and who provided the mission house we are staying in. They are a loving and generous church whom we have enjoyed immensely.

Dad also asked us to mention prayer requests, so I will explain my coming year.

For this next year, I am looking forward to new experiences and situations. I know that nursing is what the Lord has laid on my heart for this stage of my life. School is going to be rather hard and likely stressful. Junior year in the Nursing program is said to be the most difficult yet. It is heavy in clinical hours and course load. Each semester we will have three nursing classes, a total of 11 nursing credits per semester along with ordinary classes. As part of our clinical hours, approximately two days of the week will be spent in full shifts at the hospital. We will also have a regular school work load with exams, quizzes, and many papers. Every week we will be required to write an approximately 10 page pathophysiology research paper (pathophysiology means the study of disease) on a patient that we will be assigned. With all that in mind, I have mixed feelings about the next year. It will be harder to find time for friends, harder to find time for sleep, harder to find time for just about anything. Yet, the main reason I went into nursing is that it presented an opportunity to serve others in a very personal and sincere way.

Overseas mission work is still on my heart and I know this year will provide valuable skills and experiences to equip me for the work the Lord has for me in the future. My prayer requests for this next year center around the hope that I will not lose sight of the blessings that nursing will provide. Please pray that I will be continually reminded of my Lord and Savior whom I represent as I work in the hospital and live at school. Please pray that I will be bold in my witness and kind in my actions. Please pray that I put the Lord first at school and as I continue to live in the dorms. Please pray that, while I work hard at school, I am able to find the right time to spend with the wonderful friends that the Lord has given me who have been such a blessing and encouragement to me. Thank you so much!