Camden Bailey is 15!!!

Fifteen sounds waaayyyyy older than fourteen, right?!! He also started high school last week which sounds waaayyyy older than middle school. I am excited for what the next four years hold. I am excited that he's in a school that he loves. I am excited that he's surrounded by a group of really great kids at school and in our neighborhood. I am excited that his friends are from the U.S., from Canada, from Korea, from Sudan, and from Guatemala. I am excited that he started playing competitive sports again this week. I am excited that he has coaches and teachers and pastors that know him by name and care for him academically, socially, emotionally, and spiritually. I know life won't always be easy, but I am so grateful for the love and strength that is all around him.

A few days ago, on Hope's thirteenth birthday we asked Camden if he had any advice for her as she began her teenage years. Without hesitation he said, "Like everyone." Her response: "But people irritate me." He shrugged and kept eating his pizza...his medium size pizza that he ate almost entirely on his own, I might add. It wasn't until later that I decided that "like everyone" sounded like the 15 year old translation for the second greatest commandment. The next Sunday at church our associate pastor preached on how love is never wasted on anyone. On the way home Camden said, "Nate just gave the church the same advice I gave Hope." And I see that in his life. He doesn't speak badly about people and he is kind and respectful to people of all ages. I'm thankful that this isn't something that is just natural to him, but proven by the fact that it was his advice to his sister, it's an intentional decision on his part.

So, I think he's in a pretty good place, but I also think he's totally still a normal 15 year old male.... I have to choose my battles, and try not to make mountains out of mole hills.... But it's hard sometimes... Like last Sunday when we were walking down the street, and he tripped or ran into something...who knows, and out of his mouth came some strange noise... "What was that?" I asked. "I cussed in German," he replied.

And I asked myself, "Do I lecture about how cussing in German is no better than cussing in English? Or do I tell him I'm impressed he's working on a third language?"

It's a quandary, I tell ya....

He is now at the age that Blake and I were when we started a relationship. Crazy!! I know chances are high that he hasn't met his forever girl yet, but I'm nice to all the girls around here close to his age just in case. 😃  I feel like I have prepared for these last four years. Since he was little bitty, I've been pretty future focused with him. I was always on guard not to let him stay "my baby" in my mind. I've been intentional to remind myself that I WILL have to let him go. I never wanted people to wonder if I was more in love with my son than I was with my husband, because we all know how creepy that is... So this is it... the last stretch...four more years. At the beach, recently, I was staring out at the waves, asking God to speak to my heart. It's kind of thing with us when I'm at the beach. I sit and listen and He speaks. So far, we're batting a hundred. But this time I wasn't hearing anything. I sat and sat and listened and listened. Then I finally spoke to Him. I said, "I have never seen the ocean in Guatemala this calm." And then I felt three words form in my mind and heart, Consistency. Routine. Foundation. These words made up our lives his first six years. My life revolved around my little ones, and making sure life was consistent for them, and that I gave them a foundation of security. When I felt those words form in my heart, I knew he had been speaking to me through the unusual calmness of the ocean. Go back to those values. These last four years be consistent, have a routine focused around Camden (and his siblings), give him a foundation of security. Those baby years are important, but it's these last four years he will remember. So, Camden, on your fifteenth birthday I want you to know that even though our life is much busier than when you were little, you and your brothers and sister are still my most important job. You matter deeply to me. I want more than anything for us to finish well. I want you to remember your home being one of laughter, deep conversations, and where growth was encouraged and mistakes were forgiven. I want to do what I can to make these next four years your best years yet.       

                   

Happy Birthday, Camden. I am so thankful to be your mom! 

Destiny Hope is 13!

Our baby girl is a teenager!! I think when you're the baby of the family for 10 years, you have the right to keep the title for the rest of your life, even if you do have to share it with your youngest brother. But our fiery Hope is definitely no longer a baby, or even a little girl. As I see her entering this new season of life, I feel like I am re-living my own middle school years again. How vividly I remember all of the emotions! These aren't easy years, baby girl, so I want to share some thoughts with you as you enter your teenage years... 

You are already figuring out that everyone isn't always going to like you. And pretty much no one will like you 100% of the time. Sometimes you will feel left out, you will feel ignored, or you will feel inferior. And it will hurt deep. But I pray that you remember that God made you to love people well. So when you feel like you are NOT being loved well, go find someone that appears to feel like you do and focus on helping them to feel better. 

You will also find out that you can be mean. You will discover that you can say harsh words, give haughty expressions, and cause others to feel embarrassed or belittled. You will see that sometimes prideful behavior can elevate you. But I pray hard that the Holy Spirit won't let you get away with it. I pray His conviction will hunt you down like the world's best hound dog.

You will want a boyfriend, and probably get one eventually. I don't know what you will learn from this boy exactly, because I don't know what kind of boy you will choose. But here's my advice to you: make sure he knows your daddy. Not because Daddy has a gun over the fireplace or a metal bat in the garage (because he doesn't), but because Daddy has a pastoral heart and I've seen more than a few boys (and men) learn to love Jesus in a bigger way just by being around him.

You will have days that you don't like me or your Dad. Sometimes it will be because Daddy and I are being jerks, and sometimes it will be because we are being good parents. But I want you to know that either way you have an opportunity every time you are mad at us. You have the opportunity to extend grace. I want to teach you more about grace. Grace is taking a step towards restoration. I see you as a person capable of much grace because you are a forgiver. You get mad fast with your red-headed temper, but you forgive just as quickly. People that forgive quickly are people of grace. You didn't get that from me, so I admire it so much in you. And that's why I want to encourage you to continue growing in that by doing Daddy and I the honor of extending us grace even when we don't deserve it.

You have the opportunity to teach your brothers about girls. You have the responsibility of helping to prepare them for their future wives and daughters. Pray about what that means for you. I think it's something powerful. And know that because that is part of your calling right now, that the enemy is going to try to steal it from you. He is going to try to put up walls between you and your brothers. He's going to want you to be irritated by them, and them by you. Fight hard against that. Your brothers are a gift, and you are a gift to them.

You are like your dad, your Grammy, and a little bit like your Aunt Miranda. I tell everyone you're my opposite, but I know that's not true in every way. You and Camden are both dreamers like me. Maybe it's because I've taught you to be that way, or maybe not. But I want you to keep sharing your dreams with me. You know how you want to be a vet? And you want to work with small AND large animals, but you found out that you can't do that many places? Then you found out you could do it in Alaska. So now you want to move to Alaska. You got that from me, baby girl. You'll move to Alaska before you give up your dream. Stay that way. Forever. And I will cheer you all the way to Alaska. I give you my word.

Everything in life is going to seem like such a BIG DEAL. It's because you're a girl, you're 13, and you just have that kind of personality. You are sassy, stubborn, and dramatic. But please know that life is made up of so very many seasons. They come and they go. I want you to learn how to live big picture. I want you to learn how to live true to your convictions and your calling. I want you to learn how to ask God who you are and ask Him what He thinks about you. I don't want you to change for anyone but Jesus. I want you to be considerate about other people's feelings but not controlled by them. I want you to be you and do your thing and sing your song and walk your walk and laugh your laugh and cry your tears. I want you to do it all and not feel like you have to measure up to anyone's definition of what a girl or woman should be. No boxes for you, baby girl. Live Free.

Happy Birthday to my favorite daughter! I love you mucho!  

Season Change

No one can say the Davis family gets stuck in ruts. We seem to like change. In just under two months, we will be making our ELEVENTH move in SIXTEEN years of marriage. We are staying in Guatemala!! But we ARE moving out of Magdalena. Everyone in the family (well the four of us that are older than two years old) could write completely different blogs about this upcoming move, but here is my perspective. 

When we came to Guatemala, a little over four years ago, we came as teams directors in charge of the short term teams, semester students, and summer staff that come alongside our full time staff throughout the year. We spent the first six months learning Spanish, adapting to culture, and Blake worked with the director doing many different things as he learned the ins and outs of the ministry. Then for the next year we got to really do our job as teams directors. I was in charge of cooking for teams (when they weren’t eating with their host families), and I also really enjoyed working with the semester students and summer staff. Twenty-one months into our time here, Blake became the director  soon after Logan was born. For those first several months, Blake was neck deep into that transition, while I was equally as deep in baby land. When Logan was 11 months old, we found out about Grayson, and 3 weeks later he joined our family. The next several months I was drowning in babies. Happily drowning most of the time, but still completely consumed. 

Last August (nine months ago), I had a whole day home alone with just Grayson. He still napped twice a day, so I had plenty of time to spend with the Lord. Towards the end of the day, while I was praying, I felt Him speak to my heart and show me that I was entering into a season that would be more restful, and that I needed to soak it in because it would be temporary. I felt Him impress upon my heart that a change was coming in the future, and it would mean a big change for me, personally. As I wrote out the thoughts I was sensing in my journal, I felt no dread. I felt excitement, and a sense of wonder that the Lord was willing to walk with me so intimately. I spent the next several months praying and searching for what God had next for me. It hasn’t been an easy season, even though it has been more restful. Waiting for God, feeling the stirring but not having specifics, thinking I knew and then having doors shut….it was frustrating on occasion, confusing often, and constantly humbling. I have felt at times like Jacob who was struggling with the angel of the Lord and finally clung to him and said, “I won’t let go until you bless me!” The blessing I wanted was direction. I have been desperate for His leading.

As a reminder, Camden and Hope started at an English speaking, Christian school in January. It has been everything we hoped for and more. They went from begging us to move back to the States, to, a few weeks ago, asking us to promise them that we wouldn’t leave Guatemala until they graduated from high school. My gratitude overflows. We have a missionary discount at the school, and in return, I have to volunteer a certain amount of hours each semester. Besides the long drive to get there and back, I have thoroughly enjoyed doing my volunteer hours. In fact, I have put in several more than what is required. 

There was one day that I spent volunteering that will be forever imprinted in my memory. I was substituting for the 4 year old preschool class. It was chapel day, and I was sitting on the front row with all my little students for the day, and all of the other elementary classes were filing in with their teachers. All of a sudden I got this feeling. A specific sense from the Holy Spirit that I have only felt three other times in my life. I just KNEW that I was exactly where I was supposed to be. I felt a peace and a purpose that I can’t put into words. I realized that I loved the school not just for what it was doing for MY kids, but for what it was doing for every kid on the campus. I felt a passion for missionary kids well up inside of me that I knew could have only come from the Lord. 

There are dozens of details between then and now, but God has been opening doors and leading our hearts, and confirming Himself to us in some amazing ways. In July, we will be moving to a neighborhood very close to the school. Then, in August, I will begin teaching one Bible class a day at the school in either the middle school or high school (this part of the plan is still in the works so we will have to keep you posted). Besides the opportunity to teach a class, I will also be working to finish my Bachelor’s degree online through Luther Rice College and Seminary.

The big kids are thrilled that they will live close to the school, and have the opportunity to participate in after school activities like sports and drama. Right now they spend 2 - 3 hours a day commuting to school and back depending on traffic. In addition, the neighborhood, where we will live, has several other families with kids from their school, so they are very excited about that as well. For Blake, this move will cause him to have to carry the burden of the 2-3 hour a day commute. He won’t be able to come home and grab lunch, or ask me to run something up to him, or have me be a consistent part of the work and ministry here in Magdalena. He feels confident that God is moving us in this way, but he is also aware of the personal sacrifice. The big kids and I are aware of that too, and are so thankful for his willingness to do this for his family.

 For me, I am excited and scared. In our 16.5 years of marriage, I have leaned on Blake more than I like to admit. In our years in Dallas/Fort Worth, Brownsville, and Guatemala when I started feeling overwhelmed with all going on in ministry, I withdrew, I buried myself into my home and my children, and I let Blake carry the load of our calling. I depended on his ability to persevere, to continue to hear God’s command to stay, and to find joy and passion even when it was hard. But this…. this new season of me teaching AND being a student… these are MY callings. I’m going to have to “grow up” and learn and practice, for myself, what I have watched Blake walk out for the past decade and a half. I will have to practice perseverance, staying, and finding joy and passion even when it’s hard. Blake told me last week, in a tone that didn’t make me feel belittled, “You’re going to have be willing to have your character stretched.” One thing I keep replaying in my mind is something our friend Gabe said a few weeks ago, “If you have an opportunity and it scares you, then it’s probably God.” 

So that’s where we are at… Blake will continue to direct the ministry of Students International Guatemala, and the kids and I will be pouring our time into school… for me that is two schools - online school as a student and at CAG as a teacher. 

We humbly and earnestly ask for your prayers. We have learned by experience that they make a difference. Pray that God binds our hearts together even as our paths are a little more distanced from each other. Pray that we will fulfill God’s calling on our lives and bring Him glory in this season, and that we keep Him first always. 

Failure is a Step

I always tried to be careful not to be too "rah rah homeschooling" during the 9.5 years of  our homeschool career. Even though I felt pretty confident that we would homeschool all the way through, I didn't want to have to eat my words, and I also didn't want to offend anyone, and I ALSO didn't want to indirectly talk anyone into homeschooling that wouldn't do a good job of it. So although there were times I talked about why I loved it FOR US, I tried never to advertise that it was some amazing or "better" avenue of education. 

And here I am, no longer a homeschool mom. The last two and a half years of homeschooling were not fun or wonderful or any other positive word you could come up with. And the last year was horrible. It was pull your hair out, bang your head on the wall, gouge your eyes out horrible. There were several times last semester I called Blake at work just to say, " I can't. I can't. I CAN'T!!!!", in a decibel level not recommended for over the phone. I was miserable. Camden and Hope were miserable. Blake was at a loss, and every idea he came up with was only met by a death stare from his miserable wife (that's me). I don't know why we failed. I don't know if it was all on me. I don't know if it was my kids, and even the best homeschool moms I know would have thrown in the towel if they were forced to home educate my two. I don't know if it was because we live in Guatemala. I don't know if it was adding two babies to the family. But we most certainly hit a wall that we could not climb over, go around, or dig under. I know, because we tried it all. When God (through generous churches and individuals) provided a way of escape for us all I was so relieved and happy that those emotions clouded out any other thoughts or feelings. I was free. 

Camden and Hope have completed 12 days of school. They love it. They swear to never homeschool their children even for one day. (Thank you, my dear ones, for appreciating the fact that I gave 9.5 years of my life to educating you. Please forget the 7 fun years we had and focus just on these last two and a half years of torture. I think I will do the same, you stubborn, difficult angels.) I spoke with one of their teachers yesterday who hesitantly told me, after giving two specific praises (very diplomatic), that they are having a hard time focusing and being organized. I wanted to applaud her. I wanted to fall on my knees and hug her around the ankles. "I KNOW, RIGHT!?!!"  "Now please tell me how I can help you fix this because that is why they are now sitting in YOUR classroom and not MY living room." Hallelujah. 

Today and tomorrow they are off of school. A four day weekend. As I have them under the same roof with me today, on a week day, I am struck all of a sudden with all kinds of new questions and new feelings. Why did it not work for us? Why can some moms raise and homeschool a half a dozen or more of their own offspring with grace and competency. These children flourish into young teenagers that laugh at how easy the SAT is, speak Latin, play three instruments, know the New Testament by memory, and never disrespect their parents. I read the books. I tried so hard. I prayed. I sacrificed. Why did I fail?  Maybe I wasn't smart enough. Maybe it's because I didn't put enough hours into preparation and teaching. Maybe it's because I lack creativity and have even greater lack of any kind of desire to clean up after creativity. Maybe it's because my temper is too short or I am always dreaming about the future instead of living in the moment. Maybe it's because I didn't do a good enough job when they were little that now I am reaping the consequences with middle schoolers that are disorganized, unfocused, and unmotivated. Maybe it's probably all of those things. And so I'm rolling around in that today. Rolling around in my failures like a big ole stinky pig rolling around in the mud. I failed. I did. But glory, glory, hallelujah to a gracious God, He threw me a lifeline. He gave us Christian Academy of Guatemala and a group of teachers to help us help our two big kids succeed and be the best they can be.

 I want to say that I am so, so proud of my homeschool mom friends...some of my very best friends homeschool their children. They've been my saving grace the last two years, and I pray that I will be that for them on their toughest days. And you know what else? I am going to intentionally be their biggest cheerleader when they succeed even where and when I did not. I never want my failures to make me resent my friends' successes. Ever. 

As I write this blog this evening, I am determining to pull myself out of this funk. I'm purposing to forgive myself for not meeting my goal of graduating my children from homeschooling. I'm giving myself permission to wake up tomorrow and go back to not feeling guilty for how deliriously happy I am that Camden and Hope are in school. And last of all I am making a decision to grow from this area of failure. This is what I feel like this specific failure has given me.

1. Failure has made me more compassionate. Did you disappoint yourself? Let me hug you, and will you hug me back? Did you realize that parenting little kids was a heck of a lot easier than parenting pre-teens and teenagers? Come share a brownie with chocolate icing with me and we'll commiserate together. Do you fear that you'll never really succeed at anything? Let's cry together about that because I fear the same on a pretty regular basis. 

I want my failure to make me more approachable, to make me a better listener, and to make me give longer hugs.

2. Failure makes me more dependent on Jesus. I can't be that mom that says, "Thank you Jesus that I'm not like those other moms." Thanks to the last two and a half years I completely identify as one of those "other moms." I have fallen short. I have needed help. I have not had everything that my children needed to thrive. And because of that I have spent many hours begging Jesus for His help and for Him to send help. In the last year, more than any other time in my life, I have come to Him pleading with Him from a desperate heart and then found myself minutes later quietly sitting in His presence feeling ministered to by His quiet voice in my heart. There is nothing, nothing sweeter than having somewhere to turn when you are at the end of yourself. 

3. Failure sets you up for success. One thing that I feel absolutely certain of is that God wanted Camden and Hope at Christian Academy of Guatemala. I just have a peace about that, a knowing, an excited expectancy. There is something He wants to do in their hearts that will happen at or because of something at that school. A teacher, a speaker, a chapel service, a situation, a challenge, who knows? But there will be God things that happen in their hearts in this season. Another thing I know for absolute certain is that we would never have put them in this school if things hadn't gotten really, really tough. I wanted to homeschool and I did NOT want to fundraise for the tuition. So....if God wanted them at this school then it kind of makes sense that maybe He had to allow things to get really, really tough for us to ask Him for an answer, for help, for a way of escape. It took desperate measures for us to allow God the opportunity to lead us to CAG. This isn't the first time in our lives that really tough situations put us on the path for something beautiful. It's kind of been a pattern. So if you're in a time of wondering about the mess you find yourself in, have hope. God's pretty amazing at ushering in new seasons, at redeeming our circumstances, and healing our hearts. 

So have faith!  We are in this together, I'm on your side, Jesus is closer than your next breath, and failure doesn't have to be as awful as it sounds.