Fruition is the word that comes to mind when thinking about
this year. Fruition - the point at which
a plan or project is realized; the state or action of producing fruit. Abigail and I are quite an interesting
combination when it comes to plans, projects, action, and producing fruit. My plans typically tend toward hazy grand dreams. My dreams are generally set against the
backdrop of majestic mountains, bubbling brooks, and fields of
tranquility. Gentle folk music is
playing in the background (as it currently is while I write this). I don’t always have a concrete plan to reach
these grand dreams. Abigail, on the
other hand, has entire sections of her planner devoted to plans that she has
for each area of our lives. Not only
does she know each step to take along the way to achieve her plan, but she has
researched enough to know that each step in the plan is truly the most
efficient way of doing things. She
doesn’t look too far ahead or reach beyond a logical goal, but keeps her plans
firmly planted in present reality. Our
present life doesn’t exactly reflect our dreams and plans of even a few years
ago, but it does seem that we are coming to a place of greater groundedness and
clarity of vision.
One of our favorite things about this year is that we’ve
spent more time outside. For me, this
has simply meant going out and doing what I enjoy rather than wishing I did it
more. And I believe I have Charlotte
Mason (19th century British educator) to thank for Abigail’s
newfound appreciation for the outdoors.
Even in the month of June (that’s right, June!), Abigail was taking the
boys outside for hikes on the Ruby Jack Trail near our house. I loved seeing all the pictures of the
natural treasures found on their hikes. Together,
we have explored the dry creek beds of Shoal Creek tributaries around Wildcat
Glades; we’ve crawled through the dark passages of bluff caves at Blowing
Springs and emerged on the other side; we’ve crossed the tree bridges at Walter
S. Woods; we’ve chased beavers around the pond at George Washington
Carver. I wanted to be in Colorado or
Oregon. The Ozarks don’t have the
striking beauty of those places; but the more I embrace this place where I’m
planted, the more I appreciate its modest, rugged beauty. I’m happy that our boys are here, playing and
exploring, having their hearts, minds, and imaginations shaped in these hills,
woods, and streams.
Paul David Tripp says that we should see our children’s
disobedience, fighting, and bad attitudes as opportunities to point them to the
transforming grace of Jesus rather than inconveniences. Well, with four boys between the ages of 6
and 1 ½, let us say that we have ample opportunities to point them to the
transforming grace of Jesus. They are
more exhausting and more enjoyable than we could have imagined. Amos’s determination is truly amazing to
watch. He probably practiced his
headstand for 45 minutes a day for nearly a month until he had it perfected. At six years old, he has already read more
than I have in 33 years. That might be
an exaggeration, but only slightly.
Today, we were walking up the hill toward our house, and I saw Amos slow
to the back of the pack so that he could help his baby brother. It’s amazing to watch him grow and mature. Silas, 5, would spend all of his time outside
if he could. This year, he has learned
how to ride a bike without training wheels, how to swing by himself, how to
jump into the lake and swim under water, how to not freak out when he sees a
dog (well, we’re still working on that one). Ivan, 3, loves to stab his siblings with
spoons, push his little brother down, and yell at Silas. And this is just today’s list! J He is feisty.
But he’s also our most expressive.
Sometimes, I will just be walking along with him, and he will say, “I love
you, Dad.” I would kind of like to
freeze time with him right now. At a
year and a half, Conrad’s personality has really started to emerge. Last night, our small group helped serve at
Watered Gardens, a homeless shelter in Joplin.
Conrad was smiling and waving at everyone. He doesn’t know a stranger.
Just about two years ago, I started a certification program
in Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages. Two years ago, we thought we were going to go
overseas and teach. But it was probably
last February or March when we really started to feel that the Joplin/Carthage
area is where we really need to be for the foreseeable future. This is due in large part to really
appreciating our church. This is where
we want to connect, grow, and serve. I’m
still amazed! This embrace of where we
are and desire to be here is a new thing for us. About the time we realized we didn’t have intentions
of leaving, I started applying for ESL jobs in the area. I am so thankful that I ended up getting a
job as an ESL teacher at a great elementary school in Carthage, less than 10
minutes from our house. As with any job,
some days are really a challenge. But
this is the first time I can truly say that I enjoy my job and I actually feel
like I’m doing it with some effectiveness.
I can see the combination of my eight, mostly difficult, years of
experience and the knowledge I gained from my ESL courses coming together to
allow me to serve these kids well. Thank
you, Jesus! We have tried to get
connected in serving the international and immigrant community over the last
few years. We had a few Saudi
international students we attempted to connect with; we tried to find ways to
connect with the immigrant community at Noel.
But nothing we did really seemed to work out. We’ve recently had some friends connect us
with an African immigrant who lives in Joplin to teach him English and the
Bible. After so many attempts to serve
that didn’t seem to work out, we’re just grateful for this opportunity. It’s been such a great experience and I hope
to continue doing this for years to come.
Another change for this year was the great move of
2017. We literally moved 45 seconds down
the road. It is a little stone cottage
on 4 park-like acres on the river. The
boys have so much space to run and explore.
I’ve been able to spend several mornings praying on the dock, watching
the sun rise over the river. We’ve only
been here for about two months and it still feels a bit surreal. So many things had to fall in place for us to
be able to buy the place. Abigail and I
said many times, “This shouldn’t have worked out.” What a good gift. We don’t deserve it, and we couldn’t have
forced it to work out no matter how hard we tried. But here we are, and we’re thankful for
it.
Sometimes
we have good plans that don’t work out.
Sometimes we have bad plans that do work out, but we don’t know they’re
bad until they actually come to pass.
What a mess. We really just have
to trust that God is faithful, that He really is in control, that He really is
for us and is working to make us more like Jesus for his glory. Even when you’re in an eight year job slump;
even when you think you’d rather live somewhere else; even when your attempts
to serve don’t work out the way you thought they would. If we keep our eyes on Him, if we embrace
where he has us now, if we love the people right in front of us, we can’t go
wrong. I’m glad we’re in a season where
we are seeing things come together in a good way that we didn’t really
imagine. God is faithful. And I know we’ll have other years where we
wonder what in the world is going on.
And He will still be faithful.
How could we not trust the God who became a man and stepped into the
mess we’d made so that he could suffer and die to bring us life and joy in Him?
Merry Christmas from the Vance Family, Amos (6), Silas (5), Ivan (3) and Conrad (1 1/2)
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