Life

When I was a young girl attending High School in Lynden I never imagined I would be 39, married with two adopted children living in Sumas.  See, that wasn't my plan, but without a shadow of a doubt that was HIS plan.  Our Jesus has a way of doing that.  While in High School I went on a couple short term mission trips where I learned that not everyone lives the way we all did in Lynden.  Houses were shacks, floors were dirt and you couldn't even flush the toilet in some places.  The water stank of sulfur and we showered in our bathing suits on a cement slab with a garden hose.  I was a long way from home, but I loved every minute of it.  Plus, let's be honest I got my first ever real tan, that's rare for this redhead.

It's super easy for us to take all we have for granted.  I've been thinking about that lately.  You see, we live in a small condo with our two girls and all our stuff.  We do not have much more than a square patio for our outside area and the parking lot.  We are full to the gills.  That's speaking kindly.  My house is cluttered with baby toys, blankets, dishes and all we use to live in our space. That's right, we live here.  It is our place.  Ours.  I've learned that being content with what God has given you is so important.  When we moved some 9 years ago, we didn't plan on staying here for this long.  We wanted our daughter to start school in Lynden, but…that's not how it worked. Our Jesus has a plan. Halle loves her school, her Teacher and her friends.  She loves walking there each morning and riding the bus to her friends one day a week.  And you know what?  I love it too.

I think it's important to remember that your house, your car, your town and your money do not define you and make you who you are.  Your identity should be found in our Jesus.  He is the true "giver of life".  So, my house maybe small, cluttered and "in the boonies", we may not live in what some people call the "best" town, but…our Jesus placed us here for a reason.

**We snuck in while they were building our house and placed this over the door.  It's hidden, but…we know it's there**