Winter is coming

Winter may be just around the corner but we are enjoying the colors of the fall! Below you will find some pictures from around Willow and a shot of our "Welcome to Mount Prospect" sign. It is so beautiful and a welcomed season change!

Similarly, we are in the midst of a time where it seems as though we are living in multiple season changes. With the impending arrival of our baby girl and getting used to midwest life, we are immersed in change. This has not been an easy process. We have had many days where we know and feel that we are in the right place at the right time and yet on other days we want nothing more than to just "go back home". I am being challenged to walk through this time in a manner that freely acknowledges the feelings that are going on inside without attempting to censor them so they come out looking "as I think they should". This process becomes increasingly difficult when faced with days that I just don't know what to feel. Can I really be successful in any area (life and ministry) while trying to balance so much? Am I happy or scared about having a child? Probably both. How does it feel to be so far from friends and family? Sometimes really hard and other times it okay. There are many questions and many emotions. I am so grateful that this program is set up to encourage Keri and me to take the time to walk through these feelings and that we are allowed to feel the up's and the down's of life. It is during these times that we are learning how to allow God to love us well and to give others permission to "laugh and cry" with us. This communal sharing with each other's burdens and opening ourselves to be loved more by God has already been extremely transformational and yet very challenging. It is a great process to be in!

Thank you for providing warmth and familiarity while walking with us as we venture down a road that is unfamiliar to us. We are humbled and feel amazingly loved!

Enjoy the pictures! I hope to get some new Keri belly pictures soon!