2 Week Countdown!

Time is moving along at a frantic pace these days! We have a timeline of events that are happening to mark our move. Our furniture is being taken apart and wrapped in plastic to help it last through "just one more move." (Lets face it, our stuff is cheap. What can we expect when we bought it all at IKEA?) (Plus, this is more than likely NOT our last move.) All of our furniture has been sold, except the couches. We will probably end up taking them with us, since they are in fine condition, and it would be pretty wasteful to just toss them in the dumpster. We are living out of suitcases, and I haven't been to the grocery store for stocking up purposes in over 2 months! The kids are doing much better with the idea of leaving, and I think that we are all becoming more excited than dreadful of the unknown.

Some fun facts about Denver, Colorado: There are at least 80 different neighborhoods in Denver, and no two neighborhoods are characterized in the same way. On top of these neighborhoods there are 200 parks in the city. (As of 2006) and the huge city park in 314 acres! It is the 24th most populous city in the USA, is about 70% white, and 30% hispanic. The average age of the Denver population is 33 years old. 10% of families are below the poverty line. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Denver_CO) (There is much, much more info on Denver in this article, if you want to know more about where we are going)
Crime in Denver is high. A person's chance of becoming a victim of either violent crime, or property crime is 1 in 16. However, this is low compared to other cities whose size is similar to Denver. (A person's chance of becoming a victim of violent crime is 1 in 123, and property crime is 1 in 16) (according to this website http://www.neighborhoodscout.com/co/denver/crime/)

We are excited to get to this city and begin to get to know its people... we are still searching for a home, and a job, but we are peaceful and trusting of the Lord's provisions. We hope to find a community that is primarily low income families (and hopefully high crime rates) so that we can reach them with Hope Eternal... and offer them the Life-Giving blood of Christ.

As a final note, I have begun to read to the kiddos from Proverbs every day. I write a few verses down on a paper in kid language, and am making a little book of them. This morning, as I was paraphrasing Proverbs 2: 6 (For the Lord gives wisdom, and from His mouth come knowledge and understanding.) I was reminded of James 1:5. (If any of you lacks wisdom, you should ask God, who gives generously to all, without finding fault.) Please pray for us to continue to surrender our lives completely to the Lord, and if any of you are having trouble understanding our move, and our motivation, please ask the Lord to reveal His heart, and our hearts to you. Also pray for the precious souls in Denver, Colorado, to be prepared and ready to recieve The Word in Flesh!

Just some ramblings and updates...

So, the countdown to Colorado has begun. After a valiant search on the part of every single person in this house we found a calendar. (Nobody had ANY in our area) (Mommy was going crazy without a way to track my days.... I was about to start carving tally marks in the wall.) Its Zhu-Zhu pets, the latest craze among the three oldest McClure children. Today is the 9th, (right?) So we're leaving in just a month! So far, all the ducks are in order. Except, um, a place to live and an income. Here I am, FREAKING OUT. Peter is so calm on the outside, (probably not on the inside) and I know that no matter what happens the Lord is in control, but this is just dumb. I feel lame, every moment of the day living in prayer, saying to God "Please give us a job and a place to live." Because logic would dictate that we will not move until this is taken care of. But, like Pastor John preached yesterday "Do you choose this, and do you choose to be all in?" We are choosing this, and we are all in, and we are going! Our hotels are booked, most of our things are packed, we will book a moving company by the end of the week. (Don't even get me started on that fiasco.) And I have directions to all of our stops. We have also bought each of the girls a book about moving to a new place, and have some new toys/car activities to bring along. We also have numerous contacts in Denver so that we've got homies watchin' our backs when we get there. Next will be to download an e-book with all the rest stops along our route, and to make a list of grocery stores and pharmacies in each of our destinations. We are barely bringing anything in our car with us... just about enough clothes to last us about half of our drive and the food we need to get us there. (I'm insisting on stopping at a restaurant in New Mexico though. Can you say "Yum!")

Some things to pray for:

Lilah is having a really, really hard time with moving. So am I. Thankfully I am an adult and understand that my things will be there, but Sweet Delilah is quite upset every time I pack a box...

Organization and clarity. It is super hard for me to think while things are so disorganized. I thought that we were moving this month, so a lot of things that would have been useful are packed, not to mention having no specific place for things that we are still using.

Moving expenses/budget: We have been blessed with a significant amount of money for this move, and are cutting as many corners as we can, but we are having a hard time coming in under-budget, and we would really, really like to have a small cushion for after we get to Colorado.

As a side note: Sarah thinks this is an adventure and fun! She helps us to stay positive, and is really helping her brother and sister see the positive side of all of this. She is such a super helper, and I am so proud of her sunshiny self!

Merry Christmas?

Finally, finally Christmas is over. Peter and I are still trying to create our own traditions, and to break away from the incredibly secular perspective of this sacred holiday. This year we decided that we would open gifts on Christmas Eve morning, so that we can reserve Christmas day for the celebration of Christ's birth, and let me tell you, even doing that I was severely dissapointed with the end result. My kids began to immediately fight over EVERYTHING in sight, and we were dealing with temper tantrums and cranky, exhausted babies. Then, after the dust of all the exitement settled, I stood in my kitchen and looked out at the pile of useless, unnecessary things that our beloved (and well meaning) families had bestowed upon us. I could not release from my mind the picture of starving, nursing mothers in other countries stripping their bodies of health to provide nourishment for their children, and of starving, barefooted toddlers and preschoolers who sleep in filthy conditions at night. I began to cry. I simply have no words for the grief that I feel over the wasted dollars this Christmas. If I had asked for our families to spend half as much as they did on us, and put the rest toward someone elses genuine need, many, many people would not go to bed hungry. Somewhere, a sick baby could have medication that would save his life. Somebody could have shoes on their tired feet. Instead, my priveledged sons and daughters have toys that will break, toys that they will forget about one day. They were granted a fleeting moment of happiness when they could have seen true joy in sharing with those that have less. They could have been taught that Christmas is not about recieving, and really not even about giving. (After all, we do not give to strangers in need, but to family with more than enough.) It was a terrible day for me, and I could only cry out to my Savior to forgive me for my selfishness in allowing this to happen. Even now my heart breaks at the lost opportunity to share the love of Jesus. Oh, Father, help us to make wise choices in every moment of our lives! Help us to consider others better than ourselves, and help us to teach our children to share even when they (and we) think that there is not enough! Be enough for us, and make us content with our simple, daily provisions.

Hurry up and wait!

I've been slowly, slowly, slowly sifting through our things and packing (or giving away) our stuff. Simon's room has become the storage room... We sold our car yesterday. (The very first thing that Peter and I bought together, before we were married! We brought our first 2 children home from the hospital in it.) I cannot believe that we have been together for that long, to have purchased something so large and expensive, and created memories with it, and then to say goodbye to it! Even weirder is the fact that we sold it to a neighbor, and we will see it from time to time driving around! But it feels good to see things begin to move in the direction of Colorado.

Peter gave our 30 days notice to our apartment complex. They told him we aren't allowed to leave until our lease is over, in February. AHHH!!! So, now the wait begins. I've packed the bulk of our non-essentials, and now suddenly to have to live without them for a month and a half has made me feel like I NEED THEM NOW! But, in the boxes they will stay, because there is absolutely no way I want to feel like I've wasted my time by packing them, and getting them back out, and packing them again.

We are potty training, again. Simon is really, really resisting it. (He's young, I know. Boys do it later, but darn it, I don't like how much we spend on diapers, when I have a child who is perfectly capable of going on the potty.) Under normal circumstances I don't bribe my kids, but in order to get him to just sit on it I have to offer him a chocolate chip. (Sugar free carob, actually, but he likes it all the same.) The first day was terrible. Pee everywhere, temper tantrums over not getting a diaper... the second day, I asked Sarah to teach him how to go pee on the potty, and can you believe it, she actually did? Now I have to bribe him to sit, but he knows how to go, and can actually hold it! Yippee!!! (Not sure if I would officially call him potty trained, but we are well on our way!)

So, here we sit, waiting on the Lord to send us on our way.

I am humbled...

So, Thanksgiving has come and gone, and now we are in the Christmas season! It is our tradition to get out all of our snowmen and tree and decorate the Saturday after thanksgiving. This year instead of packing the "rest of the year" belongings as if we would get them back out we packed them to stay in the boxes until they are unpacked in our new house in Colorado. We also set our Nativity scenes out, and while we were doing that I told the Christmas Story... the precious tale of the the Christ Child... God in Flesh! to my two amazing daughters. Their eyes never came off of the Virgin Mary, the Man-Father Joseph, the shepherds, the angel, they were riveted... I've never seen them so still! Then before I was done soaking up the presence of the Holy Spirit moving in our hearts the girls were gone, and I was left wondering if the story actually did touch them, or if I imagined it. Lilah came back and begged me to put the Baby Jesus with Mary and Joseph (He won't be found there until Christmas morning!) and Sarah came and said she wanted to show Mommy and Daddy something. This is what we found.

She made a nativity! We were so very, very proud of her...

We are also in the process of organizing our move. We are currently searching for a place to live, and selling most of our large possessions so that we don't have to hassle with taking them with us. (And so that we can pay our rent!) We've suprisingly sold most of what we were hoping would go... and as I was mulling over my day I suddenly felt sad that my stuff was being separated, and passed out... a lot of it for much, much less than we paid for it. Then I was reminded by the Lord of my true value... value that could only be found in the blood of Christ. I am not worth the things that I own, and I should not find my solace in these things that are unimportant. I am a traveler here... a stranger in a land that I will never be comfortable in. Mattew 8:20 speaks of the cost of following Jesus. In fact, Jesus himself speaks of the cost. When a man said to Jesus "Teacher, I will follow you wherever you go." He said "Foxes have holes and birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has no place to lay his head." Will I accept this? Will I choose Christ even if it means discomfort? Will I choose Christ even if it means sacrifice? Yes. And I will find my worth in the eyes of the one who made me! I will not be sad, but grateful for the opportunity to serve, and I am humbled that, though I am unworthy, I have been entrusted with these earthly treasures, for the Lord's purpose.

Please continue to pray for us. For our move and for us to have faith that the Lord will provide for our daily needs.

Once a month...?

I guess I'm making it a habit to post once a month... I barely even check my email. I remember when I had zero kids and I thought I was so busy... now I know better. At least I'm grateful in hindsight, right?

We are busy trying to build relationships with our neighbors, and to get to know the needs of the people and the community around us. It has been a tremendous step out of my comfort zone to do this... in the past, when Peter and I were dating and newlyweds I was so incredibly afraid of people I did not know. I would have panic attacks (I'm not kidding... hysterical sobbing, shaking, cold, clammy sweating. I couldn't breathe.) any time I needed to meet someone new, or be in a place that I was unfamiliar with. I was so shy, I barely managed to go grocery shopping without Peter with me! I am so glad the Lord prepared me over the course of 6 or 7 years for now!

So, before I go on I wanted to share that our apartment is on the bottom floor, right in front of the exit to the garage and the parking lot, so we are in the perfect place to meet people. Right from the start we had nosy people peeking in to our front window as they walked by, (it annoyed me!) but eventually we began to pray for the people that were interested in seeing our lives. Next we timed when we would open our door. People are creatures of habit, and we knew when they would either leave or come home, so we made sure we were available to introduce ourselves and say hi.

This weekend we had an open house party for our apartment building. We were really hoping that we would have a good number of people come... and we did! We had 4 different families come and hang out! (One family with a mom who barely speaks english, but she came!) And, we've had two other people from two separate apartments in our building begin to knock on our door! Where will we go from here? I don't know. I do know that I was incredibly humbled by the stories that we heard on Saturday. I don't even know where to begin to minister to these amazing souls with lives that I could never imagine living... histories, and pain, and sorrow, and growth... And I am so amazed that something as simple as inviting them into our common, un-exciting lives would cause them to open up their pasts to us... they were in our home, almost strangers, sharing intimate things about themselves. I am just moved to tears to think about the time that I have wasted being afraid to invite someone in... how many friends could I have made? How many seeds could have been planted? How much growth could I have experienced? Thank you, Jesus, for teaching me, and allowing me to be your vessel! Thank you for knowing where I am going, and thank you for going before me!

We are experiencing a lot of opposition from the enemy... and unfortunately he is using our brothers and sisters elsewhere to do this. There is a lot of pressure being placed on us to be someplace else, or to devote our time and energy in other places. It is from a simple lack of understanding for what we are trying to accomplish. We are also trying to initiate community outreach in our church, but it has been a long uphill battle against tradition and politics... please pray that the Lord's will would prevail and that there would be a revival in our church, and other churches to serve in ways that are unconventional, but much more effective than the ways we usually do things!

Its August Already?!?

Time really seems to fly by these days... it feels like an endless circle of cooking, cleaning, nap, more cooking and cleaning and FINALLY bed time... I am just so exhausted most of the time. I don't even know what I'll do when Baby Stephen gets here and he's asking me to provide for his needs too! On top of all the kid stuff I'm busy doing, I am continuing to lead music at our church... I was so sad to not be doing it, and Peter was really not looking forward to adding more responsibility to his plate. As far as stress goes, it would be far better for the both of us to be serving our church in ministry, not trying to make more money! (Sure, we need it, but after so, so much prayer and careful thought we decided that there are so many things we can give up to help us make it by a little better.)

I have been especially convicted/bothered by the excessiveness of this culture that we live in. I feel so incredibly selfish at times... just yesterday, as we were driving to church I saw two men standing around a white truck, and a lady picking near rotted bananas and other fruits and veggies out of the back of it. I was moved to tears, because I am so blessed that my children and my husband and I don't need to that... and I thought "Would I even be willing to do that?" How many times am I at the store, saying to myself "We need this." When we don't? How many days do I think "I need to buy dinner, because there is nothing to eat in this house." When the fact of the matter is that I am lazy, I am selfish... Lord, turn my eyes and my heart outward, away from myself! How much money and time do we waste by spending, spending, spending for more of what we think we need, but only want? If we all gave up one thing that we wanted, and used that energy or time or money to help someone with less, how much more would Jesus be reflected in our lives? I am even appalled at the amount of time we are giving to church! If we devoted less time to bible studies and "fellowship" and church socials, and more time to ministering to people who might never experience what true love is how much better would the quality of life be for those hungry souls? If I looked around at my neighbor's lives, and truly made an effort to see past the happy masks that they are wearing, could I give them something that they needed? I think yes... and even though I have no extra money to give, I have something... even Peter in Acts chapter 3 verse 6 told a beggar man "Silver or gold I do not have, but what I have I give you." And what was it that he gave, that the man needed? In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, walk!" And then Peter touched the man, and the power of our Lord made the man strong! Can you imagine... the man asked for something he thought was important... money... and Peter gave him the greatest gift imaginable... the love of Christ, and the ability to walk! I really want to see past myself. Silver or gold I cannot give, but what I have I have in abundance, and there is too much for me to keep to myself!