I have spent the last two months working in homes of refuge for orphans or children who have been rescued from dangerous homes. I love every minute that I get to spend in the home and with these kids. At the current home we are in, Adulam, the children range from 8 months to early adulthood they all have unique histories and you can often see their past horrors lingering in their eyes. It breaks my heart to imagine the things they have seen and they ways that they have been hurt but the Lord has been comforting me in the fact that he can redeem all of those things and use them for his good as I have seen him do in my own life.
The other day I was watching one of the older girls and imagining what her life will be like when she becomes an adult, what kind of job will she have, what will her home be like, and the question came to mind “who will she call when days are hard?” And the Lord reminded me that I am so blessed to have a literal village of family members that I can call when I am need of anything. I have always been grateful for my family but God has just opening my eyes to how blessed I am that he chose this specific family for me.
I have been spending some extra time in the last few days to be a intentionally grateful for my family and so in this blog I want to highlight a few of my family members that I am beyond grateful for..
Gran– The main root of all this madness. There are not words created yet to describe this woman but I will do my best. She is a woman of God down to her very core and has taught me so much about what it means to live with title. Gran is my biggest supporter and encourager. She is has given me an inspiration to see the world but also has cultivated a safe home that I always long to return to. Gran fills my life with love and wisdom. If there were Grammy awards for grandparents she would have them all.
My Uncles and Aunts– God gifted me some really great role models in these category. My uncles have been there from day one affectionately naming my sister and I narks (beautiful princess according to Gran), teaching me how to eat (see photo below), and teaching me how to be take a joke. My favorite accomplishment of all of my uncles are the incredible aunts the gave to me; women who fear the Lord and I continue to look up to. These uncles and aunts then gave me some of best (little) friends I could have asked for..
My Cousins– I wasn’t on the earth for too long before God delivered my first cousin, Ashley Kay. We hit it off pretty quickly and spent the rest of childhoods becoming more and more inseparable. After this cousins just kept coming and never stopped and somehow I continued to love each one as much as the previous. These kiddos feel my life with so much joy and laughter. They are easily my favorite people to be around and they all have so much love to give. In my time on the race nothing lights up my week light a new video or snapchat of these guys.
My Siblings– Josie lived a peaceful first 3 years and 3 days alone until I showed up and she became a big sister. It took us a while (a loonngg while and 2000 miles) to figure this relationship out, but now I so deeply cherish the time we get to spend on the phone sharing our lives. Eventually the rest of our siblings came along; in 2001 we got our one and only brother, Joey and then in 2007 our baby, Jennah Love. I’m sure at the ripe old age of 5 I had no clue what the title big sister would mean to me but it has proven to be my favorite role that I’ve gotten to play so far. I could not have asked for better siblings to grow up with. The three of them have taught me love, selflessness, patience, how to fight for what’s mine and how to hide what is not mine until I’m ready to return it. I am so thankfully for the laughter, tears, inside jokes, and a lifetime of funny stories with this crew.
My Stepdad– Brent Harris. A more recent addition to this wild group but very clearly a gift from God. This man must be certifiably crazy because he went from a bachelor life to spending his free evenings in the stands watching Joey and Jennah play basketball or soccer, letting us kids make his home our own, and selflessly helping support the needs of this new family. He is the man who comes to my rescue when my car breaks down or I slid in the ditch because I decided to drive home in 15 inches of snow. I am so beyond thankful for the example he is to me in the way he loves and cares for my mom and our family.
My Mama– My best friend, my confidant, my number one prayer warrior, and my personal cheerleader. This is the woman I call whenever I am not completely sure I know how to cook the dinner I want, I need advice (or gas money), or I just need someone to tell that everything will be ok. I know, without a doubt, that I inherited this huge bleeding heart that I have from her because I have spent my whole watching hers bleed for those around her. She has been my protector and advocate even when I didn’t see it or realize how much I needed it. She has supplied me with so many words of wisdom and then grace when I went out and I did what I wanted instead. I can’t imagine a life without this mama.
All of these people have influenced the me that I am today and I am so beyond grateful for the village God designed for me.
I love you all and I miss you deeply!
See you in 185 days!
