Well, we are officially operating at a much faster speed these days! A couple weeks ago we loaded up the car and made the two day trek from Nebraska to South Carolina to spend some time with my brother's family. Their life has changed quite a bit since the last time we saw them- they've moved from a family of five to (with the addition of three foster children) a family of eight. At the moment they have a three year old girl and two baby boys, one 3 months and the other 4 months. Currently we have 7 kids under the age of six under this roof! Whew!
Having so many kids definitely makes makes the house crazy, and impossible to keep clean, but it also makes life so FULL. I love seeing so many smiling faces, watching them run and laugh and dog pile on top of Lindsey. My heart just swells when I see the joy in their hearts. I think sometimes you have to embrace the imperfections- the crying babies (who always seem to be staged revolts at the worst possible times), scraped knees, and pee on the floor. This is a really hard thing to do. There's nothing like being totally surrounded by small children to teach you about extending extra grace and love to yourself and everyone around you! (Refined by fire is perhaps the best phrase)
It certainly is not an easy life, and I'm sure Lindsey longs for a full nights sleep or just a little bit of personal time, but I don't really believe that God has called us to have easy lives. He has called us to love His people, to care for orphans, practice hospitality, offer ourselves as living sacrifices. These are tasks only achievable through the power and grace of God, and it has been so awesome being able to witness this family attempting to live out their calling. I just feel so honored to be a part of their ministry, even if just for a little while.
