Robert

Since I took a bit of a blog hiatus there, I'm thinking maybe I should get everything back up to speed one family member at a time.

We'll start with our ever loved patriarch, Robert Jones.

Well, he started back to class the last week of September, and he has been pretty much in the library since then. The man studies all the time. He's down there now as I type. He comes up for dinner, helps me get the girls in bed, and then usually goes back down for more study. I'm usually the Jezebel that says, "Well, hurry UP so you can come watch Downton Abbey with ME in an hour!!"

Yes, her legs look crooked because it's on completely backward... BUT she was happy!

I just couldn't be more proud of him. He's overwhelmed but learning lots. He frequently makes comments like "I'm just beginning to understand these things... Seminary hasn't given me all the answers, but given me lots of tools to study the never-ending depths of God's word..." It's like he's only peeked behind a little door leading to the Himalayans.

If there's one perk of being a pastor's wife, and there are many contrary to what my 20-year-old-self thought, it's that I get to watch this unfold. I get to be the one he comes home to and rehashes all the fascinating things he's been discussing. It's a privilege.

Putting up the Christmas tree with the big girls

He's also had preached several times, which has added to his academic burden, but has been encouraging to both the hearers and Robert. His sermon prep has been even more rigorous since starting seminary - maybe knowing more makes you more afraid of saying something heretical :)

Enjoying a muddy game of football with the LTS guys

And did I mention that in his spare time this man PASSED the UK driving test?! And ya'll, this thing is intense - there's a written examination and then a driving practical. We celebrated his passing with a trip to our favorite burger place. It's gooooood.

"D" for Driver!

The cruel irony is that we were car-less a week later when our car utterly failed the road worthy test. But, as I mentioned in our Thanksgiving post, God has been so gracious in providing the needed repairs and we are back up and running!

We've also been praying hard about the next step for our family, and we'd love for you to pray with us in this regard. We're praying for God to clearly guide us to the right position in the right place for next summer, and that we would wait well for God's direction with peace and thanksgiving.

He still has time for kisses

PS - He also turned 33. What a hunk. He really does get better looking with age (and I don't mean because I love him/know him more, I mean this in a totally surface way). I just don't think he's reached his peak yet!

Opening 8,000,000 birthday letters from his girls (they just have lots to say!)

We're so thankful for this man. What would we do without him??

Thanksgiving

We're into the Christmas season already, but I wanted to take a moment and reflect on our Thanksgiving.

So, though I know this will come as a shock, the fourth Thursday in November means nothing to anyone outside of North America :) This was honestly difficult for me to wrap my mind around last year.

Thankfully (hah!) for us, LTS had a Thanksgiving celebration last year and then another this year. Such good food, good friends and good fun - everything Thanksgiving should be.

I'm hungry again just thinking about it.

We also had planned for months to repeat our Bury St. Edmunds trip from last year. Then the Tuesday before we were to leave, Ellie Belle came down with a pretty high fever.... and it stayed for 6 days! So, we missed our big meal Friday night, but decided Ellie was well enough to salvage some of the weekend, and we drove down on Saturday. Somehow Kristen magically still managed to produce an AMAZING Thanksgiving lunch for us.

After lunch, Robert and I headed into town to enjoy some of the sights from the fair. It's just so very festive with lights and booths and food stalls blanketing the abbey grounds.

We enjoyed our time walking around while Kristen kept our big girls for us. We brought this little cutie along:

After Robert preached on Sunday morning we headed home to London, thankful for such a sweet time with good friends.

We've been memorizing a couple of Bible verses with the girls and we picked a passage for this month on - you guessed it - Thanksgiving. But, wouldn't you know it, it's amazing how these verses we're teaching our children come to bear so profoundly on our own hearts. Robert and I have struggled often this month to be thankful amidst the pressure of life compounded by car trouble. How quickly we can forget the Lord's mighty provision and turn our eyes inward and onto our circumstances! But God has been faithful to lead us into his courts with thanksgiving time and time again. And he mercifully answered our (and many of YOUR) prayers for us in providing the repairs needed through generous friends to get our car up and running again.

He IS good and his love DOES endure forever. Let us praise his name together!

Unca

My family is gathered today in Florida today to celebrate the life of a very special man, my Uncle James. There is so much to be said for the outstanding and influential life he led. To be sure, he was a great and gifted man.

But for me, even more than his community accolades, I knew him as the loving and generous uncle who made the best banana splits. The one who opened his heart and home to us and took a vested interest in each of our lives. The man who loved my aunt fiercely and joined her in spoiling us absolutely rotten when we came for visits.

He was a hard worker and he gave well. I have so many memories tied up with this caring, thoughtful, true gift of an uncle (or "Unca" as we called him) and I so wish I could have been there today to join in the crowds thanking God for him and celebrating his life.

 

I'm so thankful for those I know are praying for our family as we say good-bye.