Goodbye Tupelo

Before we move, I thought 'd share some pictures of the end of our time here in MS.

If you walk down the Main Street of Tupelo, you would never know that Elvis is no longer with us! He is perpetually getting a haircut at The Hair Co., playing his guitar, and bustin' a move.

And if you ever wanted to know where Elvis was born, well... here it is! Actually, the local gossip implies that this is not REALLY the actual house, but a replica. We'll let you all lose sleep over that one:)

Upon the eve's eve of our 5th move in the last year, we resonate with the profound wisdom of J.R.R. Tolkien; "Not all those who wander are lost." Thanks for continuing this journey with us.

News, Fun, and Lesson Learned

There has been a lot going on in the Childs household. First of all, thank you for the prayers, comments, and calls concerning Elijah. It is amazing how quickly his face has healed. I have no doubt that by this time next month, we will be looking for the scars. He really handled the whole ordeal quite well. Aside from the hallucinogenic, short-acting side effects from the medication the doc used to render him consciously-sedated (poor guy!!!), he has been level-headed about his response to what happened to him. He has mentioned several times his desire to never encounter the particular dog who attacked him but still speaks fondly of the friendly dogs in his life. This is a blessing. He has always loved animals- particularly dogs- and Micah and I are thankful this has not produced a broader fear in him.

There is one piece of information I thought I would pass along to anyone else interested for future reference/knowledge. We had a few people who told us after the fact that this trauma did not surprise them. It has been made known to us now that some smaller/smaller-medium sized dogs can feel very threatened by little kiddos at their level; even those who do not have a history of aggression toward children. The best way for parents to allow younger children to pet these dogs is from a standing position. Elijah bent down beside the dog that bit him and was at his level. This may not always be true for family dogs or those who are more used to being around children. I also am not saying this advice will always keep children safe, but hopefully it will serve as a wise word- One I wish we would have been told in the past. It is so difficult to learn lessons the hard way, but we trust in some way, it has been for our good.

Before this happened last Sunday, we visited the Tupelo Buffalo Park. It was ironic because Elijah had just spent the better part of an afternoon feeding some of the animals there. He is fascinated by them and was nurturing toward them. Andrew liked looking at the animals but didn't care a thing about feeding them. This Park houses the tallest giraffe in captivity as well as a very rare white buffalo. What was distinctive about this small zoo was the proximity of the guests to the animals and the ride out into the field with a camel, cattle, zebras, donkeys, and of course the buffalo. I had never been so close to these animals before. Hand feeding the giraffes was very cool, too.

Elijah- assessing how much feed he has left...

Oh No!!! The animals have escaped!!! Oh... Whew.... it is only the boys:)

We recently found out that we will be headed to Little Rock, AR from here in about two and a half weeks. This next assignment will hopefully be our last temporary one. We are praying that in the next two months, we have a more clear vision of where the Lord has for us to live. In the meantime, we continue on.

Eat Mor Chikin!

Our Sweet Elijah

Yesterday, Elijah was bitten in the upper lip by a neighbor's dog. Even though the whole event was scary and difficult, it is with grateful hearts that we can report that he is doing well. We spent the night in the ER where his face was repaired. He has two gashes and a puncture on the inside of his lip and some bruising on his face. Today, besides a little discomfort, swelling, and questions about the details of what happened, he is on the mend. He has been so brave and compliant. Even when he had trouble understanding all that was going on around him, he seemed peaceful and trusting. Today, every time I ask him how he feels, he answers (with his life-long "how are you?" answer), "Great~".

After the dust has settled, the ages-old battle of thinking on things that are true has been at the forefront of this day for me. We are all in the recovery/healing phase in some way or another. It is during times like these when there is no clear explanation as to why God allows things like this to happen, I have to constantly remind myself that all I know of God- His goodness, mercy, justice, care, graciousness, sustenance- never changes despite difficult circumstances. Things like this would happen more often or be much worse if He withdrew His protective hand for just a second in our tragically messed-up world. It is a good reminder to both Micah and me that Elijah is always in God's hands and that He loves him far more than we do, even when He allows suffering. Jesus is the One who offers the remedy for all the messed-upness. Again, we carry Elijah to Him for healing.

Birthday Weekend

My 31st birthday this year was a memorable one. I felt truly loved, appreciated, and blessed with another year to grow. The calls and gifts from family and friends as well as the many Facebook messages were so kind. Andrew and Elijah made sure I was sufficiently loved on during the day and Micah took me to dinner in the evening where had flowers waiting at the restaurant.

The next day, July 2nd, we were still partying. Elijah turned 4 years old! What a big boy he is~ He spent the day playing and sharing new toys with Andrew. He got to ride the carousel a the mall, then at his request, go to Chuck-E-Cheese for some playtime and ice cream cake.

The Meyers and Incisors

It was a privilege to share this past week with our good friends, the Meyers. They recently returned from Ethiopia with their two adopted sons/brothers. We prayed that we would remain in this part of the country until their return so we could see them and the Lord gave us our request! Our family has also been praying for them through this adoption for the past two years. It was a blessing to see how the Lord has made a way for these boys to be called by a new name and welcomed into a loving family. The Meyer gals and our boys go way back as well and it was fun to see how much they have grown up since the last time we were all together. It was a sweet reunion. We spent the first evening in Natchez, MS, right on the Mississippi River and then traveled to their LA home. Our kiddos had a blast. The parents just about kept up with them~ Six kids and four adults consume quite a few PB&J's! Here they are playing at McDonald's (It was Sunday, so CFA was closed... just in case you were wondering;))
This is where we stayed in Vidalia, LA, right on the water:These are some of my favorites moments during the trip:Jason was so kind to keep the kids (all 6!) twice and give Cara and me two nights out on the town. As you can see, there was no painting-the-town-red involved; shopping, coffee, and a book store is a great thing but great company is even better:)

The wonderful thing about traveling is that we often see the vast, open beauty of creation as we drive along. Each canvas given the lay of the land is unique in some way and makes us appreciate the Creator/Artist more and more. Even the massive man-made accomplishments are a testimony to His glory!

Our big family news before this trip was that Andrew lost his first tooth! He was very brave and tried and tried to pull it himself. He decided in the end that Mommy should do it... As lovely as dislodging tooth from gum sounds, I was a little hesitant. I realized how important to him it was that it just be a thing of the past so with one (or two really quick and close together:)) pulls, it was out! He was very brave~

Traveling and Moving

Two weeks ago, we visited NC for my sister's high school graduation. We had a blast! It is rare these days for my family to all be together at the same time.
Here are the boys at one of the graduation events: We also got to visit Elizabethton, TN. The drive around Lake Watauga is beautiful. Micah and I always love driving though the mountains. Yesterday, we moved from southern Mississippi to northern Mississippi. During this last move, I was confronted with feeling completely exhausted yet having a pile of stuff to do. While I have gotten more and more efficient in moving, it still never ceases to wear me out! There is that exhaustion you feel only when moving- being so tired- but no place to lie down, filthy- but clean clothes illusive, thirsty- but no food or drink in the refrigerator... you get the picture. Sometimes I wonder if there will ever be a day that we stop going from place to place. We also all miss community and the "knit in"ness that comes with being in one place long term. There are other things we have had to put on hold while waiting. The boys miss friends they have met along the way. We are frustratingly unable to make definite plans. From where I sit today, this is all pretty discouraging. The question came to my mind after reading Lamentations 3 and the author's honesty about his feelings then his hope, would I know rest if I have never known strenuous activity? What about comfort if I have never known pain? Happiness... Saddness? Plenty... Poverty? I think in my own soul, I would vastly underappreciate these good gifts if I had not experienced their opposite effect. I guess in that regard, even the difficulties are good gifts. In thinking about landing after this CFA ride, I pray I appreciate more fully the benefits of settling down having felt what it is like to be a constant traveler.

There is something to being honest with the hard stuff as the author of Lamentations exemplifies. Statements like "He has made my teeth grind on gravel, and made me cower in ashes; my soul is bereft of peace; I have forgotten what happiness is; so I say 'my endurance has perished; so has my hope from the Lord'" (3:16-18) are not void of dramatism and show no hint of disguise. I know there are days I run from feeling pain or heartache. I have gotten exceptionally good at the kind of defensiveness that disallows such emotions. But the deeper the dispair, the greater the realization of the reality beyond the feelings: "But this I call to mind, therefore I have hope: The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases; His mercies are new everymorning; great is Your faithfulness. 'The Lord is my portion,' says my soul, 'therefore I will hope in Him'" (21-24). My perserverance is far from perfect, but is being perfected. This has been a long last 8 months.

There are new things to see and do all around. The boys have alreay begun making plans to visit the places we pass by. Micah has two months of getting a store ready for a new owner/operator ahead of him.

There was immense satisfaction in lying down to rest last night. God help me not to disregard all the joys along this way.

Frogs and Other Things

One of the new things we have had to get used to in south Mississippi is the swamp land. As I mentioned in a previous post, we were introduced to the idea that we shared this space with alligators. There are many other creatures that inhabit our surrounding area, though; only a few we are aware of I am sure. We were given an up-close-and-personal look at some of them. There is a pond nearby, but these guys prefer hanging out (literally) at our front door. Our lamp post is a buffet open to amphibians and reptiles from dark to first light. It has been fun to see who is going to show up each night. Some of them even offer us a serenade! It isn't quite like Romeo at your window, but very interesting and enjoyable.

Wait a second... This guy is green and showing his musculature, but it isn't a frog! It is Elijah playing Wii bowling! My mistake~ I just had to get this pic in somewhere;)

In other news, we are moving AGAIN! To another position... to another place... to another chapter of learning, growing, and hopefully ending up somewhere permanently. May God give us the grace and strength to continue our journey "to the glory of God" (1 Cor. 10:31).