Even in the desert…

Today I saw a dream become reality.

My little people and I started a home school co-op on the Reservation.  Along with two other families, nine kids total, we met and broke bread and enjoyed one another’s company.  We prayed together, we laughed together and our dry spirits were refreshed. In a McDonald’s, on the Reservation…in the desert, God met us.

You may remember from one of my early blogs, I talked about how moving West wasn’t my dream.  Well, once I’d conceded my own way and began to trust this was the next right step for my family, God did give me a dream.  As the reality of home schooling began to take shape, I began researching ways for my children and I to have community in such a remote location.  My results, sadly, returned very little.  There were no co-ops, no community to be had for home schooling families.  To be completely honest, that reality was terribly disheartening.

Sunday, a week ago, our girls came to me and said they wanted to attend public school because they missed having friends.  Sissy even made the comment that we were supposed to be showing people Jesus and she couldn’t do that if she didn’t have any friends.  I told them both I wanted to honor their feelings and concerns and that J and I would discuss and pray about it, then make the best decision for our family.  But, y’all, what a punch in the gut.  They were relaying exactly what I’d been feeling…and questioning…are we doing the right thing by home schooling them?  Are we doing what’s best for them, for our family?  So, I hit my knees…

…and then I got to watch my God work.

On Tuesday, the girls had worked really hard on their studies so I loaded everyone up and headed to a village about twenty miles away.  They have some modern amenities that aren’t available to us in the Valley, including a McDonald’s with a surprisingly clean playplace.  It was cold out and I’d decided we’d go play inside to burn off some energy and then have an ice cream cone as a special treat.  On the way to McDonald’s though, I decided we needed some fresh air, despite the cold.  And this, my friends, is where the beauty of this story begins…

There is a park, a really nice one, just inside the town limits.  We’ve played there several times and are usually the only ones there.  This day, however, we weren’t alone.  A young mother and her two children were there as well.  There were also some high school age kids there.  I watched as this mother went to the teenagers, confronted them about their school attendance and suggested they head back to the local high school or she’d be making a phone call.  I chuckled because this large group of teenage boys was clearly stressed over this tiny Navajo woman.  As they left, she began walking in my direction.  I told her thank you and she explained that they are students of her husband.  I introduced myself, she did the same and then she asked if we were visiting or if we lived nearby.  I told her we’d recently moved to the area and that we home schooled.  She got really excited and told me she home schooled her children as well.  Her oldest is in first grade.  She continued by telling me about two other mom’s who lived nearby who were also home schooling their children.  Then, she said these exact words, “We’ve wanted to start a co-op but we don’t have the skills to even know where to begin…we just aren’t equipped.”  WHAT?!?!?!?!  The Holy Spirit was all over this conversation.  They may not have the skills but I DO!!!!  I was so excited, y’all.  We began making plans to meet this week to let the kids play together and she’d let the other two mom’s know about it, as well.

And today happened.

We met and our kids played together.  My girls made six new friends of various ages…watching all those precious children from different backgrounds and different homes and different parts of the country had me all in my feels.  My heart was so full when we left today…with plans to return again next week, plans for a “Friendsgiving” and for Christmas celebrations and even looking ahead into the new year.  Next week there will be two more families joining us…7 more kids to add into the mix of friends for my girls…7 more answered prayers.

In my mind, I couldn’t have imagine anything better than today.  But God.

The other mom who came to co-op today, was a woman who just moved here from South Florida.  WHAT?!?! She said, “Y’all”, and I thought I might cry.

I told her we’d lived on St. Simons and she begins to tell me how her mother has a business partner of SSI.  As she explained the line of work her mother does, I threw out a name…

Her mama is business partners with some precious friends of ours!!  I can NOT make this stuff up!  Here we are, my sweet babies and I, having lunch and playing with a woman we’ve never met and her children and yet we have this small but GIGANTIC connection.  It was as if God said, “See, I have you…all the time, I have you.  Relax.”.

I’m telling you this story for several reasons.  First, because I am constantly in awe of the way we’ve seen God since we began this adventure.  Second, my family has been up against some serious junk since we stepped into this faith journey and my God just keeps showing up, day in and day out. Lastly, I complained about the Holy Spirit not giving me a dream, not giving me vision for what this journey would look like…not believing the co-op would ever be a reality for my family.  And yet, He was working all the time.  He was holding my head up and holding my hand and leading me every single second we’ve been here.  He knew exactly when I’d need to meet V at the park, when my girls would need someone to call friend and how the gifts and skills He equipped me with all along would be put to use.

I am reminded of a story from 1 Kings that J and I have seen play out in our lives many times…Elijah was alone in the desert and God sent the ravens to feed him.  Alone. In the desert.  And He came to comfort Elijah, to provide for him and to remind him that he had not been forgotten.  That’s what happened for me these past two weeks.  He came alongside me, comforted me and reminded me that my family hasn’t been forgotten.  The absolute truth is He’s been working behind the scenes in every way to provide me with a divine appointment at the park…and then again at McDonald’s…

Even in the desert, He is bringing living water and it is so very sweet.

Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen. -Hebrews 11:1