August 13, 2014

 Kaitlyn has made a quick transition.  She had her last day of work on Friday, August 8th.  She had worked all summer here in Fairview at an oil company called Cimarron Acid & Frac.  They threw a party for her the last day and had a little fun with her.  While her work was all back-up secretarial work in the office, they took her out to the trucks and took pictures just for fun!

Kaitlyn and Betty, the lady she worked with/for this summer.



On Tuesday, August 12th, Kaitlyn moved into the dorms at Tabor College to begin her sophomore year.  While classes don't start until the 21st, she had to be there early as she is a peer mentor for the incoming freshmen who arrive on Friday the 15th.

While she was sad to leave us in our state of limbo, she was very excited to get back to her college friends.  After living in a camper all summer, the dorms were even pretty inviting this year too!

As far as the job front for us . . . not a lot of news.  However, Darren  learned of two new openings that he sent resumes to last week.  One is a full-time worship pastor position in a non-denominational church in Woodland Park, Colorado.  The other one is a full-time worship/associate position at an MB Church here in Oklahoma.  We have not heard back from either one yet but are hopeful that maybe one of these will be "the one!" 

Please pray with us as we continue on this journey and wait . . . .

Sherry

P.S.  Update on my eyes . . .I have seen the eye doctor here 3 times now.  The left eye has responded better than the right eye.  The vision in my left eye is almost back to normal, but the right eye is still struggling off and on.  I am able to wear my contacts occasionally, but not consistently yet.  Because one eye has responded better than the other, I often have one eye I can see clearly with and the other is blurry.  This has caused me numerous headaches as of late.  So, it continues to be an issue and I continue to covet your prayers on behalf of my eyes as well.  Thanks.  Sherry

August 5, 2014

Well, I guess it is time for another blog post.  Sorry, no fun pictures this time!

We are constantly getting the questions -
"Any news?"
"Any job leads?"
"Where is Kylie going to school? Are you going to start her in Fairview?"

Well, the answers are . . .
No news.
No job leads.
Only God knows where Kylie is going to school, and we don't know if we are going to start her here in Fairview.

These answers aren't very satisfying to most, and frankly, not satisfying to us either.  However, those are the answers we have right now.

God has been very silent lately and we have felt no peace, direction, or leading.  I admit, this is very difficult.  Those that know me well, know that this is completely against my personality.  I am a planner and always like to have my ducks in a row.  This summer has pushed me way out of my comfort zone as we have been forced to live a day at a time.

I have to admit that I had a couple of weeks where I was frustrated, angry, hopeless, and, in a sense, living in a state of panic.  God has not answered us in "my" time and I was not okay with that. However, on Saturday, Darren and I went to Roman Nose State Park and spent time talking, praying, fasting, and seeking.  While we didn't come out of it with any great revelations, I was convicted of my sin of taking control from God and trying to fix it all myself.  I had not been living out the faith I proclaimed.  I was struggling, because I am a Martha by nature.  I am a "doer" and Darren tends to be more of Mary. He was sitting at Jesus' feet while I was stewing that he needed to be "doing" something.  What does Jesus say in Scripture?  "Martha, Martha, you are worried and upset about many things, but only one thing is needed. Mary has chosen what is better, and it will not be taken away from her." (Luke 10:41-42)

Charles Stanley recently had a sermon on KJIL about Requirements for Answered Prayer.  I have listened to it several times.  He makes many good points, but one point he makes towards the end is a warning.  This isn't exactly how he said it, but basically he said if you pray and pray and don't get an answer, you are better off waiting than to step ahead of God because you think He isn't on time.  It will always get you in trouble.  

I feel like anything we do right now seems like we are stepping ahead of God and forcing something to work.  Nothing seems like a "fit" and we don't feel unified peace or desire as a family in any direction.  What I am sensing is that when God is silent, we need to be patient, be still, and wait.  

So . . . as ridiculous as it looks from a human perspective, that is what we are choosing to do right now.  We are "being still" and "waiting."  We know when we left Cimarron without another job lined up, it also looked unwise from a human perspective.  But, we clearly felt Him telling us to "go" and we felt peace and unity as a family.  So, we are doing our best to trust God, listen, obey, and follow.  For those of you that just went through "The Story" study with us at Valleyview, we are trying to trust that God has a plan in the Upper Story that we cannot see yet down here in the Lower Story.   

We have seen Him guide us all along the way, from selling our house, to providing a trailer for our belongings, providing summer jobs for the girls, and the list goes on.  Our God is too big and too great to bring us this far and just drop us and leave us hanging.

Kaitlyn moves back in at Tabor next Tuesday, August 12th.  Thankfully, we packed most of her stuff at the back of the truck, so we can get to it.  This will be another transition for us.  She is excited to go back to school, but struggling a bit with leaving us in this state of limbo. 

So, please continue to pray for us.  This journey is not easy.  Some days are easier than others.  Please pray with us that God will show us at exactly the right time what His Will is for us.  Please pray that we will know what to do with schooling for Kylie.  Please pray for peace and unity in our family when He does give us guidance.  That it will be crystal clear and we will know without a shadow of a doubt that it is His leading.  Please pray that God will be glorified through this all.

Psalm 37:7 - Be still before the Lord and wait patiently for Him.
James 5:7-8 - Be patient and stand firm, because the Lord's coming is near.
Exodus 14:14 - The Lord will fight for you; you need only to be still.

P.S.  One additional prayer request is for my eyes.  As many of you know, with my arthritis, I often have trouble with my eyes.  Well, the last few weeks I have had a flare up.  It got bad enough that I finally went to the eye doctor here.  He said I had 3 strikes against me . . . 1) arthritis that just looks for a place to attack in my body; 2) dry eyes; 3) allergies caused by the conditions here.  He gave me some potent eye drops to try to calm down my "angry" eyes.  I went back again last week and they were improving, but I go back again this Friday. They look and feel much better; however, my vision has been affected this time which hasn't happened before.  Please pray that my eyes will heal and my vision will go back to normal. 

July 25, 2014

We spent July 21-26 in Idaho with Darren's Spiritual Formation Group.  It was a much needed break for both of us.  The theme of the week was "Rest, Refuel, Re-think." We talked about what it means to live in the kingdom here on earth.

Then he said to them, “I can guarantee this truth: Unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. Matthew 18:3

We looked at this verse and what it means to become like little children.  When I thought of little children, it occurred to me that they are not afraid and don't have a care in the world if they are with someone they trust, like a parent.  I feel like God was asking me to trust Him in this way.  It is easy to tell other people that God will take care of them and not to worry, but do I really believe it?  

Stop Worrying - Matthew 6

²⁵ “So I tell you to stop worrying about what you will eat, drink, or wear. Isn’t life more than food and the body more than clothes?

²⁸ “And why worry about clothes? Notice how the flowers grow in the field. They never work or spin yarn for clothes. ²⁹ But I say that not even Solomon in all his majesty was dressed like one of these flowers. 

³³ But first, be concerned about his kingdom and what has his approval. Then all these things will be provided for you. ³⁴ “So don’t ever worry about tomorrow. After all, tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.

As I was contemplating these thoughts, I looked down beside me and here were all these wild daisies growing.  I felt like it was a reminder from God telling me not to worry.

We are still in "Wait" mode. I didn't realize how much I would need to trust God at the retreat when I had my daisy/lily encounter.  But yesterday we received word that the church with the part-time music/worship pastor position decided to go with another candidate.  This will most likely take the college position of Director of Contemporary Christian Music out as well, as they were connected. Darren contacted the Christian high school who had offered him a position to see if they had finalized anything and they had given the position to a part-time person in the meantime.  So, we are back to square one. It is a little scary only weeks away from school starting, but we are trusting that God has a plan.  Darren got another inquiry call last night about a position.  I have my doubts if that one will go anywhere, but it was a reminder that God hasn't forgotten us and can bring things "out of the blue."  He is working in ways we are not aware of and cannot see.  So, we continue to trust.  The song "You Are God Alone" keeps going through my head this morning.  "You are God alone, in the good times and bad, You are on the throne, You are God alone." So, we continue to trust and wait.

We moved out of our house on Monday, July 21st, and closed on Tuesday, July 22nd.  It was a relief, yet sad to say goodbye to our house that we loved.

Our belongings are now here on the farm in the trailer waiting a destination, along with us! Another prayer request if for our belongings in the truck.  We have been unable to insure them due to the "mobility" and unconventional way of storing them.  Companies are used to storage facilities in cities.  This is "outside the box" and we have been unable to find affordable coverage, so we are trusting the Lord to protect and watch over them.
 

Kylie is getting anxious to know where she is going to school next year.  She doesn't even know how to answer people anymore when they ask, so her latest answer is, "I'm taking a year off!"  She is almost finished with her summer babysitting job.  August 1st is her last day to watch little Brinley.

Please especially keep her in your prayers, as this is most unsettling for her.  Kaitlyn knows where she is going.  In a few weeks, her life will be "back to normal."  For Kylie, it is still unknown and with school supplies out and activities starting, it puts pressure on knowing what she is going to do. 

 Our trip to Idaho was rather eventful with airline travel.  We had two unexpected overnights, courtesy of United Airlines.  On our trip home, we boarded our first plane twice in Spokane, due to maintenance issues and three times the following day in Denver, due to maintenance issues.  It was to the point of ridiculously funny anymore, along with incredibly frustrating.  But, God took care of us and reminded us along the way that He is still working out the details for us.  

Our last day in Idaho, we took a drive into Montana to see some big cedar trees and beautiful falls.  There was a swinging bridge over the river with the falls.  

Our lives feel a little like we are walking along this bridge right now.  Our footing seems uncertain and the water below (current situation) looks threatening and scary.  It is uncomfortable walking across, but we are fixing our eyes on God and knowing He is the bridge to safely carry us to the other side.  

"I will never leave you nor forsake you," Hebrews 13:5

We appreciate your continued prayers on our behalf as we walk this journey.

 

 

July 11, 2014

 Kelyn & Marissa (Hiett) Vix's wedding was held here in Fairview on July 5th.  For those of you that don't know, Marissa is the daughter of Marlin & Michelle (Sherry's cousin) Hiett who used to be the pastor at Valleyview.  Marissa was born in Dodge City! Marlin is now the pastor of Sherry's home church here in Fairview.  

It was fun to be around here for the wedding and take part in lots of wedding preparations and activities.  We had LOTS of family come for the wedding and they were around for about a week prior to and after the wedding.  So we have had LOTS and LOTS of family gatherings in the last two weeks!

Kylie with the Bride & Groom!

Kaitlyn & Kylie were gift carriers.

Kaitlyn with Cousin Lacey Lott.

Kelyn and Marissa left the reception riding into the sunset on horseback!

Darren and Sherry on their 24th anniversary.  Our anniversary was spent with family this year, as we had a family gathering/picnic out on a farm near Fairview.  They had this caboose all refurbished.

The girls enjoying the food. On the right is Johanna (Marlin  & Michelle's exchange student from Denmark) and Mandi Hiett, Kylie.  On the left is Johanna's sister, Kaitlyn, and Lacey Lott.

Kaitlyn & Kylie headed to the caboose.

Micah & Leanne Hiett enjoying the food!

 

 Kevin (as named by the girls) is a cardinal that lives by our trailers and constantly pecks at the windows.  He must see his reflection in the window and think it is another bird.  He is a beautiful bird, but gets annoying at times!

Tiger had his first mishap on the farm.  We don't know what happened and if you haven't seen him before perhaps can't see the swelling in his face and chin.  We came home one night and he was bleeding around his left eye and was puffed up.  It lasted about 24-48 hours.  We are guessing he perhaps tangled with a bullsnake, but we really don't know.  We are thankful he appears to be okay.

House - We are now scheduled to close on our house on Tuesday, July 22nd.  We will come to Cimarron on Sunday evening, July 20th and have borrowed a semi-trailer that we will load our belongings into on Monday, July 21st.  A pastor friend (Carey Gosen) called us and had this trailer that we could use.  What a blessing from the Lord!  A shout out to Wayne Bartel who is going up to Oberlin, Kansas, to pick it up for us.  Thank you, Wayne! We will be able to leave our stuff in the trailer until we have a place to go with it.  So we will bring it down here to Fairview until then.

Job - Things are happening on the job front, but nothing clear yet.  Darren had two contacts this week from churches looking for lead pastors.  However, we have concluded that he will not consider a lead position at this time.  He has also been called about being a band teacher and offered a position at a Christian School here in Oklahoma as a Music Teacher with other duties.  The "other duties" side of it is not very inviting and so he is not ready to give them an answer until he hears back on the worship/music pastor position and Director of Contemporary Church Music position at the college.  So, we are once again in "wait" mode.  But we are thankful there are options out there.  It is hard to say "no" and be patient for the "right" one as we are doing our best to follow God's leading.

Darren is doing much better after having over a month break from ministry.  I am starting to see his jovial personality return.  He is more lighthearted and motivated. We go to Idaho next week to meet with his Spiritual Formation group, which is where the recognition that he needed a change began last summer.

The girls are doing well.  Kaitlyn has two friends from college here for the weekend.  She made up a spoof flyer for them about "Camp KJ" giving them information about their amenities before their stay! They will have a great time, I'm sure.  Tonight they plan to ride 4-wheelers and have a bonfire.  Tomorrow they are going to get a plane ride from one of their classmates that live here.  Right now they are touring the farm!

Tiffany Huxman (Kaitlyn's future roommate) on the left and Courtney Reed (Kaitlyn's past roommate) on the right.

Kylie is getting rather anxious to know where she is going to go to school next year.  She's had a great attitude, but as time goes on it gets harder and harder to wait.  She misses her job at Clark's and her friends in Cimarron. . .

We continue to appreciate your support and prayers on our behalf.  The next few weeks will be crucial as we make decisions and figure out where we are going to plant ourselves in August.  We are trusting our Sovereign Lord in His leading and timing and doing our best to be patient and take one day at a time.

Sherry   

June 26, 2014

 

 

Our Temporary Home - 2 trailers

The girls are staying in the one on the left (with the indoor cat "Precious") and Darren and I are in the one on the right. The barn you barely see in the left hand side of the photo is where we lock the outdoor cat "Tiger" for night so he doesn't get eaten by coyotes!

 



We have 2 dining options - outdoors OR indoors!

Kylie seems to be enjoying "farm life!"  She's always up for an adventure!

The girls have opportunities to do things they wouldn't normally do - like ride 4-wheelers!










I thought it would be good to add some pictures this time  . . . to give you a little taste of our life right now.  Darren seems to be enjoying farm work.  They are now into hay season and he is learning new things, like how to run a baler.  He is sweating a lot in this humidity and comes home very tired each night.  This is all good, except not very conducive to filling out applications and job hunting! 

There are a few opportunities presenting themselves, so please pray for clear direction as he applies and we go through the process of discerning where God wants us. I think Darren might take a little time off soon to process and spend some time with the Lord.  He doesn't have much "think" and "process" time with the current schedule. . . All the opportunities are very different - teaching music in a Christian school in Oklahoma, part-time worship/music pastor, or overseeing and coordinating worship teams in a college setting . . . all of these are part-time.  So lots of details that would need to be worked out and come together for any of them.

We also found out today that the buyers of our house are completely approved and ready to set an earlier date than July 30 to close on our house in Cimarron.  Therefore, we now need to figure out what to do with our belongings and where to go with them.  We go to Idaho to meet with Darren's Spiritual Formation Group again July 13-19, so it will probably be soon after that. 

Being here has allowed us to take part in some opportunities we wouldn't have had otherwise.  As many of you know, Marissa Hiett, my cousin's daughter, is getting married July 5 here in Fairview.  We've had the opportunity to get together and help put together programs, centerpieces, party favors, etc.  What a privilege to be a part of this!

I've also had opportunities to help my mom do some cleaning and going through things.  She is probably ready for me to leave already, but it is much easier to do these things with someone than alone! . . .   I'm in clean out mode as I just went through my entire house and packed things up!

This is an adventure and it helps to look at it that way to make things more tolerable.  We've had rainstorms recently and therefore found out that our trailer had leaks. So we've spent 2 nights catching water in bowls and trying to figure out where all the rain is leaking in.  Cooking is a challenge.  We usually do breakfast at the trailers, everyone has lunch together at my parents', and then supper varies.  I only have minimal food and cooking items at the trailers, so it depends on what we're having. I am constantly transporting items and laundry back and forth.  The trailers are across the section from my parents' house, which isn't that far as the crow flies (or as Darren drives on the 4-wheeler each day), but by car it is 2 1/2 miles each time.  Invariably, we always need something at the other location . . . ugh. But we are starting to find a little bit of a routine. 

The girls are doing well.  Kaitlyn went up to Salina last weekend and spent the weekend with college friends.  Kylie had a friend from the Enid area come visit last weekend as well.  Two second cousins came in yesterday to spend some time on the farm prior to the wedding, so the next couple of weeks will be filled with family and events connected to the wedding on July 5th!

Thank you again for your support and most of all for your prayers.  We are trying to be faithful to God's leading in our lives, but that doesn't mean that it is always easy.  Some days are harder than others and we covet your prayers as we continue to process and seek the Lord's guidance for our future.

Sherry

June 13, 2014

Well, I decided it was time to sit down and write an update.  Life has been pretty crazy lately and I've just been trying to keep my nose above water!

They finished cutting wheat last Thursday evening, June 5th.  Darren and I left Friday morning, June 6th, to come to Cimarron to prepare for our garage sale during the "City Wide Garage Sale Day."  While it was rainy while we were in Cimarron, we had a beautiful day for the garage sale and got rid of A LOT of stuff.  We were pleased with how well it went.  A great big shout out to Marca Deimand for offering to help and taking money for us! It was a huge help!  Thank you, Marca!

Darren and I stayed in Cimarron through Tuesday morning.  We went to church in Meade, which was a nice treat.  We've pretty much had dictated to us where we would go to church for the last 24 years, so it is nice to have the flexibility to visit churches for a while. While in Cimarron, we were able to pack up 95% of the house and get the inspection, pest inspection and appraisals done.  So it won't take much now when we close on the house to load everything up.  We are still scheduled to close July 30, so it will all just sit there until then.

Darren and I brought a pickup and trailer to Cimarron and brought back some items to use for the summer - bbq grill, deep freeze, refrigerator, etc.  We finally got set up in the trailers on Wednesday, only to have bad storms predicted for later that night. . . golf ball sized hail and 60-70 mph winds.  Well, the decision was made to tear them down and move them into barns for the night.  Thankfully the hail and high winds didn't come, but it did rain and blow and storm.  So, yesterday we set them all back up again and spent the first night in them last night.  It will take a little adjusting, but I think it will be a nice "temporary" setup.

We moved our cats here.  Poor things don't know what to think.  We kept them in the shop office the first night.  Had just moved them out to the farm with the trailers when they decided to tear them down due to the storms.  So, we moved them back to the shop office once again.  Precious is now queen of the girls' trailer and Tiger is still figuring out the barn.  We aren't letting him free yet and are for sure locking him up for night. The coyotes don't need a Tiger for a snack!

Kylie had a great time at camp, but a rather adventurous trip home.  She rode with the group from Enid.  That was the night of many storms in Eastern Colorado and Western Oklahoma/Kansas.  Their 8-9 hour trip turned into nearly 15 as they kept having to stop and/or backtrack due to storms and tornadoes.  They saw two tornadoes and encountered lots of hail along the way as well.  Glad they made it home safely!

She is adjusting to her new babysitting job.  She babysits in the morning and then is around here this afternoon.  Today she is mowing lawn.  Yesterday she found out which roads NOT to drive on when it has rained.  After a mile of treacherous driving, she finally had to call Darren that she was stuck!  He got stuck trying to get her and they had to finally have a tractor come pull them both out!  Good learning experience for her!

Kaitlyn is still enjoying her job.  She went to a college Bible study on Wednesday night. The girls will have much bonding time this summer as they share a small travel trailer (with the cat!).

Well, this is getting long enough again.  We are doing okay.  I am trying to remain flexible.  I am tired of packing and moving and packing and moving and and hunting for things, but I know this is not going away for awhile yet.  So, hopefully my flexibility is improving and God will give me His stamp of approval soon and lead us to some stability again soon!

Thanks for your ongoing support and prayers. We appreciate it.


  

June 4, 2014

Just a quick update . . . we are in the midst of harvest in Oklahoma.  We had rain Sunday evening and that stopped us for Monday, but got rolling again on Tuesday.  We have one full day of wheat harvest left and one day of canola harvest . . . if all would go smoothly.  However, we have one combine down and someone headed to Kansas for a part and the other one hasn't gotten in the field yet this morning either.  So, hopefully things can get rolling today by lunchtime!

Kylie is at church camp and I'm assuming having a wonderful time.  I get very short answers to my texts.
Me:  Doing ok?  Feeling ok?  Getting enough to eat?
Kylie: Yes to all.
So, I've decided to quit asking questions.  I figure no news is good news.
She will start her babysitting job here on Monday.  She will babysit a 2 year old little girl from 8-12 each day.

Kaitlyn is enjoying her new job.  She is doing backup secretarial work at Cimarron Acid and Frac.  It is a company here in Fairview that works with oil wells.

Darren is getting dirty being a farmhand.  He hurt his back a couple of days ago, but is wearing a back brace now which seems to get him by for now.  Hopefully it will heal soon.  I see him at meal times and bedtime and that is about it right now.

I am busy helping my mom cook and keep everyone going.

Darren and I are headed back to Cimarron this weekend for our garage sale and to finish up a few things.  Much of the house is packed already, but not completely yet. I got a lot done last week before I came down, but it seems like the more you get done and look around there is always more to go . . . it never seems to end! 

For those that don't know . . . Darren was offered the 5-12 vocal music position he applied for at the Christian School near Newton.  However, we prayed about it for a week and just didn't feel peace about it. (That is the short version.)  So, he turned it down.  We continue to pray and seek the Lord's guidance.

Our current plan is to get our house packed up and leave everything stored in it until the end of July when we are scheduled to close.  We are hopeful the Lord gives us direction by then to know where to go with our belongings.  We are living with my parents right now until after harvest and they can get the two trailer houses set up for us to live in at a farmstead across the section from my parents.  I am learning to be "flexible" which is a challenge for this Type A "planner" personality.  I have my good days and my bad days.  I feel like Peter stepping out of the boat and when I focus on the waves (uncertainties, fears, etc) I begin to sink, but when I focus on God, I feel peace.  That is my daily challenge.

Well, so much for my "quick" update . . . We appreciate your prayers and support of us on this journey.
Sherry