Our first Package!

Our first package!

Okay so I know that pictures will do NO justice to the emotions that went on the day we got our first package, but I hope that I can explain how much it meant to all of us in words.

MEALTIME is just not a pleasant time in our family.  Denman is the pickiest eater on this planet.  He is also the most stubborn person I know so that doesn't help either.  Rusty seems to think that me and Denman are both the same in the meal category.  I have argued that one for a very long time, but I think I might have to agree with him after going a month of trying to find foods here that were descent.  I had NO idea that I was so picky!

We tried so many different brands of so many foods.  Our basic needs that were getting to me the most were... cheese, bread, sandwich meat, coffee, peanut butter, snacks for the kids, and cereal.  I realized that I depended on these items to be my backups when the kids didn't like what was for lunch or dinner. 

Now making a lunch or a dinner was a whole other ballgame!  As we visited every grocery store in town, I tried to find things that were at least familiar to me when I shopped.  I tried to make things like they were and just could not embrace what they are now.  It took many meals and frustrating days to get to a point where I could finally say...OKAY I WILL ADJUST OUR FOOD TOO!!!

It was soo hard!  I know it sounds so simple, but it isn't.  When you grow up eating the same things all of your life it is challenging to change.  So... on that note...try new things at EVERY meal no matter what!  Even if it is just a taste of something try it... you never know what God has planned for you so trust me.. be prepared for that one!!

After cooking three meals a day for three days and NO ONE eating it I just about LOST it.  I sent out many messages about how I was about to snap!  Melissa and Sonia then asked what items would help?  So I gave them a ton of things that were our favorites and that I thought would be able to ship over easy. 

After I sent the email over, I then felt this huge sense of help is on the way.  See time is something I can handle and gets hard on some days, but manageable. I can call, text, email, facebook, or find my favorite pictures to help me with being homesick and dealing with not being there.  However, completely switching over for meals, now that is a struggle for me even in Texas so that gave me a daily challenge that I was not prepared for. 

So when I got a piece of paper that said a package is waiting for us at the post office, tears filled my eyes.  I knew EXACTLY what package..aka in the UK parcel was waiting on me.  So we went straight to the post office.  We were all so excited and couldn't wait to see what was for dinner tonight. :)

We got to the post office and they could not find the package ANYWHERE!  Now my meltdown days were limited lately.  I had gotten myself pretty much under control...until this MOMENT!!!  Oh my I'm pretty sure my head was spinning and solid red.  The lady looked again when I said..WHAT DO YOU MEAN IT IS NOT HERE....THAT IS WHAT THE SLIP SAYS!!!!!  She checked and checked and called in three more people to help her check too.  So we soon left before the tears decided to fall.  As we drove off and thankfully we were headed to a park for the kiddos to play.  The tears began and could not be stopped!

My thoughts then began....why is everything soo hard here, how can they be so far behind the times, how can you loose a package, how can we stay here if they can't even handle the mail, what does it take to get the answer to my WHY questions, and on and on....

When we got to the park, two friends that we had met earlier in the week were there playing too so they got to hear all about my package story.  They too had issues with their packages.  They both gave me numbers to try and told me to go back everyday until they found it.  So there was my plan...be that woman in town that wouldn't give up.  I can TOTALLY do that...especially when it involves QUESO!!!!

So that is what I did... EVERY day they saw my face in the morning and the afternoon.  After three days of going in and still no package, I sent Rusty to handle it.  I don't know if you know this about Rusty, but if something upsets me enough, he handles it but makes me stay home when he does.  Most of the time it makes me nervous to have conflict, but this time I was the cheerleader for it!!

So we waited patiently for Rusty to return and were all upstairs when he got back.  He came upstairs and said... Look what I found...

The kids came running into our room.  Tears rolled down my face as I looked inside the box to see what all Melissa, Sonia and Donna sent to us.  It was full of at least 20 meals for us.  It had rotel, queso, spaghetti boxes, hamburger helper, Velveeta, fruit snacks, lucky charms, and the sweetest notes from all of the kiddos.  Denman took his notes to his room and put by his bed and Natalie took her notes and put in her special drawer in her room.  I still read my notes every day that I got too. 

We talk about all of our sweet friends in Texas every time we cook now and that box helps us to try new things.  We try a new meal one night and then cook a Texas meal the next night.  YOU SAVED ME ONCE AGAIN!

I am wearing my Yall shirt with Texas Pride and using my I love Texas oven mitt every time I open the oven which is more often now.  I have tears rolling out of my eyes even as I type this because the feeling that we all had that day will for sure help us all make it until Christmas.  There was nothing but love pouring out of that box that we now have in our hearts. 

THANK YOU!  WE LOVE YOU ALL SO MUCH!

I now have a new mission in my heart!  Sending care packages to families and soldiers overseas.  If one package can make someone feel as loved and special as we did then I plan to send many packages to do the same for others.

Each small step of FAITH is a giant step of GROWTH!

I can see every day God working on each one of us. I know that this Walk Of Faith is growing us into the people that God intended us to be.  It is sometimes a daily battle, but I'm ready to put on HIS armor and fight.  I encourage you all to do the same. :)

BE RENEWED IN THE SPIRIT OF YOUR MIND

Ephesians 4: 17-24

So I'm telling you this, and I insist on it in the Lord:  you shouldn't live your life like the Gentiles anymore. They base thieir lives on pointless things, and they are in the dark in their reasoning.  They are disconnected from God's life because of their ignorance and their closed hearts.  They are people who lack all sense of right and wrong, and who have turned themselves over to doing whatever feels good and to practicing every sort of corruption along with greed.  But you didn't learn that sort of thing from Christ.  Since you really listened to HIM and you were taught how the truth is in Jesus, change the former way of life that was part of the person you once were, corrupted by deceitful desires.  Instead renew the thinking in your mind by the Spirit and clothe yourself with the new person created according to God's image in justice and true holiness.

Thank you Ladies for helping me keep my focus on becoming the person that God created me to be.  I can now move on and try new things while having the support I need from back home!

Love you all!!!!!!!