2017 in Review

Well, we made it.

2017 was a year of Big Changes, as we packed up and left South Dakota to return to Alaska as missionaries.

I've been looking through my journals and stories to get a feel for the last year, and I thought I'd share with you as well.

Highlights: moments that stood out to me this last year.

Artistic accomplishments: because creativity is a superpower in our house.

Lessons learned: because wisdom doesn't just zap you when you hit 80; it's something you have to glean along the way.

Highlights

In February, Jasmine was baptized. Made my Mom heart happy.

Because we spent the first part of the year in the Midwest, we were able to see family a lot more. Family in Tennessee, Iowa, and Missouri were all visited and loved on. A lot.

In April, we left South Dakota and traveled across the US to head back to Alaska as missionaries with Youth With A Mission. We took a month and visited with friends and family along the way.

This is my Roadtrip face... because ya know, motion sickness.

Ethan and I celebrated our 15th anniversary in July.

 

In August, we moved into a house and hosted over fifteen people in the first two weeks of being there!  

In September, Maya got her first big haircut. She had been wanting a bob for the longest, so we decided to let it be a birthday wish granted. 

In October, I flew down to Tennessee to teach at a Discipleship Training School (DTS) for a week.

October is also the month we agreed to become Youth Pastors at our local church. Love!

In November, our students graduated from their Discipleship Training School (DTS). This is the entry level school in Youth With A Mission.

December was a month-long Love Fest, as we experienced God's abundant provision. See here and here for more details on that one.

Also, Ethan shaved! One of our pastors actually had him stand up in church so he could re-introduce him to everyone- so funny. I missed that handsome face!

Creativity

2017 was a year of great beauty, and I spent a lot of time honing my iPhone photography skills trying to capture it. (If I could ever find my battery charger, I'll start using my real camera again...)

I also took a little time to do watercolors this fall and tried a couple new mediums: wood burning and embroidery.

 Lessons Learned (or in process):

God is with us. 

Sounds trite I know, but when you're getting ready to move your family across the US for a job that you absolutely love (for which there is no salary- welcome to missions!) and you're feeling a little overwhelmed at the thought of spending your last dime to do it, yeah. That little phrase takes on some weight. It is no longer a trite phrase, it is your lifeline to courage.

While looking through my journal from last year, I found this entry:

February 13, 2017
When thinking about returning to Homer as missionaries, I asked the Lord to give me courage.
He reminded me of Moses and Joshua. When they needed courage, God promised to be with them.

Thank you for being with me God.

So if this were a math problem, it would be Awareness of God's presence = Courage.

Joshua 1:9 sums it up quite well:

Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. 

Do not be afraid, do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go.

While in Oregon, I came across this bracelet and bought it as a tangible reminder of God's promise to be with us:

God helps the helpless.

I know, I know. That wouldn't go over well in mainstream American Christianity, because hello?!? Everyone knows God helps those who help themselves, right?! And sometimes, maybe that's true.

But you won't find a verse in the Bible that says that.

Instead, you'll find God creating laws to leave food behind when harvesting, because not everyone is a farmer, and life doesn't always go the way you planned. Think: Ruth

You'll see God delivering an entire nation of people out of Egypt and supernaturally providing food for them for fourteen thousand six hundred days - 40 whole years. And guess what? They weren't farming in that desert; they couldn't help themselves. God deliberately chose to feed those cranky Israelites in spite of themselves! Because God helps the helpless.

I came across a verse in Isaiah 40 that read,

The Everlasting Lord, the Creator of the ends of the earth- He doesn't get tired! 

He does not grow weary! He gives strength to the weary.

And I immediately thought- Hey! That's me! Weary. Overwhelmed. Stressed about our future, finances, and all the things accumulating on my to-do list. 

You know what? Sometimes I don't know how to calm the anxiety.

Sometimes I can't make things better, and the best thought I have is to Pray. And I'm beginning to think my broken places are open doors to the kindness of God.

I need a brain transplant.

Okay, that was a bit dramatic. What I mean to say is, I'm learning I need to change the way I think.

From my journal:

February 12

On the way to church this morning, I got my feelings hurt.

It was over something silly and small, but I immediately felt stupid.

Even last night I was hearing that accusing voice. After cleaning up the house and doing dishes, I was folding two loads of laundry in the family closet. I just began thinking I am so lazy - WHILE folding clothes.

So ironic.

I feel like my mind is poisoned.  : /

/  /  /  /  /  /  /  /  /  /  /  /

I'm learning to recognize lies - I don't do anything well.

Flip them around - I can do things well.

And amplify that truth - I am creative, artistic, and gifted at bringing beauty to my surroundings. 

See there? That last statement was a whole lot closer to truth than that first one. 

Problem is, we often get so accustomed to lies that we don't confront them. 

Another thing I learned: when doing this process, stop trying to untangle your feelings. If you can figure out the thought behind the feeling (Hint: it's often a lie), then you've won half the battle. That was a good one for me to discover, because I spend far more time grappling with emotions and feelings than the thoughts behind them.

This last lesson came from my sweet friend, Laural. 

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So there you have it; 2017 in Review. It's not everything that happened, but I think that pretty much covers the big parts.

What about you?

How was your year? What have you learned?