Major Milestone

It happened in March, but I haven't had the chance to write about it.  We officially recognized the 1-year anniversary of our return from France on March 11th.

(But, in reality, we didn't truly finish celebrating the 1-year transition until June because we moved into our home on June 18th.  That means this post is not really late, right!)

On Sunday, March 10th, we went out to a nice restaurant and officially celebrated this 1-year anniversary.  I bought a jar and a few bags of rocks at Hobby Lobby to take along with us.  We had a formal time of thanking the Lord for all that He has done for our family this year.  We took a rock for each thing we are thankful for and put them in the jar.

There were thanks given for...

school
friends
teachers
church
neighbors
our home
our big yard
new jobs
American sports teams
bicycles
bicycles that can be ridden freely throughout the neighborhood
living in an English world
our fabulous public library
living near family
the IWU recreation center

...and on and on it went.

I should have gotten a jar three times the size.  It would have been NO PROBLEM to fill it! 

It has been simply incredibly to watch this year unfold.  The Lord has been so very good to every member of this family.  He provided a great job for Mark which is what led us here.  That job has been more of a fit for Mark than we ever could have imagined.  Not only that, but we can see how each job that Mark has had thus far has been preparing him for this job.  We didn't know that, but the Lord did!

Each of our children has thrived in this place.  They have been asked the question many times, "Do you miss Paris?  Do you miss France?"  Every single one of them says an emphatic, "NO!"  Then, they will begin to tell you all the wonderful things about living in America.

But, it isn't because they hated living in France.  In fact, they all did fabulously well in France and had great friends they still miss.  I think the biggest reason they don't miss France is because of how much the Lord has blessed each of them here in Indiana.

They love the wide open spaces and the freedom to wander all over our neighborhood.  They have all had fabulous teachers.  School is a total joy for them.  They have all found friends they want to be with for years and years and years.  They have each been able to participate in church activities they love.  They have each been able to participate in sports and they have LOVED the experience of being on sports teams in America.  Americans make sports a blast!  They love being American and living in America - that fit suits them very, very well.

When you consider that we moved from a huge city in a foreign country to a small town in Indiana with a 7th, 5th and 1st grader, it is pretty incredible to think that each of them is genuinely happy with the move.  The only way we can explain that is by saying, THE LORD IS GOOD!!!!

As for me, I have spent much of the year trying to figure out what the Lord has for me.  I started working at the kids' school in the kitchen as a way to get out of the house, earn a little money, and get to know people in this community.  I had no idea that it would lead to a full-time job as a secretary at the K through 2nd grade school.  I would never have thought, "Now, I should try to get a full-time job as a secretary at the kids' school!"  Nope.  Instead, the Lord gently led me to this place and I couldn't be happier about the whole thing!  He knows me better than I know myself and has been guiding me along to the place He wants me to be.  I am so very grateful!  I am excited to see what the next year holds for me - as well as all the rest of my family.

Over and over again, I have marveled at how personal our God is.  There are desires in our hearts that He knows and that I believe He loves letting us know that He knows.  Here's an example.

When we finally realized the Lord was calling us back to the USA, I told Mark that someday, if we ever owned a house again, I would love to have two things:  an American flag by the front door and a lilac bush.

Well, last summer, one of the first things I did after moving into our new home was buy an American flag and put it by our front door.  Yeah!

But, that desire for a lilac bush still hadn't been met.  Or, so I thought!

Last summer was insanely hot.  As a result the bushes around our house didn't bloom.  We moved in on June 18th and shortly thereafter I began trimming the bushes around our home.  (They were a gangly mess!)

But, this spring and summer have been much more normal temperature wise, and our bushes shocked me by beginning to bloom!!!  Look at this:

The Lord gave me not one, but 11 lilac bushes!!!  ELEVEN!!!!  Can you believe it?!?  The aroma coming through the windows was absolutely heavenly.  I could hardly believe the goodness of the Lord.

All I can say is, what an amazing God we serve.  I cannot imagine life without Him!!!