YES - I'm OKAY!!!

Okay, so I've got some posts uploaded now, and can finally sit and post a few things! First of all, THANK YOU to all who have been praying and checking in on me! Just tonight, I answered three emails that said "just checking in, haven't seen you on the blog, wanted you to know we are praying and checking in on how you're doing." How amazing is that?

We are doing okay. Here's what is happening. It has been a crazy, and overwhelmed past few weeks. In lots of different ways. On the one hand, our entire lives have been turned upside down with the news of David losing his job at the church. So every spare minute has been occupied with getting resumes together, sending information out, getting videos of him leading worship uploaded to the computer (you can go on YouTube and search for "David Schrodt" and they'll pop up!), etc, etc. It's been mentally and emotionally exhausting to process all of this, as well as having the conclusion of our service nearly upon us. I have cried more at church in the last 3 weeks than I have in my whole life I think! Our last worship service is this coming Sunday, and the finality of it has been hard.

We have been so encouraged by our friends and family - and even strangers that we don't know. We have heard amazing testimony of how God has used the Kinetic service to pull people back into church, to teach them what real worship is, to make people realize how intimately involved God wants to be. It has been an amazing blessing to us to hear these stories. We have seen God's faithfulness first hand. We have been blessed with prayers and gifts more than I can even describe. I haven't bought a single present for my children because of our loss in salary, and yet each of my babies have presents under the tree - some that we don't even know who game them to us! God is good.

It has been a very different kind of December for us so far. Because of the job loss, we have made cutbacks that have changed the season and some of it's activities for us. We haven't done some of the crafts and outings that we usually do. We haven't mailed out Christmas cards or pictures this year. We haven't been out shopping. It's been different. And some days that has been hard. I am a traditional person - I LOVE those traditions. But it's also given us some very sweet family time of just us without anything else vying for our attention. And our focus has truly been on the Lord and all of His blessings.

And of course it's December and with that brings all of the other schedule things that make your schedule crazy too. The Christmas parties, programs, concerts, etc that just keep you busy! So that's why my head feels a bit like exploding - lots of emotional stuff that I'm processing along with the regular old busyness of the season. Keep praying for us. Pray for us on Sunday. It's bound to be a hard day. Pray that we would continue to follow exactly what steps God has for our family. We'll be travelling the first week in January to visit a church that David will be interviewing at, so pray for that trip. Continue to pray for provision for us in the meantime. Pray that David & I would be able to be the parents that our kids need us to - even while somewhat distracted with all this other stuff. Pray that I can be the wife to David that he needs me to be right now.

I love you guys. I truly appreciate each one of you and the amazing encouragement you have been to me. I had a mystery box of diapers appear at my house this week, and once again, I wanted to fall to my knees and cry. I truly thank God for each of you. Okay, I can't handle any more of this. Gotta go fold laundry or something. Love you girls!