Living a Legacy…Changing the World One Home at a Time

Our Living a Legacy conference was a huge success! I am so refreshed, encouraged and inspired by the many women who came and whose hearts are yearning to build homes for the glory of God! We laughed, we cried and we came away with a renewed vision of the profound work of “home missions”. A BIG thank you to all who attended!

THE AUDIO VERSION WILL BE AVAILABLE SOON!

Here are a few pictures from our wonderful day together:

Kathy shared with us the profound work of making our homes a “mission base” for our families, neighbors and surrounding communities. Kathy and her family are a living example of this message and how far-reaching its effects can be. Truly the harvest is ripe!

This lady inspires us! She is mom to 13, 12 of whom are adopted, special needs children. She manages with a grace and joy that exudes from her.

“I am so thankful I was able to attend the Leaving a Legacy conference yesterday! I can not even begin to tell of all the ways the Lord worked through Robin Brooks White, Kathy Brodock, Kelly Crawford, and their daughters (Taylor White.Olivia Brodock. Emma, and Bria). I was especially touched also by Sherry Lee’s testimony. The Lord used this day to encourage, convict, and teach me so much! What a blessing!!!” Jeanette

So many sweet, fun ladies!

Good tears.

Robin admonished us with a contagious passion, to raise up warriors for the next generation, to answer the call to rescue the needy, to be available to the fatherless and to count it joy to die daily, as we do the “hard, messy work” of being the hands and feet of Christ in our homes. Stepping outside of our “comfortable, American boxes” brings the sweet fruit of finding our lives as we lose them.

“..how good and how pleasant it is for brethren to dwell together in unity!”

Part of our “nation”, waiting to come up and meet everyone.

Emma Brodock

Our girls shared their hearts for what it means to live where they are joyfully, contentedly serving the Lord.

Taylor White

Bria Crawford

A sweet sister, having just recovered from a burst vessel in her brain, and an emergency c-section to deliver her 23 wk. old baby girl during the brain surgery. God’s mercy is everlasting.

Getting to meet so many of our blog friends, adding a physical dimension to our friendships, was a little slice of Heaven.

We had so many wonderful vendors! Here, Jessica encourages aspiring film makers to join her home industry, Plant and Pillars, a young, film-maker’s festival.

Olivia “wowed” us with her amazing culinary gift, serving two meals during the conference.

My handsome husband…just because.

Sherry Lee closed the evening with a heart-warming, profoundly moving account of her recent trials as she lost her husband in last year’s devastating storm, and with poised humility, spurred us to remember that “He is enough” no matter what storms we face. She encouraged us to “live a legacy on purpose” and shared that her family’s tragedy had  confirmed the reality that her children all owned their faith personally due to her husband’s faithful legacy….the legacy of trusting a Heavenly Father who is sustaining them through the most difficult circumstances imaginable.

Changing the world,  by God’s amazing grace, one home at a time.

WE’RE FINALLY HOME!!

I can’t believe it! After almost a year since last April’s beastly tornado, through the love, sweat, sacrifice and devotion of hundreds of people, we spent the first night back at home Friday! I cried. We rejoiced. And we gathered around as my husband urged our children to remember, “This is not our house but the Lord’s, and we will live as such.” (“His mercy endures forever.”)

This is our living room, dining room and kitchen–all an open room and very livable for a family our size. Mallie and Kyla were trying to duck out of the picture The room you see to the left will be a library with floor to ceiling shelves. (And if you are a new reader, almost all the wood–floor, ceiling and wainscoting, was milled using the fallen trees on our property.)

This is the island with a built in bench seat (inside the “L”) for added seating. The cabinets were salvaged from our previous house, painted and distressed, with some repairs by a dear friend, and I’m so glad we were able to use them. The first of many cost-cuts. You’ll likely realize by the end that in another life, I would LOVE to do “upcycled” interior design. Not that I’m good at it, but nothing thrills me quite like making something new from something old, saving a ton of money and achieving a uniqueness not readily found in standard or commercial products. In the background is the school/office area.

This picture shows the counter tops that my awesome husband made–it is my favorite feature. We made them out of pallets, trying to cut costs (we were originally thinking tile). I could not be happier about “frugal-forced creativity” in this case. He  poured epoxy wood glaze to achieve the glassy, protective covering. We also did these in the bathrooms. Cost of cabinets and counter tops: a lot of hard work…well, and the cost of the glaze.

This is a shot of the living room from the back. The salvaged wood on this wall came from a house just up the road. The little room is our guest bathroom, with a homemade partition made of old doors. Here’s a close up:

I had this idea because the layout of the room requires the bathroom to be uncomfortably close to the living room. I wanted a bit of a barrier. Notice the Ball jar light (squeal).

Another shot of the island and the backside of the kitchen. I plan to do open shelving made with the salvaged wood on either side of the sink.

This old door (found at “junk man’s” house for $75) leads onto what will be a screened in porch. That’s an old refrigerator you see through the window. The Lord provided us with new appliances the day before we moved in but they haven’t been delivered yet. “His mercy endures forever.”

Old metal gate used as stair banister–$25

Our master bedroom, the only bedroom upstairs (eventually). I white-washed the walls. To save money there, in case you ever want to do it, instead of buying the special paint, just mix regular paint with water, 50/50. I painted two coats. It’s so crisp.

Ladder: $5–Suitcases: $0—Painting from my children: priceless. Oh, and if your husband gives you roses or flowers, remember not to toss them when they start to die.  Just take them out of water and hang them upside down to dry. My very favorite decoration.

I love our bathroom. I wish I could have gotten a shot of all of it. The metal was an idea I probably got from Pinterest and I love it!

There are no words to articulate what this year has meant for us. I almost feel I shouldn’t try because I will fall so short of communicating our gratitude and love for what the Lord has done through so many. I want to express my public gratitude for my husband. He has worked tirelessly to get us this far. And building a house with him was so fun, confirming our “made for each other” personalities. I dream, he builds. It’s like a beautiful dance.

It’s so true; a woman needs her nest. My heart sighs and sings to be home again. I feel alive.

Our basement has 3 rooms finished (laundry, closet and oldest child’s) and the rest of it is piled, I do not jest, floor to ceiling with boxes to unpack. So while I’m so glad to be home, the work still left to do is overwhelming. The basement will have to be finished little by little and in the mean time, five of the children are sharing a room upstairs (it’s the cutest though, I forgot to take a picture!) We built a “platform” across one end of the narrow play room and put a full mattress on top. The girls sleep underneath in what they think is a play house. It works for now.

We also still have a tremendous amount of finishing (trim, stairs, light fixtures, etc.) and the yard, well, you wouldn’t believe it if I tried to tell you

But it’s home!!! HIS MERCY ENDURES FOREVER!

We also have been without Internet for several days and will not have it for a few more. So I check in here and there, but may not be able to keep in touch with you for yet a little while. I can read your comments on my husband’s phone But if you wonder why this post might stay up for a few days, that’s why! And even then, our work will be long and hard, so I will do the best I can here.

I love you all so much. I can’t believe the sense of friendship I have here and the incredible blessing your words and prayers and gifts have been to our family.

You are amazing.

May The Lord bless you and keep you.

May the Lord make his face to shine upon you, and be gracious to you.

May the Lord lift up his countenance upon you, and give you peace.

Update: Six Months After the Storm

In one sense it seems like such a short time ago since April’s fury turned our lives upside down. But it has been 1/2 a year ago today.

And yet, going along in what was your normal life and having every element of it turned upside down and/or erased is no easy road.

The hardest thing, logistically speaking, is that we can’t really begin to “find our new normal” because we are living in temporary housing, waiting to go home. Everything feels like it’s on hold–our eating habits, our daily routine, our normal activities–as if “life will begin” once we go back home. In the mean time, life is; and so I try to make if feel as normal as possible for our family.

“I am he who will sustain you. I have made you and I will carry you; I will sustain you and I will rescue you.” Isaiah 46:4

And I’m reminded of those who can’t, who will never know normal again, and I feel ashamed for having even had the thought of a “hard day”.

Nutshell: we are building quickly and God is amazing. Period. So far my husband has overseen the whole building project (it still costs less for him to be out of work and do that than to hire a GC–and can I just say, my husband rocks!) and most labor has been volunteered. PRAISE GOD FOR YOU ALL!!! Aaron and I have lamented numerous times how much we wish we had had the presence of mind to photograph and journal all the volunteers that have sacrificed their time and families for us. We cannot say “thank you” enough for helping us rebuild our home so quickly!

 

Hubby, our two skilled friends, Ben & Alex and my son, Ashton after a hard day's work. Aaron and Ashton really enjoyed working with these guys!

We hope to be able to move in by Christmas, having the main level completed and finishing the basement (where all the kids’ rooms are) once we move in.

My Dad, (who brushed death with a massive heart attack the morning of the storm), has had to be re-hospitalized twice to have stents redone but now seems to be doing great and is working hard as ever, building their house.

The verse God instantly gave me at the hospital that morning with him–”He is mighty to save”–which I “chanted” all the way to the OR, and would later dwell on through the cold, devastated night, has proven to be a beacon of hope for us in a thousand ways. Perhaps you can find strength in it too:

“The LORD your God is with you, he is mighty to save. He will take great delight in you, he will quiet you with his love, he will rejoice over you with singing.” Zephaniah 3:17

I am continually overwhelmed as I reflect on the love of so many and the provisions God has made daily for our family. We cannot express our gratitude enough to you, to our church family and all the surrounding friends who have walked beside us during this time of testing. My faith grows more and more as we rest on the Rock, our eternal Foundation.

Thank You!

Just wanted to send a quick note out to say “thank you” for all your sweet well-wishes and thoughts on the birth of our son, Jax.  I have savored each one.

(Thank you, Kathy, for the beautiful blanket–I think it becomes him!)

The birth went very well (I may share more details a little later if anyone cares to hear), though about an hour later, I began to hemorrhage and for the first time ever, I thought I was dying.  My blood pressure dropped to 60/30 and I felt like I was fading away…very scary.  So because of the intense uterine massage I had to have (by 3 nurses at one time), I am extremely sore and experiencing unusual levels of pain compared to my typical deliveries. But we are rejoicing that the Lord kept me here and I’m so thankful to be on this side of delivery, cuddling this sweet little (“little” being a relative term ) boy in my arms.

I cannot begin to thank you all for your prayers, love and concern you have expressed to me through these last few weeks.  There were days when the knowledge of your prayers were all-sustaining as I battled with fear and a host of other challenges, waiting on this little fellow to arrive.  I am so grateful for you all.

As a fun side note, throughout my pregnancy my husband joked about “how fun it would be to have a male version of Mallie”.  Take a look at these photos:

Left picture is Mallie…

Jax is on the right!

Pregnancy Update…

My official “due date” was last Wednesday, the 16th.  I am still pregnant, though

In all honesty, this has been one of my greatest struggles with a pregnancy yet. Part of me knows that the truth is a “due date” is only an average between 4 weeks of what is considered normal delivery time. So technically, I’m not overdue yet, though I feel that way.

I am physically pretty miserable but it’s much harder emotionally waking up *still pregnant* day after day.  (I guess in the back of my mind I’m always hopeful that after this many children I’ll actually go a few days before my due date.) I periodically just break down sobbing, then pull myself together and start again. I went “over” two weeks with my first two, but this is the longest past my due date I’ve gone since those.

In addition, Ellia has the stomach virus.  This is her “love the baby” position. She raised my top and fell asleep on my belly after a rough night for both of us. (I hope this picture isn’t offensive; if it is, tell me, and I’ll remove it. It seemed so sweet to me.)

I am learning that I am certainly not in control and that all one can do is be at peace with God’s time table.  Easy to say, harder to live.

It feels like life has been on hold for weeks.

But despite the irrational notion that sweeps over me periodically where I fear I might be pregnant indefinitely, I know little one will come soon.

Also, God has revealed Himself in such a mighty way through all the comforting words, prayers and flood of love and care through friends from the blog world down to my closest ones.

In addition to friends who have already brought meals to us, a very special young lady begged us to come and stay until the baby is born so she could help out.  She has been here over a week already, (she’s staying until we return from the hospital).  She LOVES to cook (I call her a “food artist”) and delights in the meal preparations each day, entertains the children so I can rest, does what needs to be done, and just generally brings joy and a huge helping hand.

Bria works alongside her, of course…I can’t fail to give her due credit. Bria has been such a constant encouragement to me, full of joy and tenderness and service. But Olivia’s presence here takes so much of the load off and makes it more fun for Bria. (They are like a well-oiled machine together, and then they retreat in the afternoons, giggling with their cups of tea and favorite book or movie, to a quiet place to refresh.)

What a blessing to see the vision these two have!  To be happiest when they are serving! (I can’t even *make* Olivia go home for a break.) And what a beautiful thing as I watch them, along with my children, playing, laughing and eagerly serving our family, finding absolute joy in it, where so many would scoff that “it’s unfair”, or that a mother of many shouldn’t *have* to have help.

Beloved, this is what the body of Christ looks like in motion.

Until you’ve seen it, it’s hard to understand.  They’ve had more fun these few weeks, making special meals, baking cupcakes, having mud fights and sunny picnics and “soapy trampoline” time, anticipating with all the energy of children, the arrival of their baby brother.  It’s not the heavy drudgery some might imagine.

I just have to say “Kudos” to all my children and husband (please don’t think me bragging…I am just so humbly grateful) for their patience, their eagerness to do whatever they can to make me more comfortable, their hearts of gratitude, their infectious joy and smiles and all the wonder they bring to my life.  I feel ashamed, when I reflect on these blessings, to complain for one minute about this anxiety I’m feeling.

God has been so good to us!

By the way, unless something unforeseen happens, I will likely have time to post an “I’m in labor!” for you

Sisters

“Sisters are different flowers from the same garden.”