sacrifice and surrender

This photo arrived in my inbox this week: 

Its from 14 years ago. Our little Josephine just a few weeks shy of her first birthday.

And, this one showed up last month: 

Coryn and Josephine 11 years ago. 

More than a reminder of how quickly the years pass, these photos testify to a treasured Glafcke Family tradition. 

Fifteen years ago, Matt and I began our marriage and honeymooned at his family's log cabin on Clam Lake. I remember crossing the threshold for the first time and feeling right at home.

And every summer from that moment on, we returned to The Glafcke Family Cabin. 

Every summer, except this one. 

For Matt, its the first time in his entire life he has missed a summer visit to the cabin. 

Words fall short when I try to express what this sacrifice means. 

Words fail, but tears come quickly.  

This summer, like all the years before, we planned to make a visit to our family cabin in northern Wisconsin. 

But the weeks slipped by. 

And as much as we kept holding out hope that our entire family would be able to go, we realized it just wasn't possible. 

Of course, emotions bubble to the surface. 

Anger, disappointment, guilt, sadness.

But the Lord is teaching us about sacrifice, about grief and loss, and about surrender to His will. 

In Matthew's gospel, 

Jesus told his disciples:

"If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. 

For whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will find it."

Missing out on visiting the Glafcke Family Cabin is a very real cross. 

Weeks of sultry 90s and daily rainstorms in the bayou can't compete with the revitalizing, crispness of pine-scented breezes in the northwoods of Wisconsin.

And yet, when we surrender and give this loss to Jesus, he consoles us. 

These weeks of summer have not been wasted. 

The Lord blessed us where he has us in Abbeville. 

Bringing friends and unexpected opportunities right to our doorstep.

We have been filled to overflowing with good gifts from Our Father.

• After months of lethargy and sickness, Gloria's health was restored with care from an immune specialist. And she learned to ride a bike!
• Josephine joined her high school summer soccer league and Matt assisted coaching
• We celebrated birthdays and a graduation with missionary friends at Stillwater
• We welcomed and shared what its like to be a missionary family with those who came for an FMC Come & See at Stillwater
• We welcomed 11 families from the Alleluia community who came for a mission trip at Stillwater
• We swam in cool, refreshing water at Mr. Andy's blue hole on Avery Island.
• Josephine & Coryn's grades gifted our family with outings to the zoo, aquarium and art museum in New Orleans
• Friends from near and far (Puerto Rico, Ecuador, Nepal!) came to Stillwater for Faith Camp. Josephine and Coryn stayed in the cabins and got a real Faith Camp experience. Daniel climbed the rock wall over and over and over.
• Matt rehearsed and performed as Peter in a play to celebrate the feast of St. Mary Magdalen
• We celebrated the 4th FMC wedding this year: former teammate in Haiti, Marcos married fellow Intaker Kellie.