To those who have been called,
who are loved by God the Father and kept by Jesus Christ,
The next four to five months could be difficulst for him as well. We will be going back to Texas for a 2 week tour before we fly to Vancouver for four months. While in Vancouver it is possible that he will not be around any kids since we do not know where in the city we will be living in relation to the other M's. I know that if that is the case then it will be especially hard for him.
Please pray:
that Jacob finds a friend in Costa Rica.
that his relationship with me grows.
that he learns to be content.
that he learns to rely on the Lord during this time.
that he will trust mine and Megan's decision to follow God's call.
that he will ultimately trust God and His call on all of our lives.
Thank you all for your many prayers. Thank you for holding the ropes for us and please continue to do so.
M, M, J, T and J LEE
7 comments:
Hey MIke and Megan,
We've never met in person, as our family left Redeemer before you guys came. However, we left TX for the mission field, so I think we can truly relate to your situation and Jake's. Our family left for the field for the first time when our kids were 7 and 9 years old. I do remember the pain our daughter experienced as she had to say goodbye to her best friend (another family that had attended seminary at the same time). She cried for a full day at the end of ILC. It was so painful to watch. She saw her friend again a few months later and and again the pain of saying goodbye seemed unbearable. Then we were reminded that even though there is such incredible pain, we need to realize that God has truly blessed us through that relationship. If the relationship weren't so incredibly special, we wouldn't be hurting so bad. If we didn't love them so much, it would be easy to say 'goodbye'. So, as hard as it seems, we should be thankful for the tears and the pain. Another way of dealing with the 'goodbye' is that we never literally say, "Goodbye." To me, that indicates that we will not see them again, and we don't really know that. We prefer "Later"...either here on earth at some point or later in heaven.
In the midst of all the craziness over the years, with move after move and lives changing so much, Kaley's best friend is still that one friend who really 'gets her'. They see each other about once every two to three years now, but when they are together or chatting online, it's like they are 8 years old again. Beautiful sisters in Christ!
The friends our kids make in seminary, at ILC, and on the field (especially in the midst of all the changes) are the ones who will understand them for the rest of their lives. We have lived in some wonderful places over the years, but even the kids with parents in ministry (especially the ones who have not made many moves), will never truly be able to relate to them like MK's who have made many moves.
I would encourage you to truly make time (real time) for your kids, especially in the midst of all the craziness of your present schedule. Your kids need to know that regardless of all the changes and meetings and classes you are a part of, they are still more important to you than all the activities. This won't necessarily make others happy, but we are parents first and m's second. We need to make sure our children know this. If we don't, we have modeled something for them that will likely be repeated. My hubby loves to ask the question, "What are we modeling?" (in our lives, in mission, in church planting...) That's been a huge challenge to us and is one question that shapes many of the decisions we make (both popular and unpopular).
Allow God to direct your thoughts and actions to meet the needs of your children, as only He can do.
Blessings,
Hope (for the STEPHENS)
Mike, Megan, and family
We will certainly keep ya'll in prayer and covet your prayers as well. Our Jacob is struggling with depression right now with our impending move. I have encouraged him to really pray and continue to write his friends. He has a letter for Jake now that we will mail on Mon.
When will you all be back in TX? We plan on moving tenatively the first part of May so hopefully can visit again. God bless,
Rick, Jennifer, Jacob, Nathaniel, and Isaac
Stephens Family,
Thank you for the kind and encouraging words. Your experience & wisdom will be of great help to Mike , Megan and the kids, I'm sure.
We pray for them many times each day.
God Bless,
Joe & Linda Lee ( Jake , Tess, and Joy's ) loving grandparents
Jake,
Lfe is a process of love, sometimes loss, but always a journey of love. Embrace the process and love those whom you find on the way. I have been lost at times for a lack of that grounding power of community. We are family, no matter how far away, and we are always here. Mimi and Poppie will always be with you as will Grandpa and Nana. Most of all, our Lord Jesus Christ is with us every day. He is in our midst!
Love to all, Jake, Tess Joy, Megan and Michael,
Nana
We will most definitely be praying for each and everyone one of you. I know the Lord is growing your faith as parents. This must be difficult to see him hurting. I pray you by faith that you continue to hold fast to the call the Lord has on your family. And I pray that one day Jake will be a blessings to other children who will go through this same trial. Please let me know that our boys speak of him oftern and miss him much!
Rhonda, for the Joneses
Thank you all for your prayers. Jake is doing MUCH better. Please continue to pray because I know that the next several moves will be difficult. Again THANK YOU ALL SO MUCH! :)
Mike and Megan,
I read your blog to Grayson, my son whose 10 years old(11 in May). He said that he would love to be Jake's friend. I suggested to Grayson that he email Jake and Grayson said he didn't know how. I assured him I would show him. Grayson doesn't play sports either and he is homeschooled also. I has been hard on him this year being home alone. He misses the kids that were at the Lakeside Baptist Academy that he attended last year, it is a homeschool group also. Is there an email address or a mailing address for Jacob so Grayson could write him and maybe next time you are in Glen Rose, they could meet? God Bless you and your family!
Jodi Doyle
Post a Comment