August 16, 2008 was our last evening we spent together at our home in Pella, IA. It was a bittersweet time as we ate dinner together on the front porch for the last time; something we've done hundreds of times in the past 8 years. The night was beautiful; warm, but not muggy. The corn across the road was so tall we couldn't see our neighbor's house, but we could hear the humming of their lawn mower. We played a game of football with the boys. It seemed like such an ordinary night, but underneath we all knew it wasn't. I suggested we visit the tree house for one last time, and the tears came as we all realized we wouldn't be back for a long time. Our time on our acreage had come to an end. We needed to say good-bye to our big, square farmhouse, the barn and corncrib, the woods, and yes, the treehouse.
Doug presented each child with a "memory stone" (painted by the art teacher at PCHS) and read Joshua 4:1-9. We talked about how the Israelites were instructed to remember how the Lord had helped them cross the Jordan River. We talked about how we could remember what God has done for us the past 8 years; how He has walked beside us through some stormy times, how He has prepared us this past years and provided for us in amazing ways. So many people have been a blessing to us and we know God had put them in our path to encourage and help us along the way. God calls us to do hard things sometimes, but he equips us in ways we can't imagine. Our prayer is we will always walk worthy of our calling.
