Confirmations and Affirmations

The news of the rehab hospital closure devastated our hearts. Sure, we knew what our next step entailed, but it was not lost to us at all that all our friends...all his co-workers...faced this awful unknown. There had been no warning. Even Ryan's boss didn't know.

I'll pause our story to say that if Ryan's co-workers come to mind, would you pray for them? There are so many of them (and it's not just about the therapists...there are nurses and doctors and dietary staff and housekeepers and techs and office workers and so many more) and they are facing huge, life-rocking decisions.

We are praying that God does mind-blowing, amazing things in each of their stories. We know He will care for them. But we are praying that He shows that care in such blatant ways that they can't help but sit in awe of what He does.

We spent most of the day Friday trying to process this unexpected news. Earlier in the week, we'd already made plans to have dinner with Ryan's boss and his wife (Phoebe's people) on Friday evening, so we could tell them the story of our new adventures. We still went and had dinner - and I think it did their hearts some good to be able to think out loud for a little bit.

Meanwhile...remember how I told you a couple of days ago that the children's pastor from our church had stopped by our house while out house hunting? Well, the Saturday morning after our interview/verbal acceptance/hospital news, Ryan decided to call and tell Pastor Shane the story and see if he and his wife might just want to come take a look at our house for kicks before we listed it.

They were driving home from an out-of-state trip, but they said they definitely wanted to see it. They could come over the next night if we were going to be home...and of course, we were.

I wrote in my journal that night, Please, Lord, bring the person YOU have for this house. Bring someone who will love it and care for it and use it for Your glory. 

We spent all of Saturday afternoon and evening dragging our garage sale stash out of the attic. For the last year, we have been cleaning, organizing, and stashing away all the stuff we didn't need anymore, all with the intention of having a sale this summer. Then we weren't sure sales would even be allowed, but we'd seen some around town the last few weeks, so we decided to get our stuff organized and have a sale of our own!

With the garage full of sale stuff, but the house looking quite dapper, I whipped up a pan of cookie bars on Sunday afternoon, and Ryan made a fresh pot of coffee. Pastor Shane and Kim showed up right on time with three of their four children in tow. We showed them around, answered all their questions, and Braeya socialized quite nicely.

Monday evening, they came back with a measuring tape and notebook, and we stayed out in the garage, pricing for the sale while they talked and made decisions inside the house.

And so it was that on Tuesday of last week, Pastor Shane called and made an offer on our home!

Stop it.

We are the Shaffers. We don't sell houses in two days before even listing them on the market. We sell houses in five years and through 141 day contract periods. How was this even happening to us?????

As Ryan's cousin April said so well, "If you had any doubt, God sure threw it out."

Yes.

We know we don't have a background in this work we're about to begin. We know it's going to be hard. We know that we don't know...but we know. We know God has led us here and has clearly affirmed the journey. And we know He will equip us in His perfect timing!

I've been doing a Daily Grace Company study called Faithful and one day read these words from the wise Joanna Kimbrel:

“God chose Moses and saved him from death as an infant, but it is not until many years later that God reveals His plan for Moses…God’s response to Moses is not that Moses is capable or that he is good enough to do it, but instead God assures Moses that He will be with him. Moses may be God’s instrument, but God is the One who will do the work. What is impossible for man is possible with God…Moses may have felt inadequate to do what God called him to do, but God calls Moses to take his eyes off his own shortcomings and lift his gaze to God…God calls Moses to step out in obedience so that His covenant purposes might be advanced, but God is the One who guarantees that the covenant would be fulfilled…When we look at the things God has called us to do and feel overwhelmed, saying things like, ‘Who am I to raise these children, to teach these women, to care for my hurting neighbors, to endure this trial?’ we are asking the wrong question. We should not be asking, ‘Who am I?’ but ‘Who is God?’ We may not always find the why we are looking for, but the Who is enough. We must remind ourselves of who God is. He is the great I AM. He is able. He is faithful. God is doing a good thing in ways we cannot see. Even in our suffering, we can trust Him to fulfill His promises because of who He is.”

And we hang onto that.

PS...this catches you up to where we are now, so if you have any questions, let me know, and I'll do my best to answer in tomorrow's blog! Thank you for putting up with all my (big meanie) cliffhangers over the past week!