Moving Memories

Travis’s phone rang. He looked down to check who was on the other end.

“It’s the apartment office,” he said and quickly answered it. After a few “uh-huh’s” and “ok’s” he hung up.

“We’re moving at the end of the month.”

A huge smile spread across his face. I was happy too. This was something we had wanted for our family for over two years. It meant a bigger place to call home, not feeling so cramped in our tiny two-bedroom townhouse. Even if the upgrade was only to a three-bedroom unit within the same complex, we just couldn’t wait.

But something fell in the pit of my stomach. This also meant we actually had to leave the apartment we came to love as our home.

Citizens of No Land

I’ve been quiet through this whole thing. I haven’t really spoken my two cents yet. Maybe out of fear. Maybe because the words haven’t been there. Maybe I’ve been in denial this issue has really anything to do with me. But it does. Because it really it has everything to do with all of us.

Refugee. The dictionary defines the word as “a person who has been forced to leave their country in order to escape war, persecution, or natural disaster.”

Where we live, where we work, refugees constantly surround us. Refugees from Nepal and Burma, Rwanda and Liberia, even Syria and Afghanistan. We’ve come to love the people who we call neighbors. We can’t see ourselves living anywhere else. They have become home.

As our country decides whether to let any more refugees enter the USA, I can’t help but be thankful that they allowed the refugees in who currently reside in our neighborhood. What if we hadn’t met Moo, Mooku and Daykulay, Sui and Esther, Anisha and Sabina, Shalena and Hari? And then there is Mary, our daughter’s best friend. They play everyday, being so sweet with one another without ever knowing any different. Anna doesn’t know Mary’s family is from the mountains between Burma and Thailand. She doesn’t know what Mary’s parents and siblings had to endure to get here, to safety. She doesn’t know that Mary’s family lived in a refugee camp before flying on a big plane to welcome arms in the city of Charlotte. All she knows is that Mary is her best friend and that’s all that matters at this point. Friendship.

Daughters of the King

We wanted to provide a place for the girls to feel beautiful. Beautiful in their skin, beautiful in their hearts. We wanted them to see who they really are. Not defined by the world’s standards but defined by their Heavenly Father’s. He says his daughters are beautiful, he delights over his daughters with singing, he brings purpose to his daughters’ lives. We wanted them to really see it, really feel it.

Emily transformed Laura, Susan, and Jackie’s back patio into boho chic with sari’s she acquired from her travels around the world draped over twinkling lights, lit candles set in mason jars, and flowers delicately placed in tiny vases. We thought it be appropriate to provide hot chocolate and chocolate chip cookies—because, duh, what girl doesn’t love chocolate? And because we were going to share with the girls how they are daughters of a great high King, we planned to make crowns from ribbon and flowers.

Unqualified

Often I wonder why God placed us where we are. I get bogged down counting all the people I know who would be "better" suited to be missionaries in a refugee neighborhood compared to us. People who could love better, have more compassion, better pray-ers, people who actually speak the same language as their neighbors, who are more selfless and are willing to give all their time to building up this community. I'm discouraged after I sit and think about all those more "qualified".

And then I hear a voice that says, "But I called you, and you said 'Yes!".

But why?

Why were we called? Why was I called?

Home Sweet Home

Home has never felt so great! 

As we pulled in to our neighborhood after our final road trip I took a deep breath and was overcome with joy and peace in knowing that this is where we belong and in 3.5 seconds I'd be able to really kick up my feet and just chill out for the first time in a week. It was wonderful being greeted by a couple of the boys who then helped us bring in our luggage, and while I was ready to be alone with just Travis, it was nice having them stay a bit and hang out. Travis taught them a few things on the guitar while I started dinner. It was a perfect evening back home. 

The icing on the cake came later in the evening...lounging on our red couch and Travis' hand on my belly with Juice Drop dancing through our entire movie! Too presh! :)

P.S. Blue Like Jazz = Uh-Mazing! 

How far along? 35 Weeks and 1 Day

Total weight gain: 28 lbs

Maternity clothes? Most of the time. 

Stretch marks? Nope 

Sleep: Oh, the ush, waking up every 1-2 hours to pee, plus my sinus infection kept me awake while in bed even more so

Best moment this week: Seeing the joy on Travis's brother's face when he saw me for the first time in a year. He had tears in his eyes and he couldn't really believe his baby niece was inside of me :)

Miss Anything? Subway and sleeping on my back

Movement: Morning, noon, and night!

Food cravings: a 12 inch turkey sub from Subway sounds amazing right about now!

Anything making you queasy or sick: Nope

Gender: GIRL!!!

Labor Signs: Braxton Hicks are getting stronger.

Symptoms: Back and rib pain, Braxton Hicks, peeing ALL THE TIME (even when hardly anything comes out!), shortness of breath, memory lapse, clumsiness, swollen fingers and toes 

Belly Button in or out? Outie!

Wedding rings on or off? Off but on a necklace, still very bitter about this.

Happy or Moody most of the time: Happy! 

Looking forward to: My sister, Emily, moving in to college tomorrow which is only 20 minutes from us!!! :)

Pictures as of late soon to come!

A Season to Remember: Go Urban Eagles!

Anyone remember the movie The Big Green? Even though I hated wasn't a fan of soccer before I met Travis, that movie was one my favorites growing up. I loved the fact that a group of kids expected to do lousy and looked down upon ended up surprising everyone and taking the championship. It was your typical feel-good movie, and you walked away wishing you could be a part of a team just like that.

While the Albemarle Urban Eagles didn't win the championship our boys started the season off already the underdogs. They are a group of 12-15 year old kids from all different parts of the world from Burma to Liberia to Mexico and more, and while they may have played soccer all their lives in their neighborhoods, they had never played on a structured team. From the first time they stepped on the field that first game all the way to the last game you could see the joy in their faces and the passion in their play. They loved being out there and anyone who came to watch was blessed. They loved playing so much they'd be ready to go to the game 3 hours before game time--we're talking 7:30 am on a Saturday morning for a 10:45 game! They ended their season last night by placing 3rd in the tournament, and even with a loss, they left the field with heads held high and smiles on their faces. We are so proud of these boys and already can't wait for the fall season to begin!  

Congrats, Urban Eagles! You did a stellar job! 

Ready for the game!

Unity

Even with a loss at the end of the tournament there are smiles all around!

     

A Lizard Tale

I never realized lizards run rampant here in Charlotte like they do in Florida! The lizard Daikulay caught the other day was beautiful. He was a perfect green and had black around his eyes that Daikulay said was make-up haha! Daikulay loved that little guy. He played with him for hours. We were for sure he was going to end up killing him but sure enough by sundown Daikulay came banging on our door to tell us that his lizard was asleep. "No, buddy, I think he's dead," Travis tried to explain gently. "No, he's sleeping!" Daikulay said back. And all of a sudden, the lizard started breathing again! How in the world had that thing been dropped so many times, closed tight in a pink box, handled by a 5 year old for 3 hours and not have died!? It's still a mystery to me! 

The best part of the evening was when Daikulay came to tell me he'd lost his lizard. He said the last place he had it was on his head-ok, hilarious! So I jokingly suggested that he may be lost in his hair. He started searching right around where he was and feeling his hair. As he turned his back towards me I caught a glimpse of green and saw the lizard resting nicely on his left shoulder! I started dying! "Daikulay, he's on your shoulder!" Well, poor Daikulay doesn't know what a shoulder is so he started feeling his back until I pointed to my own shoulder and then he realized what I meant. He was so happy to find his new friend, and with a smile walked off with the lizard back up on his head.

Life As We Know It

Even if we weren't missionaries obeying the call of Christ to live in a refugee neighborhood I don't know if I'd want to live anywhere else. Where else can you color outside with your 5 year old neighbors, watch a pick up game of Chinese soccer, listen to the beautiful guitar playing and singing of a man and his family worshipping, and watch the sun set? This is life as we know it and I LOVE it!

My most favoritist picture ever! This father and baby are so presh!

This is the life

Travis had some help moving the 40 pound goals that were sitting on our porch to the other side of the neighborhood. Talk about TEAMWORK!

Who needs a truck when you've got 15 boys to help?

How did you spend your Monday night?