Sister Cousins

My sister and I were both pregnant last year--she was due in October, and I was in December. What was even more special was that her due date was my birthday--October 3rd. When her little girl Mercy was born right on time, I was thrilled. She was absolutely beautiful, and I knew we were going to have a special connection for the rest of our lives. Drew and I didn't know whether our baby was a boy or girl, but we thought it would be fun to have a cousin so close in age. Holding sweet Mercy, I remember feeling like it would be a long time before I got to meet our little one.

It was a lot shorter than I expected! My water broke one year ago today, and I spent two days in the hospital trying to slow down labor. In the middle of the night on October 19th, I had an emergency c-section. I remember feeling anxious about all the unknowns with a premature birth, peace that God was with me and was going to take care of me, and absolute job when I heard, "It's a girl!"

The first few hours of Lois's life are a blur to me, but I remember she was so tiny. Three pounds, eleven ounces tiny. The smallest baby I had ever seen. I couldn't snuggle with her or even hold her for many hours, but she was healthier than we thought she'd be.

After three weeks in the NICU, I was anxious for my little Lois to meet Mercy. Page came to visit us one day, and we took pictures of them side by side. Mercy was a healthy, average sized baby, but she looked huge compared to 4 pound Lois.

Look at the two of them now! They got matching riding toys--the pinkest things I've ever seen. :) Mercy is definitely further along developmentally--walking and climbing everywhere. But Lois has cerrtainly caught up in size. She even looks bigger in this photo. 

I call them sister-cousins, though I'm not really sure why. Neither of them has a sister, and I think it's special that they are only 16 days apart. It will be so much fun to watch them grow up together, and I will look forward to lots of special birthday memories with them. There's a lot to celebrate in October!

Upside Down Kingdom

It was my turn to write for the Adelante Express blog this week, and I shared about my experiences this summer. I thought I'd post it here to collect my writing in one place. I don't know who all reads Mission Adelante's blog, but I know there's a lot more readers there than here. I'm still getting used to writing for a larger audience. It feels funny to share myself with people I don't know. It seems like every time I turn around, there's a new experience to stretch me! Growing is hard work, but I am thankful for the opportunity to process and share what God's been doing in my life this season.

Mon Maya Rai, the matriarch of our local Bhutanese house church, has been praying for my eye all summer. Her prayers and constant concern have blessed me deeply. I call her "Ama" (mom) and she calls me "Churi" (daughter). I love that the Bhutanese welcome people into their families so easily!

God’s kingdom is truly upside down. Last year, our family spent lots of time, energy and money to move to the Mission Adelante neighborhood and serve Bhutanese refugees. We finally settled down in March, and I was looking forward to diving into relationships with our neighbors. As I prayed about where to start and how best to serve, a mentor encouraged me to wait at God’s doorstep (Proverbs 8:34-35). Positioning myself near to His heart would ultimately be the best way to serve others.

So I did. And I was led to take small steps. A few neighbor kids started spending time with us after school, and we made plans for summer fun with them. I was excited to take them swimming and to the park, and to go on walks with some of my ESL students. Summer was going to be a season of diving deeper into life here, and I was ready.

The first weekend after school got out, I broke my foot (just walking barefoot in my house!). I knew it would slow me down, but I prayed God would heal me quickly, so I could still take the kids swimming and such. A few days later at a routine eye exam, my doctor discovered that my retina was detached. I would need emergency surgery--the kind that comes with a significant recovery period.

I was down for the count. And really frustrated. How was I going to take care of my three kids--let alone serve others--if I couldn’t walk, drive or even see straight? But God still had plans for my summer. I was surprised by all the ways I saw His concern for me through those I thought I was supposed to be taking care of.

My missional family (those of us living in the neighborhood to serve the Bhutanese), co-workers, volunteers and even my ESL students blessed me again and again. They brought meals, prayed for me and with me, walked my baby girl, and sat with me while I was home bound. Our Bhutanese house-church members and several ESL students prayed for my healing. Even now, they commonly ask me how my eye is doing. Their concern was real, and God listened to their prayers. It's been about a month since my foot finished healing, and my eye is doing better than anyone expected--I am so grateful.

How humbling. And how beautiful. We come to God ready to give what we think we have, and then he turns it around and lets us receive His love and grace afresh. His kingdom doesn’t work the way we think it should--it’s so much better than that. The relationships that form from serving at Mission Adelante really do result in sharing life with each other and growing His kingdom--His way, not ours. And positioning ourselves at His doorstep is always a good way to begin.