Tonight is a bittersweet night for the Modern Nomads. Tomorrow is our last day in the place that has become a second home to us. The people of Downeast Maine are some of the kindest, most giving people we have ever met, and we are blessed to now call some of them friends. We’ve had a few mishaps during our stay, and those have provided opportunities for us to see the heart of our adoptive community. From helping us find an auto body shop to fix Red Rocket to Pastor Matt coming to visit with Chris and Makaylan while she was in the ER this morning…the people here have been amazing. Maine provided exactly what we needed during this season of rest. This quiet, off the beaten path, no cell service place will always hold a special place in our hearts. We still have much to process about what God has taught us during this time, and I look forward to sharing that as we feel led. But, for now, I’ll use this space to explain how we got to share this special place with my parents.
Yesterday, we said “See ya in Louisiana” to Nana and Popi. We had such a fun time showing them around and introducing them to places we have come to love. Two of those are Roque Bluffs and Schoodic Point. Roque Bluffs is a sweet little sandy beach that our kiddos could run around, build sandcastles, and enjoy the freezing Atlantic Ocean. Monday was no exception. I absolutely loved watching my mom and Aaron chase each other while Aaron giggled, “I get you, Nana!” It was also amazing to capture on film and in my mind’s eye the picture of my mom and girls standing hand in hand along the edge of the ocean. I don’t think I will ever forget that moment. I pray our children know how blessed they are to have two sets of grandparents who love them with their whole heart and seek to be a Godly example to them. Chris and I are overwhelmed by the blessing of having the parents that we have.
Schoodic Point is part of Acadia National Park and is exactly how I envisioned Maine to be. We didn’t discover this place until last week when the Walker grandparents were here, but it instantly became one of our favorites. Taking my parents back was so neat for me. There was a storm coming in so the waves were especially active. To see huge waves crashing over large boulders is something incredible to behold. As I stood there watching them roll in, I couldn’t help but think about the massive God I serve. There I stood with nothing between me and the ocean, and yet the ocean didn’t overtake me. I couldn’t help but think of what scripture says in Jeremiah 5:22: “I placed the sand as the boundary for the sea, a perpetual barrier that it cannot pass; though the waves toss, they cannot prevail; though they roar, they cannot pass over it.”
In reality, we are so small compared to the amazing God we serve. Yet, that same God created us, loves us, and desires a relationship with us. This truth is what God has been so sweet to show me this summer. In the rat race of life and being in the trenches of ministry, it is so easy to forget that my loving Heavenly Father loves me, sees me, and cares about me and my family. Ministers spend their lives telling other people these truths, and it’s vital that we believe that truth for ourselves. What a blessing that God would take me to the edge of the raging ocean to remind me of His infinite love and care for me! I don’t think I’ll ever look at the ocean quite the same.
So, as we get ready to say “good-bye” to this place, I’m looking forward to what God has in store for us. We still have two more weeks of travel before us, but I feel the Lord preparing and turning my heart towards our “real” earthly home…Ruston. Thank you, Maine, for being so good to us.