Somehow we blinked our eyes, and our first summer of teams with Solid Rock has come to an end! I can’t believe we’ve been in our new positions for three months now. I look back on our “first day of work” at the end of May and laugh. We were so clueless about what was to come. If we’re being honest, we’re still pretty clueless about most things. But at least now I know where the light switches are and what our weekly schedule typically looks like.
We’ve been through a season of VBS and a few weeks of medical teams, and now it’s time for us to conquer a new season of no teams…what does that even mean?!
During these six weeks without teams at the Guest House, we have two main focuses:
- Repair, replace, and rebeautify a lot of things to bring some new life into this place.
- Meet with lots of people to plan and prepare for the future.
Christian has trademarked this first focus as the “Guest House Rebeautification Project 2026.” Some very generous people have allowed us to pour some love back into the Guest House, which means we can get rid of rotting doors, clean up and reorganize some well-loved spaces, repaint walls and roofs, and replace some things that are on their last leg.
It’s honestly been really fun to plan this project with the team and dream about how we can use the space better. While my own house is covered in toys, broken crayons, and spilled yogurt, the Guest House is slowly starting to look a little prettier and more organized after a long summer of busyness!
The second focus—meeting and preparing for the future—has also been really great. Now that Alejandro and I have a few months of ministry under our belts, we finally feel like we can sit down with our team and better understand how to support people in the different areas of our ministry. As we’ve gotten to know everyone, I feel like they’ve also gotten to know us, and we’re starting to feel like part of the team.
My main focus in meeting with our team and our ministry partners over the next few weeks is simply this: “How can we support you in what God is calling you to do here?”
I believe God has given everyone unique talents and opportunities to serve Him, and our job is simply to figure out how to help people use those gifts as effectively as possible so that God can be glorified.
I also have to say a big thank you to everyone for putting up with us over these past few months. I know change isn’t easy, and I don’t always make it easier. I have a tendency to jump in and make suggestions when I should probably just sit back and observe. Bringing four small kids along to disturb the peace isn’t always the easiest thing to handle, either. They may be cute, but our kids are definitely loud and chaotic. Sometimes I feel like when we walk into the Guest House, everyone has to brace for impact because the bulls are entering the china shop.
Yet, in the midst of it all, people have continued to be incredibly kind to us. Our kids have felt nothing but love and acceptance at the Guest House, and they genuinely love being part of ministry alongside our team and the groups who come to serve.
As a mother, I don’t need everyone to treat me perfectly, but when someone loves my kids, that’s what wins me over. And the love they have shown our children has meant more to me than they probably realize.
People have also been incredibly kind to Alejandro and me. We’re people who forget things easily and, at times, make decisions a little too quickly without thinking everything through. Yet, people have been patient and gracious as we’ve learned how to settle into this new role. They’ve had plenty of reasons to be frustrated with us, but instead, they’ve continued to give us grace, help us learn, and even keep us around. And for that, I’m incredibly grateful.
I’ve had a lot of moments of reflection over these past few months, just asking, “Lord, what do You want us here for?”
Ministry can be complicated and challenging, both emotionally and physically. When your job is to continually pour yourself out for other people, it can be easy to reach moments where you wonder, “What is this even for?”
I don’t have a good answer to that question, but I’ve found myself wondering if God’s biggest focus isn’t necessarily how much we can help a ministry grow, but rather how He can use this situation and this process to refine us and make us more like Jesus.
Isn’t that His ultimate goal for each of us? To place us in situations and circumstances that shape us, stretch us, and ultimately refine us to become more like Christ?
What’s uncomfortable is that we first have to recognize all the ways that we aren’t like Christ.
Trust me…my list is long.
But how kind is God that He never stops working in us, continually finding new ways to shape us and make us more like Christ. Even when the process is uncomfortable, He is so faithful to keep refining us.
Glory to God that He doesn’t let rotting things stick around forever—whether they’re at the Guest House or in me.
Over these next few weeks, school is also starting back up! Aiker and the twins will all be attending Lucille Rupp School, with Aiker moving into 4th grade and the twins starting their first year of pre-K. I think my heart might just break at the sight of all three of them going to school together. They may be chaotic, but I love my kids dearly, and I pray their teachers this year love them just the same.
Isabella will keep tagging along with us everywhere we go. By the time our next team is here, she might even be crawling around the Guest House!
Thanks again to everyone this summer who helped to make our transition into this role a little easier. We’re very excited about what’s to come and what good things God is stirring up within the ministry and within us.
