God is So Good, He's So Good to Me

The familiar refrain repeats, "God is so good, God is so good, God is so good, He's so good to me."  

That is the fulness of my heart as I reflect on the past month which He so graciously gave our family as a time away from the pace of ministry in Iquique. Many factors came together in such a way that we were able to do something we've not done before and may not ever do again, which was taking this block of time to travel and be refreshed and blessed as a family, with our family. We delighted in meeting baby Kai, my sister Jennifer's fifth child born on December 12. And we soaked in the sweet moments with my parents who traveled to Santiago to meet Kai and spend several weeks with our two families.

As time allows, I hope to share some of the memories on our blog as a place to record them for the future. Our return to Iquique, however, places us in the final weeks of summer and the pressure of purchasing school uniforms, books, and utilities; as well as completing some necessary house maintenance and catching up with church responsibilities while also investing time and preparation into the coming months of ministry. However, it warmed our hearts to hear our children rejoicing to return "home!" Despite having greatly enjoyed their time away, they were cheering as we rounded the corner and they saw Iquique drawing closer. Just for fun we snapped a video of the celebration:

I did want to share the link to a blog post (2015 Team Chile Retreat) by missionary colleagues in Santiago. Brian and Phyllis are ministering alongside the field team there and are an encouragement to many with their gentle hearts of service. She wrote about the Chile field team retreat in which our family also participated during our final week in Santiago. It was truly a time of spiritual renewal and rest for our souls. We are so grateful for those who invested in our children's lives during their separate times of learning from God's Word as well.

Through it all, God is good. We hold the beautiful moments in our hearts and we thank Him, for "every good and perfect gift comes from above." (James 1:17)