Our July 4th weekend was spent in a rather unusual way.
On July 3rd, we hosted about 30 people at our house--mostly refugee students--for a cookout as part of our city's New American Center youth programming. We enjoyed having these students in our home immensely, though when it rained, our house became quite full quite fast! How humbling (to borrow my friend Amanda's word) to explain simple things to these students, and to see them amazed...how to use the ice dispenser on the front of our fridge, for example. And then on the other hand, to talk with a refugee from Iraq who lost a house MUCH bigger than ours when his family was forced to flee. Always, always I am reminded that "refugee" means so many different life experiences. After eating, the rain cleared up just in time for the Lynn fireworks.
On the 4th, we spent the afternoon packing our house, thanks to the organizing effort of my mom. Before we had packed about 15 boxes, probably, and now we have about 40, so we got a lot of work done in a few hours. Much of my dining room is now packed (dishes, china, etc) and almost every single book in our house, as well as our Ripple Effect office, the boys' school supplies, our upstairs den, most of our living room.
After a day spent yesterday grocery shopping and baking, we hope today to resume packing again. With just one week left of "freedom" before my classes start, I'm hoping to get as much packed as I can this coming week.
In the meantime, the boys are busying themselves with friends...playing outside mostly, and at times visiting their friend Joseph's house. Yesterday we showed them on the calendar that they have a full 2 months of summer still left, and they were beyond excited! Next weekend we hope to visit some friends in Connecticut, and the weekend after, to go camping with my sisters and families, my mom, and some cousins.
We're also in the process of looking for a used mini van (preferably a Honda Odyssey or a Toyota Sienna), as we found out a little over a week ago that our car needs too many major repairs. If you know of anyone selling a used van, let us know!
So blessed by the start of the book of Matthew this morning in house church. It was so fitting after our study of the Abraham narrative, to turn our attention now the fulfillment of the promise to Abraham that God would bless the world through him. Amazing how God is both king--from David's line, and King of Heaven--and also so "with us," in poverty, in humility, in ordinary family. We talked a lot about God's time (kairos, in the Greek, meaning "appointed time," as opposed to chronos, our "chronological time") and the evidences of God's kairos we see in our own lives. As we pack our house, it's been comforting and exciting to remember that this is God's kairos--the appointed time for change, for moving. As Orilus said, we can trust God to do what He promised, even when His time is not ours. So when I think, "How are we going to do this?!" I am reminded this morning to remember, in God's kairos.
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