A Unique Family...

I've been told a few times that I have a unique family.  It's not just the fact that we make random noises while walking in public places...all at the same time, or that we love to roll down the windows of my Mom's mini van and sing David Crowder songs in prestigious vacation towns, or even that we sometimes go searching for Santa in our Christmas PJ's on Christmas Eve.  I think we are unique because we have a deep friendship with one another.

This past weekend, my Mom came to stay with us for one last time before we move to Boston.  She was here for less than 24 hours, but we packed in visits to all of our favorite places and then she did what she has done many times over the years here...she frosted her homemade cupcakes...400 mini ones.  Earlier that week, my Mom had called me to say that she wanted to do something for the church because they had meant so much to her and figured cupcakes were the best way to go.  She also decided to write a letter with these words:

Humbly grateful for my second church family…Hagerstown Church of the Nazarene:

Almost a dozen years ago I entrusted one of my most highly prized earthly treasures to you…my daughter, Pastor Andrea…and her husband Nate.  They were fresh out of grad school, “wet behind the ears,” hearts filled with new ideas, eager to start a family, ready to change YOUR world.  And my heart became entwined with yours.
From helping Andrea and Nate to make the trip from Seminary to Hagerstown and helping them unpack, to hauling teens to activities, to hauling items for garage sales, and hauling pumpkins to Trunk or Treat here from the Amish Country…was just the beginning of my travel saga between Bel Air and Hagerstown.  And the traveling continued between our New Years/Retreat Breakfasts and opening my home up for floor sleeping room during an FOL blizzard!
And because my daughter fell in love with your families, I grew to love you too.  I watched your little ones grow up each year at Trunk or Treat…I listened to your teens as they visited with my daughter late at night at her house, and when she cried over them, I did too, carrying the burden home with me.  I traveled to volleyball games everywhere and loved on hundreds of girls in Jesus’ name in the name of Hagerstown Nazarene Church.  And I even got to visit some of your children at college, see some of them get married, and start their own life.
Then my “love affair” deepened with the coming of my second treasure, Mr. Biruk…when all of you, young and old alike, opened your hearts and arms to embrace our gift from Ethiopia.  You were there for the dinners/tea, and I am quite sure that of the 4000 cupcakes that I baked, you all purchased/consumed 3000 of them!   My heart will never forget those of you who waited at the airport with us as we cheered for his arrival.
This is a bittersweet time for all of us, a time of sadness and celebration.  I am confident that God has great things in store for ALL of us.  Let’s just say, “until we see each other again.”  Stay true to HIM…I will be cheering you on…

Much Love,

Debbie, aka “Mama Long,” aka Grammy Long

As I sat typing up my Mom's letter to print off for the church, I sobbed on the couch (which by the way caused Biruk to say, "Daddy...why is Mommy crying again?"), because I realized just how much my family has invested in the past 12 years of our ministry too.  A couple of weeks ago, I sat next to my Dad under the Honduran Sun as we sobbed together knowing that this chapter of our life was coming to an end.  A couple of weeks later, I sat across from my older sister and brother in law, in our local Starbucks, as we shared our hopes, dreams, and fears for this next piece of our life.  They have not only journeyed with me...my family...,but they have often carried me in ways they probably will never know.

I am thankful...beyond thankful...for the investment my family continues to make in the places God has called us to.  We are unique.  We are friends.  We do life together.  We are family.  And I hope that Boston is ready for all of us!

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

The Donut Story

Image
When I was about five years into being a Youth Pastor, I met a group of kids that changed my life.  Many of you reading this, who know me personally, have probably heard me talk about them numerous times.  Nate and I happened to live in the parsonage next door to the church I was serving at at the time, and would routinely come home to a group of boys that I would have described then as "rough around the edges."   They dressed mostly in black, had long hair, and sometimes even had black painted fingernails.  They loved to smoke, and they loved to skateboard.  After a few days of watching them through our window, Nate and I went outside and brought them some sodas.  We introduced ourselves, told them I was the Youth Pastor at the church, and invited them to come to youth group.  While they politely declined our invitation, we continued to invite them over and over again, attempted to skate with them, and fill them with snacks.  Until one day, ...
Read more

A Mother's Heart...

Image
It was the night before we were ready to leave for Ethiopia that it dawned on me. We hadn’t given the necklace to Biruk yet. When we had exchanged necklaces with his birth mom ten years prior at the orphanage, we had no idea when we would give it to him. We just knew that we wanted him to be old enough to appreciate it, as it would be the only thing he would have from her. We had no idea if we would ever see her again.  There have been several moments in our journey where I’ve had to pinch myself, because it has felt like I was dreaming. That night as we put our final things in our suitcases, took a deep breath, and came to the realization that we were not only taking our kids to Ethiopia, but that Biruk would in fact meet his birth mom…well, you had to pinch me, because it felt like I was dreaming. It also felt like the perfect moment to share this gift that we had been holding onto for 10 years. So we pulled out the necklace and gave it to Biruk. While words can be few and...
Read more

Stories Matter

Image
Yesterday, my family and I found ourselves at a local elementary school’s culture club, presenting about our trip to Ethiopia. Even as I write those words, it kind of blows my mind how God has continued to use our story in unexpected places. When the kids were old enough to understand, we began to talk about taking them back to their birth country when they turned 10. We figured at 10, they would be old enough to be pretty good travelers, but still approach the adventure with a childlike wonder. What we didn’t plan on, was that the year Biruk turned 10 would come on the heels of me taking a brand new job, our family moving to a new state, and buying our very first house, in an economy that felt as though it was tanking!  I remember talking to my counselor one day and sharing with him that while we had always promised this trip to our kids, it just didn’t seem to make financial sense. After all, last time I checked, Southwest Airlines does not travel to Africa. He said someth...
Read more