Brief Update

A brief update: My dad is now home from the hospital, and the prognosis for a full recovery is good. Thanks for your prayers!

Asking for Prayer

Just a quick note asking for prayer for my parents...

On Sunday morning, I got a call from my mom while at church, saying that she was taking my dad in to the hospital with symptoms of a stroke. He was quickly admitted and has since seen a slew of doctors. Several tests have been done, some of which I still do not know the results.

He did have a stroke, but praise God the neurologist said it is only affecting a very small part of the brain and the recovery should be good. He is still experiencing a lack of coordination on his right side and somewhat slurred speech, although my mom thought both were beginning to improve yesterday.

I'm not sure how long he will be in the hospital, but there have been promises that he will be home before Christmas. Please pray that will be the case.

One concern is that the right side is the side with his good leg, so if he doesn't regain strength/coordination, his mobility will be quite limited. Please pray for healing and recovery, and that doctors would be able to keep this from happening again.

Also, please pray for my mom. She is spending most of her time at the hospital and is tired and overwhelmed. I'm doing my best to help her get ready for Christmas but there are some things I can't do for her. She needs strength and encouragement.

Thanks for praying, and I'll post updates as I can.

Just for Fun

I saw this on a friend's blog and had fun reading her answers, so I thought I'd share my own. I hope you find these little Christmas tidbits amusing.

1. Egg Nog or Hot Chocolate? Previously, I would have said hot chocolate. However, I recently took a Beth Moore challenge to eliminate chocolate from my diet. It was based on the diet of vegetables and water that Daniel, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego ate after being exiled to Babylon. The idea is that each time you choose not to eat the given item, you are reminded that you serve the King of kings, not a worldly king. She suggested giving up rich meats, but since that wouldn't be too much of a sacrifice for me, I went with the mother-lode: chocolate. Those of you who know me well know what a sacrifice this is for me!

2. Does Santa wrap presents or just set them under the tree? My kids no longer believe in Santa Claus. He used to set presents under the tree - the ones that were too big to wrap. But my kids have always received gifts from us, too, even when Santa did bring presents. We wanted them to know that they get gifts from us because we love them, not that they have to earn gifts by being good all year.

3. Colored lights on tree/house or white? We have white icicles hanging from the eaves and colored lights on our bushes and Christmas tree. I must say, I'm not a big fan of the new LED lights. The colors just aren't the same as what I'm used to, I guess.

4. Do you hang mistletoe? No. We have a little jingle bell with mistletoe on it, but I can never figure out where/how to hang it.

5. When do you put your decorations up? Usually right after Halloween. Yes, I'm one of those people. I think it's a shame to enjoy your Christmas decorations for only the short period of time between Thanksgiving and New Year's.

6. What is your favorite holiday dish? My Aunt Cindy's escalloped corn

7. Favorite Holiday memory as a child? My brother had always wanted to be a drummer, so my mom and dad invested in a snare drum and snare lessons for him. Every Christmas after that, he would wake us up bright and early to open presents by playing his drum. We weren't allowed to get up before 6:00 on Christmas morning, so he would set his alarm for 6:00 just to make sure we didn't accidentally sleep in. I used to complain about it, but the one year he forgot to set his alarm, I was in his room waking him up at 6:00 to play his drum!

8. When and how did you learn the truth about Santa? We never really believed in Santa. We used to get our picture taken with him at the mall, but I don't remember ever believing he was real. We always knew our parents put the gifts under the tree.

9. Do you open a gift on Christmas Eve? Some years we have, and other years we haven't. I guess it depends on how much the boys beg and how excited I am to give them their gifts. I have a hard time waiting.

10. How do you decorate your Christmas tree? We have an artificial tree because of allergies. Usually the boys help us with the branches and then Lars and I put the lights on. Then the kids put all the ornaments on. There are some from when I was a kid, some we received as wedding gifts because we got married in December, and several others we've accumulated through the years. We try to buy ornaments as mementos when we go special places as a family so that as we put them on the tree each year we can remember our fun times together.

11. Snow! Love it or Dread it? I've always loved snow at Christmas time. By the time March arrives and it's still snowing, I'm pretty sick of it. After spending a year in Arizona, though, I was pretty happy to see the first snowfall this year!

12. Can you ice skate? I guess that depends on how you define "skate." I can maintain my balance for the most part, but I am definitely not graceful.

13. Do you remember your favorite gift? My husband, in 1995 (we were married on December 2). If that doesn't count... My sister and I used to collect toy horses when we were little. One year my Grandpa Kirkland built us a corral for our horses. That was a pretty special gift.

14. What's the most important thing about the Holidays for you? Certainly the birth of Christ is the most important thing. When I think about God sending His only Son to make a way for me to spend eternity in heaven, I can't imagine why He would send such a precious gift. I am so grateful for His grace even when I am so undeserving.

15. What is your favorite Holiday Dessert? The Kirkland traditional plum pudding, which is only served at Christmas time. My great grandma used to make it before she passed away, and my grandpa after that. When he passed away, my mom took on the tradition. It doesn't have a single plum in it, so I'm not sure why they call it plum pudding, but I love it!

16. What is your favorite holiday tradition? We started a new Christmas Eve tradition last year that is already becoming my favorite. Our church has 3 Christmas Eve services, and for several years I sang for the services. I always loved doing it, but I missed spending Christmas Eve with my husband and kids. Last year we decided that, until our boys are grown up, we will spend Christmas Eve together as a family. Our new tradition is to go to one of the earlier Christmas Eve services, then come home and have Christmas Eve dinner. Then we watch a Christmas movie, since watching movies is one of our favorite things to do together. Last year it was The Nativity Story. I think this year it will be A Christmas Carol. Something that doesn't focus on the material/commercial side of Christmas. A second favorite tradition is the Swedish St. Lucia celebration. I wrote a blog entry about that last year, so you can go back into my archives and read more about that tradition of you want to.

17. What tops your tree? A star that is always crooked, but I'm not tall enough to straighten it, even on the top step of the step stool. I keep forgetting to ask Lars to fix it.

18. Which do you prefer, giving or receiving? Definitely giving. I have to reign myself in because I will way overspend if I'm not careful. It's definitely better when Lars helps with the shopping because he keeps me in line. Let's just say my kids are lucky to have a mother with gifts as a primary love language...

19. What is your favorite Christmas song? Christian: Chris Rice's "Welcome to Our World." Amazing lyrics. Secular: the Brenda Lee version of "Rockin' Around the Christmas Tree." I don't know why, I just think it's fun.

20. Candy Canes: Yuck or Yum? Yum! I love them and always end up eating them all off the tree. My dentist would not approve, I'm sure.

21 Favorite Christmas Show? A Charlie Brown Christmas. It's not Christmas until I've seen it at least once.

I hope you found my answers at least entertaining, if not enlightening. And now you probably know more about me than you ever wanted to know.

Merry Christmas!

2010: Our Year in Review

Plans. All throughout our married life (15 years now, can you believe it?), Lars and I have made plans. Plans to finish college. Move to Youth Haven. Start a family. Grow our family. Buy a house. Choose a church home and a school for our kids. It seems like there is always an important decision to be made, and the weight of our choices is too heavy for us to bear on our own.

We often joke that we are both middle children, so we can never make up our minds about anything. If I could just see the future outcome of either option, it would be so easy to decide.

But I can't see it, and this is where trust must take over.

"For I know the plans I have for you," declares the LORD, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. Then you will call on me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you. You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart." - Jeremiah 29:11-13

I have been familiar with the words of Jeremiah 29:11 for many years. It has always been a comfort to me to know that God already has a plan for my life and for my family. But somehow, in a way that my human mind can't understand, God's plan and my will co-exist. God is not a puppeteer and I His puppet. I still have choices to make.

That's why I take such great comfort in the words of verses 12 and 13. I want my choices to line up with His plan. I don't want to make mistakes. I want to choose what He wants. And these verses promise that if I seek Him with all my heart, He will show Himself to me.

This has never been more evident to me than it was over this past year.

In January of 2010, while we were in Arizona for Youth Haven's annual Ladies' Day events, God began to reveal Himself to Lars and me, and to show us a new part of His plan for our lives. We knew that the manager of our Arizona campus would be retiring in April, and we both began to feel the strong calling from God to invest the next year of our lives in the Arizona ministry before hiring a new manager.

It was an exciting time for us, believing that God has amazing things in store for our ministry out there. We both knew it would give us the opportunity to build relationships with our staff in Arizona, and to encourage them in the great work they are doing with the kids. A year at the Arizona campus would also give Lars a new perspective on the ministry there, which is in many ways different from Michigan because the culture and environment are so different. And it would open new doors to cultivate relationships with people who may be able to support the ministry financially or through volunteer service.

It was also difficult for us to pack up and move so far away from both of our families. The boys were thrilled with the idea of moving to the "Wild West" of Arizona, but they also had to leave their grandparents, cousins, aunts and uncles, and friends behind. Lars and I both have our parents and all our siblings nearby in Michigan, so this was a difficult thing to do.

There were times when I was very homesick, and times when I felt like I never wanted to leave Arizona. It's amazing how God helps you to feel at home when you go where He is calling you to be. The staff at our Arizona Ranch became a second family to me, and being right on campus, I had a chance to spend time with the kids who attended our programs throughout the year. It was so amazing for me to sing with them in chapel or see them at meal times and realize many of them now know Jesus because of their time at Youth Haven. We even found a church in Tucson where we were able to get involved with the worship team and the boys enjoyed the kids' program.

Lars learned so many things, from well repairs to what kinds of foods kids are used to eating in Arizona. He says it was a lot like an "Undercover Boss" experience for him. He was able to spend a great deal of time with each of our staff members, to hear what was on their hearts - joys and struggles alike. I know being there himself gave him a better understanding of the needs of the children, our staff, and our campus facilities.

We endured 120 degree temperatures and missing our families, friends, and home church. We also had the privilege of experiencing the unique desert beauty. Most importantly, we learned to trust God to give us the strength we needed to follow His plan for our lives. He never failed us, not once.

And now He is revealing that He is ready to move us home. We are in Michigan for Christmas, and will be returning to Arizona in January. This spring, we will be packing up and moving back to Michigan, after an amazing year in Arizona. A new manager will be in place at our Arizona campus at that time, and Lars will take regular trips out there to continue to invest in that area of the ministry.

We are excited to be coming home, where we will be close to our families and able to get involved with our church again. I will still homeschool the boys, which will give us the flexibility to travel to Arizona as needed, but they will be able to participate in a homeschool program at Lansing Christian, where their friends are.

Overall, 2010 has been a year of change, challenges, excitement, learning, and growth. It has been a time of trusting, listening, and following our Father, knowing He will strengthen us and seeing the rewards when we choose to obey His calling.

Now we look forward to great things in 2011!