Busy Days

Melanie —  January 30, 2013

January is coming to a close with some very wet and windy days here in Chippenham.  The snow is gone now but we’ve certainly had some wintry English weather.  The 2013 Cor Deo season is off to a good start and Peter has completed his January series at church – The OT in 3.

The children and I have been busy schooling, keeping the household running and ready to receive guests.  Thank you so much for praying for Aliyah.  She is now full recovered and we are so thankful that no one else in our family got scarlet fever.  Joel and Kaylah are dealing with bad colds, but nothing worse.

Praise God for that!  We also are thrilled that David and Erin Searight and their 3 young children have arrived in England and are settling into their new house, just down the road from us. Just in case you missed it, they have been raising their support in the USA to come and join us in full-time ministry with Cor Deo.  Now they are here!  David will be a “mentor in training” at Cor Deo and he and Erin are eager to get plugged into our local church too. So, we’ve been quite busy preparing for their arrival and now helping them settle in.  Please pray for our two families to really develop awesome supportive relationships.  Our kids have already hit it off great!  And pray for David and Erin as they settle in, make friends and find their niches in ministry.  I well remember the process from when we did it eight years ago.  It was a very emotional and stretching time for me but I also remember the excitement and anticipation of being in a new place and looking forward to what God had in store for us.

Speaking of emotional, I’ve been struggling a little bit.  I don’t know if it’s due to being in the middle of winter, but there have been several time-consuming problems that have come all at once to really test my patience.

I also feel like I’ve been in a bit of a spiritually “dry” phase.  I feel a bit lacking in motivation and inspiration in my walk with Christ and my roles as wife and mummy.  The other day I was really crying out to the Lord to help me feel close to Him.  I know we walk “by faith” in this life, and feelings are not everything but sometimes I just long for that deeper connection with the Lord and it seems elusive. But the next morning after I prayed, these verses seemed to jump off the page in my Bible . . . “Therefore, be imitators of God, as beloved children.  And walk in love, as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us, a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God.” (Ephesians 5:1-2)  I felt like my heavenly Father really spoke to me through these words.  I am His dearly loved child and deeply loved by Christ, so much so that He was willing to give up His life for me.  I am thankful for a God who reveals Himself to me and is patient with my weaknesses.

As I have been trying to type this, one of my “dearly loved children,” Kaylah, has been crying in her bed and I’ve been in trying to settle her.  She’s been struggling to go to sleep lately at bedtime and tonight I think she is cutting some new teeth.  I need to go back and see what I can do to help her.  It’s her first birthday on Friday and we are looking forward to celebrating!  Then Aliyah’s 10th birthday is on February 5th, Mariah’s 8th birthday is on the 19th and Hannah’s 12th birthday is on March 2nd – four birthdays in four weeks. 🙂  I need to get my bakers’ hat on and start making some cakes!

Peter and I would both appreciate prayer as we meet one-on-one with different friends who need support.  We need God’s wisdom as we try to encourage, advise and point people to Christ.  This is quiet, behind the scenes ministry that we don’t talk about as often, but just as important as the up-front stuff.  Well, Kaylah has quieted down now, at least for the moment.  Thank you for praying for us.  We always feel our need for our Father’s work in our hearts.  Oops, she’s crying again.  Off to see how I can help her.