A mixed bag

Lately life has been full of both celebrations and struggles. It has been a bit emotionally exhausting, to tell the truth. It is difficult to process it all. While circumstances are varied, I am thankful that God is the same, yesterday, today and forever. He is good and works all things for our good even when the situations are difficult. 

Some recent fun experiences included Christmas celebrations with students, the women of Buwundo Beads, GSF kids, GSF staff, our missionary team, and our family, going on safari with our family and some friends, helping plan the events around a proposal for a friend, hosting a wedding and doing pre-marital counseling for some other friends, David starting online seminary classes, schools in Uganda reopening and taking our students on an overnight retreat that included team building, hiking and beach volleyball!. 

In the midst of these blessings we have also had some challenges like getting COVID and isolating as a family of 9, decorating for and hosting a wedding right after having COVID and feeling exhausted, tearing something in my hip playing basketball and having ongoing pain for over a month, our van braking down on the side of the road almost weekly, then finding out that our 30 year old van needs repairs costing more than it is worth, everyone around us needing money for school fees after two years of the economy significantly struggling  due to COVID restrictions, sending our two “foster kids” back to school (photo above), transitioning back to being a family of 7 for this season, making plans about transitioning Elijah to college life in the US, a good but emotional visit with birth family, one of our kids getting a significant wound needing stitches, grieving with a teammate who recently lost a family member, grieving that a friend who came to visit contracted malaria and it got so severe that he was in a coma in the ICU for several weeks and is still struggling to recover,  reconnecting with friends who came back to Uganda to visit and then saying goodbye again, and discussing and beginning to plan for a sabbatical year summer of 2023 through summer of 2024. 

The other day as I was in tears and sharing my many emotions about all of this with a friend, I realized that it is ok to be exhausted with all that has been going on. It is normal that it took a while to physically recover from COVID and it is normal to feel tired. It is not up to me to solve all of the challenges that have arisen in this season. I cannot. I am not God. There are some things that God has called me to do in His strength that are beyond my own abilities, but he will give me what I need to do those things. 

I don’t know if you are feeling weary too, but I want to remember that God has said, 

“Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened and I will give you rest.” (Matthew 11:28)

“Have you not known? Have you not heard? The Lord is the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth. He does not faint or grow weary; his understanding is unsearchable. He gives power to the faint, and to him who has no might he increases strength. Even youths shall faint and be weary, and young men shall fall exhausted; but they who wait for the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles; they shall run and not be weary; they shall walk and not faint.” (‭‭Isaiah‬ ‭40:28-31‬)

In the midst of the ups and downs of life, God’s faithfulness and loving care for me is constant. He will renew my strength. So as I start another day not knowing what it will hold, I do know that I will cling to Him.