It was certainly a tearful group at the airport last week.
But also a special time to send off those who we love so much.
We tried for one more photo of all the cousins together…
and this is the best we got:
Thanks for praying with us for our precious family. God arrived them to their new home safely and continues to bless and keep them in their new and exciting place. The girls keep saying they can’t wait til we get to go there too to see them. Maybe one day…
I’ve had this knot in my stomach for the last several weeks as we’ve waited for this week to come. And now it’s here and I am dreading what Wednesday will hold. My big brother Jonathan, my sister by marriage and sister of my heart Maggie, and my precious fireball nieces Annie and Lily will fly away to South Asia to begin the life and ministry we’ve all been anticipating for them for so long. I knew the day would come, but it sure seems to have come much quicker than I thought, and the ache that has accompanied their last days here has been potent, to say the least. While the Lord has heaped blessing upon blessing on us in our time here in Orlando, the gift of getting to live near this precious family – family that was already beloved to us – and become such close friends as well has been the greatest highlight. It is a gift I have marveled at time and again. In fact, if you asked about our life here, I probably mentioned to you what a treasure it has been to me to live side by side with my family for this season, to really know my sister-in-law and count her a closest friend and confidant, to know and be known by my nieces, to watch my children experience the same with their Aunt and Uncle, and to see them enjoy such precious friendships with their cousins (the sweetness of all of these was only made greater by the fact that I grew up on the other side of the world, barely knowing any of my extended family until I moved back to America for college). Truly, this time has been rich for my little family of five, and rich for my heart. And as the last hours of this season slip away over these next several days, I can’t help but cry as I imagine what our lives will look like in the new season, as I anticipate the huge void that will left in their absence. I know we won’t have to miss their faces or their voices, as we have skype. I will just so miss the living that we’ve done together. And amidst my own ache, I can’t help but hurt as I anticipate the ache of two little girls in particular who will continue to ask, as they always do, when Annie and Lily are coming over next or if Annie will be in class at church today, or can we meet Aunt Maggie and Annie and Lily at the park? I know it sounds dramatic, but if you knew the sheer number of hours that go into either being with their cousins, or anticipating being with them, you’d understand how life-changing this will be for Noa and Martha (and Gloria, but she doesn’t know it).
Anyway, this is all very self-centered. This is just what I’m going through right now. I haven’t even touched on how thankful we are for the Lord’s provision and grace that have led these dear ones to this point, or how thrilled we are for their sake (and the sake of the people they go to serve) at what is ahead for them. We just love them so much and selfishly hurt as we send them off.
Would you pray for our precious family as they make this huge step this week? Pray for their hearts as they have so much to do and so many to say goodbye to, and have some major adjustments in the months ahead. And pray for those of us they leave behind who will be missing life with them and adjusting to life without them. And please pray for God’s glory in it all, as that’s what this is all about anyway!
The last few weeks I have been working on a scrapbook to send with them chronicling some of our many moments shared. It was such fun to remember and thank God for all that he did to orchestrate this special time, and I think it was therapeutic for me too. I wanted to highlight a few photos that made it in, though these are only a small fraction.
only days after we arrived in FL... these girls became bffs in no time!
At the beginning, there were only four little girls (and several baby dolls)
But there were soon five! Lily was the first to meet Gloria, and the only cousin or sister to come to the hospital.
Annie and Uncle Eric
Me and Maggs and our big girls
Martha and fun Uncle Jonathan
Lils and Glo and their super smiles
Annie at Noa's tea party
Maggie and Lilsabell
3 happy 2 year olds
These two really love eachother... they can't stop smiling when they get together.
One of my favorite pictures EVER
Jonathan, Maggie, Annie, and Lily:
OH, how we will miss you!
We love you so very much!
love,
Uncle Eh-dic, Ay-say-ya, No-Mar, and Baby Go-iya
… my big girls went on a walk up a big mountain
with their Uncle Mark,
and Aunt Hannah.
The trail was so rigorous that Noa needed a walking stick,
and sometimes they had to scale huge rocks.
And my big girls, they are so big. They made it all the way up this big mountain without even needing to be carried. Uncle Mark was so proud of them.
(Aunt Hannah was too.)
It was such a big long hike, that they all took a little nap at the top to rest.
They enjoyed the beautiful view,
before heading back down.
On the way down, they may have needed to be carried. Just a little bit.
But Aunt Hannah
and Uncle Mark,
didn’t mind at all.
Because they are just about the best Aunt and Uncle in the world.
And two little (big) nieces couldn’t have asked for a more special adventure,
on one beautiful summer day in Virginia.
Continue reading about One beautiful summer day in Virginia…
We have been having a blast playing at the pool with our cousins this summer. It’s been neat to see how much more confident the kids have gotten as the season progressed. Here’s all the cousins showing off their bravery by jumping in the pool:
For the entire play-by-play, you should read Maggie’s post from the same day.
We had a wonderful reunion over Memorial Day weekend with our extended Iverson family in the mountains of North Carolina. There were a lot of us and it was tons of fun! The last time we had a big reunion with this group was right after I graduated from high school, and my grandpa didn’t have any great-grandkids then. This time, there were several new members of the family – several spouses and 12 great grandchildren, ages 7 and under. We convened in the “Iverson” lodge of the Ridgehaven retreat center and had a great weekend. See for yourself.
Jon and Maggie as we finally arrived after caravaning with my parents from Florida.
There were many games played,
lots of delicious food,
including a special Big Pop breakfast, made with his assistants, Eric and Erik.
lots of laughing,
lots of playing in the lake,
(Noa, hitching a ride with Daddy and Martha)
Daniel the third and Daniel the fifth:
Funny Faces!
There were lots of good long talks…
and even this family devotions special chemical/water Gospel-presentation created by Uncle Billy and demonstated by Uncle Joel.
Oh Joel…how these kiddos love their Uncle Joel. He’s going to be a Daddy any day now…
With all the little girls present (11 to be exact, Daniel Josiah is still the lone boy in his generation), Aunt Hannah was a gem to host regular pedi/mani parties.
And here we all are:
We loved Iverfest 2010 and can’t wait til the next one!
