We are in the middle of a lockdown because of COVID 19. Everyone is home and we are all driving each other crazy. The boys are fighting while my husband is on the phone with coworkers, and I do not like it all.

I don't like it so much that I actually prayed it was alright for Jesus to take me during the night. 

But I woke up the next morning to find them all fighting again.

What would you do?

I took away their screens. The fighting actually got louder.

I talked to them about getting along with each other. Justin yelled at Aidan and Jordan for not listening.

I yelled at them when the noise was just too much for me to bear it all.

And then I saw something...

In the living room, dog-piled on the new chair, were all three boys lying on each other laughing, playing, and carrying on.

I was shocked!

They were speaking loudly.

Is this just their way? I ask this so quietly I barely heard myself.

That moment is just how my clan rolls.

They fight and argue with each other. It's loud and brash and awful.

They also have loving moments where you are just so surprised that you are witnessing it.

Yesterday, Justin was trying really hard to get Aidan to get the healthy rice that was served for lunch. He actually recorded it on his phone.

I did catch both Aidan and Justin laughing later at the video that resulted. Aidan knew how ridiculous he was being.

Jordan had trouble that day with food, which is just him in a nutshell. My baby that had so many food allergies has many food items that he does not like. He has trouble with spaghetti, not enjoying the sauce. He also does not kimchi or kimchi.

Yes, you read that right. He is a Korean kid that does not like kimchi. 

Their stubbornness comes out when they are fighting, but the love they have for each other also spills forth.

And this the blessing of family in all of its unusual glory.

We all have moments where we put things aside, work with the person who is telling us something we really do not want to hear, smile, and keep going.

We are all children of God and we know it.
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We give because we love each other.

But I really do wish the house was quieter!

​God bless your New Year!
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The boys and I are on vacation! Last week, we went to Elior Camp in Tae-an. This is fairly close to the beach which is great except that it rained a little too much! But the boys enjoyed playing with their friends and I enjoyed listening to sermons related to being children of God. 

Children of God was the theme of this camp. I was in charge of the Bible verses that needed to be memorized before meals. Four days of memorizing verses for breakfast, lunch, and supper does take it's toll on people. Near the end of the last day, the Koreans were more than a little weary from everything and I did extend some grace their way. They were just required to read those verses. It's biblical to give grace, don't you think?

As I meditated on the verses, the theme of suffering kept appearing. After we have suffered a little while, we will enjoy the fellowship and grace that Christ extends and become children of God. We are children of God.

It was good to see old faces and I enjoyed the new people I met. We went swimming on the second day out in the ocean. I remember I was having trouble going completely under water. I was a child playing in front of my maker. I remember taking a nap that afternoon. It was only about twenty minutes but it felt good. I felt like I was being taken care of. God was there. I walked home with two African students. One was from Swaziland and the other was from South Africa. I loved listening to their accented as they compared notes on what had gone on that afternoon. The one was giving the other a hard time about finding a boyfriend. "My mother said that I should study. Don't look around for boys. You can look for a boy back home!" I remembering things that they were just so young and full of life. Children of God.

I taught a short lesson on Zaccheus to the children. They were running around and screaming quite a bit, including Aidan and Jordan! I was trying to teach them a song about Zaccheus and how much he had changed. He did a 180 turn around. That short tax collector was changed by that encounter with Jesus up in the tree. He went from bad to good. He was darkness and became light. He stopped stealing money and probably returned quite a bit of it. Zaccheus was a child of God. 

We wandered in the sand-dunes the following day before it rained. We were dressed in white so it was easy to spot everyone. Jordan, of course, slowed right down until we were close to being dead last. I remember seeing pockets of white and looking out over the ocean. It really was amazing. I had this great picture of what the Red Sea must have looked like right after the big miracle where the waters parted. We then started moving through 'the wilderness'. Sand-dunes just covered the area and I was paying attention to all the flowers that were popping up everywhere. 'The wilderness' really was beautiful. And right on the edge of the sand-dunes were trees. A forest of trees to get lost in. It was a lovely hour where I felt like an Israelite. We wandered, we walked, we enjoyed, we complained. We did everything the Israelites did. 

I also remember the drinks the ladies bought immediately following this. It had started to rain just as we finished and I remember thinking that it was just interesting timing. As we tucked into a small convenience store, the ladies went looking for ice coffee and drinks for the children. Very thirsty children of God. 

This was the theme for the week extending all the way into Sunday night's prayer time. (We pray together as a family every Sunday around 8:00 pm!). Jordan thanked God for lemonade after the English Sunday School was finished! He also thanked God for his brothers and his mom and Dad. Aidan was a little more serious in thanking God for lemonade and lunch. Please notice the L's in that last sentence. He also was thanked God for family and prayed for mommy and daddy. Justin also thanked God for his shoes! And he prayed for God's blessing on our family. 

They are a mischievous bunch but they are my family and I love them all, including that the big one! (Yes, Daddy!) We are all children of God.