Bittersweet, excited & mundane, huh?

How can one post cover all that? Well, welcome to a few weeks in our lives!

Our days have been filled with school, cooking, chores, and sharing with small groups and churches about the need for Bible Translation. In the midst of the chaos, we have found a bit of a routine. That is something I did not expect, the comfort routine can bring. My kids are such troopers, but they feel the strain of this lifestyle we are living in–living life in the waiting.

Asher is starting to play by himself, FINALLY! School is a little less stressful with him not constantly needing my attention. He started “school” himself, or so he says. I let him cut with scissors and we pulled out the good ole dot markers. He begged for more the next day.

We have been enjoying the family membership to the community college recreation center. It has been just what I needed for these endless winter days. I am enjoying getting back into shape! The kids are practicing swimming and getting stronger, something they will definitely appreciate once they live on an island. I am so thankful for this opportunity for all of us. It has been nice to stay put for a bit and not have to pack and unpack so much. In the picture above the boys are in their swim trunks heading to the pool, and my mom was shocked. I said, “It’s the Yooper way! They sauna naked and jump in the snow for crying out loud!” The Yoopers, that is, not Aaron and Andrew, but they have picked up a little of that U.P. snow bravado.

We spent the last week of January in Omaha, unexpectedly. My grandfather passed away, and we went down to be with my grandmother and attend the funeral. It was a really bittersweet time. I so enjoyed seeing my family. I am overwhelmingly grateful to God for the opportunities that I’ve had to see my extended family this past year and a half. I feel like I have seen my grandfather with more regularity in the past 2 years than I ever have before. But it was also a very sad occasion. My grandfather was dearly loved and will be greatly missed. The funeral was beautiful, and all the love that was expressed for and about my grandpa was touching.

The top 3 pictures are of Asher in the car, as we waited in the warm car for everyone to arrive at the graveside. It was so cold and windy. He crawled down to the heat vent on the floor to warm up and was being pretty cute. One of my grandpa’s beloved cowboy hats was passed down to Aaron. He was so excited to receive and is proud to wear it every chance he gets.

For those of you who didn’t know, the Gosherts are die-hard Chiefs fans and have been for all Josh’s life. The whole family was very excited on the day of the Superbowl. I had promised the kids special snacks if the Chiefs made it to the Superbowl. So there was a lot of chopping and cooking before the game started (and maybe during the game too). For sure, there were a lot of fun family memories were made that day. Aaron walked around with his head held high for the next whole week making sure everyone knew he was a Chiefs fan.

Amidst all the excitement and bittersweet moments, we had several opportunities to share. Two churches and 3 small groups. We are currently sitting at 82%! We’ve started talking passports and visas, and looking into tickets and items to pack. Everyone is very excited.

Thanks for keeping up with us on our blog. We are so thankful for everyone who is praying for us and supporting us. God bless you all!