Our Summer on the Road (from Erin)

Props to Amy Cornwell for the artwork!

Well, to say that we are feeling a bit burned out and overwhelmed would be an understatement. The kids have totally hit their limit and though they're enjoying seeing family and friends, they are definitely ready to get settled in Atlanta.

There have been days over the past few month that we have felt overwhelmed for a lot of reasons. We really hoped our house in Bluffton would have sold by now. Quite honestly the idea of renting it is pretty taxing on our brains and we already feel like we're going in a million different directions. We know that God is in control and if us renting our house instead of selling it is His plan, then so be it.

The raising up of a ministry team has been a little slow as well, especially over the past few weeks. We have met with many people that are excited to jump on board with what God is doing but we still have such an incredibly long way to go. Time is not on our side and we have moments when the enormity of it all causes us to lose our overall focus.

We were able to go to Atlanta as a family this past weekend to interview with a potential apartment community! Things went well but we found ourselves feeling more weight on our shoulders as we talked about starting the ministry to the people in that community and all the millions of things that have to be done as soon as we arrive in Atlanta.

The kids are really struggling on so many levels. We have seen a lot of regression of behavior with Ellie...she's putting up walls and slipping back into survival mode.  Elijah just wants to be back in our house and all this traveling has left the situation a little confusing to him even though we've explained it all a million times.

All that being said, these last few days have been crucial for us. We have been able to shift our focus back on the fact that there is no doubt that God has called us to this ministry and this move. Though things are hard right now we know that He is bigger than any detail. We have been reminded that it's not about us anyway!  And though God cares for our every need, we become incredibly selfish in what we believe those needs are.  He has never promised us an easy road and yet we're overwhelmed and upset when it's not easy. We pray for Him to place us right where He wants us, but when it doesn't fit the picture in our heads we get discouraged.

So we've had a shift. We need to keep focusing on all that He is doing rather than what we have ahead of us. We need to see the millions of ways He's provided for us rather than worry about what tomorrow might bring. We need to spend more time focusing on the things that are most important rather than getting bogged down in the millions of details.

One of the ways that God has totally blown us away this summer is by the amazing amount of generosity and hospitality that has been shown to us over the past few months. People have opened up their homes to us for meals and for places for us to stay. We have shared time with friends and family that we haven't seen in quite some time. At every turn we have been taken care of by the people that love us and for that we are eternally grateful. We could focus on all the needs that are yet to be met, but instead we strive to see the journey we've been on this summer and the love that has been shown to us. Thank you all for your continued support and prayers...there are days we struggle to keep going but your love keeps reminding us of God's unending faithfulness!