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christmas trees…uh, i mean, montana!

By September 25, 2011 No Comments

we moved out of southern california thirty-two days ago. we have been in montana for twenty-one days. in six days, we are headed back to northern california. one hundred and thirteen days until we move to moldova.

transition.

change.

we studied isaiah 55:6-11 for our inductive bible study this past week. funny, because the Lord gave these verses to me through my sister, sarah, a month or so before we moved.

“seek the LORD while he may be found; call upon him while he is near; let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts; let him return to the Lord, that he may have compassion on him, and to our God, for he will abundantly pardon. for my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, declares the Lord. for as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts. for as the rain and the snow come down from heaven and do not return there but water the earth, making it bring forth and sprout, giving seed to the sower and bread to the eater, so shall my word be that goes out from my mouth; it shall not return to me empty, but it shall accomplish that which i purpose, and shall succeed in the thing for which i sent it.”

montana in itself is beautiful, just like everyone tells you. there are christmas trees everywhere! but it’s hard to be anywhere when you are homesick. i miss my church and my friends and my family. addy misses her class at church and her friends and her frozen yogurt. it has been a long month and an exhausting one. a good and new friend told me last week (when addy was melting down, oh and yes biting someone for the very first time), “this is a time when we extend much grace to our children and when we give ourselves a little too.” hmmmm.

and now that we’ve been here three weeks, we’ve made even more friends. miss berta and miss jo let addy ring the breakfast bell every morning. addy calls them both “my peek-a-boo.” addy greets everyone like big brothers and big sisters. “hi jacob.” “whatcha doin’ there, oh-livia?” “braeden, you use your inside voice.” “karlee, come here!” “i go sit on jaymi’s lap?” these young adults are so willing to help me with the girls. and this morning as i was writing notes for the first teams that are leaving this week, i realized that i am going to miss these new friends. addy is going to miss her new friends.

i will be honest. sometimes i wonder about that part. will my child have some hidden resentment that we took her all over the world and away from friends and family? yet even as i find myself thinking those doubts, i am reminded of our confirmation verses that the Lord used to lead us to moldova. and i have to thank the Holy Spirit for comforting me with the Word.

“however, i consider my life worth nothing to me, if only i may finish the race and complete the task the Lord Jesus has given me–the task of testifying to the gospel of God’s grace.” acts 20:24

beautiful and so encouraging.

“then he said to them all, ‘if anyone desires to come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow me.'” luke 9:23

we are in this together – – christian, addy, mercy and me. and together we will as a family make this transition. and yes, there will be times when i doubt the call but i know during those times the Holy Spirit will whisper reassurances to me and i will keep going.

confession – – i love a plankeye song that came out in ’99 or ’00, called “goodbye.” call it what you want, i did listen to music that tended to be, okay fine, a little “emo.” but this song is solid. the last line says,

“but he always fills my cup
and he lifts me up oh how he lifts me up”

amen. my prayer is that no matter how i am feeling, i would lean on Jesus and allow the Holy Spirit to comfort me and lead me. when i am clinging to my Savior, talking to Him every minute of the day, i find myself growing more and more excited about moving to moldova. in fact, i’m almost ready to go!

montana…

becoming all things to all people, right?

nightmare trip + bruise (walmart in elko, nevada)

lunch in avon, montana

first day (potter's field ranch, montana)

bathing the balding princess

9-11 tribute concert in the park

daddy and a tired girl

mama and mercy

family picture taken by a stranger

playing in the (cold!) creek (potter's field ranch)

 

new friends (ben is almost five)

one of her "bffs" here, karlee!

a visit from our pastor when we needed it most!

olivia being baptized

shaylene being baptized

dylan being baptized

yep, city girl gone country!

pretty girl concentrating

still to come…canada, eh?!

Marie Klein Burtt

About Marie Klein Burtt