Living Hazzardously

Little pieces of our journey with Jesus

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Distance makes the heart grow fonder

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I’ve been told distance can help a realationship grow deeper. I believe sometimes that can be true. But truth be told, it’s hard to be apart from the one who you call “best friend”

 

Jess and Al, Mom and Son, living in the north, with all its wonder and beautiful majesty. But today I miss them (I miss them everyday) I try not to think about it but rather keep my mind busy with my job, chores and an evening sit with friends. My heart is up there! My mind wanders around looking for occupation! I have a countdown for that last day down here, I make plans in my head and constantly reprioritize my future projects. Today I received a blessing from a great guy, he gave me the transite I borrowed last year when I was working in the yard in Chan, I have a huge need for this tool upnorth and now it’s one less thing to “plan”.

Gods blessings keep pouring in and we are so grateful for all and any help we get. Kj and Misti are a major blessing as well, they do so much for us and ask for nothing but friendship in return! How can we not find gratitude when we are so blessed? And yet, discontent still has a foothold as I “want” so much to be where my wife is.

This weekend is a work weekend in Chanhassen for me, it’s my last time to be “on-call” and my plans are to move dirt, prepare the yard for a fire pit and soften hills so a mower can manicure the weeds that are sure to follow. Jacob is headed up with a load of bicycles and give Jess a chance to escape into a world of adult women at a “women’s church event” it’s not much, but it’s all I can do for now.

Ive made that drive so many times,  it seems to be like a drive to the store now. My two oldest sons will be visiting soon, the first time they will see the new place that we will be calling home, my blessings are abundant and knowing you are in prayer makes things so much easier.

Genesus 1:1 starts with “in the beginning, GOD…” and I’m reminded that without GOD, there really can be no “beginnings”

btw, anyone have a tiller? Tractor? Any thing to help us start a garden? Lol, God will provide in HIS timing, I trust in HIM.

The big start!

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I often get asked what, why, when, where? Tell me about “Living Hazzardously.”

 I will attempt to summarize it here.

First is WHAT:

We are opening an adult foster care home as our primary occupation. This means that we are opening our home to a few guys who can use a family setting to prosper in life, a place that’s quiet. Our new home is seated on a 40 acre homestead, and we have plans of gardening, chickens, cows, maybe a goat and a horse? Pretty much whatever is needed to provide a home that both challenges and engages our foster people. If they love horses? We will figure out a way to get a horse. Maybe they love gardening? Okay, we will figure that out, too! The idea is to provide meaningful and productive living at the skill level and interest level of our new, expanded family.  We will see how God provides!

Next is WHY:

After discovering what so many adult “foster”care homes provide (first hand for Al but also seeing so many other similar situations) we couldn’t spend another day thinking about how individual needs were not being met. So, if Al were your son, would you not like to see him prosper? Grow? Learn? Enjoy? Or would you rather he go to his room and watch movies for the next 30 years? It’s a simple answer, but a complex application. We truly believe we can make a difference in a couple lives.  Is that worth the risk? Absolutely!

Now is WHEN:

This could not be a more complicated question! The urgency to provide Al with a better way of life vs the life we have vs our other kids vs … well you get the point. God provides for us in many ways, and this is no different. Jess and I had the same idea or “dream” and started discussion over 1.5 years ago. Confirmation came in so many ways. Family, friends, the Bible, our sons…. it seemed to be the only option. So we started to take our leap of faith and changed everything in our lives to move toward this common theme we called “Living Hazzardously”. God’s provision has always been there!

Traveling to WHERE:

We needed the right place, right price, right peace! We needed a house that could either be used as is or be modified to meet the codes.  It needed to be the right price so we could manage a very large reduction in income. We needed the land. It needed to fit our dream (more of that to follow) we traveled for months, searching and visiting so many homes. We traveled from Chaska into the Arrowhead, over to Lake of the Woods, nearly to Fargo.  Then we found Spring Lake.  It fit every requirement but one, we would have to replace two windows. (That’s an easy job for us) and so, here we are, in prayer! Yes, prayer was our biggest confirmation of all.

So, you want to know our bigger dream?

It’s easy. We will be building three cottages on our land to be used for our ministry of helping marriages survive and thrive in the world of special needs. I’ve been told that marriages that have special needs children fail 87% of the time. We want to help those families! We also want to work with pastors to assist blended families and just marriages altogether. We want to help marriage survive and thrive. We will always have a heart for this. Our big dream is to provide respite care when needed, or just a place to learn how to prioritize marriage, while providing for the needs of families. And to provide for these families regardless of financial ability to pay.

Please join us on this “Hazzardous” adventure! We have many needs, but the most valuable is prayer.

Living Hazzardously is stepping out in faith, knowing it’s God’s prompt, trusting the Lord to provide.

The “Mud Run”

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The snow started to fall, we started to hear the reports! I continued to paint, plan, layout walls, spray texture the ceiling in the kitchen. More reports! More snow! I nervously waited. Still no snow, just mud. Wait, we live in the great white north, yet 4 hours drive south are inches, no feet of snow!?? How can this be?

The sunset was a beautiful splash of oranges. I watch sunrise before church. More painting! Jess cooks bacon and eggs in the little electric fry pan, we thank God, once again, He has blessed us.

When do storms matter in our lives? Jess and I sat in church (Marcel Community Church) listening to a sermon set with a theme of “Mud Run” basically, thinking about the muddy mess we make in our lives and how God can and does work with those messes to do His will. Abraham and Sarah made a huge messy “Mud Run” yet God used Abraham to be the seed of his people and bring redemption to the world!

Never forget: your “Mud Run” is just an opportunity to see Gods mighty plan in life!

Speaking of mud, our driveway is nearly impossible to get through safely! Even the UPS truck won’t try, he parked on the county road and walked up to the house, spring brings us new challenges in our very own “Mud Run”