Trip to Peoria

I definitely meant to get this up at the beginning up the week--it's been a bit chaotic around here!

This past weekend we headed back to Peoria, IL for the first time since Christmas! It was definitely long overdue. For many of our family members, it was the first time they were able to see Charlie, so we were excited to show him off! The reason for our trip was actually for Ryan to attend the Apostolic Christian Medical Fellowship conference, which was conveniently held in Princeville, IL this year. It made for a great time to spend with family! Sadly, my camera battery died early on Saturday and I didn't have my charger, so the pictures are minimal.

Ready to hit the road!





En route:



Both boys were SO good! Charlie slept the whole time, save when we stopped to grab lunch and I fed him. Then he fell right back to sleep!

When we got in on Friday, we headed to Ryan's parents' home. Unfortunately, Ollie wasn't feeling well on Friday night or on Sunday, so our boys weren't able to play together.

Alex and Abe:



Saturday Abe and Charlie got their pictures taken in the morning while Ryan went to breakfast with his brothers. The boys and I then spent the rest of the day at my parents' home while Ryan headed out to the conference.

Aubs and Abe:



Andi and Charlie:



I did get the chance to sneak away while the boys napped to see Dusty and Erin's new home! It's beautiful!

Sunday, we went to church and thoroughly enjoyed it. It just felt so good to be there--of all the many things we miss about Peoria, church is toward the top of the list. It's always so good to go home, and yet, we really do love being up here in Wisconsin too.

On the way home, Ryan and I had a wonderful opportunity to talk together. We listened to a sermon by K.P. Yohannan and were challenged by his approach to living a simple, modest life. What does that look like for us? I feel like my heart continually flip-flops. K.P. stated that at many points in his life, he wanted to take a vacation, but when he stopped to think about how many souls could potentially be eternally impacted by giving that money to Bible distribution instead, he always changed his mind--he's never taken a vacation. And I get that. I see where he's coming from. But then, can't that be applied to everything in life? Should I only feed my family rice and beans, because it's a cheap meal and would allow more of my money to go elsewhere? I wrestle with this. I don't want to live in fear all the time, that everything I'm doing could potentially be done more simply, less expensively, etc., and I don't think God wants me to either. I believe that all good gifts are from His hand, and He has given them for us to enjoy. However, I also don't think that I'm entitled to a "better" life than so many countless others. How do we strike a balance? Is it Satan's lullaby, an effort to put the church to sleep, by convincing us that it's okay to take our ease and have a nice house and car and vacations? If I really, truly believe that God is better, that heaven is better, that the rewards there are so worth sacrificing for here, why is it so hard to let go? In my almost 26 years of life, I am seeing already just how fleeting it all is, and yet I still try to keep things for myself.

In the end, we concluded that it's about seeking Him with all our heart, knowing that if we do so, we will know how it is that He wants us to live. It's about receiving the blessings He gives with thanksgiving but having open, generous hands at all times. It's about being willing, not just in word, but in action, that whatever He asks, we drop it all in an instant, without turning back even if it's going up in flames, lest we become like Lot's wife and turn into pillars of salt. It was a really good but really difficult discussion!

Lastly, another picture of Charlie, because it's so stinkin' cute! 10 Weeks:



Thanks for reading :)