More Than Enough

I'm at Chic-Fil-A today. It's about 45 minutes from our current home, but we were out-and-about, so it was the best option.



I said in my "about me" section that I want to share the joys and the challenges of this life with you. Right now, we're in the challenge phase. We are unsure of what we're supposed to be doing, or where we're supposed to be living. We've decided to add potty training to the confusion of our current situation. It's not going smoothly, but it has to happen. Waiting until we're "settled in" somewhere would result in DeLaynie being 14 before being potty trained. We're just going to have to bite the bullet and give it a shot now.



Unfortunately, church job hunting doesn't go quickly. Usually, that's a good thing. It's very important to be in the right church. But we're not in a typical situation. The longer we don't have a job, the greater the length of time DeLaynie is without therapy.



There are other concerns, but they're relatively menial. It's a difficult place to be.


I know where God, and I know Who God is. Those two things bring comfort and peace when times are difficult. I know that He will be faithful. I also know that His grace is enough for me. And that's where I'll be... standing in the grace of the King of Kings, who is worthy.

Together-ness Time

The girls spent the night with my parents. We went "into town" and poked around for a little bit. Then we went back home and played on the Wii. It was the first time I'd played in a long time. I'm very glad that we didn't sell it. We had a good time, especially since I won 6 games, and Edwin won 4. Yep, I did alright.

This morning, we woke up to a house without children. It was too bright in our bedroom for me to go back to sleep (I bought a sleep mask today; that won't happen again!), so I made pancakes. I put a few blueberries in Edwin's. It made him happy. It makes me happy that I remembered how to make them, even with Bisquick.

It's hard getting back into a normal routine. I haven't had to cook on a daily basis, and I haven't had to do dishes, either. The house is a lot more to clean than the little quad, but there's also a lot more places to put things away. We have television again, though mostly just PBS since we don't have cable. It's amazing how much a little television helps DeLaynie with her language. She's talking much more now that she's able to get a Sesame Street fix again.

We've been thinking a lot about our friends back in Richmond. They're almost done with training now. Some very close friends will be flying into Asia at the end of next week. Others will be delayed a month or more before they get to the field. They are all on our hearts and in our prayers. (We love you!) Join us in lifting these missionaries-in-training up to our Father as they become missionaries on the field.

Whatcha Doin?

We are getting pretty spoiled in a four bedroom, two bathroom mission house. There's even this strange thing called a laundry room. The girls have been running around, enjoying the plentiful space. There's even a fenced-in back yard! It's amazing.

There is one, little thing. We don't have Internet, which is why it's been so long since I've posted. I probably won't be posting that often for a little while. Sorry.

Right now, we're looking throughout the country for a job. Edwin's emailing various churches, hoping to find the right fit for our family. I'm scouring the Internet for information on various areas. We're doing our best to find a place where DeLaynie can receive lots of therapy, and where there are plenty of lost people in need of the Savior.

That's pretty much all that's going on at this moment. The girls are spending time with grandparents, and we're trying to think out the next few months. It's a strange place to be in, but we're not alone. It's a crazy, wonderful road, this Christian life.

On The Road Again

It's obvious, cheesy, and completely over-done, but it's what's happening in the Attaway universe at this moment. We are spending our second night in a hotel this week. This time we're somewhere in Georgia. Edwin thinks that we may have scared some neighbors away because he saw them leave the room around 6 o'clock tonight. My girls are loud enough to scare travelers away; I'll give 'em that.

We insisted on staying somewhere with an indoor pool last night. We thought that DeLaynie would like it. She most certainly loved the pool. She loved it so much that removal from the pool area resulted in a tantrum that could be considered excessive, even for a young lady at her age. She eventually calmed down, and when she did, she went to sleep quickly. So, obviously, we made sure that our hotel tonight also has an indoor pool. Judge us as you will. They only got twenty minutes of pool time in tonight, but we plan on spending some time splashing around tomorrow morning before we leave.

Edwin did me the huge, sanity-saving favor of giving me some time out by myself. There's an outlet mall right down the road from our hotel, so I went and bought a few (very few) things for the girls to wear this fall since we sold all of their fall/winter things. I also bought myself a pair of jeans from Banana Republic. "What?!" you say. "Why would you spend a ridiculous amount on jeans when your family is in the situation that you're in?" Well, the jeans were $11. I have one pair of BR jeans that I bought from another outlet with some birthday money, and those are my favorite. I made the decision that $11 for jeans that I'll wear constantly isn't that irresponsible. Judge me some more.

Well, Ella's going through my purse, and that has no potential for good things, and tons of potential for bad things. I should probably get to that. Don't forget to dwell.

Lotsa Girls!

Edwin's brother is also the father of two girls, ages 4 and 2. That makes for a lot of females during a visit. It's such a fun thing to watch four little girls, from 1 to 4, play together. I've realized that giggling begins early in life for a girl. There have been lots of giggles, a few cries, and plenty of fun for everyone.

I can't count how many games of "Ring Around the Rosy" have been played. Ella tries to sing, but it isn't quite recognizable. It's funny to hear her try, though. She's also tried imitating Edwin as he battles his brother on the Wii. She's almost thrown several remote controls.

Tonight Edwin's sis-in-law made fried chicken, butter beans, potatoes, and corn bread. It was crazy good. Thanks, other Attaway family, for the fun and hospitality during our stay. I hope it won't be another two years before we are able to get together again. We'll try to have you over whenever we get to... wherever it is we're going.

Little Mommy

DeLaynie's favorite game right now is "slumber party." This game, which I believe she made up on her own, involves dragging as many blankets, pillows, and stuffed friends into a very public place and arranging them into a bed-like configuration. After they're all arranged, she then tucks them in, gives them kisses, conveys her intense and un-dying love, and snuggles up next to them. Here are a few pictures from Sunday's game:

This was just the first of many games. It has grown to three dolls and a penguin in membership. She wants to play it all the time, but she was particularly fond of playing during church time.

FYI- We are now in the D.C. area, visiting Edwin's brother. I'm so happy to get to see my nieces and Edwin's wonderful brother and fantastic sister-in-law. Although it was intensely painful to leave so many close friends this morning as we departed from the training center, we know that God's plan is good. We look forward to seeing how God uses us for the expansion of His Kingdom.

Overwhelmed

You might be thinking that the title refers to the fact that our lives are changing rapidly. You may think that I'm talking about all of the packing, cleaning, and other preparations that have to happen before tomorrow morning. Those would be logical conclusions, but that is not what I'm talking about.

Why am I overwhelmed? I am overwhelmed by the kindness being shown to us by the Christians in our world. The churches who signed on to partner with a missionary family, and are now missional orphans, have been nothing but loving to us. They have sent me constant reminders of their prayers, and those prayers mean a lot to us. In some ways, I feel like we have failed them, as if we performed a bait-and-switch by promising them great works of evangelism, but are giving them another out-of-work minister instead. They don't see it that way, though. They still see our family as a way for them to minister. And that changes the way that we see ourselves.

The missionaries here at the training center are another incredible example of the Body of Christ at work. They have shown us generosity and kindness that we couldn't have imagined. They've taken care of Ella while we went to doctor's appointments with DeLaynie. They've offered to help us pack and clean. They have prayed and cried with us through the struggles, even to the conclusion. Today they prayed over us as a community, and Edwin said that he could physically feel a peace that he hadn't experienced in a while. They surprised us today at lunch by giving us an envelope full of notes and gifts to help us replace the things that we sold in order to go. These are people are going to be missionaries, and they are sacrificially giving to us, who aren't going! That is an amazing thing.

God has used our supervisors and the nurse who has managed our case to show us His love and concern. They have taken hours out of their time to talk to us and take care of us. They have genuinely hurt alongside us. We may have diverted them from things that many would say are more important, but they were there every time that we needed them.

If you don't know Jesus personally, you may have a bad taste in your mouth from past experiences with people who claim to know Him. But those aren't the Christians that I know. These people are genuine, deeply kind, and loving to the point of personal sacrifice. These are the people that Jesus points to when He wants to remind the Devil that he isn't winning the war.

This is the Body of Christ as it should be, and this is one of the moments when I realize that I don't deserve to be called to service at all. If I'm called to serve here, I am privileged to receive that calling, just as I would be privileged to receive a calling to go. This life, the Christian life, is a gift that I could never earn. It's just too valuable. I am grateful for each and every moment of it that I get the joy of living, no matter where God calls me to be. And this life is just the tip of the beginning of the amazing things God has planned. How beautiful is this God whom I call, "Father"?