Schmidt Journey: Settled, but Unsettled.

I (Renae) cannot tell you how many ups and downs I have had this past year. Where I used to think I was a fairly stable person, I have become unstable. Where I used to keep an even keel emotionally, I feel like my emotions are more like a yo-yo. I used to spend more time trying to help friends and hosting people, where as now I am the one asking for help and never having an organized enough house to really host a family over. (and believe me, I'm pretty laid back about that last one, but it seriously is hard to have room when there are always a couple big projects going on along with the normal everyday messes!). It has been a stretching year and humbling to realize that some of the things I "prided" myself on I can no longer claim as part of who I am, at least not for the time being. I am still in the midst of learning to let go of what I think should be my "normal" self, and our "normal" life, because what we are embarking on for our family is far from "normal"! Thankfully, God doesn't lay out what normal should look like in this life. He only requires that in everything we do, whether we eat or drink, we do it all for the glory of God.

We have had the closest to a settled and "normal" life here in Spokane that we'll have for the next couple years. Yet, even though we are settled at the moment, I don't feel settled. The anticipation of our coming trips over the holidays, then moving from Spokane to Nampa, then moving to Indonesia keeps me constantly thinking and planning for the future. Often it overwhelms me to discouragement, but God continues to teach me how to take it one day at a time, and try not to worry about the future. I am so thankful that He has everything under control even when I can hardly keep our daily life in control.

We are doing our best to enjoy our last couple months in Spokane, as well as the seasonal changes that we won't have once overseas. Here are some snapshots of what has been keeping us busy lately.