I have felt 'off' recently. As to what that off feeling is, I've yet to figure out. A full of life summer followed by a very quiet August? Stress, a Lupus exacerbation or menopause? Micah living under our roof for a few weeks or Jedidiah being old enough to process next steps? Transitions and hard goodbyes or the anxious thoughts of new people I will grow to love? Contemplating the mirrored image of greyer hair, deeper wrinkles and a wider waistline, is it my lack of feeling youthful? ... Nah, the slow whistle from my studly sidekick as I walk out into the day tells me that can't possibly be it! As I processed with my bed warmer during a night away from normalcy, I realized the following ... Seven years ago we were planning, packing and prepping to leave life as we knew it in Lancaster Co., and finally, seven years later, I feel settled into life.
Feeling settled in somewhere is what makes leaving so hard. One can feel settled in for a weekend, a week, a year or a lifetime. But the feeling of being established, connected and having people who know us personally brings a very settled feeling to my soul. Reflecting on life in Lancaster Co, we had position, purpose and a daily plan. We had neighbors we loved to connect with and family "just down the road". Normal life was routine and often happened without thought. Our purpose and plan for life was to be representatives of God's love in our jobs, school, neighborhood, and wherever we journeyed throughout the day. If you will, we were ambassadors: a person who acts as a representative or promoter of a specified person or activity. Our plan was to raise up disciples of Jesus to openly display the power and love of God, starting first and foremost with our Mighty men. Even as I write this, reflecting on the normalcy of how we lived our lives, felt supernatural in the way God opened doors for us to share Him. Living as ambassadors for Jesus felt comfortable and enjoyable, conversation flowed and connections were deep. And in His tender hearted fashion ... in the midst of feeling settled, established, and connected, He moved us to move. Out of our comfort zone, to gain a broader world view and into a more mature intimacy with Him.
While we are not leaving Costa Rica, quite the opposite as we just renewed for another term, I'm realizing this off feeling I have is perhaps the settled feeling of the normalcy of life here. We are established, connected and have people who know us personally. Our purpose and plan hasn't changed much from Lanc. Co ... We are ambassadors sharing God's love and grace with Flor at the pharmacy and Minor at the hardware store. We continue raising up our Mighty men as well as those the Lord places within our reach to disciple, mentor and counsel to be representatives of Jesus and take God's love to the nations.
It would appear that being settled in as ambassadors looks like normal life, right? We live life in behind the scenes roles, figuring finances and hosting the masses, supporting and collaborating with our leadership team, affirming and caring for those we give leadership to and being a home base for those the Lord sends out. As we gallivant through normal life, God's grace allows us to use our roles at Vidanet as a platform to share why we do what we do so that wherever we go our attitude and actions are held accountable.
This should not be a guilt-evoking thought but rather one that walks in the freedom of His grace ... being a "settled in" ambassador for Jesus Christ is taking advantage of every opportunity that tugs on our inner spirit. Greeting Carlos at the meat counter and asking about his family even when I don't have meat to buy, speaking a blessing over Victor as he brings recently harvested mango from the back and picks the two best ones for me to purchase, helping a dear one learn how to confront in love to aid in her healing process, letting go of 'my' plans to be part of completing His, saying no because 'that' would not be honoring to Jesus, relying on His boldness to share the Good News with a heart that is destitute, and perhaps the most challenging, adjusting my attitude while living normal life to reflect The One who I am representing.
As you represent Jesus in the normalcy of daily life,
how is He prompting you to step out of the normalcy of your comfort zone?
Ambassadors through normalcy ... Settled in ... Challenged out of our comfort zone.
Life on the Mountain
We've had three weeks to organize, reorganize, and figure out a new way to organize our beloved Casa Vidanet while our staff had time off. It was time to wash, clean and throw out that which didn't hold enough value in certain eyes; We were blessed with a weekend at the beach to recharge; We enjoyed quiet moments with friends listening to their hearts; Late night conversations and afternoon at the movies; We enjoyed time for a few extra ice cream outings; Birthday parties and welcoming another precious wee into our Vidanet tribe; Micah bought a motorcycle and had his impacted wisdom teeth removed (we're 3 for 4 ... Adam declares his will not need to come out!); Joseph started his second year at Thad. Stevens, camped with family and went backpacking; Jedidiah worked diligently on homework, and exams and continues to fill our house with conversation, worship and song; Adam won first place explaining Rocket Science in his school science fair; We celebrated 22 years of wedded bliss graciously covered by Father's grace; and ... we are resting in the peace of being settled in as ambassadors for Jesus Christ!
We've had three weeks to organize, reorganize, and figure out a new way to organize our beloved Casa Vidanet while our staff had time off. It was time to wash, clean and throw out that which didn't hold enough value in certain eyes; We were blessed with a weekend at the beach to recharge; We enjoyed quiet moments with friends listening to their hearts; Late night conversations and afternoon at the movies; We enjoyed time for a few extra ice cream outings; Birthday parties and welcoming another precious wee into our Vidanet tribe; Micah bought a motorcycle and had his impacted wisdom teeth removed (we're 3 for 4 ... Adam declares his will not need to come out!); Joseph started his second year at Thad. Stevens, camped with family and went backpacking; Jedidiah worked diligently on homework, and exams and continues to fill our house with conversation, worship and song; Adam won first place explaining Rocket Science in his school science fair; We celebrated 22 years of wedded bliss graciously covered by Father's grace; and ... we are resting in the peace of being settled in as ambassadors for Jesus Christ!
Praise
Healthy baby
Staff connections
Healing on Jen's joints
Connections with church and community
Time with Micah
A job for Joseph
Time to organize and rest
Settled into normal life as ambassadors of Jesus, reflecting Him.
Prayer
As we look to a third term of service:
Would you prayerfully consider financial support for our family? https://www.emm.org/support/djhoover/
Quick healing for Micah's mouth
Wisdom for Micah's new role
Connections for Joseph in PA
Health, strength and grace to start a new Vida220 school year
Heart connections with new staff and students
Safe arrivals for new staff and students Sept 12 and 22
Sensitivity to HS as we represent Jesus to the world around us!
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| Birthday shenanigans and celebrating another year of life! |
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| Joseph on vacation mode ... Can he spend a whole week with nothing pressing to do? Yup, he did! |
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| Thankful for family who surround Joseph! |
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| My happy place ... The sun, sand and surf where I can think and process clearer. |
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| Big boys play ground ... Where laughter and exploring fills this Mama's heart! |
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| Another year in love ... Practicing his whistle ... |
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| He needed his own mode of transportation ... When did my little boy get so big? |
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| El Nido Moms and babies ... Always full of chatter and little baby squeals! |
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| Cleaned up for a night out with Adam as our photographer ... He actually took a decent 'non selfie' picture this time! |
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| First Place in the Science Fair! His explanation of Rocket Science was highly inspired by his big brothers! |
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| Jedidiah got second place in high school science fair ... He loved explaining Rockets to the youngsters! |
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| Chipmunk cheeks ... thanks to 4 impacted wisdom teeth! How to help this one rest and be less active ... |
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| But I will sing of your strength in the morning I will sing of your love; for you are my fortress, my refuge in times of trouble. Isaiah 59:16 |
