30 Days of Thanksgiving {Days 2&3}

Look at that, I missed day 2 already. Not that I wasn't thinking about what I am thankful for. I committed to praying for this particular thing all day yesterday, and that just made me even more grateful for it! But alas, motherof3 didn't have a chance to blog.

Day 2:

Thank You, Jehovah Jireh, for The Crossing.



That's where Derek works. What an amazing blessing it has been! If Derek's boss hadn't believed in him after just one interview, who knows if we would have ever made it out here to Indiana.

Probably over the last year we were in PA, Derek would go through these almost depressed episodes. He felt useless. He was working constantly, and we were still struggling financially. And we had almost zero ministry involvement. He would just sorta sink into himself for hours at a time. It was not ideal for our marriage.

Finally, God opened this door to work at the Crossing and we took the leap. Totally worth it! He now gets to speak truth into the lives of young men, and mentor them, and teach them. He's using his spiritual gift of teaching and fulfilling his calling as a believer, every single day! AND, he's learning amazing new skills and working with his hands all day long. There is just no denying that God was intimately involved in bringing us here.

It's so amazing to know my husband is part of changing lives and leading souls to the Savior. I definitely got a little teary watching some of these interviews. Check them out. Also for some peaks into what really goes on and more testimonies, check out the blog! And then make sure to listen to the Spirit when He moves you to be involved! :)


Day 3:

Thank You, Father, for this house.



I've gone on and on about how much I love the Conor house before, so I'll just keep it short.

I love this house.

Remember to be thankful every day! We all are so blessed!

On the other side of The Half

The update you've all been waiting for! :)

(Catch up here)

Saturday, the 17th, we ran our very first half marathon.

WOOT!! It was SO FUN! I highly recommend it :)

I'm still having trouble believing it myself.

My parents came over before 6am Saturday morning so our babies could sleep.

((I have the best parents))

I don't eat that early in the morning. Yuck. Add serious nervousness and I was willing myself not to vomit. And I ate anyway. Yuck.

But by 7:30am we were pounding the pavement.

As usual, before we even finished the first mile, I wanted to walk. But I pushed through it and kept moving for 13.1 full miles! And at a consistent pace that was complimented :)

Every few miles we were cheered on by a sweet friend who's in our Life Group! It's amazing how encouraging it is to see a familiar face throughout the run!

At 10 miles, when I officially passed into uncharted territory, Derek seemed to develop a bounce in his step. He had a sort of giddy pride. If you know him, you know what I'm talking about.

He was an amazing running partner. I was a little afraid he'd spend the empty time encouraging me to breath and have good posture and relax, etc. But instead it was a very pleasant all morning date! I love him.

We were coming around the pond and approaching the finish line searching for Marie's bright pink vest but couldn't find it! Just as we were about to cross the finish line we spotted my momma snapping a pic...

Ends up they had trouble finding the finish line and managed to pull up just as we were finishing! So the kids were still in the car. But Marie was very happy to see us and the cookies we (by we I mean me) were willing to share.

The official time was 2:17:05

I accomplished both my goals:
1. Ran the entire time
2. Did not come in last

I was back on the road yesterday. Wow, I really love running.

But I pulled a tendon or something in my foot and was told by the chiro today that I need to take a week off. We'll see.

Thank you for following us on this journey! It was seriously so amazing. I couldn't have done it without all of your prayers! I felt them! I'm not just saying that! I've got a cold now, but the day of the race I felt great. I was so encouraged by all the support.

Thank you.

Thinking about doing another half end of October. Who's with me? :)

Halfway to the Half

We're approaching the halfway mark. So it's time for an update!

Can I just tell you...

I LOVE RUNNING!!!

It has become an addiction. Derek told me last night about turning a corner in running. We have both turned our first corner. One day 3 miles about killed me. Couple days later I run 4 miles and was tempted to rerun the loop!

This Sunday I will run my first 6 miles ever!

I'M SO EXCITED!!!

Sometimes I think I'm going bipolar when I run. I'll look at the loooong shade-less road ahead and think "oh man, there's no way," while in basically the same thought... "Bring it on!" I'll barely be able to breath because of the humidity and long to quit and smile because I LOVE it all at the same time!

It's weird what this running does to me.

I LOVE IT!!!

I've only had one major disappointment... After more than 2 months of training I not only haven't lost a single pound, I've gained 2-4lbs! When is the muscle going to start burning the fat??? Grrr.

Anyway, check out some of my favorite things...

Running with my neighbor and amazing friend:

My gear:

(Running shoes the husband got on ebay for $20!!)
(Belt to hold water and my phone)
(My mini computer, aka iPhone and headphones)

Sunsets:

And of course a long stretch of road! (Picture to come?)

The Half-Marathon is at the Nappanee Apple Festival on September 17th. There are two ways for you to support us on this endeavor. Choose one or both. Both is my favorite.

COME! Make a sign, stand on the side of the road, and cheer us on!!!
DONATE! Go to The Crossing website and donate any amount of money. The money will go to support The Crossing!!!

If you could ask God 1 question...

Derek's students discussed this at school today. They were to text 4 people with the question, "If you could ask God 1 question, what would it be?" At the time I received Derek's text I was VERY upset with my daughter. So my response was: "When will my daughter learn to not draw on the walls??"

Her artwork...

But I did take the time to think it over. What would I ask Him if we could sit down for a very short chat? I first came up with questions like, "Why do You love me?" "Why do you bless me so much?" "Are we doing what You want us to?" Etc. But I realized all these questions have answers in Scripture. 

I also thought of questions like, "Why must I have csections?" "Why did You allow me to make amazing friends in Scranton just in time for us to leave?" Etc. But honestly those questions seemed somewhat trivial.

I eventually came to a question that might have been my first thought but I'm not so sure I'd want to know the answer: "Are you proud of me?" Or in the words of a student's friend: "Do I make You smile?" 

I know how to please Him. That is very clear in His Word. But am I? Is He proud to call me one of His own? 

No time at all was wasted in the testing of this question... Marie has been ULTRA disobedient today. Jack had a screaming episode just because he wanted to sleep and is too picky about where he sleeps. We weren't at home so I couldn't lay him in bed. By the time we did get home I was beyond losing it. When finally both children were down for their naps and quiet settled over the house I realized that at that moment God would have to answer "no" to my question. 

Time in the Word and much prayer followed, and I know He's completely forgotten the ugliness of earlier today. It wasn't long before another test came...

The "Conor House" that we've been already imagining our lives in will never be ours. They rejected our best unofficial offer (can't blame them as they would still owe at least $15grand to pay it off). When Derek told me over the phone I could tell he was devastated. I am, too. But by the grace of God I was able to respond peacefully and encourage my poor husband. We just need to trust... trust... trust...

I'd like to think God smiled. 

I'd like to think He smiled because He knows exactly what house He has for us and it's WAY better! (Even though we can't imagine a better place...)

I'd like to think He smiled because He was proud of me.

If you could ask God one question, what would it be?

A New Possibility

We are currently praying about a job opportunity for Derek in Indiana. He would be a tutor to kids who for one reason or another cannot go to a regular school. He is THRILLED about the prospect. For so many reasons it seems to be the absolutely perfect fit.

As I got more and more excited about the idea of the job and the positive report on the phone interview, I braced myself for a possible... no probable... down side. And it came almost like an afterthought. "They only have openings in Kokomo and Fort Wayne." For those who don't know much about the flat state of Indiana, this means that the closest location would be at least an hour and a half from where my family lives. I suddenly forgot all the reasons we want this job and nearly decided this would be a terrible idea.

This move that we are hoping to make is for the purpose of making a home base to come back to on furlough. We would like to own a house and have family close by so when we're home from the mission field, we don't have to live out of suitcases and we won't have to travel to see family. 2 hours is still traveling to me!

But I promised Derek that I would pray with an open heart, just in case God leads us somewhere I'm not thrilled about (or tells us to stay here). And seeing the light in Derek's eyes when he talks about this job... well God is working on me.

So right now I'm praying that God will provide an opening in either Elkhart, Goshen, or South Bend with the expectation that He will, but the realization that He might not.

Please pray with us while we go through this process. We're traveling to Indiana to check out the campus sometime in the next couple weeks. Hopefully we'll have some definite decisions made soon!