At a little after 2:00am February 25th, 2008, I received a call from Germany. Michael apologized for calling so late. He even offered to call in a few hours when it would be more convenient for me. (I don't suppose that he would have let me sleep without knowing the joyful news?) I assured him that I was interested in visiting with him. This is what I remember about our conversation...
Michael: I can call you back later so that you can get some sleep.
Sunshine: Oh no, honey. That's ok. What's up?
Michael: Well, I have four days to vacate the Post.
Sunshine: (really groggy) That will be fun.
Michael: (tentatively) Do you understand what that means?
Sunshine: (I thought a minute, I had assumed that it meant he had a four day pass (4 day vacation) to spend some time with us while we were visiting Germany. Puzzled, I admited) I guess not.?
Michael: They told me earlier today to make sure that I had my bags packed, and then they called me in and told me that my Hardship Discharge was approved. I have four days to vacate the Post.
Sunshine: (silence....) (tears) (sobs) Thank you, Jesus... (more tears and sobs) God heard our prayers, He said yes! (more sobbing, tears, etc... repeat)
Michael and Sunshine rejoice together and recount God's goodness!
When we ended our call, I sent a quick text message on my phone to as many cell phone numbers as I had programmed into my phonebook. Then, I tried to sleep some more.
Today has been a whirlwind. I have enjoyed recounting the very few details that I have with whoever will linger long enough to listen.
I am so grateful to know first hand that God will never leave me (or Michael, or our children) or forsake me. I more intimately understand that although I am unfaithful, that He is always faithful. I have doubted, and I have had faith, I have been weak and I have felt strong, I have failed and by God's grace, ocassionally I have held fast. God is not to blame for my weakness, but I pray that He receives all the glory for any strength that He has supplied to me.
It is the Lord who gives, and the Lord who takes away. Blessed be the name of the Lord.
I look forward to rejoicing with you at a celebration soon...
For now, if the Lord wills, off we go to a familly vacation in Germany. (tears welling up in eyes)
Praise God!
Monday, February 25, 2008
Wednesday, February 20, 2008
That's worth writing home about!
We have noticed that the mail communications between here and Germany have different speeds. When we send something to Michael, I ship it priority and it usually takes about one week. When Michael sends something home, I think it takes the slow boat from China (I don't know how it gets to China before it gets here.) We have waited weeks for postcards and letters... Currently, I am checking the mailbox impatiently for a phantom package that must get here soon, I hope. It would be good if it arrived before we leave.
So I haven't blogged much lately. There are a whole list of reasons. I won't bore you. Today, I am: at least partially emotionally sound, awake (I have fallen asleep twice this week while putting the little-merts to bed), near the computer, and I finally have some news that is noteworthy. After long deliberation, and many trips over the fence and back again, we went ahead and booked the flights. The children and I (and Grandma Vivian too) are flying to Germany for a visit with Michael.
Now that the tickets have been booked and the dates are settled, we are all getting more excited by the minute. I am even letting myself get a little emotional about the whole thing. For a while, when I said "It will be wonderful to be together again", I meant it. I just couldn't let myself really feel it. Now, even typing that brings tears to my eyes.
We fly out on Feb 26th and return March 11th. We'll be two weeks in Germany. Michael will be working during the day, but we will be with him at night (he will stay with us) and on the weekends! The airline tickets were a really great deal, but we knew that the hotel and van rental could be really ugly. Jesus to the rescue! God lavishly blessed us by allowing us to stay at the church that Michael has been attending in Germany. Also, we will be able to borrow a van from some folks there in exchange for renting them a replacement car for those two weeks. Thank you Lord for your provision.
Another update or two:
Laptop back in business! Mr Dictson was able to save my laptop, just not any of the info on the hard-drive. It appears that I had a virus. I am still working on getting some of the info from the back-up drive onto the computer. Thanks Mr D!
Dr appointments... Michael arrived at his Feb 11th appointment and the Dr was a no-show! Ok, it he wasn't a no-show. The Dr was called away for some reason and will not return until Feb 26. Michael's appointment is for the 27th (the day we arrive!). I might get to tag along for the appointment. We are praying for a good report. As it is today, Michael still doesn't feel very well.
No new Discharge news. We're pretty sure that it is not in the "round file" though. Also, we heard some news that Michael may be added to the Rear-Detachement (guys and gals that get assigned to stay at the base while the rest of the group is deployed to the front.) We are hopeful!
I wish that I had more time and that I posted more often. If you post any questions on the comments, we will try to answer them quickly with a new post.
God's blessings to you. We will (maybe) send some postcards! We will probably beat them home. We are not planning any travel via China!
Sunday, February 10, 2008
"Somedays"...
This post will consist of two random things that I have had it in my mind to mention.
I took the T.V. out of the entertainment center and unhooked the cable (not that we had any channels, but we like the superfast internet) and the DVD and VCR. I took most of these items to the garage. The t.v. was too heavy, so it is still living on the floor at the border of Dining and Living rooms.
It appears to Dr Mom that too much T.V. causes quarrels, laziness, zoning out (me included), dependency (Mom says, "who wants to watch a show?" when she can't take it anymore), and there is always a two year old that pushes the power button to be followed by a chorus of screams. Yes, this was my house. Something had to go. I had to stay, the kiddos are pretty nice too, so it was the electronic device.
I dont' think the absence of the T.V. has cured us. We still have bad attitudes that rear their ugly heads, but at least mom and children aren't addicted anymore. Yea!
The "when Daddy comes home"s... Ismert like to do things, we like to learn things, we like to eat things, we like to touch things. Here is a partial list of some things that we are planning to doing together (cause it would all be better with Daddy) when Daddy comes home.
Visit the Rice NW Museum of Rocks and Minerals. Really fun place, more fun than the name implys. We saw some great exhibits, including the rocks that glow!
Go swimming together at an indoor pool. I will even don a bathing suit!
Eat Calamari. Mom and kids tried some for the first time not too long ago. Daddy loves it!
Take a really long walk on the logging road.
Clean the chicken pen (they can't all be fun things to do!)
Eat some yummy grilled food. Not long ago, I made dinner. It didn't turn out as good as I would have liked. No one complaind (maybe me) but Michaelyn did say, "I really miss when Daddy would cook outside. All the food that he made on the BBQ was sooooo good."
Take a short drive south to the Enchanted Forest. This is the Ismert disneyland.
Jump on the jumpoline (ismert for trampoline). Daddy is a great jumper. Mommy not so much.
This list is truely endless. I have to stop somewhere. Also, I should mention. If the Lord wills...
I took the T.V. out of the entertainment center and unhooked the cable (not that we had any channels, but we like the superfast internet) and the DVD and VCR. I took most of these items to the garage. The t.v. was too heavy, so it is still living on the floor at the border of Dining and Living rooms.
It appears to Dr Mom that too much T.V. causes quarrels, laziness, zoning out (me included), dependency (Mom says, "who wants to watch a show?" when she can't take it anymore), and there is always a two year old that pushes the power button to be followed by a chorus of screams. Yes, this was my house. Something had to go. I had to stay, the kiddos are pretty nice too, so it was the electronic device.
I dont' think the absence of the T.V. has cured us. We still have bad attitudes that rear their ugly heads, but at least mom and children aren't addicted anymore. Yea!
The "when Daddy comes home"s... Ismert like to do things, we like to learn things, we like to eat things, we like to touch things. Here is a partial list of some things that we are planning to doing together (cause it would all be better with Daddy) when Daddy comes home.
Visit the Rice NW Museum of Rocks and Minerals. Really fun place, more fun than the name implys. We saw some great exhibits, including the rocks that glow!
Go swimming together at an indoor pool. I will even don a bathing suit!
Eat Calamari. Mom and kids tried some for the first time not too long ago. Daddy loves it!
Take a really long walk on the logging road.
Clean the chicken pen (they can't all be fun things to do!)
Eat some yummy grilled food. Not long ago, I made dinner. It didn't turn out as good as I would have liked. No one complaind (maybe me) but Michaelyn did say, "I really miss when Daddy would cook outside. All the food that he made on the BBQ was sooooo good."
Take a short drive south to the Enchanted Forest. This is the Ismert disneyland.
Jump on the jumpoline (ismert for trampoline). Daddy is a great jumper. Mommy not so much.
This list is truely endless. I have to stop somewhere. Also, I should mention. If the Lord wills...
Wednesday, January 30, 2008
Birthdays
Next week Michaelyn and Michael will both be celebrating a birthday. February 3rd and 7th, respectively. During this separation, these special days are difficult to maneuver. We are excited to be celebrating these lives that are so precious to us, but it highlights our sorrow of being apart.
Eight years aqo... we welcomed our first child into the world. God opened our womb and bestowed the blessing and responsibility of a human life. She is a delight. We have been so personally challenged by this task. God calls us to give up our lives for our children. We realize these truths usually after a few difficult lessons. Thanks be to God that he makes first born children so resilient! She has been patient with her first time parents.
Michaelyn is a delightful daughter. This year she has shown maturity (appropriate for her age) in the development of her responsibilities and as a helpful and devoted big sister. She knows that God has made her the oldest and she embraces the benefits and usually the trials that come with her position. We are all learning as a family that God knows what is best in our family structure and order within our home. We all function best when we show our faith in God by submitting to his loving commands. Thank you God for this blessing of experiencing your Grace in our family through these wonderful relationships. Please strengthen us to resists the temptation to put ourselves first, and trust you to love our neighbor (or our sister) as our self.
We surely miss Daddy at the house. The Bible teaches that an evidence of new birth in Christ is that our affections change. We no longer desire (simply) to fulfill the lusts of our flesh, we desire to serve and to please and to glorify Jesus Christ. Although missing Daddy is very painful, it is an evidence of a great love that God has birthed in our hearts. He has given us the ability to love. We are thankful that God has done this work in us. We miss Michael's leadership and his affection (he is rather snuggley). We miss Daddy's light-heartedness and his spirit. Michael always does whatever he is doing with Passion! We miss his passionate presence at home. Dear Father, please comfort Daddy's heart as he is away from home on his birthday. Let him enjoy deep fellowship with You. May he know you as his Daddy, and as Your beloved son.
A few updates:
Discharge - As of this week, the paperwork for the discharge was recommended by the Battalion Commander (Woo hoo! God changed his heart! The Battalion Commander had originally been unfavorable to our request) and passed the packet on to Brigade. It is still waiting at Brigade.
Michael's health - The cat scan was completed last Thursday and Michael will meet with the Pulmonary Specialist on February 11th. Michael is very tired and has recently been administered many immunizations. Please pray for his body to be strengthened and healed and that he will be protected from adverse side-effects.
On the home front - My laptop is fritzing out. A friend's techie geek husband (I can't mention his name because I just called him a techie geek) is working on a solution. I am hoping for an inexpensive and quick solution. I appreciate my laptop's many practical and impractical benefits.
By God's Grace we are hanging in there. Some days feel like we are steeped in the riches of His Grace and some days feels more like a slow leak. Our current focus is showing our Love for God by loving one another. I think we will probably not ever master this. We would all be greatly rejoicing when Momma gets a working grasp of the eleventh commandment. (No this is not a "weird new legalistic pseudo spiritual rule") Jesus said, a new commandment I give you. Love one another. (Ten plus one equals eleven. My homeschool math is really paying off!)
Eight years aqo... we welcomed our first child into the world. God opened our womb and bestowed the blessing and responsibility of a human life. She is a delight. We have been so personally challenged by this task. God calls us to give up our lives for our children. We realize these truths usually after a few difficult lessons. Thanks be to God that he makes first born children so resilient! She has been patient with her first time parents.
Michaelyn is a delightful daughter. This year she has shown maturity (appropriate for her age) in the development of her responsibilities and as a helpful and devoted big sister. She knows that God has made her the oldest and she embraces the benefits and usually the trials that come with her position. We are all learning as a family that God knows what is best in our family structure and order within our home. We all function best when we show our faith in God by submitting to his loving commands. Thank you God for this blessing of experiencing your Grace in our family through these wonderful relationships. Please strengthen us to resists the temptation to put ourselves first, and trust you to love our neighbor (or our sister) as our self.
We surely miss Daddy at the house. The Bible teaches that an evidence of new birth in Christ is that our affections change. We no longer desire (simply) to fulfill the lusts of our flesh, we desire to serve and to please and to glorify Jesus Christ. Although missing Daddy is very painful, it is an evidence of a great love that God has birthed in our hearts. He has given us the ability to love. We are thankful that God has done this work in us. We miss Michael's leadership and his affection (he is rather snuggley). We miss Daddy's light-heartedness and his spirit. Michael always does whatever he is doing with Passion! We miss his passionate presence at home. Dear Father, please comfort Daddy's heart as he is away from home on his birthday. Let him enjoy deep fellowship with You. May he know you as his Daddy, and as Your beloved son.
A few updates:
Discharge - As of this week, the paperwork for the discharge was recommended by the Battalion Commander (Woo hoo! God changed his heart! The Battalion Commander had originally been unfavorable to our request) and passed the packet on to Brigade. It is still waiting at Brigade.
Michael's health - The cat scan was completed last Thursday and Michael will meet with the Pulmonary Specialist on February 11th. Michael is very tired and has recently been administered many immunizations. Please pray for his body to be strengthened and healed and that he will be protected from adverse side-effects.
On the home front - My laptop is fritzing out. A friend's techie geek husband (I can't mention his name because I just called him a techie geek) is working on a solution. I am hoping for an inexpensive and quick solution. I appreciate my laptop's many practical and impractical benefits.
By God's Grace we are hanging in there. Some days feel like we are steeped in the riches of His Grace and some days feels more like a slow leak. Our current focus is showing our Love for God by loving one another. I think we will probably not ever master this. We would all be greatly rejoicing when Momma gets a working grasp of the eleventh commandment. (No this is not a "weird new legalistic pseudo spiritual rule") Jesus said, a new commandment I give you. Love one another. (Ten plus one equals eleven. My homeschool math is really paying off!)
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