Growing Inside and Out

When I was in training for overseas missions back in 2002, I spent 8 weeks tucked away in the hills of Virginia.  I still look back on that as one of the best seasons of my life.  So much learning, preparing, team-building... 

One of the ways team-building was promoted was by having those of us who were headed to the same region serve together in different capacities.  For a week, some of us got up really early and served coffee and breakfast at a shelter.. the next week, we rode golf carts around the property and helped the maintenance crew with yard work (which is the only time I've ever actually used a chain saw)... for another week, we had clean-up duty in the large cafeteria after every meal.  

During that particular week, I noticed a little girl in a family who was headed to the same region as I was.  Susannah was about ten-years-old, with freckles speckled across her nose.  Her chin-length strawberry blonde hair would bounce as she toted cafeteria trays to stack, and collected dirty utensils.  But what I noticed most about Susannah was her joy and her good attitude about hard work.

Four years later, I was married and we were expecting our first little daughter.  My mind went back to that happy little girl with the helpful heart.  Jeff didn't prefer "Susannah" for our baby's first name, so it became one of Maggie's middle names.

This week that little girl turned sixteen.

And all my dreams have pretty much come true.  Maggie Rae Susannah is one of the sweetest, kindest people I've ever known.  She has a huge heart that truly loves others.  She is kind and extremely hard-working and industrious.

She is always looking for a way to help, wether it's cooking, cleaning up, gardening, or raising chickens for our family.  Or taking a tantruming toddler to help pick berries or feed chicks. Or giving the little kids a bath.  Or sitting down with them to read a book when the chaos level has reached its max.

I rarely have to ask her to do anything, and on the rare occasion we have to correct her, she has the sweetest humble response.

I basically want to be her when I grow up.

This crowd basically grew up at this CFA

And speaking of growing up, this crowd just keeps growing into beautiful young men and women. I don't know how we got so blessed, but I'm grateful.

Another thing growing around our house

Every day is kind of like those weeks of training twenty years ago... we get up and learn a little more how to work together as a team... how to serve each other and those around us while being a little less selfish than we were yesterday.  We practice working on things that are difficult or sometimes unfamiliar, and we may improve a little each day, but the more important growth comes when we learn to do the work with a happy heart.  That's doesn't come easy for kindergarteners and toddlers.  

Or tired moms & dads.

Or anyone in between, most days.

Our first *real* apple... before we lost it to a bird. But we'll count it as a success.

Most of us have a lot of growing to do, and I suppose this training really won't be completed before the Kingdom comes... So every time we can come together at the end of the day... sit in the same room and read the Word as a family... put aside our frustrations and find a way to forgive... I'll count it as a success.

Six & Sixteen