Hello, Summer!

This is summer. Why are we not chillin’ like this guy?

Yeah, that’s Kit, our lop-eared rabbit. He’s able to zone out with three kids yelling and playing around him. It probably helps that he’s crepuscular (your word of the day–you’re welcome).

We have welcomed the break from homeschool co-op, speech, and other extracurriculars, but, as predicted, prepping for the church’s launch has kept us busy. Adding car issues, Clint’s flight back home, my change in accounts at work, etc., have made us yearn for more hours in the day or, quite frankly, an escape pod.

But…He is faithful and has reminded us that He is active and sovereign. Fortunately, I have lost count of how many times I have thrown my head back, laughed like a crazy lady, and said, “Nice try, Satan.” UNfortunately, the house situation has been my thorn in my side. I am not patient. It’s hard to feel at home where we are farther out; a mother’s got to have her nest. I get mad when I see how easy it is for others to buy a home. I get resentful when I think of how many things we’ve said “no” to be debt-free and still finding homeownership out of reach. I get annoyed when I remember the two homes we owned early in our marriage WITH debt.

And with my excuses, He still calls me…

Child, rest in me and nest with me. (Psalm 91:4)

Daughter, this is not your home. (Hebrews 13:14)

Dear sheep, do not compare yourself to others–especially in this flawed world. (Romans 12:2)

Co-heir with my Son, have you truly sacrificed? (Acts 20:24)

My Desiree, the good ol’ days are yet to come! (Revelation 21:1-7)

(Insert extremely loooong sigh…especially since I have Shawn McDonald’s “Rise” playing on repeat.)

So in the meantime, I am trying to trust in His promises and rely on His wisdom. I am looking forward to His surprises. Please pray for my heart to be steady when I encounter inconvenience (i.e., gas is $3.50/gallon) in regard to our living situation.

Now let’s transition to some great news! The church’s new website is up and running! Check it out at kairoswallawalla.com. Also follow us on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter. We are really excited about incorporating new ways of biblical growth and discipleship with our Delve Deeper classes and groups this fall. To piggyback off the popularity of obstacle races like Spartan, we are starting Obstacle Outreach to bring people together for fellowship and a weekly exercise opportunity in an obstacle format. I am looking forward to loving and hating this at the same time!

And to the prayer requests (but let’s start with PRAISES):

• My desperation for His Word and fellowship with Him has been fierce. I feel very off if I leave the house without it! I was recently out of town talking to some people somewhat active in ministry and their shallow approach and casualness to Scripture and its application made me want to vomit. Some people treat it like a stupid punch card from their favorite coffee shop. HELLO, you inherited the whole cafe; you don’t even need to pay! Crack your Bible open, and gulp it down! (Is this a praise or a rant, Desiree?! I’m not sure if I am getting closer or farther to Proverbs 31 at this point. Let’s move on.)
• We just about thought we lost the van with a possible repair that would have cost much more than what the van is worth. Thank You, God, the solution ended up being a $14 fix!
• The clouds of ladybugs reminding us He is close and moving. BIG is on the horizon. (If you really know our family, you know why this is important.)

Now to the requests:

• The house and my heart. (Do we really need to go here again?)
• We need a worship leader. We are currently just doing videos for worship. We are blessed to have people who are gifted with musical talent but to have some new flavor (the ability to play guitar would be awesome as well) would be a great asset to bringing back live worship music to our service.
• This week we will be preparing for our church’s yard sale that will be held Friday and Saturday. Pray that God brings in many that we get to talk to and invite.
• Starting Wednesday, July 18, Clint will be leading what may be our last Wednesday night study, Back to Basics. (We are planning to start our aforementioned Delve Deeper classes and groups in the fall.) Please pray that we all learn and are refreshed about what our faith includes, how to take advantage of what we have inherited, and how God wants to use us in our community.
• Continue the development of leaders in our great core group and at the same time bring others who are not perfect but willing to grow with us on this church planting journey.

As always, please update us on how you are doing and how we can pray for you. Until next time, catch you on the flippity-flip.