wanted: shelves and drawers to settle down in!
Here is our life as we brought it back from Guatemala. It has just moved yesterday from the VW van of one sweet friend in Salida to the upstairs guest room of another in town.
We’re living out of one suitcase and one duffle bag right now. The boxes are all still taped up tight. We haven’t dared begin unpacking the rest because there still isn’t anywhere to put it.
We’re still ‘homeless’.
House…home…shelter…They’re all represent a similar thing, but are still pretty different.
True, we have no house we can call ours, where we can unpack, where we can leave our toys out on the floor, where we can put up Christmas decorations, where we can turn the music up loud and jump around as a family.
But, we’ve been blessed to be in the homes of a few dear dear friends these past couple of weeks. They aren’t our homes, but we’ve been made to feel we are completely and totally welcome. And, we’ve been blessed by some incredibly kind offers of places to stay!
Elijah is having a hard time with the moves. He gets tired, upset and begins to cry “I want to go home”. Twice now, it has broken my heart to have to tell him we don’t have a home, that home is where we are staying at the moment. (Seems that 3 nights in one place and we’ve begun to set down roots!) Our prayer is that will change soon and he will have a home to go to when he is tired!!
No, this isn’t ideal. But this is our reality right now.
I got an email the other week with this picture that about brought me to tears…true, we don’t have our own “home”, true we are carting around a mess of boxes waiting until we can finally unpack, true this gypsy life is tough on little ones. But, we are sheltered. Truly sheltered, loved, provided for and cared about.
We've got nothing to worry about!
Psalm 91:4,
He will cover you with his feathers. He will shelter you with his wings. His faithful promises are your armor and protection.
I also got another email this week reminding me that nothing about our being here is a mistake. That for this season we are here, and that if we cling to Jeremiah 29:11,then we can let go of the frustration and discouragement of not having a place to call home yet, and rest in the shelter He has provided!
“For I know the plans I have for you,” says the Lord. “They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope”” (Jeremiah 29:11)
Shelter is pretty sweet.
You are my mighty rock, my fortress, my protector, the rock where I am safe, my shield, my powerful weapon, and my place of shelter. (Psalm 18:2)
Your love is a treasure, and everyone finds shelter in the shadow of your wings. (Psalm 36:7)
Homeless is ok for now, as long as we continue to rest rest under God’s amazing shelter!
P.S. Thanks to all who have sent ideas for housing! We are really hoping to stay close to our home church and will try to exhaust all options here before we start to look further away! Thanks for your thoughtfulness!! We have several options we are looking into, and we pray God makes it clear where we are to set down roots for a bit! There are so many things to consider when “settling” six of us!! Thanks to all who are praying and offering suggestions!
