I quickly scanned over my last update and wow, things have changed. So often I have wanted to update and I know it is long overdue but the words just didn't come. This weekend I felt inspired and ready to type away. So many times we have been asked the question of how it feels to be back, how the adjusting is going or if we are feeling settled in. But before we get to all of that, we have to go through our last few weeks in Grenada.
It was with much joy that we went through the last days of school. But yet with the joy there was an overwhelming sadness. We knew a big change was coming and as we said goodbye to the students, we knew it was goodbye for a while, leaving us feeling a bittersweet. Jared's schedule freed up a bit without the daily pressures of school but Leonard and Jen had left for a trip causing the church schedule to become quite heavy. Jared enjoyed the challenge of peaching most Sundays the last 2 or 3 months of our time in Grenada. While it called for lots of office time, we knew that this were some of the last times he would peach in Grenada so it was a bit bitter among the sweet. Thursday night was just like every other Thursday night, except it was the last one for us. Boys started coming up the driveway calling for Sir or wondering if it was soon time for boys club. Since it was the last, we gather hotdogs, some sticks and all piled into a bus to head for the beach as a special last boys club. Again with sadness we dropped them off, stopping at this road gap or the next road gap, knowing this would be the last time for a long time that we see these young men. If we would stop to think about it to long we could easily second guess our decision! Oh the pain of leaving friends. That last Sunday afternoon Jared strapped Isaac into the faithful carrier which we used nearly every day since he was born, and made our way around Laborie saying goodbye to one friend after the next.
Over the last few weeks we have prayed and questioned what to do with one of our most faithful friends in Grenada-Ginger Weaver! Oh how we hated to leave her but it just did not feel like a wise use of money to spend thousands to bring her back with us. We tried every avenue, Jared made many phone calls and we got our hopes up a few to many times only to find out every way cost more then we wanted to pay. A week before we were leaving we still did not have a home for her. We kept telling each other that God would provide but at times we almost didn't believe our own words. It seemed everyone we asked had some reason or another why it didnt work for them. Sunday afternoon, a week before we moved we literally drove around, looking for people who looked like they could use a dog! As soon as we would spot somebody walking a dog or someone that was our same skin color or looked like a collage student, we would call out to them and ask if they wanted another dog. Everyone felt for us and wished Ginger a good home but we just couldn't find one to take her. We were determined to find a good home for her and did not want to see her tied under the house and fed a little food every now and then, like so many other dogs in Grenada. Tuesday morning at 2am God provided. As I mentioned earlier, all of the other staff was back in the states visiting except for Jared and I and one of the teachers, Emily who only took a short summer break back. At 2am we woke to a call from Emily, a few houses down the road, saying somebody was breaking into her house. Jared grabbed his head light, raced down the road, unsure of what he would find. Emily had locked herself into her bedroom, thinking the thief was inside but it turned out that he hadn't yet gotten inside. The back window of the girls house had a window grate concreted into the wall, as most of our houses do and we believe somebody thought all the girls we gone back for the summer and took this as an opportunity to do a loud and lengthy break-in. As soon as Jared's flashlight shined through the house he was gone off into the bush. The police were called and Emily came to sleep with us for the rest of the night. As we sat around our little living room there, the three of us talking about what could have happened and calming down from the scare, Ginger found a new home. That morning the police came to took finger prints and Jared and I marveled. Less then a week left, a big break in story and finally Ginger had found a home at the girls house, the same people that didn't want her just a few weeks earlier! What a God, faithfully taking care of all His creation!
So Monday morning dawned just like normal, except it wasn't normal for us. Our week had been so crazy and on our Sunday walk through Laborie we stopped to see where Ginger will live at the girls house and we decided there was no good spot for her and Jared needed to build her a house. So among all the many other thing that needed to be done, Jared got up early and did one last thing for our furry friend and built her a house! During the weeks leading up to our move Ginger seemed to know something was going on. Saying goodbye to her was just as hard as we thought it would be but there was nothing to do other then turn and walk away!
We said goodbye to the other staff that had been our family for the last several years. As much as you can prepare yourself for the feelings and try to process, you just have to go through it to know the deep ache of leaving a home. For us, these goodbyes felt much more final, when we moved to Grenada we said goodbye to family but we knew we would move back eventually. We knew there would be trips home and we knew they would come see us. With saying goodbye to our Grenadian friends and staff, it felt so much more like closing a chapter of our lives. We took one last walk through the house Monday. It looked pretty bare and empty. All the decor that I had brought or made went to my friends there. There was no food in the fridge or pantry and the windows were pulled close. But it still hurt to leave. We remembered the feelings of walking into this house for the first time. The many covid hours we spent in that house together. All the love we poured into the house making it our very own. All the family and friends we had hosted. Bringing our tiny baby home to this house. And now saying goodbye. We walked through each room and slowly said goodbye. It was painful to close this chapter but we knew it had to be done. We ended that last walk with a prayer of thanksgiving to God for all the precious memories we had been given in that house. We wiped our tears and walked out the door one last time and headed for the airport.
The flight home went the way you might expect it to go with a 9 month old baby at bedtime! It was a less then desirable time to be flying at the time when he loves to he getting the last of his energy out and then it was frustrating to him when he was so tired and we just wouldn't lay him in his crib! But we got through it and were thankful for safety. JFK greeted us with a chilly rain but Jared's parents had bright smiles and warm hugs for us when we arrived. We got our four 50 pound suitcases and our two 55 pound carry-ons loaded up in our own new (for us) van and headed out of the city. Isaac slept soundly in his new car seat and the drive home was peaceful. We arrived at our house around 3am. We quietly brought the car seat in, lifted Isaac out and into his crib. His little eyes flew open and here he was in a giant crib that was cold from the air conditioning! These were no good sle'eping conditions! So into bed with mom and dad he went. The hours of sleep were short that night but there was much to do that next morning so it was soon time to rise and shine.
The next few days were filled with unpacking and organizing. Our house felt full of things that we didn't use or need and there was no place for the few things we did bring with us! It's been a process going through everything we own and slowly deciding what is necessary to keep but which items we just don't need or are not going to use. The kitchen is filled with so many gadgets that I have not used for the last 4 years and I've learned to live without. My first impulse is to get rid of them. But I know that I'm in season of adjusting and I don't want to make any hasty decisions. So, for the time, I have made a large tote of things that I don't think I will want and we will see if I wish I had them over the next few months.
Our house was filled with so much love from our family and church friends. The refrigerator, freezer, and pantry was filled with many many wonderful foods. There was new bedding on the beds and new fluffy towels on the bathroom shelves. Isaac has all kinds of cute baby plates and cups and he has been thrilled to try all the new foods, like blueberries and graham crackers. I will just type out a few short sentences here but truly, we are ever so grateful for the way we have been blessed with so many useful items. It gave us such a wonderful head start with life here. It was several day until we even needed to go to the grocery store for anything! If you contributed something to making that part of the move so easy, thankyou. It has blessed us.
Two weeks after we moved it was time for another big change. The start of school! Jared had agreed to be the 8th grade homeroom teacher, and teaching math and science to 7th and 8th grade. We knew that this would be a hard adjustment and it was nothing shy of that! We decided that we wanted to do a bit of updating to his room so we spent a good 2 days painting and updating bulletin boards. I gave up a few of the plants that my sister had kept alive while we were gone and the added green paired nicely with the black trim and doors. The first days of school were hard. Jared was up early grading or studying and then up late doing the same thing! It took a bit until he got into the groove of learning what papers can be graded in class and which lessons need less prep then others. Things have improved so much but it is still a work in progress. We hate how much time he is gone and we know it isn't even bad compared to the normal mans job in this area! It has been a tremendous struggle for us to feel so disconnected. Jared does his thing at school and I do my thing with Isaac. We are not convinced on this lifestyle yet but we know that we are still in a season of adjusting.
The last few weeks have been some hard ones. The ache to go 'home' has been so strong at times. And when I say home, I barely know where I am even talking about! We know we don't belong in Grenada anymore and we do have a beautiful house here. Sometimes we just long for heaven. A place where there is no more parting, no change and no adjustments. Through this season we have been reminded how dependent we are on God. Sometimes we don't even understand our own feelings, let alone be able to explain to others how we are feeling! It brings us back to our need for a faithful God who walks with us through each and every season.
But even through the aches we are so happy to be here! It's been so good to reconnect with family and friends. We have made memories at the cabin, enjoyed good conversations with many friends, and eaten so much good food that we had missed! The summer into fall season change has also been something that we haven't experienced in a while and are loving. Isaac became much more content when he learned to crawl more quickly and come get around better. It is special to see family interact with him or have him meet friends that had never met him! It was fun to see his reactions to Lancaster county animals, foods, and smells! We even decided that he needed a replacement for Ginger, so we bought a Cavapoo puppy, which we named Spice! The two love each other so much but also annoy each other just as much! It was special to host some 'family' from Grenada. Brett and Teresa Eberly were back on a furlough so we planned to have them over for an evening. When Ron and Sharon Horst heard about this they decided to travel down from Canada. It was good to connect with them for a few days! We also invited Jolyn Good who is local to this area, creating a small group of Grenadian family. So amid the hard we have been so blessed! We continue to look to God for daily strength and try to count the many blessings along the way.
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