Traveling South but Not Out of God's Care

Last week we braved a trip south. The children have been begging to visit their cousins in North Carolina. I've never driven that far, and Ed has not been doing as well the past weeks. His fatigue and lack of focus are increasing and make every-day life challenging. Ed had always planned our trips, and I went along for the ride. But this is just one more thing that I had to tackle. With the help of the children, the trip went far better than I expected.

On the way to Ed's sister's house, we stopped at the Manasses Battlefield in Virginia. We had just listened to the excellent book, Bull Run by Paul Fleischman. This book tells the story of the First Battle of Bull Run (or Manasses) from the viewpoint of many different characters such as a slave, captain, doctor, fife player, and more. The audio was well-done; each character was read by a different reader which made it more memorable. The book does not glorify war and made our short visit to the battlefield much more profitable.

We spent the rest of the weekend just hanging out at Jean's house. We always have so much fun there. We did craft projects, 

shelled pecans,

cleared brush,

braved a huge rope swing, and spent hours playing games and talking.

Some of you long-time readers have asked how Jean and her family are doing since her husband's death seven years ago. They are all doing very well. Jean and her girls have a bakery business and have fixed up an adorable bus to travel to farmer's markets. Her sons are busy with jobs and school.

Seeing God's care for Jean's family has given me hope for my own family. I watch them and see that the worse can happen and families can go on and learn to live and laugh again.

When my brother Brad found out we were going to North Carolina for the weekend, he asked if we'd consider visiting them before heading home. Brad and his family are planning to spend seven weeks working with Christian Disaster Service (CDS). They are helping rebuild homes that were damaged by Hurricane Florence in September. 

So on Monday morning, while it snowed at home in Pennsylvania, we traveled several hours further south. A large blueberry farm offered their migrant housing to the volunteers. Set in a grove of tall pines on the edge of the blueberry fields, it was pretty setting. The housing was rustic, but we just imagined we were camping.

CDS encourages families to serve together. I loved seeing sons work with their fathers. Of course it was terribly hard to see Ed so tired and listless. In large groups and unfamiliar surroundings, Ed's brain fog is even worse than usual. A year ago he would have loved strapping on a tool belt and jumping into the work. 

But my boys were able to work with their uncle for two days helping to carry trash, tear out old insulation, and put on a new roof. 

The ladies and girls cleaned to prepare for more volunteers arriving next week. 

Busy men and many children also made endless laundry.

My favorite part of our stay was working in the kitchen trailer. We ladies discussed homeschooling, recipes, and church life while making mounds of food and washing dishes.

The children made new friends, 

and played games with cousins. 

Without many toys, the children used creativity. Some of the girls made a pinata.

The boys rolled each other in an old barrel. 

The last evening we were there, the home owners of one of the houses the group was rebuilding shared their story with us. They spoke of God's protection on their lives as they fled the hurricane and thanked God for His blessings even after losing all their earthly belongings. I hope we were able to encourage them as much as they blessed us.

As a mom, I don't expect much relaxation on a vacation, but this trip was perhaps the most relaxed I've been in months, maybe years. My children were happy and busy all day long. I had no responsibilities for meals though I pitched in when I could. We had some rough spots, like the night one of my girls got sick, and I constantly worried about Ed, hoping he wouldn't get confused and wander away or fall.  

Maybe it was because my expectations were so low. Maybe it is a sign that my normal life is stressful. Maybe it was the prayers of friends and family. Whatever the reason, I arrived home feeling refreshed.

We don't deserve God's blessing, we don't always get the blessings we ask for, but we always have blessings to thank God for.

For the LORD is good; his mercy is everlasting; and his truth endureth to all generations. Psalms 100:5