15th Anninversary
This is our 15th Anniversary Year! Wow! It is amazing how fast time goes, but sometimes seems so slow at the time. We have weathered those first couple of years of him going to Bible school while I worked to support us and learning how to live as one. After he graduated we weathered both going to Oregon State University to finish our degrees.
We were adopted by a church family we will never forget. We gained many friends who were newly married like us and we have all stayed in touch through the years as we all now have kids. We have seen many ups and downs in all of our lives. Jeremy and I have weathered the challenges of three kids 5 and under in a foreign country, learning a new language and culture. We have weathered the culture shock of suddenly being brought back to Oregon, our home, but leaving the kids new found home in Venezuela. We left many things behind and started a new life here all over again. People’s lives moved on and we no longer fit in the same places we did before we left to serve as missionaries. We are still navigating our transition from missionary to pastor’s family in our church where we grew from young married’s to missionaries. The transition has been much more complicated than we would have imagined, but we are so excited to see God’s leading and providential care for our family.
Jeremy and I went away for a night to celebrate our 15 years together and we always pull out the journaling I did when we were getting together and write down our New Year’s Resolutions. I am not the best journaler, but I did write some things as we started our journey. I have not read it for a long while, but this year I read it. I was touched by why Jeremy chose me. He said I was:
- a servant
- daring
- cable to have complex conversations
- love for worship
- wanted to be a missionary
- mature
- a good attitude
- independent, but not too independent
And then he added he never met anyone so perfect before. I knew I was not perfect nor did I believe he thought I was perfect. Just perfect for him. God brought us together. [Note: Maybe being the camp cook helped 😉 ]
Even with all our ups and downs he still loves me and would still say these things. That is love. That is commitment. That is grace. Even when I do not like me, he still loves me. Praise God for His great mercy and grace towards us. I end this post with a note to Jeremy:
God brought two broken people together and the two became one. We are stronger together. We are on mission together. We parent, teach, and train these growing smart Spirit-filled kids together…such a blessing. My prayer for the future is that we may choose to remember our identity in Christ and live in truth preferring one another and show God’s grace to all surrounding us together. Let’s stay on mission and uphold each other through life’s twists and turns. Love you Jeremy!
