Among Good Company...

I can’t go too far in this whole thought journey before I acknowledge how blessed I’ve been by my family.  I come from a family who is and has been dedicated to God long before I was born.  My parents are solid examples of what it means to live for God, both in actions and in words (as well as what it means to be an NT…both in actions and in words…but personality is another whole issue).  They have taught me a lot about what faith in God looks like.  It takes a lot of faith and trust to allow your newly-sixteen-year-old daughter to go to Jamaica with a group of high school students on a mission trip.  It takes faith to see her then travel to more countries over the years when there are sicknesses (and deaths) in the family.  They have always been supportive and accepting of what I’ve wanted to do with these trips.  In 2009, when we were still planning on going down to Honduras my father was asked what he thought about the whole thing…his daughter going into a volatile political situation.  His response was that God can take better care of me than he can.  He recognizes that we have no control over life, wherever we may be, but God does…even in some interesting situations and places. 

My extended family is also really supportive, and rather active, in the mission field on short term trips.  Most of my siblings have gone on trips.  Most of my cousins have also gone on missions trips.  My aunt has gone to Honduras more than I have (a different part of the country).  My uncle has been down to the Dominican Republic on numerous occasions as well (taking my cousin along for the more recent of those).  I have two cousins adopted from Guatemala.  My aunt and uncle found out about the first of those two (Mikayla) through a missions trip that others in their church took.  They then went through the long, tedious process of adopting specifically her.  Later they adopted Jaden.  And that also led to multiple trips to Guatemala for members of that side of the family.  I am so thankful for the legacy of a Godly family…starting well before me and hopefully continuing well after me.  And for those who have gone before me…what I remember most about my grandmother is her constant prayers.  When I think of her, I can clearly hear her voice in my head, lifted in prayer for me, for my siblings, for the rest of my family.  And then my grandfather (on the other side)…I remember how consistently he lived his life, and his evident joy in the midst of his suffering.  And I remember that last weekend, pushing him in a wheelchair up and down the halls of the nursing home and singing “Jesus Loves Me” at his request, as he tried to join in…when he could hardly speak clearly anymore.  I have been blessed with an amazing family!