by Kimmie Liette | Jun 2, 2016 | Writings |
Have you ever felt stuck in a season where not a lot was going on?
That’s how I had been feeling and it was ridiculously hard. I kept waiting for what was next and I felt like I was meant to do so much more, but yet I did nothing of importance.
Almost a year ago I quit my job. It was an amazing job, but I just felt as if it was what I needed to do to prepare for the future. My husband also quit his job, took a part time job and started pursuing Real Estate. The transition was rough, but little did we know what exactly we were preparing for.
Kimberly is wearing the ‘Courage’ Key Necklace from The Giving Keys.
I was starting to get depressed because I’ve always been a social butterfly and now I was working from home with no one around. It was boring, lonely and felt like such a waste of time.
Eventually, Brady bought me the cutest puppy and that helped a little having a friend around. It was also annoying because I had to keep cleaning up after him, if you know what I mean. I left Harlow (our puppy) for the first time when we went on vacation to see Brady’s family and I missed him so much.
When we returned from that vacation, we weren’t prepared to face what was about to happen.
Not only did Harlow seem to have grown so much, but our family was about to grow at a much quicker rate then we ever planned.
We got a text asking us if we knew of a home for three sisters, not realizing that this person had a specific home in mind: ours. When they did make that clear, we knew what the answer was. They did not pressure us at all, just thought it would be a good fit. Though it didn’t seem plausible, we said yes and opened our home to three of the most amazing little girls in the world.
With only a two bedroom condo, one car, and a very humble salary, our little home was filled with giggles and tutus.
We may have been in shock for a few weeks or more trying to adjust to this totally new life, but every worry and every need we had was met by an incredible God and those who were obedient to be His hands and feet to our family.
He is the One who makes the impossible things come to pass at the perfect timing. When we said “Yes” to opening our home, we knew that without God it wasn’t going to work. Yet, we took that huge step of faith and He never let us down.
Not only that, but the past seven months before when I was transitioning into being a stay at home wife and had no idea why, God knew the answer was three precious sisters who needed us, and that we needed them.
Never underestimate that transitional period of your life when you feel as if nothing much is going on. You might just be around the corner from the biggest miracle you’ll ever encounter. When that big thing shows up on your front door one day and you see it as impossible, remember that if God calls you to it, He will make a way for it to happen.
I was absolutely terrified when that “yes” left my mouth (actually my thumbs since I was texting). I cried for a week when those girls came into my home because I instantly became a mom of three with no prior experience, and I still get nervous that I am not being the best mom I can be. Yet, no matter how uncertain I might be sometimes, the obedience of saying yes is worth it. I wouldn’t change a thing in the world if it meant not having these girls in our home right now.
I don’t know what the future holds, but today is what matters.
I just need to give my very best today. When tomorrow comes, I simply need to do the same thing.
Be courageous and do whatever it is you know you’re meant to do, even if it totally scares you, because once you say yes, you’ll see the miracles and you’ll look back and know it was so worth it.
Haven’t I commanded you: be strong and courageous? Do not be afraid or discouraged, for the LORD your God is with you wherever you go.” – Joshua 1:9
by Kimmie Liette | Jul 19, 2013 | Writings
She rests her heavy head on the pillow hidden in the secret of her florescent orange tent. The smell of withering sheep droppings fills the air of the pasture she now calls home. Albania is this sweet, mountainous country full of shy smiles and shoes that don’t fit the children with whom she plays. Yet, joy radiates from her being like a shooting star in a velvet black sky: undeniable.
When I first arrived in Lezhe, Albania, I did not know what to expect of my first month on the world race. My squad has now been here for a little over a week working at camp ‘Light force’. Underprivileged village children between the ages of six and fourteen stay here for a week at a time. My team works with a group of kids that we are with everyday from 8:00 am until 9:00 pm. These children are identified by their schools and picked for this camp, making it free to them. Being at this camp gives these children an opportunity to play and just be kids. Also, to feel loved in a way that many of them never have been shown before because of the lack of affection and trust in the culture. The young children have many heavy responsibilities at home such as tending to their family farms. Some have even had to leave camp early to care for their livestock that produce the family income as well as their food. I absolutely love these children, they are filled with so much joy and are tremendously thankful for the toys they get to play with which are in less than perfect conditions.
In my life, I believe that the world race is the beginning of a new season. By not just stepping, but lunging out of my comfort zone, the chains of my old life have fallen off. Every time I take a leap further into the unknown and the uncomfortable, I feel the weights that I have tied on, plummet to the ground. The familiar is home to the mundane, but if you want to fly, throw yourself where you do not want to be: The uncomfortable. Test the limits of your heart and find yourself surprised at the feeling of unexpected satisfaction.
Though we brought our tents, I did not expect to ever use them, and yet every night I sleep in one with my husband along with eleven dirty sheep in their small pasture. It is impossible to take one step without placing your feet on their droppings. I have hand-washed all of our clothes and leave them out to dry in the scorching hot sun. Since the camp is sustained by the farm that it is on, the pigs, sheep and cows produce a constant aroma. The shower that we use is always cold and is literally over a squatty potty. This means we are spreading our legs over a filthy hole in the floor to try and get clean. To us Americans, this is the epitome of foreign. However, this is all that these children have ever known.
In just this week alone on the camp I have seen a majority of the children with cheap flip-flops that are far too small for their growing feet and a boy with a hot pink suitcase with the word ‘lipstick’ written all over it because it was the only bag his family had for him to use. I walked down the rubbage filled dirt road and saw two small boys desperately digging through trashcans collecting plastic bottles trying to make a small income for their families.
Too often in America and other first world countries, we complain because we run out of something that most people may not ever have in their lifetime. I believe that it is a privilege to be here doing as the Albanians do. I would never exchange the eye-opening experiences of serving as a missionary for a day of luxury in America. My heart is to love, and love well those who have less than I do. They will forever teach me so much more than I could ever teach them. I know that this is only the beginning of my year on The World Race, but my life will not stop there. My hands will not stop serving, my heart will not stop caring, and my love will never stop giving.
This may be a ‘missions trip’, but it is so much more;
It is a way of life if one allows it.
