Pressing Forward, Going Back

It's hard to believe that it's been a year since two Virginia girls hopped a plane going south. A country close to the equator became a place even closer to our hearts. We celebrated our day of national independence last summer alongside people completely dependent on God for their daily bread. While my children enjoyed American Girl dolls, toy trains, and iPads, we handed out crayons and coloring sheets to children who saw them as incredible gifts and hid them beneath tee shirts and shorts so no one could take away their treasures.

Since those hot equator days in July, so much has changed. Our family has moved. I have started a new job. My children are in different schools. We've changed churches. We are pressing forward. . . but I am going back. Back to Honduras. Back to the country whose people live on so little but are likely more content than the majority of Americans. Back to the place where a toy from the dollar store brings immense joy. Back to the place where a woman with a sewing machine can change her future. Back to where the team at Sparrow Missions brings hope and the good news of Jesus to men at a rehabilitation facility, anxious parents at a hospital, and children in the slums of Los Bordos.

This July 5th, I'll be jumping on a plane going south again. (My friend Meg will be going with a team from Orange a few weeks later.) As before, I will be having my semi-annual clothing sale THIS Saturday morning to raise money for my trip. Follow me on Instagram @mollycrouch to purchase a treat for your spring wardrobe (lots of children's wear too!). Or make a tax-deductible donation towards my trip by going to www.sparrowmissions.com/give and put my name in the comment box.

In a world where we're told to press forward, I can't wait to go back.

Finding the Marvelous

Creativity is piercing the mundane to find the marvelous. -Bill Moyer

While another six inches of snow fell this week, it was so easy to grumble. So easy to open wide the mouth and complain:

It's March for heaven's sake! 

We've had enough snow! 

The weather canceled our plans again. 

And on and on and on. But then I took a look around and saw my children playing together in the upstairs guest room, my daughter finishing an oil painting, my husband relaxing with the newspaper, the whole family acting out the book, When Robin Saved Spring, and I realized how precious these moments are, and how final. Because when the weather warms next week and the snow melts, the children will go outside. They'll play with their friends in the neighborhood. They'll ride their bikes. They'll start spring activities. They'll finish another year of school. Our lives will get busier. There won't be mundane weekends, because weekends will be full. So, today, I choose to give thanks for winter, for the slower pace it offers and the marvel it brings.