Sunday, March 22, 2015

Team JoMi, Update, Redeemed...etc...


   Since Mileigh's admission last month we have certainly hit the ground running! We are a family who loves softball and spring has definitely sprung! Opening day was this Saturday and both Brelan and Mileigh did great on their teams. Mileigh even won the homerun derby for her age division! How cool is that?! Our park president and his wife, who also coaches Brelan's team, have been so supportive of Team JoMi. They offered for us to have a booth where we could have various raffles, information on Neutropenia, and tshirts available to sell. We did ok with tshirt sales but have several on hand that need to move. This softball family has definitely come together for our girls. David Bowen is a locally owned sporting good store here and participates in helping with awareness for Team JoMi. They print our tshirts and also gave us an item to raffle. "Thank you" would never be enough!

   Friday night Brelan's team participated in a sister city's opening day and during that game our park president came to me with a date and information for a co-ed tournament to benefit Team JoMi. I couldn't contain myself from hugging this man who has so graciously put effort into my family! I was and still am floored. During a time when life and illness take over our world, it means so much to have support from the folks right here around us.

  We are currently drowning in medical bills from my admission and Mileigh's most recent admission and somehow God is truly showing out! This is where the "redeemed" part of this post title comes in for me. Many of you know from following my blog or just knowing me that we are a "churched" family. Our girls attend the church where we are currently members. However, for the last year or so our attendance has been sporadic at best. No excuses here...I let life get in the way.

   For the last month the girls and I have been attending a smaller church closer to home. While we adore the church we've called home since 2009, things have changed. My health has changed and the size alone became overwhelming for us to attend during the times that Chad couldn't be with us. As you probably know, when you get out of routine with something it's easy for it to fall by the way side. Church did. I have had a tough couple of years in every aspect of my life and some of it I didn't handle so graciously. I royally screwed up across the board I think. I'm honored to serve a God who is bigger than any screw up I happen to create! I think...even though I wasn't "studying" or "looking" He was showing me what "redeemed" really means. I didn't even know it! Funny how that works sometimes. Do I wish I'd handled some things differently? Of course...relationships, words, choices, etc... I'm far from where I need to be but it's reassuring for sure to see Him so clearly even in small glimpses. My anxiety is high much of the time so to think of putting myself in a situation to meet new folks at a new church and to try to restore and "redeem" some of what's been weighing me down is extremely overwhelming. I've been blessed with some of the best friends I could ever ask for, who believed I was worth it anyhow, even when I wasn't.

   A couple of weekends ago I attended a ladies retreat with one of my best friends in another state and I was asked to sing. Do you know how long it's been since I sang in a mic?! It, to me, was God saying "see, I don't NEED you, I WANT you"! I honestly didn't think I was even usable anymore. I felt like I'd disgraced Him so much that He'd never want me again. I came away from that time with a renewed and "redeemed" assurance that He is bigger than anything I've done or can do to screw up and that He DOES want me. Again, we've been visiting a smaller church closer to home and since being there I've been so encouraged. That may sound cheesy but it's really huge to me. Please pray that we find our place there. Pray that I can allow Him to restore that which I've let go.

  This post has kind of been all over the place...sorry. That is a pretty accurate description of our life lately..."all over the place".  Thank you for hanging in there with us and for supporting us anyway. Our latest fundraiser ends this Saturday, March 28th and we are far from our goal.  It's through Booster and we set a goal of 75 tshirts. We are currently at 27. If you would consider checking that out, sharing it with your friends and family, and maybe even purchasing one for yourself we'd really appreciate it. The site is www.booster.com/teamjomi

  I suppose I'll stop rambling for now. Please keep us in your prayers and know that I pray for you too. I am truly thankful for grace and for the blessing of redemption even when I screw up so often. He is BIGGER! #SINGLOUD