29_Unexpected Update

Please pray 💚

Alpine adventures always leave me in awe of Adonai.

Come, travel with me away from the sea. The road winds its way between the rushing river and majestic mountains. Dozens of dandelions and daisies dot the verdant valley, starkly contrasted by the snowy summits standing like sentinels over the centuries of stories that have unfolded in these villages.

I wish I could give my full attention to the beauty of the landscape and simply be present in this moment of wonder with my family, but my thoughts keep wandering to the reason we are returning to Germany earlier than planned: I woke up this morning with pregnancy complications.

We pray that I simply need to give my body a bit of rest after days of collecting kilometers while we traipsed through Trieste and visited Venice, but we also know my condition could worsen. Thus, we find ourselves driving through some of Europe's loveliest landscapes in hopes of having healthcare in a language I understand, should the need arise.

Since the start of this pregnancy, I have sensed an exhortation to slow down, and I have done my best to ignore it. After all, this is me we're talking about:

A little over ten years ago, God carried me through each day as I earned my degree with highest honors, studied three minors, added endorsements to improve my employability, worked on campus to help pay for my courses, and served daily on the family farm.

Just over five years ago, God equipped me to manage classrooms of over twenty students, design lessons and learning materials from scratch, write entire curriculums, learn my third language, and establish new friendships.

And now? He has tasked me with caring for two (three) children of my own, keeping the home, and using my gifts to serve our church. I can't possibly slow down more than this, can I?

Yet, when I evaluate the quantity and quality of my sleep, I know my schedule is not sustainable. The occasional late night to finish lettering a Bible verse is acceptable, but my side projects are quickly consuming the very moments I should be using to give my body the rest it needs to grow a baby. I've been trying to avoid this conclusion, but I already know which project I need to pause first: my Adventures and Academia monthly magazine. The publication is such a baby of a project, and like most newborns, it requires much of my time, attention, and energy - all things I now need to invest in growing, then caring for, a real baby. I hope I can return to creating the magazine once the children are bigger, but God may have other plans by then. I trust His plans are better than mine, anyway.

I share all this with you because you deserve to know that I won't be able to create as many gifts for you in the coming months. I trust you are here for more than just the freebies, though, and I hope you'll stay for the friendship and fellowship as we encounter more mountains and valleys on this long journey home.

Let the name of the Lord be praised

both now and forever.

From the rising of the sun to its setting,

let the name of the Lord be praised.

Psalm 113:2-3 (CSB)

Thank you for being my guest.
In God's word you will find rest;
Seek Him, be bountifully blessed. 💚