Friday, April 20, 2007

Visit with my sister


Mom and I met at Ruth's house on Wednesday. If you haven't heard the news already, Nate and Ruth have been reassigned to Alaska at the end of the summer. And so it looks like there will be frequent trips to Ruth's house over the next few months, while she still only lives 2 hours away. We are all a little sad about the prospect of missing out on Austin's first few years, but we are excited about visiting Anchorage sometime soon.

Austin is 5 months now, and so adorable! My boys just love him, and it makes me so excited for when they are all older and will run off in the backyard to have adventures together. But for now, we will keep our careful eyes on the 3 of them. And it is a job, as anyone who has met my offspring knows quite well. :) There is always something going on.
































































I was pleasantly surprised at how well the trip went. After all, I was outnumbered...it was me and a prone-to-car-sickness 3 year old... and a 1 year old who still isn't overly fond of being in the car. We had to make a few stops, but no actual puking occurred. I was so thankful for that. I'm sure this is only because I came prepared with a little trashcan (for said puke). Those things only happen when you're totally unprepared, don't they? :)

We found out that my dear friend from high school Beth (Hi, Beth!) and her husband are stationed in Anchorage too, and she called Ruth while I was there. I am so excited for them both, that they will be able to reconnect.

Austin is so much bigger than the last time we saw him, but he still has those tiny little baby legs. So cute. He is very interactive now, laughs and giggles at everyone's antics, likes to be constantly moving. Kinda like his big cousins. Just you wait, Ruth. Just you wait. :)

I was reading through Colossians 1 again today, and decided that this will be my prayer for Nate and Ruth as they head out into the vast unknown (aka, Alaska! It just sounds so far away!). Charlie Fizer calls this prayer, A Day Lived in the Will of God.
"For this reason we also, since the day we heard it, do not cease to pray for you, and to ask that
Sunrise - you may be filled with the knowledge of His will in all wisdom and spiritual understanding;
Sunshine - that you may walk worthy of the Lord, fulling pleasing Him, being fruitful in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God;
Shadows - strengthened with all might, according to His glorious power, for all patience and longsuffering with joy;
Sunset - giving thanks to the Father who has qualified us to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints in the light." Colossians 1:9-12


When we live a life seeking to follow the will of God, we will encounter all these. Sometimes the day will be sunny, and sometimes all we will see are shadows. But we can be thankful for the way the Lord graciously supplies us with strength to endure the shadows. And we can pray for that for each other too. We're praying that Alaska will be a time of deep spiritual growth for Nate and Ruth, that they will grow closer to the Lord and to each other, and that the Lord will use them and make their work fruitful there.

9 comments:

Kelly said...

Rachel, Thanks for your thoughts on how you are going to pray for Nate and Ruth. We should certainly be praying specifically for those things for each one of us! Thanks for the reminder!! praying for you!!

Anonymous said...

I sure enjoyed our day together. Those boys are so precious. Grandma Renes

Ruth said...

Awh...I love the pictures and the memories from our time together. Thank you SO SO much for your prayers. We need them and will need them in the future months as we prepare for this change. We love you guys and can't wait to see you all again at Matt's graduation.
(I know Austin will be following in his "active" cousin's footsteps sooner than I think, that won't be a surprise to me, I am loving the time he isn't mobile though)

Qtpies7 said...

The pictures are so cute! I'm sure you will cherish every moment until your sister moves.

I thought I'd share how to get rid of carsickness in your little one, since we've had to deal with it, too. She didn't start until she was about a year old. But it turns out you CAN give them adult motion sickness pills, Dramamin! I gave her 1/4 of one crushed up in some juice, and it works like a charm! Plus she naps, so that doesn't hurt either. Dramamin also comes in chewable form.
Also keep the bucket in the car, because then you won't need it.

marti said...

I loved seeing the boys together. Austin is really growing.

Those thoughts on praying from Col. were really great. That statement for Charlie Fizer, is that in a book?

jenica said...

What a nice time! Thanks for sharing.

Rachel said...

Marti, no, Charlie Fizer was at the chapel recently for a few evening meetings, so I have been looking through my notes. He spoke on prayer, and it was so practical and encouraging!

Diane @ A Watered Garden said...

Hi Rachel, This is my first visit to your blog and have really enjoyed reading your posts, especially the one on the CVS explanation. I followed a link from Maryanne's site at happyhelms. I will attempt to begin the CVS program this week, so wish me luck! Thanks for posting! Blessings, Diane

Rachel said...

Hope, Thanks for the tip...I tried it today, and it seemed to work!

Diane, Keep us posted. Hope it goes well!