The Story of a Lifetime: Labor of Love: The Treasure Journey Continues

As we have worked most of the warmer months on yard, clearing and thinning 1 acre jungle, we waited for colder months to begin indoor projects. While outside remains far from finished, especially now that leaves have fallen, we continue yard cleanup and loving landlord by bringing property back to former glory of childhood he knew. With colder days upon us we also begin the first of many indoor improvements. As problems have risen we have already fixed non working toilets, problem electrical outlets, replaced broken ceiling fans, replaced stove/oven, had a/c fixed, removed shower door, and many of the smaller issues we have encountered in our journey here. As we love on landlord and show unconditional kindness he doesn't understand we have watched both head and heart change slowly transform life. Flesh of self that demanded justice, tantrum of what I felt "owed" in life, has been silenced by the absolute magnitude of what it is to give and to love unconditionally. Next door neighbor landlord....broken man overwhelmed by life and home situation....softened, tiny seeds of hope and joy planted within heart. Heart that finally feels love that only God is capable of pouring. A love that He can only pour from vessels who have had to learn the painful lessons of absolute death of self. A love that requires death from the giver in order to be given and in order to be received. But what a paradox it all is...all the ways that He works. In dying there truly is life. How sad it is that so very many...the majority of all the world....will never know this....will never allow themselves to experience it. How close I have come to missing it so many times. How amazing His persistence that pursues, how beautiful His grace that forgives and works with all of the ugly in order to make beautiful. My heart is overwhelmed. How amazing all the joy and freedom that comes from death of self, freedom from demanding what is "right", harboring all the anger and bitterness that could so easily come from this road we have walked over the last 3 1/2 years. The more we love....the more we give....the more we focus on pouring out instead of soaking in....the easier it all becomes. If this journey has done nothing but taught our children at early ages what it has taken husband and I a lifetime to learn...it has been worth it all. As 12 year old lighthearted daughter talked with youth pastor he came to me. He began to talk and tell husband and I that out of the majority of 14 and 12 year olds he has aided in navigating youth these two children have, by far, the deepest understanding and grasp of what it is to follow in obedience to the Lord...that their grasp of Him exceeds what He sees in most adults and their commitment and passion to serve and love outside of themselves is staggering. He continued....all of our children.....so well rounded, social, so willing to reach out, love and show kindness beyond their age. All words that came through phone. Tears came as call ended. Many, many of them. As I thought back over last 3 1/2 years of what we have walked....the intensity, all of the absolute failures as a parent so many times over, how one of them has known suffering most in life will never know, requiring them to leave everything familiar in life behind to come here and find not the dream but a harsh reality of "set backs", all the pain of learning people and the actions of those that live in such hurt....husband and I discuss and we come to realize through tears...we'd do it all again to get to this place now, for our children to know what they know and truly grasp what they now understand.

Tears fall and I know it's been worth it all. I know now beyond everything else in life that I would do it all again. If it means each of our children's hearts have been lassoed by a God that sees the bigger picture, if it means they will grow into, not only, productive citizens of society but have an unquenchable passion for the Lord and a heart for people, if they see that their world is not about them at all, if they learn to see past themselves, see not with physical eyes but soul eyes, if they learn what it is to not stop with community or state or nation but reach farther, wider and see the world for what it is in all of its smallness yet greatness, if they have learned what it has taken me 37 years to learn, to love the unloveable, to feel compassion, to overlook the fiery arrows thrown at them, to fight back with wisdom, wage war with discernment, battle their foes with accuracy knowing firmly Who goes before them and Who goes behind them, if they know they have nothing to fear because even in death they will live, if they have learned what it is to truly live, to truly love...than it has been worth it all. Every gut wrenching ache, every soul groaning, all the tears that have fallen, all the anguish, all the hurt, all the joy and grace and redemption we have known. I would do it all again if it means our children's hearts and lives have been captured by Him.

Tears fall as I watch sun paint forested hills in pink and blue hues against silvery gray sky. Why us? Why have we been so blessed? Because we have made the unpopular decision to follow at all cost? To look like fools to the world? To follow radically when society screams comfort of self is paramount... that discomfort means a broken system, some failure within life because it does not meet what is embraced as normal? Is it truly because we just might have finally, after 37 years of living, figured out the secret of life is not in living but in dying? That the joy and freedom reside in doing what so few are willing to do, go where so few are willing to go, experience what so few desire to feel? Because in the discomfort the well of life resides and all the pain fades away in the release that the freedom and joy of sacrifice bring? I don't know. But I do know there's nowhere else I'd rather be right now.

So it is that the Treasure Journey continues. Yard work continues while we begin work on inside as well. The goal is to have most of the indoor projects completed by baby's arrival. On the agenda, new flooring..no more carpet and no more dealing with carpet shampooers!, replacing both toilets..though working they are far from optimally functioning, replacing dishwasher, stove/oven has already been replaced!, new kitchen counter tops, painting ALL the brown paneling, painting walls..and loving on landlord in ways no one else ever has. In a sweet turn of events we told landlord's daughter of plans to light up neighborhood Clark Griswold style next Christmas. As lights go on sale after Christmas this year we plan on buying enough to drain the city transformers and give some much needed Christmas cheer to neighborhood. Landlord's daughter grew excited with us in hopes that perhaps they, too, would finally light up their own house. Upon finishing up bedtime routines, showers and baths completed, teeth brushed, children headed to bed to discover dark night come to life. Landlord's yard now sports illuminated reindeer, roof lit with lights, glowing candy canes and neighborhood cheer. How much fun it is to inspire and be the difference...despite the fact our lights won't happen til next year!

Before....

The dining room. Yes...our table sat on carpet.

And so it begins!!!

Before...the office and thoroughfare to dining room

I removed all shelving before I thought to take the pic

And after! Making progress! At this point staples still had to be removed where padding was still stapled to floor and ripped away in clumps. They stapled the carpet....and spared no expense in doing so. Lots and lots...and lots....of staples. Fun.

New sippy cups and juice make anybody a happy camper. And yes...he has purple. That was all they had left. Good thing about being #10....or 2 years old. You don't care what color your cup is!

I forgot to take an after pic before we had to set tables back up for dinner. Next up..installing the new HARD floors!

The notorious cabinet. It hangs a mere 16 inches above counters, making functionality of kitchen almost non existent in this space. While the counter space is amazing for plating food and cutting it makes fitting any appliances under it absolutely impossible. The mini Poinsetta stands a small 8-10 inches in height, to give an idea of just how low the cabinets hang. Conversing with others on the opposite side of the beast is quite comical and adds to the humor of this floating brown turd. So...with permission granted we are raising the height of the cabinet. It will be taken up to the 3rd and highest inner shelf and will extend only 12 inches from ceiling instead of the whopping 3 feet that it does now. Pretty exciting stuff. Since we are here for the long haul we have made the decision, with permission excitedly granted, to make it as functional as possible since every square inch counts with this many people in this amount of space.

Shower door removal completed a couple of months ago. Mold and nastiness caked it within. It's been replaced with new clean shower curtain. Yet another off the list. Making progress!