A Promise

I can't believe it's been a whole year since I have written on this blog.  I promised myself that I was going to stop writing about all my plans that have an uncanny way of changing, and just be still and let God work.  Then I would update on all God has shown us and done in our lives.  A whole year later, and all I can say is WOW!  I left off feeling pretty unsure about a few areas of our life, but I trust HIS plan always.  2013 was year that left us with many questions and not a whole lot of answers. It seemed like every answer I was given was wait...wait...wait..... and I didn't even know exactly all I was waiting for.  God doesn't promise us that following him is going to be easy or comfortable, but there is no place I'd rather be than in the center of His will.  After a year our lives are completely immersed in a new county right next door to where my husband and I grew up, but it was NEVER on our radar.  Now here we are in 2014 experiencing the blessings of obedience and the answers we sought for a year.  I'll try to break this all down:

We have our farm again! It's small but it's here again.  Cows, and horses, and chickens, oh  my!  So much fun and really- what's the point of living in the country if you aren't going to go ALL OUT!  Also the cows help supplement our income when we need it.

                                                                    Life on the farm

                                                                 A horse for her birthday

                                                  What's a farm without some chickens too?
                                 

                                                      Bottle feeding a new baby calf.

My husband started a very successful lawn care business in 2006 on a part time basis, but gave it all up to minister to youth in Tate County through his job as a juvenile officer and drug court coordinator.  Just a few weeks ago I had a mother tell me how much God worked through Matt to save her family.  I don't know if I can put into words how much that meant to me.  I love when I am out and I hear these stories. I think the Lord knows my heart NEEDS to be reminded of these stories from time to time.  It is so sweet to have others confirm that he has a servant's heart and loves his family and his God.   As the person who "held down the fort and held it all together" while my husband was on the front lines, so to speak....it was, at times, a hard place to be.  I learned how to battle selfishness and bitterness that his job took him away so much, and to hold up my husband in a way I never would have learned without that experience.  I was the backbone of our family and his rock.  With no one else to lean on or to hold me up, I learned a whole new level of learning to lean on my savior, rather than my husband.

So all that to say, here are we are again, full circle, with Harrison's Pro Turf up and running FULL TIME.  I'm so excited to see where this business will go and how it will be used to help others! Husband relaunched the business this past spring.  We have been amazed at how God has provided.  It has been in stark contrast to our years in law enforcement. I have been blessed by husband's flexibility and all the time we have together as a family!

Our oldest son accepted Christ as his savior a while back and was baptized this year!  This has been the biggest prayer for my children over the years.

As a way to finish out my goals with homeschooling, fulfill my call to teaching, and help support my family through job changes I started a small little preschool.  I still can hardly believe my husband just went with it when I presented him with my big idea!!  I had so much fun.  My children made such good buddies with our little friends. I felt like it allowed me the best of both worlds to work from home while I had young children and be able to teach without all the hustle and bustle that an official teaching position would hold me to. During nap time I took care of all the house chores, so it was perfect! I closed my doors this past May to that little endeavor not really knowing what was next, but just knowing that it was time.  I won't begin to claim to understand the mystery of the way the Lord works in my heart, but its a restlessness that pushes me and moves me forward.  I cannot ignore it. I am reminded that the proverbs 31 woman uses her gifts and talents to help care for her family.  The conviction is always real.  I wish I could tell you I did not agonize over the decision to close my doors without knowing what was next, but that would be so very UNTRUE!

So we found ourselves, husband and I both, essentially right on the verge of being JOBLESS!!!  It was another leap of faith that we knew we needed to make.  I announced my doors would close at the end of the school year, I believe in February, and husband began the marketing to round up commercial business in March.  I can say now, in September, as the contracts are shifting over soon into the mulching and up-keep phase that WE HAVE NOT STARVED!!  It's also almost time to round up more contracts soon, and we are praying for more growth so that the business can support other endeavors.. stay tuned..  Through the changes my prayer has been proverbs 30:8-9:

    Remove far from me falsehood and lying;
    give me neither poverty nor riches;
    feed me with the food that is needful for me,
9    lest I be full and deny you
    and say, “Who is the Lord?”
   or lest I be poor and steal
    and profane the name of my God.

The freedom of owning business has allowed my husband to also coach football at Tunica Academy.  How fun!  Eventually a door was opened at Tunica Academy for a resource teacher position.  My background in special education was a perfect fit.  Some people may believe that life is full of coincidence, but I believe in divine intervention.  The turn over rate for teachers at a small private school is not very high or likely, but I signed a contract in June knowing that this is exactly where we are supposed to be.  And just like that....our whole family ended up in the same place!  Another blessing after a year of questions! 

                                              DAD is also coach to our handsome 7th gader.

               
       A year of many firsts!  All the Harrison kids, along with mom and dad, at Tunica Academy.

On another note...we have always felt like our family is not complete.  After a few years of trying for more, and then deciding to adopt, the daycare was a hindrance to that goal.  Foster care would require me to get away for court dates and appointments and I could not do that if I had other mama's depending on me. Another reason for the decision to let it go.  We have been praying through all of that, and the answer is always wait...wait...wait...  So we have, and in the mean time we sponsor the children that we can.  So we have said for a while...since 2012 to be exact, that we would most likely be looking at the time around when Asher (our youngest) was in kindergarten to add children to our family....well....he's in kindergarten all right.....

It's so funny how the Lord sort of lays these things on my heart, like a promise......and then answers in the most unexpected ways!!