Changes

After the coldest Manitoba winter in the past 80 years or so, we are headed south!

Actually our move south has been in the works since before we knew this winter would be so long and difficult.  The lack of sun for such long periods of time has been the hardest part for me – making days like yesterday all the more awesome.   And in His wisdom I think God knew that this past super frosty season would help with the leaving a little bit.

We announced our resignations at the church at the end of April.  How do you prepare to say good bye to people who have loved and lived with you for over a decade?  Most of all feelings I have gratefulness.   Words of life, actions of life have been the offerings of our church family to us so many times – especially since so much of our own families don’t live close by.  Our kids have been offered substitute aunts, uncles, and cousins in the form of church family.  God is good – so good to have set these people in our path long before we would know how much we needed them.

Memories have flooded me in the recent weeks.  The Sunday school teacher whom my son begs to go sit with during service, who puts his arm around my son and looks completely not bothered by the wiggling and turning.  So often I’d suddenly need to attend to something during the service, and I’d scan the rows for someone to watch my kiddos.  There was always someone to scoot over and hold out an arm to Kaden or Carson and welcome them into their family unit – and I’d come back to find one of my sons with their head in someone’s lap having their back rubbed and hair finger-combed while listening to Pastor Weldon preach. 

What a compliment? (or I don’t really know what to call it) we were given last Sunday when our family tumbled through the doors before classes started.  Like usual we were a little early so our noise is more noticeable in the empty foyer.  Kaden & Carson race each other, with some shoving, to get to their class first.  Madison is calling for my keys for something, and Adrian is trying to kiss Bronwyn which ends up in her screaming “Stop it!”  And someone truly precious walks up to me and says this is what she will miss when we are gone - the Shelveys’ rambunctious entrance into church week after week. 

We have two stuffed animals in our house that have been with us forever. Carson received these from teachers at some point in his early Sunday school years.  One is Whitey (yes, it’s a plain white dog), and the other is a large, grey dog named Phillip (I have no idea why).  They are still important to him, so much so that Bronwyn has picked up on the value of Phillip, and now she claims that one is hers and carries it around stuffed up inside her shirt with the head sticking out her neck hole. 

Madison and Adrian have both chosen to live for Christ, and declare Him as Lord of their lives by being baptized in the past few months.  Church friends rallied around them, and church family as well as my family cheered them on and promised prayers for them as they move more surely into their independent faith journey.  Church aunts and uncles have come by and written or spoken words of life and encouragement and truth to these two as they made this choice.  They have held, hugged and loved my teenagers when life has seemed unsure.  How does one ever say thank you for that?

Most often the first person we see when we walk through the church doors on Sunday morning is Pastor Weldon.  In order to be there so consistently Holy Spirit must prompt him (or he can hear us coming long before we get through the second set of doors).  And he calls my husband and boys “son”, and my daughters “sweetheart” and they know the father of the house loves them and they are welcome in God’s house.  And when they come across church-going judgmental hypocrites my kids will remember true acceptance and love from their first pastor who set the standard.

We came to this church somewhat wounded from different past experiences.  The staff and leadership team has offered us grace.  Grace in the form of encouraging words, patience as we grew and healed, and trust with the children and youth of this church.  The complete lack of reprimands and criticism and judgment has not been lost on us.  It has created an environment where God has led us to a new confidence and understanding of our identity in Christ, and His amazing love and plan for our lives.  We can only hope to give that support back to people God puts in our path in the coming years. 

My kids are losing most of what is familiar to them.  We are nudging them to see their own choice to be obedient to God’s call to a new place – not just a forced change of location by Mom & Dad.  We love our street.  Scotia Drive is the only home any of my kids have had or remember they’ve had.  We have the most awesome neighbours across the street – and you don’t get to pick those when you move somewhere.  And my aunt and uncle live down the street.  We are guaranteed at least several times a week to see Alvina walking past with a quick wave, or a “hang loose” from Curt on his bike or motorcycle.   We’ve loved that.

My kids love their Mama  & Papa.

My mom has been a constant source of unconditional love for all my kids – but especially the youngest three are still young enough to enjoy a sleep over at Mama’s, or icecream out with Mama, or playing board games with Mama.  Bronwyn says Mama’s bed is cozy, and hopes to get to go there for nap time.  Kaden knows she’ll make the best food that he likes, and she listens when he has a story to tell.  Carson finds Mama’s patience unending as he insists on “helping” with things in the kitchen.  They all feel at home at Mama & Papa’s, they walk in as if they belong there.  And according to Mama they do.  And with 15 grandchildren already under her belt, Mama seems excited to see who joins our family next.  And with God’s grace one or two more grand children won’t push Papa over the edge to insanity  ;) After all, if we let all the littles grow up too quickly, who will pull Papa’s eyelids open when he’s trying to nap on the couch?  Who will poke him in the cheek with his own toothpick, or find his jokes and tricks amazing?   And somehow I believe with all my heart that 1500 km will not weaken the relationship with Mama and Papa.

The teens are acting a little like they are in the pioneer days, and we are putting them in a covered wagon, headed away from the homeland, to a place where they may never see or speak to anyone they know ever again.  Facetime, Skype, Kik, Email, texting, airplanes, paved highways…  in an age of social networking & transportation, I have no concerns that my kids won’t stay connected to the friends and cousins that matter.  But it will look different.  And instead of sitting side by side watching a movie, maybe they will better learn to talk to one another.  But the quiet side-by-side is good stuff too…  I am so very thankful that God has placed Godly friends in my kids’ hearts. I will especially miss the howls and hoots when Madison and Adrian are watching a movie they have made with their cousins.  It’s most likely a western, and involves a clumsy criminal.  At least one character will have a very creative accent, and someone will get beat up.  Then they add subtitles, music and credits, before watching their own creation amidst gales of laughter.  Family and friends that give them good modeling, advice and entertainment are priceless.   

All this and many more memories buzz around my head as I price stuff for a yard sale, and box up what we can’t bear to part with (yes, Adrian, I did pack the pirate-faced coconut from Huntington Beach).

 

But God is so good. 

He’s promised us He will never leave us or forsake us.  He’s promised us the best is yet to come, and that He is the giver of all good gifts.  And He’s placed anticipation in our hearts.  We are excited to set out on an adventure.  We are looking forward to learning the business of property management under Dean’s dad’s instruction.  We are thrilled to be moving into a house with 7 bedrooms, among other details, that will make welcoming another little one into our family and homeschooling so much easier. We are excited to have 5 acres and plans for a couple horses and a dog and chickens and a vegetable garden and a riding mower... (ok – most of that is just Dean and the kids’ dreams coming true, but I’m already imagining the additional jewel in my heavenly crown for being willing to go along with this addition to our current circus). 

God has chosen a beautiful place for us to set up our tents (except it's right in the middle of Tornado Alley, so here comes the rehearsal of Psalm 91 again!), and He’s already provided a few familiar faces in Dean’s mom’s family that live in the area.  Already Adrian hangs on every word Uncle Rick says, just waiting to catch the dry humor that’s sure to come.  Already Bronwyn has decided she loves Auntie Sharon enough to give her a hug (those are doled our carefully by this girl).  Already my kids are feeling covered and cared for by Reggie and Jearldine, as they individually came to each of the kids when we were leaving Missouri this last time, and told them they were praying for them.  And then Uncle Reggie quietly stood on his driveway and told us, “God will work it all out.  He always does.” I was more than blessed.  When someone older tells you that, it somehow means so much.  He’s been around.  He’s seen some troubles.  But God will work it out.  He always does. 

So we will pull up our tent pegs in a few more weeks, pack away one set of passports and pull out another, and set out on an adventure.  It will probably look a lot like normal, everyday life.  But I know God has a plan.