Well, the time has finally come. We're picking up the U-Haul this afternoon, packing it up, & leaving in the morning. We are very excited & I'm pretty sure we're ready.
However, we have hit a snag. The world would look at it & see an obstacle as big as the Grand Canyon. Maybe they missed the memo, but my God made the Grand Canyon & this is truly just a snag. The sale of our house fell through at the last minute. For reasons that would be too lengthy to get into right now, our buyer wanted us to drop our price another $5000 & that's just not feasible.
So please pray for us. We will be heading out to Myerstown in the morning & still own our house (not a good thing financially).
Wish I had more time to update all my faithful readers, but I must get my cherubs ready for church.
Meet the Dickinsons
- Our Family
- Jason ~ Pastor for Discipleship Ministries at Fleetwood Bible Church. He is married to Christine ~ extraordinary mom & domestic goddess. They are the proud parents of Caleigh ~ a delightful 8-year-old who is a voracious reader; Peyton ~ a 7-year-old, who aspires to be an Olympic gymnast; Brooks ~ our newest addition who is 2 & 1/2 years old & sweet as can be!! We are also raising a foster son.
Sunday, June 24, 2007
Saturday, June 16, 2007
Goodbye Old Friend
If you are reading this blog, chances are you did not stumble here by accident. And if you did not stumble here by accident, then you know all about the "Great Adventure" & that we leave for seminary in 9 days.
Well, let me tell you . . . Satan is not a happy camper. As I e~mailed some of you yesterday, he has tried everything to stop us from going. Since that's not going to happen, he seems to have changed his tactics . . . he is now doing everything in his power to rob us of our joy.
It all started on Wednesday afternoon . . . .
The girls, my 2 best friends, & I spent the day at our new townhouse, taking measurements & figuring out where all of our furniture would best fit. For those of you who don't know us personally, we currently live in a fairly large 4~bedroom home with a finished basement, 2 attics, 2 sheds, & space GALORE! We are moving into a 2~bedroom townhouse with NO extra space. Things will be tight. But believe me when I tell you, I was completely content ALL DAY. Sure, we ran into a few things that I'm not going to have room for after all & they'll have to go into storage, but I was okay with that. I'm not being boastful, just realistic when I say that God has given me the ability to see the potential in any space. As my sister reminds me, "Little is in!" Things were good & I was happy. Until mid~afternoon. Through the grapevine, we were told that a 3~bedroom townhouse might be opening up & then we had the opportunity to see one. That ol' tempter . . . he's good. As soon as I saw a 3~bedroom & the amount of extra space, I could feel the discontent creeping in. It felt as though an entire day of peace & joy came to a screeching halt.
Around 3 am the following morning, I woke up feeling awful. And then came the violent vomiting. I was so sick, Jason had to stay home from work to take care of the girls. I couldn't even get myself out of bed. This lasted all day. Towards evening, Jason decided to take the girls to Walmart to get some groceries. I made up a list & sent them on their merry way. I wasn't expecting them back until 8:30 at the earliest. When Jason called me at 8 asking me to meet them out front, I knew that couldn't be good. Now, I have this story 2nd hand, but here's what happened:
There was Jason, in the middle of Walmart, with a cart half filled with groceries. Peyton was sitting in the front seat & Caleigh was sitting in the body of the cart amongst the groceries. Several aisles in, Jason told Caleigh she was going to have to get out of the cart & walk because the cart was getting too full of groceries. She was not happy about that, so like any good dad, Jason tried to bribe her with Dora fruit snacks. Caleigh proceeded to tell Jason that she didn't want any fruit snacks because her "tummy wasn't feeling berry well." A mere 30 seconds later, everything was covered with vomit ~ Caleigh, the groceries, Walmart's floor, & Jason. It was a race to get the girls out of the store (without groceries). The poor thing continued to be sick in Jason's car. By the time they got home, Caleigh was looking awful. We got her cleaned up & in bed, only to be awakened several times during to night to change sheets, jammies, & clean out "the bucket."
When morning came, I greeted a very bleary~eyed Jason. Not only had he lost sleep helping me with our sick child, but now he wasn't feeling well himself. However, with no sick days left, it was off to work.
For those of you who are not pet lovers, the next portion of our trials will seem like no big deal, but many of you know that our pets are like family. And last night, we had to say goodbye to a family member.
We are not able to have pets at our new home, so we had to say goodbye to our beloved Livvy. We are so thrilled that the Lord worked out the situation so perfectly that she has gone to live with life~long friends of Jason's family. They are complete dog fanatics & we know that she will be loved & cared for. It is the best that we could ever have hoped for her. However, the sting is still there. She was my dog & I will miss her greatly.
If you think of our family in the days to come, please pray for us. We know that we are on Satan's radar. However, we also know that God will not allow anything to touch us without HIS permission. It is our sincerest pray that we respond will to these fiery darts.
Well, let me tell you . . . Satan is not a happy camper. As I e~mailed some of you yesterday, he has tried everything to stop us from going. Since that's not going to happen, he seems to have changed his tactics . . . he is now doing everything in his power to rob us of our joy.
It all started on Wednesday afternoon . . . .
The girls, my 2 best friends, & I spent the day at our new townhouse, taking measurements & figuring out where all of our furniture would best fit. For those of you who don't know us personally, we currently live in a fairly large 4~bedroom home with a finished basement, 2 attics, 2 sheds, & space GALORE! We are moving into a 2~bedroom townhouse with NO extra space. Things will be tight. But believe me when I tell you, I was completely content ALL DAY. Sure, we ran into a few things that I'm not going to have room for after all & they'll have to go into storage, but I was okay with that. I'm not being boastful, just realistic when I say that God has given me the ability to see the potential in any space. As my sister reminds me, "Little is in!" Things were good & I was happy. Until mid~afternoon. Through the grapevine, we were told that a 3~bedroom townhouse might be opening up & then we had the opportunity to see one. That ol' tempter . . . he's good. As soon as I saw a 3~bedroom & the amount of extra space, I could feel the discontent creeping in. It felt as though an entire day of peace & joy came to a screeching halt.
Around 3 am the following morning, I woke up feeling awful. And then came the violent vomiting. I was so sick, Jason had to stay home from work to take care of the girls. I couldn't even get myself out of bed. This lasted all day. Towards evening, Jason decided to take the girls to Walmart to get some groceries. I made up a list & sent them on their merry way. I wasn't expecting them back until 8:30 at the earliest. When Jason called me at 8 asking me to meet them out front, I knew that couldn't be good. Now, I have this story 2nd hand, but here's what happened:
There was Jason, in the middle of Walmart, with a cart half filled with groceries. Peyton was sitting in the front seat & Caleigh was sitting in the body of the cart amongst the groceries. Several aisles in, Jason told Caleigh she was going to have to get out of the cart & walk because the cart was getting too full of groceries. She was not happy about that, so like any good dad, Jason tried to bribe her with Dora fruit snacks. Caleigh proceeded to tell Jason that she didn't want any fruit snacks because her "tummy wasn't feeling berry well." A mere 30 seconds later, everything was covered with vomit ~ Caleigh, the groceries, Walmart's floor, & Jason. It was a race to get the girls out of the store (without groceries). The poor thing continued to be sick in Jason's car. By the time they got home, Caleigh was looking awful. We got her cleaned up & in bed, only to be awakened several times during to night to change sheets, jammies, & clean out "the bucket."
When morning came, I greeted a very bleary~eyed Jason. Not only had he lost sleep helping me with our sick child, but now he wasn't feeling well himself. However, with no sick days left, it was off to work.
For those of you who are not pet lovers, the next portion of our trials will seem like no big deal, but many of you know that our pets are like family. And last night, we had to say goodbye to a family member.
We are not able to have pets at our new home, so we had to say goodbye to our beloved Livvy. We are so thrilled that the Lord worked out the situation so perfectly that she has gone to live with life~long friends of Jason's family. They are complete dog fanatics & we know that she will be loved & cared for. It is the best that we could ever have hoped for her. However, the sting is still there. She was my dog & I will miss her greatly.
If you think of our family in the days to come, please pray for us. We know that we are on Satan's radar. However, we also know that God will not allow anything to touch us without HIS permission. It is our sincerest pray that we respond will to these fiery darts.
"Satan has asked to sift you as wheat, but I have prayed for you, that your faith may not fail."
Monday, June 11, 2007
The EST Countdown
We have started the official EST countdown. We move in 14 days!! Everyday is filled with lots to do ~ packing, sorting, purging, packing some more!! But with all that work, I am amazed that no matter how many boxes I pack, the pile of what I still have left to pack doesn't seem to be getting any smaller.
We are also in phonecall/appointment mode. All the important phonecalls need to be made ~ turning off the electric here & turning it on in Myerstown; turning off the phones here & turning them on in Myerstown; transferring all our mail to Myerstown. And all important appointments need to be made & attended ~ eye doctors, physicals, surgery.
Speaking of surgery . . . thank you for all of your prayers for Peyton. She had surgery this morning to put tubes in her ears & she came through it like a champ. She is currently sleeping comfortably. The doctors hope that this will fix all of Peyton's illness issues. We are just so grateful that God orchestrated things in such a way that Peyton was able to have the procedure & her follow-up appointment before we leave for seminary.
Please continue to pray for our family. We hit a small snag regarding the sale of our home. But the Lord already knows the outcome ~ we just need to be patient & wait for His perfect timing. A possible job opportunity has opened up for me & Jason. We should know more later on in the week.
And here are some pictures of our beautiful girls . . . . . . Please continue to keep them in your prayers as well. Caleigh is having a hard time with all the boxes & disorder in our home. She knows all about the move, but is still a little unnerved by having her schedule so disrupted.
We are also in phonecall/appointment mode. All the important phonecalls need to be made ~ turning off the electric here & turning it on in Myerstown; turning off the phones here & turning them on in Myerstown; transferring all our mail to Myerstown. And all important appointments need to be made & attended ~ eye doctors, physicals, surgery.
Speaking of surgery . . . thank you for all of your prayers for Peyton. She had surgery this morning to put tubes in her ears & she came through it like a champ. She is currently sleeping comfortably. The doctors hope that this will fix all of Peyton's illness issues. We are just so grateful that God orchestrated things in such a way that Peyton was able to have the procedure & her follow-up appointment before we leave for seminary.
Please continue to pray for our family. We hit a small snag regarding the sale of our home. But the Lord already knows the outcome ~ we just need to be patient & wait for His perfect timing. A possible job opportunity has opened up for me & Jason. We should know more later on in the week.
And here are some pictures of our beautiful girls . . . . . . Please continue to keep them in your prayers as well. Caleigh is having a hard time with all the boxes & disorder in our home. She knows all about the move, but is still a little unnerved by having her schedule so disrupted.
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