Well, for those of you who don't have the privilege to live in the "North" we had 7 inches of snow in Eau Claire on Friday and other areas had up to 16 inches! We, however, didn't see a snowflake fall because we weren't in Eau Claire but west of the Twin Cities in Spicer, MN for a training time. However, we did come home yesterday to the slushy, white stuff.
For any of you who know me, what I'm about to say will be very funny. In a half hour I'll be attending an athletes Bible study on campus. Aaron is working with a football player to start and AIA group on campus (Athletes In Action). It's a ministry within Campus Crusade directed to (who else) athletes. And so those of you who know me know how incredibly athletic I am and the irony in this. (To give the rest of you some perspective, I'm fairly certain than in playing volleyball EVERY year in gym class from 7-12 grade, it was grade 11 where I finally hit a serve over the net - really, I'm not kidding.) But despite a tremendous lack of athletic ability, I'm really excited for this. I get to work with Aaron and be a part of a group where there's women who want someone to encourage them.
Our training time and the men's/women's conferences went really well this past weekend. I continue to be reminded about how much I love my job. What a privilege to do what I do. And if you can get through support raising :), you get to work with the most amazing people - I consider it a "best kept" secret about this job. I get to work with such fun people who are also dear friends. The students were really challenged, and it was fun to hear some feedback of what they learned and how they grew in their knowledge of the Lord.
I'm learning that it's a challenge to leave home for a few days and then come back home. The leaving and being somewhere else can divert my attention, and then I come back home and "reenter" the grief - the missing her. I'm getting close to finishing the book A Grace Disguised: How the Soul Grows through Loss. Again, I highly recommend it not just for the grief process but just processing loss in life. It's been very helpful and given Aaron and I some great things to think through as well as some great perspective on death and suffering.
I guess that's about all for now, much love, the Joneses
8 comments:
Hello Heather and Aaron Jones! :)
I have enjoyed reading your posts the past 2-3 months or so.. It is so hard to watch people you care about go through what you have gone through, but thank you for sharing it with us all.. I say I enjoyed it, because you showered God with Glory, no matter what circumstances and pain you were facing, and I know He is truly honoured to be your Lord and King :)
I am listening to the song "How Great is Our God", and one of the lines in the chorus says "..and all will see how great, how great, is our God". Through Payton's life on earth, and her life now in heaven, God's light has been shining brightly through the three of you. He is truly praised. :)
Much love, your sista' in St. Cloud
~Alicia T.
I am glad being on staff offers you such great relationships and diversions. It's healthy to get out and keep connected with people, although I am sure you don't always feel like it. We continue to lift you up to our Lord...
much love,
alli
Heather!
I'm so glad that I got to sit by you at dinner on Saturday and talk, you're so much fun!! Hopefully I'll see you on Thursday!
~Katie
Heather,
You crack me up! Glad you had a good time at training, and that you returned challenged and renewed. I love seeing that! Thanks for keeping up the blog - I like checking in with you when I can, and I appreciate your honesty here.
We love you both!
Karen & Brian Johnston
Heather received her abundant athletic ability from me - her mother. I was always the last one chosen for a team but that was OK with me - I didn't want to play anyway.
We miss Payton always.
Ila
Heather,
Come on girl, you're a natural athelete!! You taught Aaron everything he knows. LOL! Great to hear you are doing well. We need to get together sometime soon to see the two of you. Love you and still praying that the Lord will meet your daily needs with filled with His grace and mercy.
The Selvig's
It was so good to see you guys last week! You are dear to us. We have been praying for you as you return to life in Eau Claire... I cannot imagine how it feels to have one's attention diverted and then to have to enter back into the grief. We thing of you so often.
I wrote this on another comment, but I would like to read A Grace Disguised with you to be able to talk more about it. I actually recommended it to another friend going through a time of great loss. Thank you for being a help and encouragement to so many. We love you guys!
No way! I have two friends from Spicer, MN. They both attended Evangel. That's funny. And I know Heather that you have a hidden athlete in you. Volleyball just stinks in general.
A couple friend of ours is support raising to get on MSU as Chi Alpha International student directors (I know Chi Alpha isn't big there, it's huge here--they even have a well frequented coffee shop in their on-campus building). Sevo is from Kenya and Kristina from Branson. ;) They are 94% there. Exciting. 14 months of speaking at churches.
We have your letter w/ all of Payton's photos hanging on our new refrigerator.
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