Not Enough, Not Enough

"Thank You" 

It seem so, not enough.

And it isn't, not in the slightest.

"My God, My God, Why have you forsaken me?" 

These were the words cried out by our Lord and Master

as he hung, dying in agony.

For us. 

For no other reason, 

but so that we wouldn't not have to endure it ourselves.

He loves us so entirely

so utterly,

that He would put himself through hell to get to us. 

 Tortured to the point of breaking,

joints pulled out of socket, 

He hung there, suffocating.

But all this physical torment was nothing,

compared to what happened next.

For the first time in eternity, 

the Son was separated from his Father.

The sin of the world, our sin

was so entirely horrific 

and real, 

that when it was on Christ, 

the Father turned His face,
and communion was broken.

The length that Jesus went

so that He could love us forever,
is incredible,

is beyond words. 

No words can capture  

how indebted to Him we are.

For there is no length that we could go to repay Him.

As the hymn writer says so well, 

"Were the whole realm of nature mine,

That were a present far too small.

Love so amazing, so divine,

Demands my soul, my life, my all."

One Hundred and Seventy-Seven

One hundred and Seventy-Seven. 

This is the total number of hours I have been in transit in the last month and a half. 

I have jumped two oceans, 

been in four countries 

on three continents. 

All of this has led to a very busy summer. 

From my home in Virginia Beach,

I flew to Pretoria, South Africa,

I then drove to Siabuwa, Zimbabwe

Back to South Africa 

Home to Virginia Beach

(and steak!!)

 Drove to Cleveland,

And finally, flew the 8,000 miles to our new home in 

Okinawa, Japan

 Needless to say, 

It has been a whirlwind!
Now, my summer travels draw to a close.
I am profoundly grateful for the opportunities I have been given,
and the places I have been able to see.
But I am ready to settle down again,
move out of my suitcase,
and stay in one place.
Let my island adventures begin!

My Beach

Home… where is home. 

If home is where my family is, 

then home at the moment is the middle of the Seattle Airport. 

It’s a strange realization, that Virginia Beach isn't home anymore. 

But yet, in a way, it always will be. 

The friends, the memories, the family that I left back at the beach will always be a part of me.
With my Bedouin lifestyle, ‘home’ always been relative. 

It still is, but this time it is different.

Who knows where my crazy, wonderful, insane life will take me, 

however, I’m pretty sure I shall always return to my beach.

With our suitcases surrounding us like walls, 

             we secloister ourselves into a corner of the airport. 

We sit and wait for the inevitable, 

the boarding of a flight that will eventually land us in Okinawa. 

My sister is curled up on the floor, 

my Father is on his iPad, probably doing something that involves linguistics. 

My Mama is reading her Kindle. 

And me, well, I sit here quietly writing.

Moving, the word still sounds weird.

I’ve moved plenti-o-times before, tons, and yet, 
it never feels like it happened. 

Yes you’re somewhere else, 
but it’s almost like life picks up exactly where you left it. 

Things are still uncertain, and surreal. 
But life is an adventure,
why not live like it is? 

             

Our Guide and Guard

At 3:30pm today, my family and I will be boarding a plane, destination: Okinawa, Japan. A small, semi-tropical island 900 miles south of Tokyo.

Our house was packed up four weeks ago, since then I have been living out of suitcases, visiting family here in Ohio. 

Taking a breather before craziness sets in again.

A 40-hour trip might sound like a long trip, 

but taking into considering that I’ve already been traveling for 132 hours this summer, 

this trip should be a flash… okay, maybe not quite. 

Okay, yes, this will be a very long trip.

With this huge change looming in front of me, 

a couple of thoughts pass through my contemplating. 

Actually, it seems like I have been figuring out very little in regards to this, 

because the knowledge of this move hasn’t become a reality. 

But I mean, how could it?  

How do you begin to comprehend moving 8,000 miles away, into a culture that you know nothing about? 

I guess I've been trying to figure out how to figure it out.

However,

with all the changes that will occur,

with all the stress that is sure to appear, 

through all the confusion, 

and through all the doubt, 

we have a Savior who will be with us. 

To guide us and to guard us. 

Psalm 48:14

'For this God is our God for ever and ever

He will be our guide even to the end.'