September 2021 Howry Family Update

 Praise Him in the Storm

The last two years certainly have felt like one big storm! But we praise God anyway, because He is good and He has taken care of us in so many ways. I know this has been a long overdue update, and many of you have missed being able to follow my posts on Facebook. I had to remove myself from the Facebook community last November, because I found that it was becoming too important to me to have a platform. The world is an evil place, and ever since I was a kid, I felt the need to try and "right" all of the "wrongs" that I was aware of. Well, let's just say that this desire kicked into overdrive in March of 2020. I was so frustrated by what I was seeing and continue to see to this day, that it was beginning to overtake my mind and heart. So I stepped away from my soap box so that I could focus on what I can  do. This was so healing for my emotional and mental health, but there are many times I just wish I could jump back on and talk with many of you again! 

I've decided to re-enter the world of blogging, because this is what I have always enjoyed most. Writing out my thoughts and sharing about what God is teaching me. And if folks choose to read it, that's great! And if not, that's ok, too. I am really doing it mostly for my own therapeutic benefit. ;) 

I will also use this to share photos and information about our family and what the kids are up to. They are growing up so fast, and I know many have told me that they miss seeing pictures and updates about them!

Bear with me as I cannot always be consistent, but I will do my best. 

Here's a quick overview of what we have been up to this year:

January - Derrick went back to teaching school in person, after nearly a year of being home with us. We were so blessed to have him with us for all those months! I cherish the time we spent together as a family for that year. Some people may have wished their spouses would hurry up and go back to work, but I did not feel this way at all. We are very blessed to have the kind of marriage we do, and it was so comforting and uplifting to have him home. 

Chloe and her Chickens on a Warm January Day!

In January, Judah was also diagnosed with an eye turn and a lazy eye. He is now in vision therapy for this and is doing amazingly well! He blows me away with how much he has improved just since then. More on this to come in the future! I will probably dedicate a post to just this topic. We have all learned so much about the eyes and the brain function together. It is really fascinating stuff. 

The Day Judah Got His Glasses

February - March: These were our coldest weather months, though we had no snow to speak of last winter. The kids and I stayed busy with school and driving to ballet class for Chloe. 

A hike we took in March! Look how warm it was!

April - This was a busy month for me, especially! I was invited to be on the board for Health Freedom North Dakota, a non-profit advocacy group, and I hit the ground running. I am the public relations correspondent (a fancy term for email and website communications), and I absolutely LOVE this role! God worked out all the details, and it's a long story of what led up to this point, but I must say it has been so helpful for me to have a real life outlet for all my longing to be an activist and an advocate for my family and others around us who want to have the freedom to choose what goes into their own bodies. Most of the volunteers on the board are also Christians who homeschool their children, so I have gained a community of like-minded families in the process of doing this volunteer work that I love so much. I now have a network of friends from all over the state. North Dakota is a really wonderful place for our family!

Health Freedom Rally at the Capitol in April

At the end of April was Chloe's spring dance recital. She did a beautiful job. She is now working on her role in the Nutcracker for the December recital! She was chosen as the understudy for Clara, which was thrilling for her. She truly enjoys dancing!

May -  We spent a lot of time tying up loose ends to get ready for our trip to New Hampshire! School got out, we planted our garden both at our house and at our friends' farm, and made all our travel plans. 

June - We set out for NH on June 1st! It was a 3-day drive each way, and the kids really did an amazing job. It went much more smoothly than the trip out here, if any of you remember that story! We were blessed to have friends who had also left NH for their family vacation, so we had an empty house to stay in while we were there. We spent as much time as possible with our families and squeezed in lots of visits with friends, too. It was a whirlwind in the best way possible. We got in lots of swimming and even an ocean trip! I will admit that it was very difficult to come back home. We love our NH family and friends so very much!

Esther learned how to Kayak!

We miss our trees!

Popham Beach State Park, ME

Jericho Lake State Park, NH

We arrived back in ND around June 20th, and jumped back into life here. We are in the middle of a severe drought, so many of the plants we started before we left had died from the extreme heat. I replanted much of my garden and it still ended up doing really well, despite the need for constant watering! 

July - More extreme heat and dry conditions. That's pretty much how I would sum up July. We also had a lot of days with smoky air, due to the wildfires in other states. We have had several fires in North Dakota as well, especially in the badlands to the west of us. We have received a bit more rain since July, but not much. Please pray that we will get caught up with much-needed rain and we will finally be out of this drought! It started before we moved here and there has been little to no relief, even in years with a lot of rain. Many farmers have begun to sell off some of their horses or cattle, because they simply cannot feed them all. They rely heavily on grass and hay, and sadly this year, there just is not enough. 

One of my favorite things about July is that we attended a huge Christian music festival in Rapid City, SD called "Hills Alive!" It was a beautiful time of fellowship, worship, and just enjoying the beauty of creation! It was HOT, dry, and dusty, but it was worth it. We plan to go back next year. Hills Alive is a totally free event, so it is doable for our family of 6. The kids had never been to live concerts before, so they just soaked it all up. They especially loved listening to Crowder. He really puts on a great show!

Steven Curtis Chapman closed out the Festival!

And we snuck in a second trip to Mt. Rushmore, just because. ;)

August -  Back to school in August! New Town starts their school year earlier than most of the country and even most of North Dakota. We start at the same time that Derrick does, for the sake of continuity. So the kids and I have been back to school for well over a month! Chloe is now in 4th grade, Elijah in 3rd, Judah is in 1st, and Esther is Pre-K! They all love to learn so much and it just amazes me how much they absorb and retain. I am loving being their teacher. I can't think of anything I'd rather be doing than teaching them. It is my absolute joy and privilege every single day.

Chloe hanging out with the tiniest chick...who we are now pretty sure is not a hen! lol

Catching some rays...

Learning How to Wash the Car!

Adding a couple girls to our flock

In the middle of August, the non-profit I volunteer for, Health Freedom North Dakota, put on a "Rock Your Health Summit" in Bismarck. I helped plan this event all throughout the spring and summer, so I attended by myself as I was one of the organizers and knew I'd be busy! It was the first time I have spent a whole weekend away from my kids....ever! I missed them, but it was such a blessing to be able to be a part of this. We flew in speakers from all over the country, one of whom is an author I have known about since becoming a mom. What an honor to be able to meet her and have several conversations! I could not believe I was given the opportunity to do this. After the Summit ended, I was able to pull back a bit from that commitment and focus more on what we have going on here with our church and with my kiddos. But I still attend board meetings on Zoom, and I do all the email communications for our list of over 1000 members. 

Hanging out with Jennifer Margulis at the Rock Your Health Summit in Bismarck!

September - We are back in the full swing of everything! From schoolwork, to dance classes, teaching piano, leading our Wednesday night kids' Bible Club, and all our Sunday activities, I will say that we do not have much down time in this family. And we like it that way! September was a month of celebrations, from Esther's 4th birthday on the 6th, to my birthday on the 12th, and then Derrick's and my 12th wedding anniversary on the 25th! So many things to thank God for. We are truly blessed. 

My new favorite shirt! Quote from Derrick and design by me. ;)

Our newest girls like to do this every night! lol

Hiking at TRNP on my birthday. :)

January 2020

(Though I did not follow through on this plan, I still wanted to publish this draft for everyone to see!) 

For 2020, I am going to be starting something a little different. But first, I'm announcing that we are reviving the family blog once again, yay! Only almost a year after the last post! Oops. 🤦 I want to have a goal to do a better job of updating friends and family across the country on our life here in North Dakota. I also want to take more time to document what the kids are learning in school, which we call "Prairie Bible Academy". So, I am going to record what happens throughout the month, and then publish at the end of the month. I think this will be a nice way for me to stay organized and track what we are doing as a family, and also a way for others to feel a little more in the loop. I'll start by sharing our most recent kid photos! I took these on a gorgeous day with frozen fog sticking to everything!



December Break-Dec. 20-Jan 6

We had a wonderful vacation, a full two weeks with Derrick home! It was truly a special time. We had some Hanukkah fun making latkes, lighting the menorah, singing songs, playing dreidel, and receiving gifts from loved ones! We also had some Christmas fun with our church's children's program the Sunday after Christmas.



We spent some time in Minot letting the kids do some shopping with their Christmas money, getting some much needed clothes, and doing a Walmart stock-up trip. (We went to Walmart 3 times while we were there and we STILL forgot stuff.) We also got to see the lights in Oak Park, and saw a movie! The highlight for me was visiting the Roosevelt Park Zoo. The animals were so much fun, very active and a lot happier in the cold, snowy weather. The kids got to get up close and personal with a lion (with 3 layers of glass in between), and had wolves howl at them! It was a great experience!
 The first week of January has been unseasonably warm, and I am not complaining about that! We got outdoors a lot, even though Esther was a little under the weather. The kids also got a lot of time with Derrick, playing board games, building with legos, and we had our share of movie-watching, too. Derrick and the older three got to spend the afternoon at the house of a lady from our church, who everyone calls "Mama Lou". She and her husband have a farm outside of town and invited the kids out for some snow fun. They got to go sledding, then she gave them hot chocolate and snacks! Judah is still talking about how Mama Lou made him hot chocolate with marshmallows, and how he really would like to have that again. 😉
 Saturday turned out to be the warmest day of the week, so we headed over to our favorite place, The North Unit of Theodore Roosevelt National Park. We saw deer, a couple of bison, and lots and lots of rabbit and coyote tracks! We had enough time to take two hikes before the kids got too tired to go on. We didn't feel cold at all! It was such a blessing. I'm so thankful we got the chance to have one more outing before Derrick goes back to work on Monday and the kids and I get back to the normal school routine.

Jan. 6-12- Back to school this week! The kids had colds, though, so we mostly stayed in and worked on school work, drank tea, and rested. Lots of playing happened, too, though! The imaginary play that goes on in this house never ceases to amaze me. And now, all four kids are in on it! Never a dull moment around here!

History - We started out by wrapping up our study of Ancient Greece. We've learned about Athens and Sparta, the Olympics, Greek mythology, philosophers, and mathematicians. The final lesson about Greece centered around Alexander the Great. Next, we move on to Ancient China!

Science - We reviewed the parts of plants, flowers, seeds, leaves, and the life cycle of plants. We also studied photosynthesis and studied leaves under a microscope!

Bible - We read through the book of Jonah and discussed it together. Judah read the story of Jonah in his early reader's Bible and "quizzed" us about it afterwards!

Long Overdue Update from ND!

Hi everyone! It's been a few months since we've updated all our long distance family and friends, so I thought I'd try to type out a summary of everything we have going on these days!

Derrick's doing well with school! In less than a week, we will be in the 4th quarter! Hard to believe! We have a week of vacation in April, and school gets out just before Memorial Day weekend in May. I can't fathom how we are already talking about it, especially while we are still dealing with below zero temps here! But as I've learned so far about the weather and changing of seasons, things change QUICKLY. We were swimming on a hot day in September, and 3 weeks later it was cold enough to snow. Then right before winter officially started in December, we were playing outside in short sleeves! And shortly after the beginning of January, true winter set in. We have had about 2 solid months of extremely cold temps. It feels like we have seen more days below zero than above! I'm told that February is usually when things start to warm up, and that March is typically above freezing. So far, that hasn't been the case for 2019! But, as I mentioned in a previous FB post...regardless of the cold weather, our hearts are warm and our lives are full and blessed. We truly are enjoying life here in the northern plains, even on the coldest of days.

The kids are doing great in school as well! Chloe's going to be finishing up 1st grade soon, and Elijah's on track to finish Kindergarten as well. Judah just started a preschool curriculum with me last week! We are having a lot of fun. There's no February vacation here, but we felt the need for one last week, so we did our own version. We still did lots of projects, art, board games, and math...but we didn't do much book work! It was a nice change of pace. The kids are growing and changing by the minute and I am blown away by how much they love to learn and how much they understand. Not to mention the fact that they are often correcting me about things! ;)

Esther's doing great, she turns 18 months on March 6th. She's in true toddler mode. The world pretty much revolves around her, and she knows it. She's a joy, true to her middle name, and she's the star, true to her first name (which means "star"). So I guess we named her well! We are so thankful for our little "Queen Esther". haha

I started teaching piano lessons in February, and plan to continue that through at least part of the summer. So far I am the only piano teacher that I know of in this immediate area! Because of this, my slots filled up FAST and I found myself apologizing to a lot of people because I just don't have time to teach them all! I have 9 students right now. I love it, it's a nice change of pace and a chance for me to be out in the community on a regular basis.

I'm so blessed to be a part of a wonderful ladies' Bible study group now, which also started in February! And Derrick's part of a men's study as well. He also watches kids at our house on the nights that we have ladies' Bible study, so that the moms can go and have some kid-free time. So that's pretty great!

Hmmm, what else. I know I have shared this already with many of you, but we have a pretty incredible church family here, and we cherish our time with them. I think we linger a little bit longer after church every Sunday! Pretty soon I think we are going to just start having to bring lunch and just stay all day. ;) We just love having this community together...it's pretty special and I'm just so thankful that we get to be a part of it. One thing I will mention that I especially love is the way we all embrace and love each other's children. It's a place where I know I can bring my kids and other people are watching and caring for them, and will correct them when they need it, too. This frees me up to just relax and talk with people and not worry so much about what my kids are doing, because I know if they are out of line, someone will step in or let us know. And in the same way, we are there to help support other parents with their children. We are all in it together! This is so key to being part of a church body, I think. We are supposed to do this! Raising our children was never supposed to be a completely independent task. We need each other. The kids need other adults to guide them. It's so important and I'm beyond thankful to have it.

Well, I guess that's all! I had better get going. Hope you all enjoyed the update! Miss you all! <3
~The Howrys

Praising Him No Matter What

Month two in North Dakota has come to a close and we are already almost halfway through a 3rd month! I had committed initially to writing an update each month but time is getting away from me, things wind down so late in the evening that I'm usually just ready to crash. But I am going to attempt a little bit of encouragement for you all tonight as I reflect on our time here thus far.

Time is truly flying. I can't even write about all of the things I have wanted to share, because things are happening so fast it's difficult to remember everything! One thing I'm learning and that God is reminding me over and over again....is to praise Him always. When I'm rejoicing, when I'm struggling, when nothing of significance is happening or it feels like everything is going wrong all around me. Regardless of my feelings or my circumstances, I must keep praising my God. He deserves it, and He always reminds me of His goodness and love in those moments of raw emotion before Him as I recognize my sadness or frustration while also praising Him. It's really difficult to stay in a place of hopelessness when we intentionally focus on His faithfulness. 

One particular evening I was driving and (yet again) crying...I don't know what it is about driving, perhaps it's just that I feel more alone with God in those moments...or maybe it's because I blast the worship music every time I'm alone in the car. Either way, once again God spoke to me through a song recorded by Ryan Stevenson:

In the eye of the storm, You remain in control
In the middle of the war, You guard my soul
You alone are the anchor, when my sails are torn
Your love surrounds me, in the eye of the storm.

This is a song I've heard a bunch of times, but it hit me differently this time. It was a week ago, the night before we were to have our first snowstorm here. I realized that I could fight against God and complain and allow this to depress and consume me, or I could praise Him. I could be thankful that I get to experience a new day, no matter what it looks like outside. I shared this in a video on Facebook the next day and I truly meant every word. I do not like making videos of myself. It's something that I never would have considered doing before we moved, but now I appreciate this method of communication so that I can share my heart with my friends and family in a different way than just typing it out. I was extremely self conscious about it, but God kept nudging me until I finally caved and made the video. It was way out of my comfort zone, but another thing He is showing me is that I am here on this earth to give Him glory, whether it's comfortable for me or not! Anyway, publicly praising God really helped me to focus on Him. For the first time in many years, I did not cry or feel depressed over snow. Even thought it was in October! 

That day, our new pastor and his family were in a serious car accident. His wife sustained a broken rib which led to the decision to deliver her baby very early. Please pray for them. Their little boy is in the NICU for up to 3 months. This is a tough situation as they have 3 other little ones and the hospital is an hour away from here. I did not know how serious the situation with the baby was until Sunday when I arrived at church and Derrick, who had already been at Sunday School with the older kids, told me that they were still at the hospital. We were so blessed to see the church come together to keep things going and to hear a brother step up to share a message that was convicting, challenging, and motivating. A couple things stood out to me that morning. One, is that our pastor was choosing to praise God in spite of what happened. God is good and we can truly declare this to be true in every single situation of our lives. He knows what He is doing. He takes care of His children. We are truly blessed as His children. The other thing was that the man who shared a message with us was so passionate about truly giving God the glory for everything in our lives. He said that a mentor of his always asks him, "Did you praise God today?" I had to ask myself that as well. Did I praise Him today, or did I complain? Did I praise Him when I got something right and had success or did I take the glory for myself? I've had people tell me I should be proud of myself and build myself up when I do well. But I know better. I've lived long enough and experienced enough to know that there is absolutely nothing in and of myself that deserves praise and glory. God is the good in me. I want people to look at me and see Jesus. I want them to see that HE has changed me. That HE is the reason I do anything and everything. I want Him to have all the praise. That is why I want to praise Him no matter what life brings. So that, hopefully, everyone around me will see where the glory truly belongs. Not to myself, that's for sure. It belongs to the God of all Creation, of Heaven and Earth, and everything in it. He is the God who made a way when there was no way...the God who rules the universe but also knows each of us personally. That's the God I worship, and the One I want to praise regardless of how I'm feeling in the moment. Without Him, I am nothing. This is not a statement of self-degradation, but of true gratitude, humility, reverence, and wonder. I am in awe of my God for all He is and all He has done in and through me. Each and every day. I want to close with a passage that was recently shared with me and was perfectly timed with all that God has been showing me. We praise Him to show His glory, and so that others will praise and give Him glory. 

I look forward to sharing with you all after another month goes by! Thanks for reading, and remember to keep on praising, no matter what!

Ephesians 1:3-14 English Standard Version (ESV)

3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places,4 even as he chose us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and blameless before him. In love 5 he predestined us[a]for adoption to himself as sons through Jesus Christ, according to the purpose of his will, 6 to the praise of his glorious grace, with which he has blessed us in the Beloved. 7 In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of his grace, 8 which he lavished upon us, in all wisdom and insight 9 making known[b] to us the mystery of his will, according to his purpose, which he set forth in Christ 10 as a plan for the fullness of time, to unite all things in him, things in heaven and things on earth.

11 In him we have obtained an inheritance, having been predestined according to the purpose of him who works all things according to the counsel of his will, 12 so that we who were the first to hope in Christ might be to the praise of his glory. 13 In him you also, when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation, and believed in him, were sealed with the promised Holy Spirit, 14 who is the guarantee[c] of our inheritance until we acquire possession of it,[d] to the praise of his glory.

There's No Place like "Home"

We pulled into New Town on July 31st, 2018. Today is August 31st. One month! It honestly still feels like we "just" got here. I think it may feel like that for a very long time! There have been some really good days, and there have been some really hard days. In fact, I can't even really define life in terms of days, but really more in terms of "moments". We really are doing ok, more than ok! But there is often heartache in the midst of all the excitement. Sometimes I can sense it coming, and sometimes it sneaks up on me and the next thing I know, I am deeply saddened and longing for the life we left behind. I heard this Casting Crowns song on the radio this morning after dropping Derrick off at school, while I was crying because I felt so lost and alone:

"Oh, my soul
You are not alone
There's a place where fear has to face the God you know
One more day, He will make a way
Let Him show you how, you can lay this down."


My first thought? Oh, my soul, actually you ARE alone! Sometimes I do feel forsaken, and that is silly because of course I know that God will never leave or forsake me. Ever. And He has brought us here, I am very sure of that! But in that moment, I felt alone. And it's not the first time over the course of the last month that I have felt that way, and I'm sure it won't be the last! Yet, I'm also constantly reminded of the fact that I have felt very alone even when my surroundings were familiar and I had friends and family nearby. Location does not dictate those feelings. It comes from inside of us, and it has to do with our view of God and ourselves. Is He enough, is He a close enough Friend, a strong enough Father, a wise enough Guide when there are no people right beside us filling those roles? Of course! He is all of those things whether we live in the same place we have lived our whole lives or if we've moved across the country or the globe; whether or not we live in our "dream" home, and regardless of how many relatives or long time friends we have physically present. He is with us wherever we are in life and that can and will always be enough. 

But, oh, sometimes I do long for a sense of "home". I have said it to Derrick a few times, usually with tears...."I want to go home." He gently reminds me each time that we are home, this is where God has us right now. He says this to help me focus on the present, not to wish for the past or wait impatiently for the future. I need to live in this moment, the one God has clearly planned for us in this stage of our journey. But there is another aspect of this that God has been trying to gently remind me of as well. In one sense, this may be home because my husband and children are here. But in another sense, it is not home at all. And neither is Berlin, NH. In fact, neither is any place on earth! I will always be homesick no matter where I am, because heaven is my home. And whether I consciously realize it or not, I will always have that longing in my soul to be someplace that feels easier, more comfortable, and without pain and tears. But that will not exist for me here, even if I did seek out the most "perfect" house, with every creature comfort I have ever desired, in the most beautiful place on earth. That comes when I am HOME with God, my Father, who has prepared that place for me someday! And it won't feel great because of the ease of life, it will feel great because I will be in His presence, experiencing Him in all of His glory, for eternity. Until then, nothing will feel quite right. No place will fit just perfectly. And that is ok with me. This lack of earthly satisfaction is there for a reason...it is there to point us to the One who truly satisfies, and who we desperately need for every single breath. Every ounce of strength. It all comes from Him. He is the One who Created all things, and He holds all things together. 


And through all of this, I'm also reminded that we can be at home here in one sense, and that is with other believers. We have found a church body here and as we begin to form relationships and connections, we are reminded of those same familiar feelings that we associate with "home". Belonging. Purpose. Fellowship. Community. There may be no perfect place here on earth, but as part of a body of believers, we can once again experience the joy and peace that comes through sharing life with God's people. We can be at home wherever we find others with this same mission in life of following Him. God is truly here with us, and I am more confident of that as time goes on. 

 Also, I think it's pretty safe to say that God has been talking to me through worship songs lately! I feel like K-Love is my direct line from Him sometimes! 🤣 Because, while I was wrestling with all of this later in the day, I heard another song by Building 429:

All I know is I'm not home yet

This is not where I belong

Take this world and give me Jesus
This is not where I belong

So when the walls come falling down on me
And when I'm lost in the current of a raging sea
I have this blessed assurance holding me

All I know is I'm not home yet
This is not where I belong
Take this world and give me Jesus
This is not where I belong

When the earth shakes 
I wanna be found in you
When the lights fade 
I wanna be found in you

Let me tie this all together by telling you all how the rest of the day went. We headed to the library for story hour, and I truly almost burst into tears while we were there. I am desperate for friendship and being surrounded by a group of mamas who are not yet "my people", is really hard. I sat with Chloe during snack (who is also struggling a little with not having a group of friends yet) and she was talking with a sweet lady who volunteers for story hour. She started asking Chloe about homeschooling and then asked me about Derrick's job. She suddenly said, "Was your husband invited to a cookout this evening?" I said, "Yes! His teaching coach invited him over." She said, "Is he coming?" "Yes, I think so." "Great, that's my house! You should come and bring the kids!" They were thrilled. I was, too. I was also struggling because I really wanted to attend a ladies' meeting at our new church that evening, and wasn't sure I'd have time for both. But I knew this is what God wanted. So we went. They have this beautiful lake house, right on the edge of the water. We had a wonderful time and the kids and I were invited back later this week to hopefully get a little swimming in! We felt at ease because Derrick knew her husband and everyone else there from work, and we knew her from the library! She sat with the kids, talked with them, and helped them with their food, and Derrick and I got to relax and chat! Such a nice treat for us! And we still ended up getting back in time for me to go to the ladies' meeting. I was grateful to be able to start connecting with these women a little better and start getting involved with children's ministry there! We'll be helping out with music soon, too!

Our God is GOOD. Even when things are hard, even when we can't see what's ahead of us, He is working. I know a lot of my friends from back in NH are going through tough times right now. I just want to encourage you. Following God is tough sometimes. Trusting Him is even harder. But I am finally beginning to see that there is no other way to live. We have to trust in all circumstances that He is working! He is working on us, in us, and through us for His glory! We are going to grow through these experiences and we are going to be able to recognize more quickly that He has got an awesome plan! Just keep trusting Him. Even when it feels like you are following blindly. Even when it seems as though He's abandoned you. Cling to His promises and keep on trusting. I will say it again...our God is GOOD. He won't forget about us, He won't forsake us. He knows exactly what He is doing.

Isaiah 12:2
Behold God is my salvation; I will trust, and will not be afraid;
for the LORD God is my strength and my song,
and He has become my salvation.

Moving to ND - Part Two

Tuesday, July 31st

A tough day. Saying good bye to Allison was something we were both dreading. It was hard, especially after all we had been through together in the past few days! It had brought us even closer together, and the kids also felt closer to her. I woke up at 3 am, and was feeling really ill. The exhaustion and the stress was catching up to me! I thought perhaps maybe I had caught whatever the kids had, but after about an hour, I started to feel better. Again, I think it was just extreme nerves and stress! I told her as we were parting ways that my body was giving out on me. She just encouraged me, told me I could do this, we'd be ok and we'd get there! Even though she was so sad, she still gave me that little boost I needed. She and Matt left for the airport and Derrick and I packed up the kiddos. I think we left by about 4:30 am. The kids all stayed asleep for the first couple hours of the trip, thankfully. I think they were pretty tired out from playing all day with their MN friends! :) I will admit, I was very nervous about driving out of the city, but I knew that once I got out of Minneapolis, it would be pretty easy driving. Derrick was so patient with me and willing to stop whenever I needed. But as we headed west through MN and I watched the sun rise, I just knew everything was going to be ok. God was speaking peace and comfort into my soul. All of the worship songs on the radio were about facing fears and being confident in His strength. I felt my fear and anxiety melt away. And...it was strikingly beautiful to watch the sun rise. We just drove on and on, and eventually there was very little traffic. Just wide open spaces and a giant blue sky. We arrived in Fargo, ND at some point in the morning. Finally! We had made it to North Dakota! Still about 5 hours left, but no more state lines to cross, and very little highway driving left. After our exit off the highway, things got a little difficult only because we were VERY tired and it was just farmland as far as the eye could see. It was lovely....and relaxing...but a little TOO relaxing! I was falling asleep! Staying awake was truly painful. And once we crossed into North Dakota, we found the coffee to be not nearly strong enough...so that didn't help at all. haha. We finally made it to a beautiful little town called Carrington. We stopped there to eat lunch and found a cute park for the kids to play at. It was really lovely and it felt so nice after driving for hours and not seeing a single town! I didn't want to rush, but Derrick reminded me that we still had a few hours to go, and still needed to meet with our property manager and get into our house. We also planned to unload the truck that same afternoon. So...sigh...ok. I got myself moving again. As we got closer to New Town, though, my excitement grew and that gave me a little bit of adrenaline! I was recognizing names of towns after all the research I had done! This was getting real! And then.....

CONSTRUCTION.

Ugh.

So we sat completely stopped on the road for quite a while, I'm going to guess it was about 20-30 minutes, but it felt like an eternity. Especially since we were so close!! I was literally throwing food into the back seat for the kids, who were HUNGRY and not too happy that we were stopped. Thank the Lord for our built-in DVD player, it was truly a life saver! But I rolled the windows down and the prairie was just stunning. Grass blowing around in the breeze, everything had this totally different feel than anything I had ever experienced. I felt truly thrilled and excited. Traffic finally got moving, and we finally got close to New Town! Driving into this area was breathtaking! One part of it that isn't all that pretty is seeing all the oil rigs everywhere. There are a lot! But there was something intriguing about them, just so big and powerful and always moving! Kind of mesmerizing like windmills are. And we saw plenty of those, too! But suddenly we were looking out over Lake Sakakawea as we drove into New Town. Just amazing. It is like being at the ocean, because the water goes as far as the eye can see. At this point I was truly excited. I was crying tears of joy and relief. I couldn't even chat with Derrick because my walkie-talkie had died. So I just talked to God and thanked Him for getting us here! We got into town and I just wanted to hurry up and stop so I could hug Derrick and cry! But....no time for that. We hit the ground running. We found out the moment we got here that our water had not yet been turned on, so we had to go set up our account with the city. And of course pay a nice hefty deposit. lol. So once we did that, we got to the house. I was a bit disappointed to find that "done" meant only on the inside. There were no porches built yet for any of the three entrances, our driveway cement had just been poured and didn't look driveable yet, and there was dirt all around, no grass. I was wondering at that point whether I should laugh or cry, after all the construction at Brookside and being excited to have all of that behind us! I don't think I did either one...I just kept telling myself it was ok and we would figure it out. The beauty of it all was that because of Brookside, I knew how this stuff all works and I wasn't bothered by it for very long! They were still putting a lock on the door on our only entrance with temporary stairs, the electrician was doing some work, and there was no water. hmmm. We walked around the house and were truly excited as we knew it would be awesome once we got settled! But, it had not been cleaned at all and the floors were dirty and have no carpeting (which is fine, but not great for sleeping on which is what we planned to do for the first night). While we were contemplating what to do, we were told that Derrick needed to go to the school to meet his boss. So, we left and headed to the school. Still really not having time to breathe, eat, go to the bathroom, etc. I took the kids to a small park by the school while Derrick went inside. I was getting a crash course in realizing that it was time to be ready to do things on my own with four kiddos! Thankfully he was not gone long, and we went back to the house only to discover that the water was still not turned on and they were still finishing up work there. So, I said, "Honey, this is great, but...we need water and beds. We need to find a hotel." We reluctantly called our property manager, Cheyenne, who is really very sweet and kind, and asked her for recommendations on where to stay. (Side note, she is the first person we met when we got here, and she was very welcoming, gave us church suggestions and was very supportive about us homeschooling as she had homeschooled kiddos as well! The next person we met was the guy working on our door. He had also homeschooled when his kids were young, and told us that it seemed like we were being led out here! More confirmation, and at just the right time, too! OK, back to the story. lol) There is a GREAT hotel right here in town and they got us right into a room, with a teacher discount! We didn't know if the school would reimburse us or not, but we knew we were too tired to do anything else, and the children needed a place with water and beds to relax and sleep. It was really perfect. They had great breakfast there too, which was pretty exciting! (And the school did end up reimbursing us with no hesitation!)

Wednesday, August 1st

We ended up staying there for two nights, because we had some difficulty figuring out how to get the water turned on (I think there was a main beneath the house that we weren't able to get to and there was some miscommunication about getting it turned on.) But by the end of the second day, it was on! This meant we had plenty of time to unload the truck, get our stuff kind of settled, and clean up in here a bit before living here.

Wednesday morning, we ended up having LOTS of help unloading the truck! We thought it was just going to be Derrick and me, and mostly Derrick as I had the two littles who needed my full attention. Because we had no back deck yet, he was able to back the truck right up to the back patio doors and unload from there! Which was kind of perfect! But he was still alone, and there were heavy items. Just as I was planning to leave the little ones in their car seats so I could help him, a group of 4 school employees showed up to help! They are here from the Philippines to work at the school, and were sent over by the superintendent to help. They were so sweet and kind and really took a liking to the kids! Then a lady who also works at the school, someone I met on Facebook before we got here, came with a group of kids who also helped! She also brought us a meal! We were just so blessed. I went back out to the car to get the kids unbuckled, and by the time I made it back in the house, everything was off the truck. It really went that quickly!


Well, this story isn't over! There is still so much happening daily. It's hard to keep track of the days now, as we have been here for over three weeks! It's a little bit difficult to put into words all that we have experienced, felt, and learned. I have posted a lot of the highlights on Facebook, but it isn't all fun and games. We are in the midst of a big adjustment. Daylight starts and ends later here, so we have had to adjust bedtimes. I'm trying to settle into housework, routine, chores, prepare for school, and in the middle of that we still have yet to finish unpacking! We have grocery shopping to figure out, online ordering, connections to make, etc etc etc. It feels exhausting and never ending. Derrick has a lot on his shoulders, but he is doing an amazing job and we are so proud of him. He had a week and a half of training before school started, which means we had to put some of our exploring and unpacking on the back burner. We didn't have internet for the first two weeks, so that also delayed some of our plans. But everything will eventually fall into place. We are trying to take one day at a time, and for me, sometimes it's just a minute at a time. Or an hour at a time. Sometimes I really miss my people. Sometimes the kids really miss their people. And other times we are all doing just fine! It's a bit of a roller coaster. I told Derrick recently that I believe God allowed all that craziness on the trip so that whenever we feel discouraged here, or like we are a bit lost, we can look back on all that happened and know with 100% certainty that it is GOD who brought us here and we are exactly where He wants us to be.

A few things I want to add about all that happened. First of all, NO one else got sick but three of my kids. Not any of the Howry family who were all there when Chloe got sick, none of Jen's family even though we definitely germed-up their house, no one we were around before we left, and not Judah, Derrick, Allison, or me. Even though were were all SERIOUSLY exposed to any germs that were possibly there. Call me crazy if you wish, but I think something bigger was going on than a possible bug. I think it was a spiritual battle, or a test....and it was crazy but I think it made us all tougher and stronger. And maybe that was the only point. Either way, I'm glad it did not spread to anyone else!

The other thing I wanted to mention here as a testimony of God's goodness and faithfulness, as well as our gratitude, is the way we were supported financially by so many for our trip. This was humbling and overwhelming, in the best sense of those words. We felt truly honored that folks who we love dearly, and who love us dearly, chose to give of themselves in such a generous way, to help us take this huge step as a family. We truly could not have done it without you. As always with things like this, we had some unexpected expenses for the trip, both beforehand with vehicle trouble, and upon arrival with electric and water security deposits! The school also reimbursed us a little less than we thought for the cost of moving expenses. But it didn't matter! We were blessed immensely by our loved ones and it all worked out perfectly. God has prepared the way for us. He told me several months ago when I was sitting at my computer looking at pictures of New Town, that we were going to live here. I knew then that when God speaks like that, I had better listen and watch to see what He is going to do! It has been painful, amazing, overwhelming, exciting, nerve-wracking, and everything else you can think of! But as I said before, the story is not over, it has really just begun. I plan to revive this blog and update you all on what is going on with us. We are feeling more and more led to connect with people right here in our community, and we have already taken steps to do just that. We will continue to follow His lead and see where He takes us! I just hope He doesn't lead us in the path of any rattlesnakes....LOL!

In all seriousness, I can't thank you all enough for the many ways that God used you, our dear friends and family, to get us here. From prayer, to encouragement, to financial support, to cleaning and packing and loading and childcare and letting us stay in your home...even getting in the car with us and driving us here...you have all played a part in this story. And many of you still are! You are staying in touch with us and praying for us. Sending me encouragement and chatting with the kids. All of these things help so much. To all who have done these and more...THANK YOU. From the very bottom of our hearts. We love you all!!!

More to come soon....from the ND prairie! In the meantime, I'll leave you with a You Tube link to a Rich Mullins song that tugged at my heart when we first learned of this job opportunity. Please give it a listen and will also add the lyrics here. And I am also sharing here a verse that my dear friend Erin reminded me of when we were first making the decision. God is good and faithful! There are no mistakes or coincidences with Him!

"Behold, I am doing a new thing; now it springs forth, do you not perceive it? I will make a way in the wilderness and rivers in the desert."
Isaiah 43:19

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BaNwTYJrYtA

Calling Out Your Name Well the moon moved past Nebraska And spilled laughter on them cold Dakota Hills And angels danced on Jacob's stairs Yeah they danced on Jacob's stairs There is this silence in the Badlands And over Kansas the whole universe was stilled By the whisper of a prayer The whisper of a prayer And the single hawk bursts into flight And in the east the whole horizon is in flames Chorus: I feel thunder in the sky I see the sky about to rain And I hear the prairies calling out Your name I can feel the earth tremble Beneath the rumbling of the buffalo hooves And the fury in the pheasant's wings And there's fury in a pheasant's wings It tells me the Lord is in His temple And there is still a faith that can make the mountains move And a love that can make the heavens ring And I've seen love make heaven ring Where the sacred rivers meet Beneath the shadow of the Keeper of the plains Repeat chorus From the place where morning gathers You can look sometimes forever 'til you see What time may never know What time may never know How the Lord takes by its corners this old world And shakes us forward and shakes us free To run wild with the hope To run wild with the hope The hope that this thirst will not last long That it will soon drown in the song not sung in vain Repeat Chorus And I know this thirst will not last long That it will soon drown in the song not sung in vain I feel thunder in the sky I see the sky about to rain And with the prairies I am calling out Your name