June
June! I say this always but it really flew by! The beginning of June held lots of random beautiful memories. Sports, math learning, toddler times, etc. All of it was so wonderful. The most special things happen at the most unexpected moments. At the beginning of June, Pastor Gideon asked if I would take the young kids (Basic 3 and below) for a separate bible study on Wednesdays nights. I agreed knowing I would definitely have to find other ways to engage them so I decided to completely remove them from the church and bring them to the prayer house so they can make noise! It has been so fun! Typically, I have them share a few things about their day and then review something they learned from the previous week of bible study. Then I introduce the new topic for the day and show a cartoon video about the topic on YouTube. There are so many fun videos from around the world on various spiritual topics, so fun! Afterwards, we will discuss a bit and then do some coloring and dancing until they call us back to the church!
Another fun thing this month was taking a day trip with some of the older kids to Accra! We went together and hung out at the mall before seeing a movie! When we came out of the movie, there was several actors out in the lobby and everyone was so excited! I had no idea who they were but I still took a picture with one of them haha! We then also came across the goalkeeper of the Ghanaian national football team! This one I was actually a bit starstruck by because of how intense the World Cup got. I was invested and then there he was in front of us! Sadly, I was too late to get a picture but a few of the boys did! We arrived home very late that night but it was such a fun day with everyone!
On June 17th, I started the journey home to Texas to visit the fam! The travel was very normal, no issues! And it was such a sweet reunion with my family. On the way back to my parents house, we stopped at Casey’s work and I surprised her! She knew I was coming that day but did not expect me to show up at her work. It was the BEST! The next couple weeks were filled with great time spent with family and close friends. We had a family staycation at my parents house for a full week, everyone off work and staying together under the same roof for the first time in years! It was the BEST WEEK! We swam and ate amazing food and got to just enjoy being all together. I am grateful beyond explanation for my family and the spouses that have added so much to our family too, we would not be the same without them. And now Murphy too! She is the coolest kid. Learning so much and enjoying so much around her! She is funny too, just like her parents! It is so special to be her aunt and it was so fun to experience more of her personality. The weeks at home finished off with Caroline’s wedding which was SO awesome, and July 4th! The day before I left we also celebrated Kelsey’s birthday! How lucky am I to have such incredible people to go home to.
God has blessed me beyond measure, more than I could ever ask or understand. Ephesians 3:20 holds so so true. He has given me exactly what I need in moments beyond my comfort zone and continues to amaze me, going beyond what I think is possible. He has been my strength and provider when I have felt empty and hopeless. There is nothing more beautiful or encouraging than reflecting on what God has brought you through in your life when you allow him to show you the light in the dark times.
