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| Our family photo as we wait for the arrival of Samara. |
I am not ashamed to say I really enjoy reading Karen Kingsbury books. Yes of course I know they are fictional characters, but I still learn a lot from them. In the book called Forever, there was a mother who was dying from cancer but was able to write the same letter to all her adult children before she passed away. I liked it so much that I copied it in my journal and going to share it now.
Ten Secrets to a Happy Marriage- from Mom
1) God has you here to serve one another. Love acted out is serving.
2) Women need respect and nurturing. Love your wife so she knows you'd lay
your life down for her.
3) Laugh often.
4) Be patient. Love crumbles quickly under the weight of unmet expectations.
5) Spend more time trying to fix yourself than your spouse.
6) Keep short accounts. The Bible says, "DO not let the sun go down while you are angry."
Make it a habit to forgive.
7) Determine upfront that divorce is not an option.
8) Learn about love languages. Not all people show love or receive it the same way. You want a back rub and your spouse wants a clean kitchen. The love languages are fairly simple: acts of service, quality time, physical touch, gift giving, and words of affirmation. Learn them. Love is better received when it's in the language that a person speaks.
9) Words of affirmation are a love language for all men.
10) Men are born to be leaders. He cannot lead unless she gives him confidence to do so. If you love your husband, build him up. Confident men do not seek love outside the home.
I have a lot to work on- because I want to be more of a godly wife for Jason and more of a godly mother for my daughters. I will continue to ask for God's help to mold me and refine me. I have really matured since the very first time I met Jason at Bethany College. We have been through a lot- when we were dating- I really tried to hold his past against him. The Lord taught me through that time- that I was the one in the wrong when I was holding onto un-forgiveness towards him. I was giving myself too much credit for my purity when it was by God's grace that I could be a virgin on my wedding day.
After marriage- we never lost sight of returning to Kenya but got a chance to lay the foundation of our marriage down in Virgina for the first year and a half. We had Righteous in December 2006 and moved to Kenya June 2008 just before Nevaeh was born August 6th. Charis was born in our bathtub- 5 weeks early on May 30th, 2010. When we returned to Kenya after our first furlough life was so different from our first 3 years on the field. We had to relocate to Tanzania for a few months and evacuate another time but God kept bringing us back to our town, our home. I was on 3 different types of medication with Samara to stop contractions- starting when I was 22 weeks pregnant. I am sure some of it was due to stress of the insecurity of the country and some due to me being more at risk because of having Charis early. On May 4th 2012 Samara was born in Nairobi and 1 week later we moved back to our town. I have come to love these people here- and they are not usually so easy to love. I know that God loves them and desires to draw them to Himself. There is so much deception that needs to be uprooted. I always am wondering- how can I make a difference? There is a lot for me to learn. I will not give up. I will love with all that God has given me. First to My Lord and Savior. Then to my husband of 9 years and counting. Next to my daughters. And then to all whom the Lord has in front of me.
It has been an adventure. We have seen God protect us and guide us. We dedicate our lives to Him and look forward to the many years to come!
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| Greeting one of the local churches in our town. Samara is just a few weeks old. |
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| Last year at the Yankee game-- for our anniversary. |
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| Ichiro reached his 4,000 hit. |
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| Back when we were just a family of 3 at my sisters wedding. |
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| In a "tuk tuk" at Malindi |
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