2013: Looking in the Rear-View Mirror

My thoughts as I reflect on what the Lord has done in our lives in 2013...

Well, we have now completed our first year as Arkansans (pronounced /arr-KAN-zuns/ in case anyone was wondering).  After seeing The Natural State through all four seasons (yay, we actually have seasons here!) we have decided that Fall is our favorite. The humidity is gone, the weather is beautifully mild, and the fall colors are stunning. Before all the leaves had disappeared this past Fall, we got a surprise round of sleet/snow. Since it does not snow much here, Little Rock goes into panic mode, and there is no bread or milk to be had anywhere. Thankfully, we did not lose power this time, so we were able to enjoy the beautiful view and spend some quality time together while we waited for the icy roads to thaw.

We kicked off the year with some house-hunting, looking to put down our Arkansas roots. I fell in the love with the first house we toured, and nothing else we saw could compare. When we got the keys to our new home at the end of March, we felt both excited and a little sick at signing up for the biggest debt of our lives. Thankfully, the housing market in Arkansas is more reasonable than California—a house payment is actually less than apartment rent! This home has definitely given us plenty of room to grow our family, and we look forward to filling these rooms as God allows.   

Unbeknownst to us, while we were closing on our first home together, God was knitting together our first child inside of me. When we discovered our little stowaway, we excitedly shared our news with friends and family, rejoicing in this answer to prayer. Then, the last week of April, my pregnancy took a turn for the worst, and we rushed in for an emergency ultrasound. The Lord blessed us with a view of our precious baby and his/her tiny heartbeat. I was given a 50% chance of carrying the baby full-term. A week later, another ultrasound confirmed that we were in the sad 50%—the baby’s heart had stopped beating, and my womb would empty its precious cargo far too soon. We chose to name our baby Jesse, which means “gift.” We held a small memorial service in our backyard, surrounded by church elders and friends. It was a sad yet beautiful day of celebrating Jesse’s life and praising God for this gift. Although our child's life was short, we recognize that God carefully formed that little one and numbered each of Jesse's days as He does each of ours (Psalm 139:13-16). We planted a dogwood tree in memory of Jesse, and it is a daily reminder of God’s faithfulness. 

The same week that my pregnancy developed complications, my 7-year-old niece Audrey Bennett was diagnosed with AML, a highly aggressive form of leukemia. Because the hospital in Anchorage could not treat AML, Audrey and my sister LaVonne were medi-vacced to Doernbecher's in Portland, Oregon. While many families might turn inward during a crisis, LaVonne reached out to other patients’ families and became a bright light for Christ. Both she and Audrey seized gospel opportunities, and they became well-known and loved on the oncology ward. Their CaringBridge journal obtained a nationwide readership, and people they had never met were following their journey and seeing their faith on full display. The Bennetts were overwhelmed with the support and prayers they received from believers across the country. Instead of our annual sister trip in July, I was able to visit LaVonne and Audrey in Portland. In September, Audrey was in remission and about to return home when she developed a fungus in her lung. Just a couple of weeks later, she passed away rather unexpectedly. We attended her burial and memorial service in Alaska at the end of October. Audrey’s memorial was a beautiful celebration of her life, and we rejoice to know that she is now in Heaven with her Savior. Our family continues to trust the Lord, knowing that the world is still waiting for the day of redemption when everything will be made right, there will be no more death, and the results of sin will be done away with forever.

   

While in Alaska, we suspected that I might be carrying another stowaway. Indeed, a pregnancy test confirmed that we have been given a second little blessing from the Lord. Baby Boggy is due on July 5^th, and the first trimester went very well (with a healthy amount of “all-day sickness”). The second trimester has brought some relief from the less pleasant pregnancy symptoms, and Baby is still doing great. He/she has grown to the size of a navel orange, and my tummy has grown quite a bit, too. We are thankful for this answer to prayer and are learning to take each day with our child as a gift and not a promise. If you are wondering why we announced our pregnancies so early, I've written about it here.   

Chris has continued to enjoy his work as the Pastor of Student Ministries. He led a couple of youth mission trips this past summer: a local outreach trip and an international trip to help our missionaries in South Africa. After those trips, we took a much-needed vacation to celebrate our 2nd Anniversary. Instead of heading to Malibu, we visited Gulf Shores, Alabama. Not the first place one might think of as a beach destination, but it beat every California beach we have seen. White sands, warm water, beautiful view…despite the daily tropical rains, we had a wonderful time. 

Upon our return, Chris began pouring every spare moment into ordination preparation. The ordination process involved both private and public oral exams on the topics of Church History, Theology, Apologetics, Pastoral Ministry/Counseling, and Bible Knowledge. By God’s grace, we are pleased to say that he passed both exams! The ordination weekend was a wonderful celebration, and we were joined by Chris’ parents and sister, as well as two pastors from his home church. We are thankful to have the blessing of the church elders upon Chris’ ministry…and I am thankful to finally have my husband back after all that studying! I have been leading the 7^th grade girls’ small group, as well as counseling and discipling several young ladies—always finding ways to use that biblical counseling degree! At present, my official titles are Mrs. Boggy, Bogstad Frugality Monitor, Youth Pastor Fashion Consultant, and I look forward to adding Mommy to the list. 

                     

We enjoyed a somewhat quieter holiday in Arkansas with my Mom, who visited us from California. Mom was a huge help around the house, definitely living up to her nickname of “Dish Fairy”. I have keenly felt her absence over the past week, as I have been rattling around the house alone...and attempting to keep my kitchen clean on my own. Thankfully the New Year has ushered in some second trimester relief, and my house has gotten too far out of control...yet. 

I must confess that as I began reflecting upon this past year, I found myself at a loss for words. I thought back to the beginning of the year, realizing that I had been secretly hoping that this would finally be our "fairytale year." 2011 had been a year of endings and beginnings: my dad passing away, our marriage just a few months later, followed by a new apartment, new jobs, new church, etc. 2012 was the year of transition and yet more change, as we adjusted to a new pastoral position, a new state, a new home, a new church...yet again. We went through a great deal of upheaval and some significant trials during that time; yet at the end of 2012 our future had never looked brighter. In my mind, 2013 was bound to be our year. We would settle into our church, build friendships, buy our first home, and hopefully start a family. I am reminded of the truth in Proverbs 16:9 - "A man's heart plans his way, but the Lord directs his steps." While this year has looked almost nothing like what I had expected, I realize that God has been gracious to give us many of the blessings I had hoped for, even if not always in the way I would have preferred. 

As we look forward to 2014, it is tempting to hope for nothing more than a year with less suffering and more earthly happiness...our long-awaited "fairytale year." Yet, I am daily reminded that this world is not my home, and I cannot place my hope in any of the temporal blessings that the Lord has lavished upon me...nor can I despair when those blessings are removed for a time. Again, my attention was drawn to my true hope this past Christmas, as we recalled what that holiday is all about. As my husband put it, "God became man to deal with our attempts to be god in our own lives." Oh, how I long at times to be god of my own life and to order my days as I see fit. And yet that desire is the very thing that caused the Fall and the very reason that Jesus had to give up His glory and come to earth. In those times when I am tempted to settle for temporal happiness, I must remember all that Jesus suffered so that I might have an eternity of joy with Him. That is where my true hope lies, regardless of what may happen this side of Heaven. And so we look forward to 2014, not with an earthly "hope so" for a "better" year, but with a steadfast biblical hope in the One Who will not fail (I Peter 1:3-5).