home, HOME and HHHOOOMMMEEE

(Friday, May 13: 3:30 p.m. - Welcome to the blog post that almost wasn't! OK, so first it took me forever to write this blog. I finally got it written yesterday, Thursday, morning, but didn't get the pictures added. When I came back to it yesterday afternoon, the blogger site had crashed and we were all unable to access our blogs. They finally repaired the site this noon, but then my saved blog post, the one you see below, had disappeared! Ugh! I had no desire to rewrite the blog, so I waited. I just got done with my one-on-one time with Ana and decided to check again...and the post had reappeared! Praise the Lord! So, I will quick add the pictures and get this post posted!)

There is home (Temperance, MI), HOME (Mexico) and HOME (Heaven)!

I am back HOME after being home and can't wait to get HOME!

To make this a bit clearer, Josiah and I are back in Mexico after spending 10 days in the Toledo, OH area where I grew up. We have all learned in science class that, in order for a tree to grow strong and tall, it needs to have deep roots. I enjoyed much of my time in Toledo revisiting those roots!

The best roots of all - family! Josiah and I with my parents, Dave and Diann Claassen!

Our first stop on Saturday morning, after arriving Friday night, was the Bedford Public Library - the place that fostered my love of reading since I was a preschooler and even served as the catalyst for my starting violin lessons at age 6. So, what a rich surprise when we walked into the children's area and were greeted by the same children's librarian as when I was a child! What a joy to introduce her to Josiah and introduce Josiah to a library so full of books!

Josiah and the same sweet children's librarian as when I was growing up!

Then, that first weekend I had the opportunity to preach at the three weekend services of my home church, attended by people that visited my Mom in the hospital when I was born and that have served as my Sunday School teachers and youth leaders, not to mention my own parents. That was an incredible experience! It felt something like paying up for all that those individuals and church had/have invested in me; like bringing in the harvest for the seeds they had planted throughout all of my growing up years. I am so thankful to the Lord for not calling my parents to pastor another congregation, and to my parents for not calling themselves to another congregation. This gave me the incredible, and rare, opportunity to spend my entire life as the pastor's daughter in the same church! Talk about roots!

My best friend from junior high school, Julie (Lambers) Faulkner, "happened" to be at her "home" from Columbus, OH that same weekend, (for her mom's surprise birthday party) and so was able to attend my home church that weekend with her husband, three precious daughters, parents, and sister and her sister's family! As parents we spend a lot of time trying to teach our children the importance of choosing quality friends while growing up. Even when I was 12 years old, I knew Julie was a jewel of a person, but that has only been confirmed now that we are "grown up." She has left a full-time teaching position to be a stay-at-home mom; she and her husband have two beautiful girls and then adopted a third; and now, they will be spending two months this summer, with their three little girls, as missionaries in Monterey, Mexico! How crazy is that!

Julie and Julie!

The rest of the 10 days flew by at an incredible speed! I was able to meet with the Friends of Fishers of Men group and the Fishers of Men board of directors. We held a great informal evening meeting at the board of directors President's home visiting with about 15 individuals interested in learning more about Fishers of Men. I had a great meeting at a church that has supported Fishers of Men periodically, but that we are now praying would become a regularly supporting congregation. Our last day in the U.S., we had a great visit at McCord Rd. Christian Church where Josiah had the opportunity to share with the Sunday School kids about the ministry. It is always interesting to hear his perspective on the ministry!

Josiah introducing his siblings to the Sunday School kids at McCord Rd. Christian Church.

Julie (me) speaking at McCord Rd. Christian Church

We ended at Summerfield Baptist Church that evening where I was blessed by the loving congregation and by a surprise visit from my piano teacher and violin teacher from when I was growing up! More roots!

Mr. and Mrs. Channer (violin), Julie and Mrs. Stammer (piano).

Two very special times during these past 10 days were a 30 hour personal retreat that I took at Maumee Bay State Park and celebrating my 35th birthday at Chuck E. Cheese's! I very much enjoyed hiking, biking, swimming, reading and dining out all by myself during my time alone at Maumee Bay...hard to describe in just a few words. No big revelations were had, but the time was simply good, very good.

Enjoying a bike ride on my personal retreat!

When I was growing up, we would almost always eat at Major Magic's, a pizza place full of those arcade games where you win little tickets and can then "buy" prizes at the end of your gaming. Well, Major Magic's is closed, but we wanted Josiah to have a Claassen family birthday experience so...Chuck E. Cheese's was our destiny! Needless to say, even Grandpa and Grandma enjoyed winning tickets!

Josiah and I at Chuck E. Cheese's!

Other highlights included visiting my brother (as I shared in the last post), as well as having Ashleigh visit us. Ashleigh lived at Refuge Ranch for two years and is back home in Ohio, so it was fun to see and hug her again!

Ashleigh and Josiah playing with his new Nerf guns.

Also, spending part of Mother's Day with my lifelong school friend, Michelle, was great fun and I loved having her company as I tried to pack 5 suitcases as close to their 50 pound limit without going over!

Michelle and I: so good to be together! (Love the tulips, too!)

Josiah had a ton of fun...riding bike, shooting off model rockets, fishing, eating Taco Bell, sitting in a hot rod...getting spoiled by his Grandpa and Grandma! I also enjoyed having so much one-on-one time with him and wish I could do this with each of the kids. (We really only have legal guardianship of our "adopted" children, which does not allow us to take them out of the country.)

Josiah and Grandpa shooting off model rockets.

Josiah in the neighbor's hot rod.

So, then, Josiah and I came HOME. Even just flying over Mexico City my heart seemed to rest...this is truly HOME. The sights, the smells, the sounds, the people, the language were all so....normal. Have you ever felt your heart sigh and simply say: "ahhhhhhhh"! That was the feeling! Then, tons of butterflies in my tummy while we waited in the customs line as I craned by neck to try and find Victor and the kids on the other side of the big glass customs doors. I finally caught a glimpse of Victor - what a beautiful sight! Josiah and I walked through the doors and were bombarded with all 16 kids....welcome home signs, flowers, a belated birthday present, lots of hugs, kisses, smiles and tons of chattering to get me caught up on all that had happened!

I was so very relieved, glad, to find at home that, although the house truly was/is needing a mother's touch, the kids' hearts were well cared for and happy! Victor did a great job in my absence of loving the kids; the staff was a huge support and the kids really did love on each other while I was gone. It is definitely easier to get caught up on the dusting than get caught up on the loving!

Tuesday was Mother's Day here in Mexico (always on May 10, no matter the day of the week), so I got more art projects, beautiful letters and a delicious flan (custard)! Several people in the U.S. had asked me if I had been able to get some rest and renewal while there. I really wasn't sure what to answer as I fully enjoyed my trip and did not actually spend a lot of time thinking about Mexico while in the U.S. because I tend to try to be where I am (aka fully live whatever is happening at the moment because that moment is truly all we have). However, as soon as I got off the plane, I could tell that I was coming back renewed and ready to keep being a wife to my incredible husband and a mom to my incredible kids (and everything else that I am and do...like a blog writer...albeit a tardy blog writer, but a blog writer nonetheless!)

As for HOME! This HOME is heaven and is where I will finally feel at home. No matter how at home I feel at home (Michigan) or at HOME (Mexico), there are always things lacking in both places. At HOME I don't have my parents, my brother and his family, so many other people that have played such important roles in my life and whom I love dearly. At home, while I so enjoy being there, those dearest to me, my husband and children, are back HOME. As much as I love Spanish, sometimes I need English. As much as I love English, sometimes I need Spanish. As much as I love tacos al pastor, a good lasagna is wonderful. As much as I love meatloaf, where are the tortillas? Someday we will be HOME!

My mind has wandered to HOME a bit more lately as I shared our son Daniel's life story on numerous occasions during this trip. Many of you know that Daniel has several serious congenital heart defects that should have taken his life by now. Everyday with him is a gift from God, but we live with the very real reality that the day will most likely arrive (unless the Lord chooses to heal his heart) when we will have to watch Daniel go HOME. I have also been reading the book "Choosing to SEE" by Mary Beth Chapman, which shares their family's tragic story of when, about three years ago, one of their older sons accidentally ran over and fatally injured one of his little adopted sisters! For obvious reasons, the book spends a lot of time reflecting on HOME, the final hope that we find in Jesus Christ.

I pray that as I visit home and live here at HOME that my life would serve to lead others HOME!