We have just about a month left here in Italy. It’s so insane to believe that 3 years (and some change) have flown by so quickly. When we arrived here Gideon was only two years old and Harper was just about to start Kindergarten. Now Gideon is in Kindergarten! Harper couldn’t read and now he spends most of his days with his nose in a book which THRILLS these bookworm parents he has.

As we prepare to leave, one of the most important things to us is spending as much time as possible with the people who have become our family here. Justin took some leave so that I could travel to Ireland with my best friend Hope for one last girl’s trip.  All the photos from this post are some of my favorites from our time there.  They’re also the only ones I’ve edited so far.  🙂 Ireland was amazing and so was the quality time we spent together. As I’ve been sorting through the photos from Ireland as well as from August until now, I’ve really processed more of how important our people are to us. The community we have here has reached a level we’ve not experienced before. While we know that God has a plan for our future, it is heartbreaking to imagine our life in a just a few weeks without them and in another foreign country. Culture shock, again. Friendless, again. A new home, again. No car or household goods or understanding of the local language, again.

I realize that for most people our life seems like an absolute dream. And some days, it really is. But military life in general is NOT for the faint of heart. We have had to build strength in muscles of our personalities we didn’t even know existed. We’ve endured things we never would have believed we could. So often this life is challenging. BUT that is part of the blessing.

 

The two *GREATEST* blessings about this life from my experience (5 years active duty and 8 years as a Navy spouse) are:

1. The people you meet. The friends who become family. The community that surrounds you in hard time. The diversity. The people who you’d never have met or become friends with in any other circumstance. The people so different from you who challenge you to step outside of your understanding of the world and yourself so that you can grow.

2. The strength of character that comes from enduring hard times. The love that somehow grows stronger during deployments. Learning to navigate foreign cultures. Being hospitalized in foreign countries. Moving every 3 years, more or less.

And you know what’s become interesting about these two things to me even more lately?

Two significant ways that God speaks to us and affects change in our lives are through His PEOPLE and through our STRUGGLES.

Matthew 5:14-16 says, “You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden. Nor do people light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a stand, and it gives light to all in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven.”

James 1:2-4 says, “Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.”

It is nearly impossible to be a Christian living this military life and to remain stagnant in your faith. The growth our little family has seen through our three years in Napoli is simply astonishing to reflect upon. This is where I feel like I finally gave into the call to ministry and began truly obeying God by preparing myself by going back to school to pursue my degree in Religious Ministries with a Christian counseling cognate. I have just 2 classes to finish up when we arrive in Japan and then it will be time to finally decide on a Master’s program! Justin was baptized here in Italy! It has been amazing to see things happen that I believed God would do but never expected to see happen so soon. He is so, so faithful.

If you know me then you know that one of my favorite Christian bands is Elevation Worship. Their lyrics just speak to me on a deep, deep level. They have a new album out and the particular song that has been bringing me to tears and to my knees is called Mighty God (Another Hallelujah). The lyrics at the beginning of the song say:

“The wind is watching every gesture of Your hand

Waves of fear collapse at Your command
I know tomorrow when the pressure rushes in
You’ll be there to rescue me again

What a mighty God, what a mighty God You are.”

I HATE moving. I HATE goodbyes. Having to leave all of the friends and family we’ve been blessed with here in Naples is breaking my heart. And if I’m honest, just the thought has been breaking my heart for months already. Moving is so stressful, we’ll be traveling for weeks before we even make it to Japan. The boys will be out of school and moving from place to place as we visit family. That “in between” is just a stressful place to live, no matter how many times you’ve done it. Will you pray for us as we say our goodbyes, try to make the most of every moment with family, and ultimately travel to Asia? We so, so appreciate it!