Mexican food is one of my favorite things to eat – it is also one of the easiest things for me to eat. Win, win! I’m sure there are dishes that exist I have yet to try, but I haven’t had anything that I didn’t like. Taco Bueno, “Americanized-Mexican” food, authentic Mexican food, ‘that one Churro Truck’, or my new-found love for Oklahoma City’s taco trucks… I love them all. What’s not to love?! Aside from having to use Google Translate to figure out how to pronounce what is on the menu, there is only one thing that I have a hard time with when ordering Mexican - It is so frustrating and overwhelming sometimes – deciding what to order. I mean, how can you choose just ONE?! On one side you have a piping hot platter of marinated and grilled meat complemented with sautéed onion and peppers. Toss some of that in a warm tortilla with a dollop of house salsa and guacamole. Friends, its heavenly! Fajitas have got to be one of my favorite meals! But here is where it gets difficult… it’s up against a plate of the most incredible street tacos ever – and I do love tacos! I mean, the guy in the back has been grilling this carne asada for who knows how long. It is so tender and juicy. A mountain of tacos are available; you won’t to need eat another meal for at least three days. There’s an inward pull between two things you deeply love. How do you deicide?! Once you figure it out, let me know… for now, I will be over here eating BOTH. Here on the home-front, Jack is two months away from graduation. We are not nearing the end of his schooling, but our time in Oklahoma is coming to an end. In May, we have been blessed with the opportunity to move back to Kansas to serve alongside those at Faith Baptist in Olathe. There is no question, it is of the Lord, and we couldn’t be more excited! We love the people there so much already. Our hearts are already in Kansas and longing to be there now.
That being said, I do love Oklahoma. It has become home. It is where we started our family and our home. Oklahoma has been home for the past five years. It is as if we are preparing to leave home the second time; leaving home to go home? These strangers have become friends, and friends have turned to family. The family, experiences, growth, healing, and new beginnings that happened here are more than is possible to recount. Some of the most beautiful things in life are not things. They are people, and places, and memories, and pictures. They’re feelings and moments and smiles and laughter. A huge part of my heart is most definitely in Oklahoma. It’s in the hands of my former Sunday School girls, all the kids in super church, 6th grade, Junior High, and let’s just say all the kids. 😉 It can be found in the faces of every one of my kids on bus 14, and our Oklahoma families that we have been so undeserving of. Part of my heart is with so many of the current and former students of Heartland, on the campus, and at Southwest. I know we are mentally preparing to move away soon, but I can’t think about it without tears sneaking their way out. My heart wants to stop time and make these next two months go as slowly as possible to cherish every moment. While, we also have wanted to be in Kansas since yesterday. “You will never be completely at home again, because part of your heart will always be elsewhere. That is the price you pay for the richness of loving and knowing people in more than one place.” There hasn’t been a struggle between tacos and fajitas, or even two different geographical locations, but between two things that take up so much of my heart. Now, don’t get me wrong, I am very excited to go! There is no inward struggle of whether or not it is the Lord’s will, whether or not I am excited/willing… none of that. The struggle comes in the emotional transition that is about to take place; the physical distance that is preparing to be placed between our lives and so many that we love. Simply put, this past week has been bittersweet. What a precious time with our kids and friends here, but then time stops for a moment. The insanity of super church becomes a complete calm when all you see are the faces of the sweet kids that surround you, the friends and servants that are intermingled with the children, and the leaders who have come to mean so much to you; Time slows down a bit when your precious little girls on the bus are all around you, you recognize how grown up all your kids have gotten, and a lump in your throat forms amidst all this. We are so thankful for the experiences He has allowed us to have the past five years. We cannot adequately express our gratitude for everything our people (you know who you are) have been to us! Life is about change. Sometimes its beautiful. Sometimes its painful. But most of the time, its both. Life is about to greatly change for all of us, and we couldn’t be more excited about what the Lord has in store for our lives. What better life to live than the one He has for us?! The next adventure is about to begin! These Kansas kids brought red and blue to Oklahoma, and now the adopted Okies return with a tint of red dirt on their boots. You never really leave the place you love. You take part of it with you and leave part of you there.
0 Comments
Your comment will be posted after it is approved.
Leave a Reply. |
Lizzy parkerMarriage.
Motherhood. Ministry. Missions. Archives
January 2023
|