Less than a month left in the US.

My family got to visit my Mom's Mom.

Grandma Joan will turn 93 on September 7th. I felt it was important to see her because tomorrow is not promised to any of us.

Hebrews 4:14 says, "Therefore, since we have a great High Priest who has ascended into heaven, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold firmly to the faith we profess. For we do not have a high priest who is unable to empathize our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are- yet He did not sin. Let us then approach God's throne of grace with confidence,  so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need".

The word that stands out to me in the above verses is Empathize. Jesus, the triune of God was there in the beginning when the heavens and earth were made (John 1:3). He could of stayed in the exalted place but instead "he made himself nothing by taking the very nature of a servant,  being made in human likeness. " Philippians 2:7. Because of this he can relate with our emotions, our frustrations, and how just plain difficult it can be to live on planet earth. Isn't that so meaningful that He is able to emphasize with us?

Our family is wrapping up our visits on the East Coast and getting ready to drive back to Minnesota. We will be flying out to Kenya in less a month so we need to begin to get our hearts ready. Our daughters have expressed to us how fond they have been of this Home assignment and how reluctant they are to leave America. I can understand why they feel this way because of the many fun activities we have done and all the amazing people we have spent time with. Jason and I have explained to them that things would look very differently than a Home Assignment- if we lived in the US permanently. In these past few weeks we were able to go to see Wicked on Broadway in NYC which was outstanding. We got to reconnect with my Dad and stepmom in Cape Cod, Massachusetts and they took us on an incredible whalewatch. We are currently in Ontario, Canada to see the Niagara Falls. If we actually lived in States we would not be traveling around going on adventures and relatives wouldn't be as happy to see us because they would be seeing on on a more regular basis. As we all sort out our feelings we hold fast to the fact that Jesus can empathize with us.

Jason and I have been able to better articulate what the sacrifice is of being a missionary. While missing out on the birthday parties and holidays with our extended family is one aspect there is a deeper sense of loss. We miss out on watching our neices and nephews grow up. We are not able to physically support our family members when they face challenges. We miss weddings, births, and the day to day special events like sport games and Dance recitals. If anyone battles sickness we can't make a meal to bring or be a shoulder to cry on. This is what the sacrifice is. So we entrust our loved ones into the Lord's hands. We can confidently approach the throne to protect and grant peace to each member of our family. We do receive His mercy and find His grace in our times of need.

My brother Josiah his wife Toni and my sister Bethany with her husband Peter and their 3 children Gabe, Zoe, and Shiloh.

My brother Tim with his wife Albania, and little Isabella. 

Jason is a baby whisperer. He always got Isabella to stop crying. 

Righteous playing with my sister's youngest, baby Shiloh.

Found a peach plant to put on Mom's tombstone. 

I didn't really know what the protocol should be. I read my journal entries out loud from Mom's last weeks on earth. We read scripture and sang Goodness of God.

The Bible talks about making memorials. My Mom is not in that grave. She had many struggles but did hold onto her faith in Jesus. I always want to remember and honor her.