OUR FAMILY

This is us...a dad and a mom. 7 girls. 5 boys...so far.

Our desire as a family is to glorify God in all that we do. We don't know what tomorrow will bring and we like to live each day as if it were our last. We aim to remain eternally minded so that our treasure remains in heaven and not here on earth,
though we praise God for the many blessings He's given us here to enjoy.

We're messy by nature and tidy by necessity and choice. My children will hear me say, "God is a God of order
(1 Corinthians 14:33) and He asks us to imitate Him (Ephesians 5:1)." So, with this in mind, we strive for order and peace amidst all that we are and we constantly choose to put on LOVE. We set out for structure, but go with the flow and thrive on changing things up. We're always ready and waiting for God's new plans for our lives and we're grateful that He's in control.

We haven't got it all figured out, but praise the Lord, He does! We follow Him and trust Him in all things because if you ask me, "it's just life on earth" and we're living for eternity. We definitely don't take ourselves too seriously and we're desperately dependent upon God's grace. That being said, we do take our pursuit of holiness very seriously...because God does. We aim to search for and obey the commands of Scripture out of our great love for Christ and because we fear God. We want to please Him in all that we do. Praise the Lord, by His amazing grace and because of the gospel of Jesus Christ, He frees us up to miss the mark sometimes and seek repentance when we do. He forgives and loves and restores and trains,
and as parents, we attempt to reflect His example.

"Fear God and keep his commandments, for this is the whole duty of man."
Ecclesiastes 12:13

"As obedient children, do not be conformed to the passions of your former ignorance, but as he who called you is holy, you also be holy in all of your conduct, since it is written, 'You shall be holy, for I am holy.'"
1 Peter 1:14-16

"And from his fullness we have all received, grace upon grace."
John 1:16

We enjoy slow living as a family, simplicity, nature, shepherding our children's hearts through challenges and joys (accepting both as good!), family devotions and Bible reading, homeschooling, outreach opportunities, creating, worshipping the Lord with instruments and songs, desolate beach days, building our home, farming, gardening, exploring new adventures, and fellowship with the body of Christ. Most of all, we love Jesus and hope to serve Him and love others with His love...wherever He should take us and however He should choose to spend us. Our life is simple...it's all about Him.

From the outset of our marriage in 1999, we desired a large family and praised God for each amazing child He blessed us with. We often joked that we hoped to have 10+ children, though now that we do it doesn't seem so outrageous. In fact, it feels just right. Our children are our first ministry and it is our honor to raise them and point them to the Lord every day!

What a JOY they are...our best friends!

"Children are a gift from the LORD; they are a reward from him."
Psalm 127:3

In 2011, pregnant with baby #6 (Boden), as we began to seek the Lord by praying around the globe, He ushered us into a new season of adoption. In November of 2012, we adopted Noble and India from the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
In October of 2014, we adopted Bea and Beck from China. They are each incredible gifts in our lives and we praise God for teaching us more of His heart for the orphan, showing us more of how He loves us and has adopted us, and for grafting our precious sons and daughters into our family!!

"In love he predestined us for adoption to himself as sons through Jesus Christ, according to the
purpose of his will, to the praise of his glorious grace, with which he has blessed us in the Beloved."
Ephesians 1:4-6

In early 2016, after nearly a decade of prayer, the Lord led us on from our life in the city to a new life in the country. We have never looked back and enjoy every minute of our time spent in nature, learning all about farm animals, growing an orchard, vineyard, and garden, and living at an even quieter and slower pace than ever before.
It's a peaceful life and we are very grateful for God's provision.

In early 2017, the Lord allowed us to experience the sorrow of our first miscarriage, followed by 7 additional miscarriages in the next 3 years. It was a season of rejoicing and mourning for our family, also a time of deepening, pruning, and growth-producing lessons as we developed an even more profound trust in our Creator God and His wise sovereignty in all things, including life, loss, and our fertility. We walked through and away from that season with an intensified gratitude for the children the Lord has blessed us with and an even sweeter sense of responsibility and love for our family ministry. Though we suffered, we can thank Him with joy for the trials because of our confidence in the truth that God is always good.

"The Lord gave and the Lord has taken away; blessed be the name of the Lord."
Job 1:21

I never thought I would keep a blog. I'm notoriously private and introspective, but as the Lord has nudged me repeatedly to share the things He places on my heart, I've responded out of obedience in this way. In doing so, I've found that I like writing as a form of expression. As I ponder and search God's Word daily, He teaches me, so it seems, through the output. I've heard it said, "How do I know what I think until I see what I say," and as a visual, creative person, I'd say that's become true for me.

I share my heart here because I feel that it's something God's asked of me in this season and I pray that it serves as a memoir of sorts for my family and perhaps an encouragement for another, should that be His will. Mostly, I pray that we can glorify the Lord in all that we say, do, are as that is our highest aim.

So, if you've somehow stumbled upon reading here, please bear with me as I learn and write and relearn and chronicle more.
Please know that I'm no expert...just a mom who loves Christ along this rickety, grace-filled voyage toward Him.

By His grace, may the Lord meet us all daily right where we find ourselves, wherever that be.
In plenty, in want, may He be all sufficient. May He be all we need. As we seek, may we find

and may our "family tree" bear good fruit because of His grace in our lives.

 "I am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever abides in me and I in him,

he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing."

John 15:5

 "So, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God."

1 Corinthians 10:31