With a cup of coffee,
meeting Jesus in the morning stillness, hearing the birds chirping and the bugs
whistling. We wake up at 5am before the sun rises, so we have the joy of
watching the sunrise every morning. Every day a reminder that a new day has
dawned and it’s time to sing God’s song again.
Reminders that are
especially important as we near the end of the school year. As this school year
is coming to an end, and we are feeling burnt out, tired and sometimes feeling
that what we accomplished this year just wasn’t enough, I am reminded that in
this world we will have trouble, we will become weary and we will be burdened,
we will have trials, but we are promised that we have an eternity of problem
free living reserved for us in heaven. So we REJOICE in that!
The next couple weeks
of school are going to fly by. They also do. Before we know it, we will be
finished our last day, and somehow missing our little kiddos faster than we
thought we would. The past 2 weeks of our school days have been long, hot, and
exhausting to say the least. But more and more, I realize that there is joy and
beauty to be found in each day.
I started writing a
blog post a couple weeks ago and never got the chance to finish it. What you
just read above is from two weeks ago. What you will read below is from today.
As many of you may or
may not know, Cassie and I are back in Canada. Cassie has been very sick for
the past three weeks. With contacting our doctor in the States, to seeing
Haitian doctors, and a Haitian hospital stay, it was time for us to come back
to Canada. Flights were booked on June 3rd, and we were back in
Canada on June 4th. The past 48 hours have been exhausting on both
Cassie and I. We are so thankful for all the prayers and encouragement that we
have received. So many emotions fill our hearts with leaving so quickly, but we
know Cassie’s health is most important. Cassie is going to see a doctor today
and hopefully we will get a better understanding on what has been going on in
her body. We ask for continued prayers as this is a scary time where answers don’t
always come fast but is a time for us to trust in God and His provision for our
lives.
This year has been one
of perseverance, testing of patience; trust in God and loads and loads of
growth. It has been a testament of Gods strength, faithfulness and His goodness
in our lives even through trials and tribulations. I have learned patience,
love, grace and joy from the many little hearts and minds that filled my
classroom this year. My heart aches from leaving so quickly and I’m filled with
so many emotions not having the opportunity to say goodbye to all my little
students as well as our many good friends, but I rest in knowing that God’s
plan is always greater now that we are back in Canada for the next 2 months,
and have time to reflect and rest on this past year.
As we enter a few
week, with Cassie and I being back in Canada, and Paul, Bethany and baby Tiona,
Peyton and Gerald and Lexi still being in Haiti, we are far but not far in
heart. Cassie and I have felt so blessed over the past couple days with the generosity,
kindness, help, encouragement and prayers that we have received from our little
family in Haiti, but also our Mission Haiti family as a whole in the States and
all of Cassie and I’s family and friends. We cannot begin to explain the
thankfulness that we feel.
So now we are here,
with time to rest and heal.
Rest isn’t only for
our tired bodies. It’s also for our weary souls. Our wills, our minds and our
emotions get burned out if they never experience rest. Sometimes the silent
signals of exhaustion are so deep within our souls that it’s more difficult to
recognize than when our bodies cry for physical rest. Our minds must receive rest.
Our wills must experience rest. Our emotions must engage in rest. So how do we
get there? We must rest from striving so our minds can quiet the noise of
thought, and our emotions can detangle our knotted feelings. Soul rest only
happens when we quiet our souls, surrender our wills to God and hope in Him.