On Wednesday morning, Danny took the kids to the bus stop gave big hugs to some teary eyed kiddos and then we headed to the airport so he could fly to LA to meet with his doctor and go over his recent scans. .
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He had the appointment on Thursday at UCLA and we are so happy to be able to tell you that his scans were still all clear with no signs of cancer returning or anything even suspicious showing up. His doctor was very encouraging about his health and the results of the extensive treatment he went through. We thank the Lord for the confidence He has given us in Him that through it all we know we can trust Him fully and praise Him always no matter what a scan shows. But for today our hearts are so thankful for answers to prayer and for the health and strength God has restored to Danny in this past year. Izzy and Judah were thrilled to hear their Daddy is doing ok. We have so much to praise the Lord for - He has given us a wonderful gift of appreciating the lives He has given to us. We are so thankful to return to the daily routines, the mundane and the glorious of life and ministry. Thank you Lord Jesus for this news. Thank you dear ones who pray. .
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While on the way to the airport we got a call to say Danny’s dear Grandma Walton had passed away. She was what you dream of Grandmas being, but in full reality. She was always there for her family. She was the keeper of traditions, pictures and important dates. Her calendar revolved around her families lives. She was committed to her role as Grandma, the memory maker. We only have wonderful stories and memories of our time with her. We rejoice she is now pain free and home with her Savior. .
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We also see the Lords kindness in allowing Danny to already be on the way to California when she passed away. He was able to extend his time there by a few days to drive up to be with his family and see his Grandpa. .
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I have been reminded so much in this past week of God’s sovereignty and trustworthiness in all things big and small He is with us and we can rest in His care and love even in times of unknown, life changes, waiting and death - God is with us changes everything. Not just for Christmas, but for eternity. .
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Advent. .
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Christmas is coming home to the gospel of God’s grace, remembering the story in completion from beginning to end and standing in awe at the mercy of our Eternal God; Emmanuel God with us. .
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There is nothing I want to pass on more to my children each Christmas than the gift of seeing Jesus through all of time reaching down for them. .
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I love the opportunity each December to tell the story. I’m grateful for all the ideas, books, calendars and whatever else there is that help us as parents to walk through this advent time with our children. There are so many resources, so many social media accounts filled with beautiful Christmas pictures using all the various resources and there is nothing wrong with that, until you compare it to your real life. Advent is not about getting all the cute things together, the matching pjs, the hot cocoa photo by the tree, the glowy lights and the perfectly staged setting - it is all about preparing our hearts, setting the stage for Jesus to speak through His Word right in the middle of our ordinary, messy life. .
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Last night, as we read our advent reading together I took this pic. The laundry is sitting by Danny, Judah is crunching on a very non-festive treat and Izzy’s little toes are peeping out of her favourite pjs. I remember a thought fleeting through my mind...”this isn’t enough, I should have tried harder.” .
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And that my friends is a lie. It took so much purpose, planning, just to get these messy, ordinary 30 minutes gathered together on the couch. It doesn’t look pretty, but it is glorious. Spending time with Jesus is always enough and He is the reason we never have to try hard to be perfect again, He perfects us!
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I just want to encourage any moms out there, feeling like an advent reading or Bible Study is one more thing you don’t have time to do...keep it simple. It doesn’t matter that December 1st has already passed or you didn’t get to order the book you wanted to do together, just make time to draw their hearts to Jesus. There are lots of free online resources, or simply pick up the book of Luke and read a chapter a night. .
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Jesus is with us. He is always enough. That’s the story.
//Another Story//
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It was December 1st 2010. We were living in our remote jungle home on the island of Palawan, Philippines. I had a 6 month old and a 2 year old and life was beyond busy with ministry, family and just living. We had to order all our groceries and supplies in every 6 weeks or so and the Ethnos360 plane would drop them off to us. Everything had to be planned ahead. We were ordering diapers, baby food, groceries for weeks, house supplies, random things we needed....and I totally forgot to plan for Danny’s birthday. .
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I remember being up early to Judah crying, lifting him from his cot and thinking, “Well this year you are your Daddy’s gift!” He was wearing a little white PJ top and so I grabbed a marker and wrote Happy Birthday on it. When his sister woke I did the same on her -and she was so confused as to why it was ok to now write with markers on her clothes. I propped them both in the chair and when Danny came in the room Izzy and I shouted, “Happy Birthday!” .
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A tradition was born that year. Each December 1st the kids now make their own T-Shirts and write their birthday greetings on the shirt instead of cards. What started out as a mistake is now a fun tradition. I love looking through the photos from each year and watching how their creativity grows. .
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Last year, was the only year we didn’t do the shirts. The silence of the shirts now tells part of the story too. Last year, was the hardest birthday of all, Danny’s scans had shown that the cancer was probably back and we spent his birthday with heavy hearts. We were to find out a few days later that they were actually clear.
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Today, we have the T-shirt tradition going strong again and we are celebrating and thankful for Danny’s life, health, his love for us all and how he takes such care of us. We love you Danny and we thank the Lord for you. Happy Happy Birthday!!
//Story time//
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It was November 30th in the year 2000, right here at the Missionary Training Center in Missouri. Danny and I had known each other for 3 whole months. He had written and asked permission from my Dad, got a reply and the stage was set for a proposal. He went all out. .
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He ran extension cords all over the woods on the property of the center. He had Christmas lights over lots of trees, music playing and a table beautifully set with my favorite dessert, and next to the table a tree all decorated, with a small stocking hanging on the branch. He wrote me a song and then asked me to open the stocking. In it was a ring and he asked me to marry him. I couldn’t wait to say yes. It was one of the best nights of my life and we have told that story to our kiddos each year on November 30th when we lived out in the jungle of the Philippines. They have grown to love the story, too. November 30th is known in our house as; “The day Mama said yes.” .
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So, to find ourselves 19 years later right here where we met and where Danny proposed on this day has been a sweet experience for us. .
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And when the day was bright and we heard of a local Christmas tree farm where we could cut down our own tree, well it just all came full circle. A sweet moment to remember the past, enjoy the present and hope for the future. .
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It’s been a wonderful 19 years of continuing to say yes to one another, but more importantly to saying yes together to the good and perfect will of the Lord. .
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We never thought we would be back here in Missouri on November 30th, but here we are, all four of us, decorating our own tree together and saying yes, to whatever the Lord has for us - we are all in.
The 10 year photo challenge is doing the rounds on social media and it got me curious. I knew ours wouldn’t be a “pretty” comparison - we are so aware of how much we have aged especially in these past few years. I looked at the two side by side this morning and showed them to Danny, sure we laughed and rolled our eyes at the difference in the fresh young faces enjoying a weekend away in Manila, compared to the faces of two people trying to have a date the night before an immigration interview. Life has changed so much for us in these 10 years. We added our two kiddos in this past decade, waded through years of ministry, spiritual battles, new starts, many transitions, Izzy’s health situations in her early years, Danny’s cancer diagnosis, immigration hurdles, so many unknowns, more ministry changes and many, many new moves. .
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But as we flick between the two photos the second one makes us smile real big. I am so glad for now, with all the aging it brings. I don’t want to fight it, or be “anti” about it, but to embrace the wonderful changes age and maturity bring, a gift of knowing more of Jesus and His Word. I am so grateful for all the Lord has allowed us to walk through; the valleys, the unknowns, the struggles and trials, because of it all, we are have known the tender loving goodness and kindness of our dear Lord Jesus, His presence with us. I wouldn’t change that for anything, because it is the best this world has to offer; dwelling in it with Jesus. The joy of the Lord has been our strength. .
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I am so grateful for life, for life together. I am so thankful for how the Lord continues to draw us closer to Himself and to each other and I don’t dread a day ahead, or wish I could go back. I am excited to press into more of Jesus and to look to Him to guide us to live these days with eternity in mind. This life is a vapor, a mist, a breath in time. We may not be guaranteed another 10 years, but we have now and I am so thankful.
It’s my dear Mum’s birthday today and I am always so grateful to the Lord for this Mum of mine. .
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I had no idea how much living under the same roof with them as a little child in our village home in N.Ireland was preparing me for a life of missionary service to the far end of the world. They taught me how to live the mundane and the ordinary with a heart for the eternal. The conversation in our house as they lived their daily lives was forming my heart, soul and mind to love Jesus with all my heart. Nothing is too much bother, when you are living a life to love and serve the Lord. .
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My Mum has helped my worrying heart to give all things over to the Lord who does all things well. I have a little card from her on my room which simply says, “Everything will be alright.” She lives this way, we tease her about her optimistic outlook that, “everything will be alright in the morning.” I may have even rolled my eyes at it a few times, but I’ve come to learn it is more than optimism, it’s from a true and firm belief in the Lord Jesus Christ and some fine morning all really will be well when we are with the Lord for all eternity. My Mum and Dad live backwards from that day and it is probably the mindset, the heart posture that has formed my life the most; an eternal perspective. .
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She is light hearted, funny, joyful, an amazing shopper who still sends me most of my clothes and a fabulous Granny. We talk on face time every single day, she and my Dad have visited every place that we have ever lived and having their support has been the one of the greatest gifts of my missionary life. As their only child they never once held me back in any way when I set off as a 19 year old to train to be a missionary. They encouraged me to keep stepping out, obeying the Lord and trusting Him. I have such a heart for missionary parents and a great appreciation for the sacrifices they too make. .
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So all that to say, “Happy Birthday Mum!” I know you will scold me for this public post and a picture of yourself, but sure you’ll be alright in the morning!!😜