Monday, June 22, 2015

A Boy's Best Friend


It was early March 2004 when a stranger followed my family home from a walk down the street. To be more precise, my sister-in-law Angie had taken Barry and Austin for a walk in the wagon accompanied by our dog Shiloh. As they made their way back to the house, a little black puppy began to make his way after them. 


He was cute as a button, but we were sure that some other family was anxiously awaiting his return. After countless neighborhood walks and knocking on doors we came to the conclusion that this little black puppy was a stray. It didn't take long for him to steal our hearts, and in the words of our 3 year old, he was his "best friend ever." Inspired by the big black lab who lived two houses above us, this little, black burst of energy received the name of Jake. 


It's so incredibly hard to believe that Jake has been a part of our family'a life these past 11 years. He has seen our family grow from 4 to 6 and has graciously allowed each of our boys to play with and love on him as only boys can (and as you know, some of those times are not as gingerly and tender as others). He has seen the passing of Shiloh along with the arrival of Cali a year later and her subsequent re-homing to her new forever family just 6 short years later (this past January).


Despite Jake's high energy as a pup and his anxiety issues as an adult (which he's always had) Jake falls into that one-in-a-million category. We wouldn't trade him for the world; we wouldn't have decided differently eleven years ago; and if we weren't planning to leave the country this August for the next four years, we wouldn't be praying about/searching for his new forever family.


We would humbly ask you to join us in praying for this next miracle in our family's life. We've been able to have Jake with us these past few weeks in NY but with the remaining transient nature of our summer (prior to our hopeful departure), we're really looking to God to open up a spot in Jake's new forever family that He has picked out. I know this request may not seem as important or spiritual as other things, but as much as Jake means to our family (and especially our boys) this is a huge one for us. Thanks for your continued partnership in our family's life; we are blessed because of you!


Tuesday, June 9, 2015

Grafted In


I've been planning to write this blog about the power of the graft. Originally, I thought about using the analogy of the skin graft. However, not only were the images a little too graphic, I found the analogy a little lacking. When I did some looking into it, it simply said about a skin graft: a piece of living tissue that is transplanted surgically.

Yet, look at the imagery and power of what it had to say about a branch (which is also the analogy used in Romans 11): a shoot or twig inserted into a slit on the trunk or stem of a living plant, from which it receives sap. Is this not exactly what God has done for us? As we express faith in Him, He joins us to His son Jesus Christ from which flows the Holy Spirit?

The more I've thought about this analogy, the more I thought about this past year of life. This is exactly what the entire West family did for our family. They took this twig (our family) and inserted it into a slit on the stem of a living plant (their family), from which we received sap (life, support, and encouragement).

I think about Jason and Angie and how sacrificial and selfless they were in allowing our family to move in with them. Can you imagine going from a 3-person home to a 9-person home overnight and lasting for a year? We took over their upstairs, invaded their common spaces and probably made more noise than they ever cared to have in their home. They provided a roof for our heads, a bed for our backs, and food for our bodies. Most importantly they shared their life and hearts with us during a season of life that at times we felt the loneliest we have ever felt. Jason and Angie, you have truly left a living legacy in our family's life!

I think about Mr. Rod and Miss Faye (Jason's parents). They willingly included us in family activities (my arm still hurts from turning the crank those few hours making apple cider vinegar and my eyes are still burning from all the smoke while stirring the pot for apple butter). Thanks to Mr. Rod I learned some valuable lessons: never wear flip flops while working on the farm and never wear shorts while rounding up a bee hive. I'm thankful that wasn't a real snake that slithered over my foot nor a real bee that flew up my shorts! Thanks Mr. Rod and Miss Faye for making us feel a part of your family!

Last, but certainly not least, I think about my buddy Stu and his wife Gina (Jason's sister). Any time we got to be around them, we were always assured a great time and a good laugh (thanks Stu for being a good sport and for always "giving it back to me"). Thanks Stu and Gina for always being you and for allowing us the great privilege of getting to know you better this past year!

I'm so grateful for God's grafting power. First and foremost for grafting us into His forever family. Additionally, for allowing us to be grafted into the West family. Their love, support, and encouragement not only freed us to pursue this God-calling as fully as we have, but has meant more to us than they'll ever know.