Mis-tuh Air-won and Mis-suz Heh-thuh

For the past 4ish months we've been blessed to have some friends living downstairs. Some people may think it's a little nuts but we see at as a work of God.  Can I just say that we love having Mr. Aaron and Mrs. Heather (or "Mis-tuh Air-won and Mis-suz Heh-thuh" as Owey calls them) living in our home?  God was so clearly involved in leading us to offer our basement to them at just the right time when it would bring Him maximum glory. We love it for lots of reasons.

We love that because they are here, Heather can stay home with her baby.  We love that because they are here, our kids get to watch two other people live out a life of faith in Jesus.  We love that because they are here, we get to give from what we've been given.  We love that because they are here, we get to have friends around to talk with whenever we want.  We love that because they are here, we get the opportunity to add to our adoption fund.  We love that because they are here, we get to be compelled by their love for the Gospel and those who don't know Jesus.  We love them being here for so many more reasons but I would be lying if I didn't say that this is a big one:  Baby JuJu!

Now, how could a person not love an adorable little dude like this living downstairs?  Could he be any cuter?  I think not.

He is pretty much the best baby I've ever seen.  For sure a MUCH more chill baby than any of my three.  I'm a bit jealous, in fact.  Maybe he will rub off a bit on Addie Beth and help her learn to sleep. (Please, Lord!)

 Ok, be honest.  You wish he lived in your basement, don't you?  Well, you can't have him.  Sorry.

This is one of my absolute favorites.  I don't know how he does it, but he manages to sleep through the horrendous noise of our three loud children.  Wish I could say the same for myself!

We love you, Baby JuJu, and we thank God for you and your parents!

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And We're Up!

As of this weekend, we are back upstairs again. We're freshly grateful for the blessing of our home and thanking God for our friends, the Maxims, all that God has taught us through this season.

I remember back in April when our friends moved in, having a conversation with my grandma who seemed a bit puzzled at what we were doing. "Hmm...that's interesting," she said.

So why did we do it? Let me assure you that it's not because we're super-human or the most Godly and hospitable people on the planet (we're not). It was challenging in some ways to share our home (mostly because of my sinful heart) but I'm grateful for what God's taught me through it. Why did we do this?

1. We want to live for Christ and not ourselves.
"And He died for all that those who live might no longer live for themselves but for Him who for their sakes died and was raised." 2 Corinthians 5:15


"All things were created through Him and for Him..." Colossians 1:16

Our lives and our home aren't really ours anymore now that we have been "bought with a price." We want to view everything that we have as God's property to be used for His glory. In large part, this is why we chose this specific home over many others; we felt that it would position us best for the opportunity of having others live with us.

2. God loves us so lavishly, we want to reflect that same heart of love to others.
"In this is love, not that we have loved God but that He loved us and sent His son to be the propitiation for our sins. Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another." 1 John 4:10,11

Many times I have heard Josh tell people, "In light of all that God has done for us in Christ, sharing our home is a small thing." Jesus gave His life for us. Loving others by sharing our home is a way of reflecting that amazing love.

3. Our lives have been transformed through our own experiences of living with different families.

I could do a whole post on what we learned when I lived with the Muziks and then the Pronovosts, or about whenJosh lived with the Trainors, as well as a host of posts about what we learned when we lived with the Marescos. Suffice it to say that God radically used those times in our lives to teach us a lot about Himself. We saw first-hand from these families what it can look like practically to live life for Christ and not ourselves, to prioritize church and fellowship, to cultivate Godly marriages, to disciple and train children, to build relationships with unbelievers, how to manage a home, and so much more. Our lives are much different because of what God taught us through those we've lived with. Honestly, I wish that everyone had the opportunity to live with another family at some point in their lives. We want to keep learning from others and love the idea of being able to bless others in the ways that we have been blessed.

A bit on what I've learned coming soon...

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