the rest of the South West

Our time in Arizona ended with a family road trip; seeing mountains, breathing in fresh air, and touching cacti were top priorities. We were able to snag a car for a couple days and hit the wide open roads with the windows down.

"that is pokey Mama!!" Yep, fo' reals!

We feel so blessed that God provided for our family to have the time we did to process and be with other folks in similar situations.  We were all out in the middle of nowhere (we are talking no cell coverage and I even saw wild scary pigs one morning during my run!).  We studied Habakkuk and it was eye opening. I'm telling you: minor prophets always get the shaft! Homeboy cries out to God and has much for us to learn!  During each adult time during the week there was a fabulous children's program that helped them process all the change in their lives.  We were so grateful for the excellence in the kid's program!  When we went to pick the girls up they were having so much fun that Annikah said "no, go away Mama." It is great to be loved. Anni prayed for friends and she made some great friends and reunited with some kindred spirits.

Globe trotting means we have some amazing friends we just do not deserve! Of course the challenge is we feel like we are constantly saying goodbye and that part never gets easier.  But the rich friendships and soul connections are more than worth it.

We stayed an extra day so that we could visit an art therapist with the girls and see how they are dealing with and processing our accident and the whole 'moving across continents' thing.  It was an amazing time and we really were blessed to hear that Anni is doing great and all her symptoms of PTSD have healed.  She was able to talk about it all and has nothing but amazing memories of our island.  She said the hardest part of life there was "we did not have breakfast cereal."  Seriously! The kids has been through severe burns, malaria twice, demonic attacks, and almost died but not having Fruit Loops was the major hardship.  
She also said her "safe place in the world" is Africa.  Yeah, I cried. 
We learned some awesome ways to talk to kids about their feelings as well as some games and crafts that can facilitate sharing that we will be sure to incorporate into our family meetings.  Jason and I were both in tears talking about our amazing, resilient  talented, and kind girls.  It was a great time as a family to focus on seeking wholeness.

One night we reflected as a group on remembering all God had done in our lives over the last few years. I wrote this in my journal that night.

Remembering What He has Done.... 
showed His power in strife and weakness,
opened diseased eyes and granted vision,
changed and broke my hard heart,
granted a healthy baby to us even when circumstances and I doubted His goodness, 
gave us rich, warm laughter at ourselves that sustained and amused, 
opened doors of hearts to study His Word and seek Him,
brought trials; even though I begged they be taken from me, so that we may learn dependence and endurance, 
allowed our lips to drip a language we once thought impossible to grasp, 
restored what the enemy had stolen and hidden away, 
healed swollen, displaced, feverish, and dying bodies even when our faith doubted His touch, 
reminded us of Grace when we grew weary from our burdens, 
saved my family's lives and restored their breath and life, 
and ushered in a new dependence on His Word and His spirit in my life.  
I will not relent in following His way for His glory in this world nor give up seeking more of His presence in my life. 
 This is worth remembering,