A God-Moment

I had a different post planned for today, but I was struggling to gather the words in an order that made any sense, so I decided to postpone that idea until I can wrap my mind around it a bit better. And in the meantime, I have a story to share that encouraged me so much! I hope it brings some encouragement to your heart too!

The story started almost ten years ago, and I blogged about a snippet of it back then. If you'd like, you can read that story here. But if you're in a hurry, I'll give you the short version:

Ten years ago, as I was crawling out of the heart-desert I'd lived in for a good chunk of the year, my friend Julie asked if the ladies' Bible study group at her church could go through a study I had written but not formally published. I gave them the material, and on their very last gathering night, Julie invited me to drive up and attend with her, so I could meet the people who had gone through the material. I did, and it was a heart-boost to me after so much hurt that year.

Yesterday, Ryan and I visited Jon and Julie's church for morning worship. In our Kokomo days, we were a good two hours away from them, and it made visiting on a Sunday morning kind of tough. But we're much closer in Grabill, so we headed there to worship with them!

When I told Julie we planned to visit, she said they were going to have an outdoor baptism service, so she understood if we wanted to wait until a more normally structured Sunday, but I thought a baptism service sounded like great encouragement!

So we went, and it was a beautiful day. We sat on our lawn chair loveseat in the shade of a giant pine tree, listening to people share how they came to faith and why they wanted to be baptized. A couple of young boys went first and then a half dozen or so adults shared their own stories. One by one, they dipped under the water of a huge pond, and it took me back to my own baptism in a pond, on a day very much like yesterday.

I appreciated all the stories I heard, but I was really impressed with the composure and articulation of the two boys.

After the service ended, Ryan and I hung around to wait for Jon and Julie, and as we waited, a woman walked toward me with one of those boys by her side. She said, "I know you don't know me, but a few years ago..."

She got about that far, and all the details clicked in my head.

You see, one part I did not mention in that original post was that during that visit to the Bible study, one of the women told me she had been so moved by the chapter on Jochabed (Moses' mother) that she decided to name her new baby Moses. That was a powerful moment for me - and I'm not sure now why I didn't mention it when I wrote the post.

A couple of weeks ago, as I packed up our home office, I tucked my copy of that Bible study into a box and wondered what ever happened to Moses. I couldn't quite remember how many years had passed, but I wondered what became of him as he grew.

And as the woman stood in front of me beside the pond, I realized that boy beside her was Moses. They had called him Mo in the service - and I never made the connection.

I had actual tears in my eyes as I stared at this articulate, faith-filled boy, still drying off from his baptism. I was trying to explain to his mom that I DID remember her and I DID remember the story of his name, but I'm pretty sure the words just tumbled out in random, stuttering order. And Moses probably wondered how anyone struggling to speak full sentences had managed to write a Bible study that had helped his parents find his name.

What an absolute gift from God that yesterday "happened" to be the day we visited their church. (We had planned to go last week instead and changed our minds.)

God is always in the details, and I know that. But when He gives me a glimpse INTO the details - it's a blessing indeed. And yesterday the detailed blessing came in the form of a testimony of a boy named Moses.

The Shafferland Shuffle

We are so glad that our season of living in transition is wrapping up! It will be so nice to be able to establish new routines! (We are aware that our new job isn't entirely about routine, but there will still be a chance to have SOME routine back in our day soon.) But in the meantime, here's a peek at another week of learning for us!

* Last Sunday, we started the day by visiting one of the churches in Grabill. I dialed down the Bekahrazzi, so I don't have any photos of church, but Ryan did take this picture of me making breakfast for lunch after we got home! We spent the afternoon doing a little more hands-on training - and part of that took place during a HUGE storm that took down a tree near our building! Ryan suggested getting pizza for dinner, and I did NOT argue with that at all. We ended the day with some online driving training! (Sunday was not a day off for us - our weekend was at an alternate time this week.)

* Monday's adventures began with Bekah re-learning to drive a minivan! (Turns out that's easier to do when you're not used to driving a compact car every other day. When I sometimes drove my parents' minivan in my high school days, it was a beast compared to my little bitty car.) We transported one of our tenants to work and then checked out the local coffee shop. Sigh of love. I'll have to tell you more about it later. And the big news from Monday? CLOSED ON OUR HOUSE!!!!!

* Here's a funny picture from Tuesday. Our boss's daughter named her doll Braeya (after our cat, of course), so when we found the doll in the van on Tuesday, we did a little Braeya Junior photo shoot. That day I learned that it's really fun to live in a small town where you can walk to the store for lunch supplies. That evening, Ryan helped Rob move some of the big things out of their apartment - the one that we're moving into. (No one asked for my help....what???)

* Wednesday was the first of our days off since we began training, and we started our "weekend" with a trip to Rise 'n Roll. PEOPLE!!!! We live ten minutes from a Rise 'n Roll now. It's the best of times for my belly and the worst of times for my clothes. We drove back to Kokomo, and our girl was SO HAPPY to see us!! (She's had fantastic sitters while we've been in training.) We spent the day seeing a bunch of people from both our old work places - and even got to have dinner with some of them! That was fun!

* Thursday we did some more work at our Kokomo house, and then we loaded up another carload of stuff - and Ryan's truck too - to head back to Grabill. We stopped to see my parents and they even took us out to dinner! We got back to Grabill without incident except for the ENTIRE bottle of coffee creamer that spilled in our cooler. I may not cry over spilled milk, but I sure will cry over spilled creamer.

* Before our training class on Friday, Ryan took me on a date! We went to the Mexican restaurant here in town, and we enjoyed it! Then we headed over to a class that didn't fit into our week-of-classes lineup. Learned all about the history of Gateway Woods - and both of us really enjoyed that class. And look at these beautiful views from our walk on Friday night! Poor Ryan - he'd spent two miserable hours on the phone working on canceling/transferring services, and THEY HUNG UP ON HIM!!!!  So the walk was definitely in order for clearing our minds, and it was so great to have a beautiful sunset to enjoy!

* Yesterday we did a lot of work in our new place! Yes, you read that right! Our new place! We both love it so much and can't wait to fully settle in and make it home! It was the first day we were able to walk through with tape measures and see what things will fit for real that we were pretty sure in our heads would work! (Always a risk, right?) It was so much fun to work in there together - and we had some help, too, from one of our new co-workers!

The Saturday Six

One.

This is little feel-good story you might like! Theo's mom is a friend of mine from my Marion days. We went to church together for a while, and her mom was part of the women's Bible study at church.  (Fun fact, Theo's mom and I also share a birthday!) Anyway, Theo has spina bifida, and for his quarantine birthday, he had an extra fun adventure. Take a look!

Two.

I enjoy reading Between Naps on the Porch, and this week she blogged about these glow in the dark pieces she purchased to put on her ceiling to see if it could look like a starry night. I found her thoughts interesting to read - and while I think it sounds like a LOT of work to put them all up, I also think it would be fun to look at when you're falling asleep!

Three.

Ryan and I have some wire shelving similar to this and we are weighing how we want to use it in our new space. We haven't reached a firm verdict yet, but I've been doing some Pinterest research to look for creative (and pretty) ways to use it, and I thought this article had some great options!

Four.

I normally won't share articles that are blatant ads, but I thought this one was well-written, so I'm sharing it. Pruning plants still TERRIFIES me. I remember when I was single and had rose bushes, I was always afraid of killing them whenever I pruned them! Maybe you're the same? Some good advice here!

Five.

I stumbled across a new-to-me (at least I think!) blog this week and while I think you might find many of her posts interesting, I particularly enjoyed her "How to Wear" series! Ideas on how to wear one piece of clothing several ways!

Six.

Source

I finished another Daily Grace study this week, so I wanted to tell you about it. A couple of months ago, when they were running a big sale, I bought a handful of studies, so I could just flow from one to the next as part of my time with the Lord each day. I've told you about the first two I did (Amen and Faithful) and when it came time to pick the third study, I sifted through my little stack, trying to figure out which one to do next.

The study on the top of my pile was called It is Well: Walking Away from Anxiety and into God's Word. I wasn't feeling incredibly anxious at the time (though anxiety is a common struggle for me) so I started to flip to a different study, but I felt a little tug at my heart to do this one. I thought it might be helpful as we made our transition to a new town, church, friends, and job.

Let me tell you what I liked and appreciated about this study. The last one I did (Faithful) was longer and more intense, and I'll tell you that at first, I felt like It Is Well might almost be a little too surface level. (I hate fluffy studies.) But I paused and realized it was actually perfect for this study to be shorter and lighter in depth.

Anxiety is a real thing and for those who suffer from it know, it can be crippling at times. I know my own struggles with it don't nearly reach the depths that some people face. When your mind and heart are so deeply overwhelmed, sitting down to do an intense theological study probably wouldn't be at the top of your list. I understand that.

It is Well is a three week study with five days of reading/study each week. Following the reading (which only lasts a couple of pages) you'll find three reflection questions that are deep enough to be helpful but light enough to not exasperate a hurting heart. And after the fifth day of study, there is a weekly reflection section to solidify all you learned over the course of the week.

I appreciated that the writer (Sarah Morrison) acknowledged early on the realities of depression and the deep, dark places of anxiety that go far beyond a Bible study "fix." If you're in a place that deep, definitely seek professional help and opinions!

This study is fully Biblical; each day's reading pulls from Scripture (and not just one verse, but a chunk of Scripture) and encourages the reader to seek truth from the Word to surpass loud feelings/lies of Satan/etc.)

I also appreciated that the study didn't discount the reality of feelings - or even God's ability to use them for our good. The writer didn't attempt to fix or dismiss problems, but she did encourage her readers to restructure thinking to find healthier mindsets.

And even though I wasn't anxious when I started the study, by the time I wrapped it up, I did have a few days when I wrestled hard with the details of the move - details out of my control. They made me anxious, and I was able to skim back through the study, read the verses out loud, and read over the study notes I'd underlined. It was so helpful in calming me in my time of need, and I was so glad I'd taken the time to do the study even when I wasn't sure I needed it. (I was also able to share some of the things I learned with people I had conversations with during this time, so that was an extra bonus.)

Is it the deepest theological study ever? No. Is it a completely appropriate study for a person wrestling with anxiety? Yes. It is manageable in length, helpful in content, and a great resource even for those who have anxiety-laden people in their lives.

(And it's on sale for $10 right now...and it doesn't look like it's sold out yet! And I don't think they have a men's version of this one...at least I didn't see it!)

Hello, Grabill, and Hello Training!

We still have several more things to tell you about our transition into our new chapter of life, but I thought I'd start by telling you about our week of training!

Because we don't have an educational or work background in social work, Rob thought it might be helpful for us to attend a week of training along with some couples who are new house parents. The work we will be doing is comparable to what they do, but there are some pretty big differences, too. Still, he thought it might help us better understand the young adults we'll be working with and the background of life at Gateway Woods if we went through that week of training!

Our training stay wasn't our official move - it was just a temporary stay. But we loaded up the car (even more than we did for our wedding...and it was full then) and headed to Grabill for our week of training.

 I pretty much couldn't feel my legs by the time we arrived, but they still worked once we tumbled out of the car!

The first night we were there, Rob ordered pizza, and we spent some time with him and his family, figuring out our schedule for the next week.

Posing with our new home...

And bright and early on Monday morning, we headed to our first training session!

Our learning that week was classroom-style. Different staff members presented sessions on topics that ranged from learning how to use some of the computer systems to understanding huge, heavy topics that impact daily life.

Even though we knew some of the sessions wouldn't directly apply to us in the way we go about our work, we found it really helpful to learn the information!

They brought in lunch for the trainees every day and most of the days we ended up with enough left over for dinner! That was really helpful, since our time for cooking was a bit on the limited side.

The training lasted from about 9-4 every day, and we stayed well supplied with coffee throughout each day.

When we weren't in training, we did some exploring around Grabill, trying to learn the layout of the town. (It's a small town, so we're learning quickly!)

We also got to enjoy a little down time in the temporary apartment where we stayed. It was really comfortable!

Oh! And I almost forgot...in between training sessions, we did take some nice walks around campus!

Our minds were so full by the end of that week of training, but our hearts were full, too. We knew (and still know) we have so much yet to learn, but we are excited for the chance to do this work God has called us to so unmistakably.

The training will go on and on - and in truth, are any of us ever really done training in this life? WE always have something to learn!

But what we do know is that we are grateful for the team of people we'll be working with and their commitment to take time away from their everyday responsibilities to teach those of us who are new!

Our Goodbye to Shafferland 2.0

I wanted to do an official goodbye to our house before it was completely empty - so Ryan indulged me with a little impromptu photo shoot one evening.

The Lord taught me a sweet lesson when we said goodbye to Shafferland 1.0 four years ago. On our last night to walk through the house, I wondered if I had made and captured enough memories of our time there. And God so tenderly showed my heart that I had all I needed. I had just enough - not missing anything and not having too much.

And my shelf of scrapbooks assures me I captured Shafferland 2.0 just as fully. (Probably even more, actually.) I've written all my goodbye posts to this house, and I feel good about our final farewell when it comes.

But I did want one more little photo shoot in our house!

We kind of sold our bed before the photo shoot, but we still had the mattress!

 When your door decal works out well for a goodbye shoot...

 Our sweet couch...we love it more than we even knew!!

 Most of the coffee stuff was already packed, but we still had the essentials...

 Our sweet sun porch...

 We took this one on the front porch...

 And then realized Braeya was sitting in the window...

 One last dance in the living room.

When we had our goodbye dance in Marion, Ryan picked the song, and he picked again this time. It was perfect last time and the new choice was perfect this time. This time he picked Josh Wilson's song Dream Small and the lyrics are PERFECT for our new season. In part, they say,

Dream small...don't buy the lie you've gotta do it all...Just let Jesus use you where you are...One day at a time...Live well...Loving God and others as yourself...Find little ways where only you can help...With His great love...A tiny rock can make a giant fall...Yeah, five loaves and two fish can feed them all...So dream small. 

And that's our very plan.

More Goodbyes with Friends!

Saying goodbye in Kokomo took a while! And we didn't nearly get to everyone, but we appreciated the time we had with the friends we did get to see!

I realized I never properly blogged about our 91st monthiversary - partly because it fell on Ryan's last day of work and I wrote about that! It was quite a busy day!

Ryan was really drained in his spirit when he came home from his last day at the hospital, which I already told you about. Saying goodbye to framily is SO HARD! But Pastor Liz (who was the pastor I served directly during my time at the church) and her husband had asked to take us out to dinner that evening. It ended up being perfect timing, because it gave us something enjoyable to focus on after a hard day.

They actually took us to a little restaurant about a half hour from home - and we'd never heard of it. It's called The Angry Donkey, and it was one of the best restaurant experiences I've had in a long time. It was clean, the staff was attentive and efficient, and the food was really good! Even better was the friendship and conversation.

Bruce and Pastor Liz became dear, dear friends to us throughout our time at the church - but most of all during the last six months when I worked there! I miss her already! (She retired this month, so we are both off to new adventures!)

I think I may have mentioned this before, but my friend Amber came to have one last dinner with us at our Kokomo house. She has eaten at our house MANY times, and I did take a picture when she came for this last dinner, but she didn't love it, so I won't post it. I WILL, however, post a picture of our delicious Giordano's pizza! When I ordered the frozen Giordano's pizza for Ryan's 'birthday, I had to order two, because they wouldn't ship just one. Amber had never had it before, so we promised we would have her over when we baked the second one. It was a great way to end the Kokomo Shafferland dinner adventures!

Our friends John and Sandee came over to see us, wish us well, and pray with us one evening. Sandee and I have been friends for...oh goodness...over twenty years now! I met her when I was a student worker at Indiana Wesleyan! This may be the worst quality photo EVER, but it represents a great quality friendship!

We had other friends who stopped by that we didn't get pictures with (major brain lapse on my part!) and we also had a great sendoff from our Sunday School class. Our last Sunday at our Kokomo church was the first time Sunday School classes reconvened, and ours pretty much gave us the whole hour to share about what we were going to be doing - and they even brought us cake! It was a really perfect way to say goodbye.

We appreciate all our friends and the great love they've shown us in this time of transition!!