Our Treasures

This final week here in PA has kept this family hopping!  From packing to playing, our days have been jam-packed full of boxes and trash bags, friends and family, coffee and... more coffee.  We've spent the days cleaning and packing and the evenings visiting and fellowshipping.  Our girls have hosted and/or gone to a sleepover nearly every night since Sunday.  Vacation Bible School has made it so we've been able to see most of our church friends at least in passing almost every day.

We've made it to the final stretch; the last three days in Pennsylvania.  I think we are all approaching these last days with mixed emotions and a good deal of weariness.  There's a part of me that wishes the move was over so I could just sit down and not have to think about what still needs done.  I literally dream about packing all night long.  But, of course, there's the other part of me that knows when it's done, it's done - we are moved.

I won't be able to blog for a while so let me fill you in on what the next few days look like and I'll share our whole moving story once the deed is done and we get internet again.  My purpose in sharing this blog and our plans for the week ahead is twofold; one, to include you, our friends and family in these steps of our journey and two, to ask for your prayers as we approach these next few days as a family.  Emotionally, physically, and spiritually, we will need strength to finish and finish well.

Today, we will sign the deed over to our buyers.  Settlement will occur after we are gone but the papers we need to sign will be done with a notary prior to our move.  We're going to do some busy work with the bank and the store and then Naomi and I are going to get our hair done by Debbie before we leave.  Tonight, VBS closing program and then spending time with our friends.  Saturday, Luke will pick up the UHaul in the morning and the afternoon and evening we will spend with my family at my brother's house.  My mom's parents will be there as well as my parents and siblings; a special but bittersweet time.  No doubt tears will flow at some point that night.

Sunday morning we will go to CBIC one more time before we move (I will not say last time because it is NOT our last) and our church is going to pray over us as a family and send us out.  I cannot tell you how much this means to us.  To know that we do not go alone but that our church family supports us, loves us and is sending us out is a blessing beyond words.  After church, Luke and I will have a chance to eat lunch with our pastor and his wife while the kids have a play date with some of their friends and then... back up the mountain to pack the truck.  Pizza, playing and prayer will fill our final evening in South Mountain, PA.  I can't think of a more appropriate way to conclude our time here than with those things because, yes even down to the pizza, these things have filled our home for the past 11 years and that is how I will remember it.

We have a sign at our door that says, "Welcome.  May all who enter as guests, leave as friends"  I think that has happened.  We've been blessed with the greatest treasures ever known to mankind; friendship and family.  It is not good for man to be alone.  It is good for us to have friends.  We've packed up and thrown away lots of "stuff".  Those are not our treasures.  Our treasures are in our heart, stored in heaven where moth and rust cannot destroy.  For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.  Our treasure, our heart, is you, our friends and family; past, present and future, and above all our God, who gives every good and perfect gift.  

The next blog you read will be from a "Kentuckian" (is that even a word?!?)  As Luke would say, "See you on the flip side!"

"Now Go"

This is it.  We've reached the final week of preparation for the big move.  I overheard Luke describing to someone how it's felt the past few months as being on the first part of a roller coaster; you know, that big hill at the front that slowly click-clacks you to the top of the ride? 

As you pull out of the station, you are causally conversing with your seatmate, and then the car jerks you forward and you find yourself being pulled upwards towards a gigantic hill that begins your wild ride.  If you are like me, it's about halfway up this hill that you begin questioning the wisdom of said ride and your casual conversation becomes more focused on the task at hand, namely, that first ginormous drop.  

We've reached the part of the hill where the top is mere "clicks" away and for some reason the coaster slows as if daring the ride to take the plunge.  In front of us lies the start of the ride that will last for us at least four years and we've click-clacked our way to the very tippy top.  By the end of Sunday next week our house will be cleared out of our "let's-sell-let's-trash" stuff and a UHaul will be packed with our "coming-along-for-the-ride" stuff.  And the ride begins!

This morning in church our pastor started off with a video entitled "Now Go!" (http://www.worshiphousemedia.com/mini-movies/12126/Now-Go)   In it the presenters told us of Moses and Gideon, David and Ananias and how each of them at some point in their life heard God say in no uncertain terms, "Now Go!"  Pastor Larry led us through Mark 1 where Jesus calls Simon, Andrew, James and John to be his first disciples.  He calls to them, "Come, follow Me" but He doesn't end there.  His calling them had a purpose.  He didn't just want them to come.  He didn't even want them to come and follow.  He wanted them to come and follow SO THAT they could become fishers of men.  He wanted them to come so that they could go.

As our pastor led us through Scripture and even the life of Christ and reiterated the concept of coming so we can be going, I felt God's silent nudge over and over again in my hearts, confirming over and over again the words, "Now Go."  These next few years will be a time of growing, learning, discipleship and mentoring for us but I know beyond a shadow of a doubt it is not for the sake of a title or a job, a ministry or a career but because He is equipping us and calling us to GO and to MAKE disciples.  Not converts, disciples.  Not church "comers" but church "goers."   Not just "saved", but equipped, growing, vital followers of Christ.  Even our decision to move has been motivated by hearing God say, "It's time.  Now go!"

I have no idea where this life will lead us but I know Who it is that we follow.  Jesus spent his younger years "growing in wisdom and stature, and in favor with God and man."  Jesus spent the last three years of his ministry going; from town to town, hillside to hillside, home to home, shore to shore.  He came so he could go.  And so we "now go" following Him.  

I often wish that I was a better blogger.  I wish I could put you in my heart so you could hear that still small voice that I have learned to know and love. I wish there was a way on "paper" I could let you feel what I feel and see what I see.  I realize there is no way to make that happen.  But I thank you for letting me share in this way and for coming alongside and sharing this journey with us as much as possible.  If any of this touched your heart at all; if you've heard that same still small voice in your heart saying, "Now Go" whether it be going to meet Him for the first time or going to that neighbor you've praying for or going to the mission field where you feel led, than please don't push it down or look away.  Answering the call is not easy; following God goes against our natural grain, but the rewards of coming and following so that you can be going and making are beyond words - treasures of the heart and joy of the soul.  And you are never alone because remember, He called us to follow - He's right there, leading you, every step of the way. So... now go.

The "Not Fun" Part

Yesterday we hosted a play date for a number of the girls' friends at Norlo Park.  As familiar cars and faces started arriving, I watched my children grow increasingly more excited as they ran from friend to friend, hugging and laughing and exclaiming and glowing with excitement (and heat... it was hot... really hot).  At one point, Hannah, my oldest, looked at me and said, "Mom, I'm trying really hard to spend time with all of my friends but it's hard."  I said, "Well, just spend a little bit of time with each one."  She nodded seriously and said, "Okay, it's Michael's turn."  We all smiled as she skipped off but inside my heart twisted - I know how she felt.

You see, I'm finding it hard to spend time with all my friends too.  As the days tick by and I think of more and more people I want to "say goodbye" to, I am realizing that I may not get even that little bit of time with each of them.  I can't have a "play date" and invite all my friends from 25 years of life to come play at a park with me.  I'm avoiding the term "one last" like it is the plague - one last dinner, one last walk, one last chance to talk and laugh and be with my family and my friends.

As a believer, I know that "goodbye" is not forever and there truly is not such thing as "one last".  But even though I will see each one again, it will change.  Things will not be as things have been.  Connection will have to be more intentional and less everyday.  Phone calls will have to take the place of chats over coffee.  Skype will have to be our face-to-face and facebook our passing coversations (and can I just interject how extremely grateful I am that these technologies exist!!)

I will miss our house.  We built it 10 years ago.  We raised three kids in it. We painted and re-painted, carpeted and re-carpeted, finished it and then re-finished it.  We've played in it, laughed in it, entertained in it, cried in it and really lived in it.  Luke asked me once we are done with seminary and we buy again, what my dream house would look like.  I told him that we already built it.  Our home has been a place of peace in storms and love in all things.  My prayer has been that whoever comes to fill these walls next will feel the residual effects of a home filled with God, family, love and hope and it will bless them too.  I will miss our house.

I will miss our churches.  In our first church we learned how to love in community and serve one another, to put Jesus first in all things and love the brotherhood, and to never stop growing in Christ.  As God called us to CBIC, we put into action what we learned. In our time there, our family has had the chance to serve in various capacities confirming to us over and over again that we have been called to a life of ministry to the body of Christ.  We have done outreaches, taught classes, shared from the pulpit, led various ministries, prayed with so many brothers and sisters, counseled many others, and grew in our own walk with Christ and a refining of call and purpose.  Our times of worship together, of learning together and of growing together will be treasured forever and now the outpouring of love and support as we follow God's leading to Asbury has been incredible and overwhelming.  I will miss our churches.

I will miss my friends.  And I will miss my family.  And since so many of my friends feel like family and because my family are my dearest friends, these lines become blurred often by tears but mostly by love.  I will miss impromptu family walks and dinners, running into you at Walmart or Giant, Girl's Night Out with my best friends, game nights and Fancy Dinner Fridays with friends, random meetings that turn into late night chats, and serving together as we reach out to our community and church.  I will, from the very depths of my heart, miss all of you.

So, this blog is a lot more about me than it is about "us" but I think we all feel this way to some extent.  We express it differently, we feel it uniquely but the reality is, there is a "not fun" part of moving and this is it.  It doesn't negate our peace regarding taking this step of faith.  And there is excitement about the future and meeting new friends and seeing where God leads us in the future.  We've been blessed with a wonderful life here, wonderful friendships, wonderful love.  And it's never fun to leave that behind.

Inquiring Minds Want to Know

In a little over two weeks, we will hit the road and move our little clan from South Mountain, PA to Wilmore, Kentucky.  We have a busy two weeks in front of us and have a lot to get accomplished between now and then, so we do appreciate your continued prayers.  A lot of you have been inquiring regarding some details, so I'm hoping to answer the most frequently asked questions here so as you pray, you can know where we are in the process.

1.  When are you moving?  Our official move date is July 29.  We hope to hit the road pretty early in the morning so we can some time to move things in once we arrive in Wilmore that afternoon.  Luke will be driving a UHaul and towing his car.  I will have the kids in the van with me.  Please pray with us for a smooth and safe journey.

2.  When are you packing?  We are picking up the UHaul on Saturday, July 27 and we will be filling it up on Sunday, July 28 in the afternoon and evening.  We have hired Mark Weldon with Clutter Stoppers to help us downsize and he will be gathering up all the stuff we are not taking with us on Thursday, July 25 and Friday, July 26.  I have the feeling pizza consumption will be rather high on this weekend!

3.  What is your new address?  Thank you to everyone who prayed for our housing situation which was easily resolved.  Our new address in 1007 Latimer Blvd, Wilmore, KY 40390.  We are very excited to be located on the same street as our original address, on a cul de sac, and near some new friends we met when we visited earlier this month.

4.  How is everyone doing?  We are all doing well.  We have our moments of excitement and our moments of sadness.  We've told the girls that we know it is hard to leave friends and family and that we will cry, all of us, when we actually leave.  At the same time, we are excited to see where God leads us and we know "sorrow may last for the night but joy comes in the morning."    We've cried together and we've laughed together.  We've made plans on how we want to stay in touch with our family and friends here and make new connections there.  It's a moment by moment thing for us but overall there is a sense of peace and anticipation.

5.  Will you come back to visit?  Yes, of course!! My wonderful sister and her husband have offered to put us up when we come back to see everyone and once we get school schedules in hand, we will be able to plan some trips.  BUT, we would love to have you come see us too!! We've always loved hosting friends and family and while our new place might be smaller, we can still host and we'd love to have you and your family come see us in Kentucky!

6.  Do you plan to move back to Pennsylvania?  Right now, we have no solid plans for once Luke graduates.  While we love this area and the people here, we can't guarantee that this is where we will end up.  Again, your prayers are desired for us as we seek His will for our future post-graduation.

I think that hits the majority of the questions.  If you have more, just let me know!!  We appreciate all of the notes, messages, emails and gifts we've received over the past few weeks.  Your support and encouragement are very meaningful to us.  Whether its a gift card to McDonald's or a note that arrives in the mail, each symbol of support has touched us and we praise God for such an incredible network of friends and family who are sending us out.  It is our prayer that the fruit that is borne for God's kingdom will bring you much joy in the future as you journey with us!  

Priorities

The countdown is on in the Embree household.

Today is July 9.  We move into our new house in 20 days.  That's not a lot of time.  That is a little bit of time.  So, priorities right?  Get the truck rented, get the house packed, get the storage unit cleaned out, get the utilities scheduled to shut off, get medical records transferred, etc, etc, etc.  The list of things to accomplish seems to grow bigger with each passing day rather than smaller as we get close to move date.

You may ask why this is the case.  And I will tell you.  As we get closer to the day we pack up our "things" and move them to Kentucky, we are more acutely aware of the people we cannot take with us.  Each second that we sit in our house not surrounded by friends or family feels empty.  Over the past week we have impromptu get-togethers, last minute lunches, and quick jaunts into church for the express need to see, talk to, touch, and fellowship with our friends and family.  Our to-do list takes a backseat to you!

Because in the end, the things will get done.  The stuff will get moved.  But the memories and love we share with those here in Pennsylvania will be treasured in our hearts forever.

So, while we do grieve our separation, we invite you to celebrate our friendship and love with us over the next 20 days.  Feel free to ask us if we are busy, if we want to hang out, if we would like company.  The answer will probably be "yes" because you, my dear family and my treasured friends, are our priority.  As our door has been open to you here in Pennsylvania, it will indeed be open to you in Kentucky.

BTW, on July 17, you'll find me and the kids at Norlo Park from 11 am - ? for a gigantic "play date to end all play dates".  Bring a lunch, there will be cake, and have some fun with us!

No Rain on Our Parade

We're back in PA, "first glance" trip officially concluded.  Wow, where to start? First, thank you to all of you who have messaged me and asked our visit to Wilmore went.  I can feel the love, the prayers, and the support of each of you and it is such an encouragement and faithbuilder in me.

Second, I have to give a great big shout out to Andy and Kristen Rogers in Wilmore who hosted our family for the time we were there.  They'd never met us, we'd never met them; they served us with the gift of hospitality that comes straight from God and in response to their love for Him.  We were incredibly blessed to have been a part of their household for a little while and cannot thank them enough for the late night chats, the early morning pancakes, the Georgia-style BBQ ribs, the parade in the rain, and many moments of laughter and joy.

So, how was our trip?  As with anything in life, it had its ups and downs.  Our first day there we found out there was a snafu with our housing and it took the wind out of my sails for a little bit.  The first night as I wrestled with my own lack of faith, I found myself doubting and saying like Peter, "Lord, I believe.  Forgive my unbelief."  God is pretty incredible.  He showed me for the rest of the weekend how He is bigger than our circumstances, our feelings, our perceptions and our expectations.  

It was a rainy visit to Wilmore.  The clouds opened up and, from what I'm hearing, they are still letting loose on the town.  The Fourth of July celebration, parade, and carnival, we were so looking forward to were cancelled.  The parks we were hoping to visit were soggy.  The fireworks watching arena was a little puddly.    My whole little agenda was a washout (pun intended).

So, ditch my plans and start from scratch.  The Rogers family was well prepared to deal with our changing needs.  Wednesday morning while Luke met with his adviser and worked on ironing out our housing issues, Andy took the girls and me on a tour of their new school.  Hannah got to meet all of the 4th grade teachers and we got to play on a fun, albeit soggy, playground.  That afternoon the rain stopped long enough for us to head out to the Asbury Equine Program stables where the kids got to pet and help groom some really pretty horses.  The horses were getting all gussied up for the parade the next day and the equine students were awesome about letting our kids join in on the fun of brushing, grooming, petting and feeding.  

We got to meet the mayor of Wilmore who is also the head of the university's equestrian studies.  He was driving a pink tractor (painted by his female equestrian students just for him) and he let the kids sit on it and took time to welcome Luke and me to town.  It was a really special time for the kids and we could feel welcome, welcome, welcome everywhere we turned. 

After the trip to the stables, we hit up the local Soda Shop for ice cream sundaes and malt shakes. It felt like we stepped back in time with all the trappings of "Mayberry."  I am looking forward to going back and trying some of their other menu items.  We parted ways with the Rogers as they had a swim meet and we headed up to Lexington to the local discount theater.  $6 for the whole family to watch The Croods!! That's less than one ticket here!  Then Whole Foods; yes, that was Mommy's part of the night.

That night, we watched as the rain doubled in strength and magnitude.  It was becoming apparent that the Independence Day festivities would have to be cancelled.  Regardless, Andy and Luke got up early and cooked us a fantastic breakfast to start the day.  As news came in that the parade was cancelled and tears flowed from brokenhearted little girls, a burst of inspiration or maybe just craziness hit Andy. "Let's do our own parade, " he proclaimed.  I'm not sure he expected what followed in the next hour, suffice it to say, we did indeed have our own parade complete with John Philip Sousa (being blasted through their car's sound system), flag twirling (an hilarious attempt by yours truly), clowns and other costumed beauties (our girls were decked out), and rampant patriotism by a very soggy group of Americans.  By the end of our drenched march through our future neighborhood of Kalas Village, we had picked up about 15 more kids, 3-4 adults, another car, and lots of cheering fans. The tears were gone; instead there was nothing but total joy on our kids faces and it changed everything.  Sun could not have shown brighter than their eyes.  I could not have felt more welcomed than when my future neighbors joined our little parade and started cheering us on.  No rain on our parade.

But our wonderful hosts weren't done.  In lightening quick fashion they threw together a cookout for the evening complete with succulent ribs and new friends for us to meet.  Andy even put up an umbrella over the grill so we could have that cookout feel even in the rain.  By the end of the day, we were all pretty tired and secretly the parents were hoping that the fireworks would be cancelled because we were tuckered out.  We heard thunder at one point and thought, "Okay, no fireworks." BUT, the patriots of Wilmore more than made up for us not going to the larger fireworks display.  As the neighbors began setting off their own "rocket's red glare" our girls squealed and jumped with each beautiful display.  Tears once again replaced with joy; disappointment met with greater hope.  Naomi declared it the "best day ever." (Be assured this title is frequently bestowed on days, but only those days which bring her great joy)

Psalm 30:5 in the Message reads like this: All you saints! Sing your hearts out to God!    Thank him to his face! He gets angry once in a while, but across    a lifetime there is only love.The nights of crying your eyes out    give way to days of laughter.  The truth of this statement was evidenced in a very mild form for me this week.  I said in my last blog that the thing about first impressions is that they last a lifetime.  So what were my first impressions?  Love, community, joy, perseverance, and most of all, Christ lived out in the lives of strangers who have and will become friends.  Bumps in the road?  Sure.  Snafus in the plans?  Of course.  But, there was no rain on our parade!

Last Chance, First Glance

Every season with Tastefully Simple, consultants hold a "Last Chance, First Glance" open house where it is your last chance to buy the current season's products and your first glance at the new products to come. If I could characterize this week for the Embrees, it would have to be in this way.

Yesterday was my last chance to serve as the Children's Ministry Director at Chambersburg Brethren in Christ church.  Our theme for the day was "Faithfulness" and I helped lead the service for the last time.  In our kids department, they surprised me with a Thank You party full of cards, and gifts, and hugs, and tissues, and tears, and love.  The kids gathered around me for "one last time" a phrase I am beginning to dread as I hear it come from the mouths of family and friends that have been my world for the last 25 years.  The afternoon was spent with my dear friends, the staff members of CBIC, at a picnic/pool party where we just chatted and laughed and played and made some more lasting memories.

The thing about these "last chances" is that you don't get to do a "do over."  You can't relive it or make it happen again.  Which makes me even more humbled and grateful for the outpouring of love that wrapped around us yesterday and made this "last chance" more memorable and hopeful that I could have ever asked or imagined.

Tomorrow, we get our "first glance."  Luke and I have visited Kentucky briefly back in the beginning of April as we were praying through God's will for us regarding accepting the scholarship and moving.  Tomorrow will be the family's first chance to see our new home together.  Our hearts are nervously anticipating what this will look like.  A family that the girls have been penpalling with have offered to let us stay with them while we are down there.  A group of ladies from Kalas Village, our new neighborhood, have offered to throw us a cookout tomorrow night.  A new neighbor has offered to let us see inside their house so we can get a better idea of what we can bring with us when we move.  A couple of pen pal moms have invited us to spend July 4 with them, enjoying all the holiday activities a small town like Wilmore affords.  First glances at what life will be like once we officially move on July 29.

The thing about these "first glances" is that it's all new and first impressions are long lasting.  You can't relive it or make it happen again.  Which makes me even more humbled and grateful for the hospitality that is being offered to our family even before we pull in with our moving truck.  These acts of welcome make our first glance more special and blessed than I could have imagined.

So, with mixed emotions and many tears, both happy and sad, the Embree family embarks on our very own "Last Chance, First Glance" week.  I am resting on the overwhelming sense of peace that fills my heart each time we say, "Yes, God, I will follow you."  As my dear friend Raven shared in her testimony yesterday, you can't really explain that peace but it is real and it sets you free.  CBIC, thank you for allowing me to serve these past few years.  Kentucky, here we come!