The Webb hotel was full, but now we have vacancy again. My friend David let for Utah after living with us a couple of weeks. Neill and Jenny left after living with us for 10 days. We loved every minute of having these guests in our house and we miss them all already. Some of our usual roles were distributed across the guests too such as lifeguard, taking the trash to the curb, and painting fingernails. I was prepared to happily paint Layla's nails, but Jenny stepped in and asked to take care of my princess warrior.
Easton had a homework assignment to interview an adult and then make a presentation about their responses. Neill stepped up to take on that assignment and explained how he was in South Africa when Nelson Mandela became president and eliminated Apartheid. Now that's a great experience to convey to my boy.
Cleaning out the fish tank remained a task for Easton and Layla individually... There is no need to remove all responsibility from the twins even with so many helping hands around. Speaking of helping hands, we went to Mallory's house for Neill and Jenny to watch rugby with PJ. The twins played with Parker and wound up in the kitchen as helpers of the cookies being baked. I learned from this experience that it is very easy to get kids to help if you promise them cookie dough batter.
Neill and Jenny were all over town helping, leading, speaking, and just being themselves. As you can see, Kendra fits right in when them as we make ourselves available. We saw miraculous healing and breakthroughs for people who struggled with things for years or decades. Watching people experience life and freedom is the most rewarding experience ever.
We didn't take any long trips or have great outdoor adventures because Kendra is still tethered to the doctor's office and it's still too hot around here to do anything worth while except swim. We had a babysitter put the twins to bed one night while we all went out for dinner. It's nice to have adult conversation without telling someone to sit up, eat your food, stopping poking your brother in the eye, or a thousand other things that go along with dining with kids. As much as I love being with Easton and Layla there is a sense of relief when we can have a babysitter take care of things at home so we can enjoy each other and our time together.
Easton found one of my decade-old watches and asked if he could have it. Why not? I replaced the battery and took out a few links to fit him well. And just like that, he looks more like me every day. As much as I want him to be his own individual, the older he gets the more he looks like me, acts like me, and talks like me. We talked the other day about how one day he will find a lovely young lady to marry and have kids of his own. He already understands that Layla's name will change some day when she gets married to her husband but his name will stay the same. I paint with him a picture of what right looks like by dreaming with him along the path of God's design for his life. When will he get married? dont' know. where? don't know. to whom? don't know. there are many choices he has to make, but the one thing I know i can point him towards is God's design of him finding a wife to love in marriage and having children of his own.
Kendra and I are on our own journey of freedom. We have not "arrived" but we have left the harbor. We always keep that frame of reference as we lead our team of 22 others who have found freedom in some area of their lives and seek to connect others to God as their source of life and freedom. Kendra will not be able to participate at the same level of engagement as in the past, but we have poured into our leaders for a couple of years now so they are stepping into leadership. The more we give them space to function as leaders, the more they rise to the challenge and become who they were meant to be. I am thankful for the chance to be a lead servant. The next eight weeks of class and two weeks of conference preparation will certainly be the busiest season of our lives, but we are rested and ready to take it on because this burden is easy and light when we just get to be who we were created to be.
See you soon!
No comments:
Post a Comment