By Faith...

This past Friday I had the privilege of leading our school staff in morning devotions. As I reflected on the school year thus far, some promptings in my personal devotional time, and looked forward into the coming school year, I landed on 2 Corinthians 5:6-8

“So we are always confident, knowing that while we are at home in the body we are absent from the Lord.  For we walk by faith, not by sight. We are confident, yes, well pleased rather to be absent from the body and to be present with the Lord.”

These Friday staff devotions tend to involve some personal insight on the staff member and how the Lord is currently working in them so I shared a little bit about my life thus far, emphasizing that I have always lived “comfortably.” And by comfortable, I mean that I have always had a nice cushion of family, friends, and familiarity surrounding me.

A Joshua Tree in bloom with Emil's classroom in the background

“For we walk by faith, not by sight” had been a pretty easy verse for me to live by. By faith I went on several mission trips, by faith I was the first graduating class of a brand new high school, by faith I attended college half way across the country in a familiar farming town, by faith I married the love of my life before graduating college, and by faith, Emil and I accepted jobs in a school completely across the country from our homes without ever visiting.

Then all of the sudden I found myself in this completely unfamiliar place with an unfamiliar climate, landscape and people. Whoa there, where did all my cushion go?!

Our first month or two was tough going. Not only was I adjusting to a new neighborhood, house, community but a new role as teacher. Gym/field management, last minute facility changes, the HEAT, and then making it to the weekend filled with no friends, no nearby college activities, no family parties was depressing.

To add to it, Emil and I flew back to NJ for my cousin’s wedding. That whirlwind weekend ‘home’ left me questioning: Why did I choose to leave all of this? Why in the world did I follow this calling leading me to the opposite coast of my wonderful family? Why am I so far from my brothers who are changing and growing by the day?

As I sat in Newark International waiting for our flight to LAX and sobbing, the familiar arms of my husband wrapped around me and I was reminded of OUR family. Just the two of us and how much we had grown in the 2 hard months we had spent traveling to and living on the West Coast.

I was reminded of the excitement of pulling into our new town, of seeing the school for the first time, and of our first day as music and PE teachers. I was reminded of this dream God had given us to travel and live someplace completely unfamiliar. I was reminded of all God had blessed us with. I was reminded that I need to “walk by faith and not by sight” and not necessarily surrounded with “comfort”.

Without all the comforts of family and friends and familiarity, I returned from that quick trip to realize more than ever that all I need is my Father and to remember I am His child and that’s all the family I need - my brothers and sisters in Christ here at Joshua Springs.

Exploring the rocks near Barker Dam

If you’re a control freak like myself, you understand that life without foresight can be daunting. Thankfully, there’s one who can guide and direct our every step for His will and His purpose and when we do, transforming challenges and unimaginable blessings await us.

I shared with the staff about a post-it note written at the start of the school year by one of my fourth grade students. Their teacher had directed them in a first-PE-class-debrief. The post-it reads: “I wonder if our PE teacher will be here next year.” I have this stuck in a prominent place on my desk and whenever I am tempted to toss in the towel; face in hands, I see this reminder knowing that I must “fix my eyes on Him until the race is finished.”

So by faith, our school will be undergoing some major changes going into 2015-2016. Starting next school year, families will be able to send their children to our school paying no tuition. Rather they will be able to provide a Christian education by tithing 10% of their take home pay and by volunteering in one area of our church. You can watch the presentation here.

I concluded our time of devotion with the Getty hymn “By Faith”. May this be a blessing to you as you strive to walk by faith today and everyday.

Our Home

Karisa here, and I'm equally if not more excited about our new camera! It's been so sad not being able to take pictures of the past month (first world problems!) so here are some long overdo shots of our rental here in California. It is definitely still a work in progress but most certainly feels like mine and Emil's home :)

(You Facebookers have probably already seen these outside shots)

Backyard

Entry with washer on opposite side

It may not look a guest bedroom YET, but in under a month, our first visitors - Emil's parents - will lodge here!

Master bedroom has a ways to go

Living/Dining area. Love our tall ceilings!

There you have it, a tour of our cozy home. Again, we love hosting and having visitors so if you're visiting Southern California, Arizona, or Vegas, we're not too far! There's room for 2, or more if you don't mind tenting in our temperate climate :)

Desert Living: The Good the Bad and the Not So Ugly

It’s been 3 whole weeks since we moved to Yucca Valley, yay! With a week of the school routine under our belt and a few weeks since settling into our house, I thought I’d share some differences/trials/excitement that come with living in the “Hi Desert”.

a Joshua Tree in Joshua Tree National Park

1. Because of our higher elevation of 3,369 feet (that’s 1,566 feet higher in elevation than Montague township, the highest town in New Jersey) it’s very important to stay hydrated. It doesn’t matter if we’re simply running a couple of quick errands in town, we always take a water bottle with us, EVERYWHERE.

2. Our relative humidity has been between 18 and 30%, much more dry than the East Coasts’ typical humidity above 60%. Here are a few benefits of living in a low humidity climate: 

a. frizzy hair = extinct! 

b. your beverages don’t sweat (zero condensation build up) 

c. line drying your laundry in the shade of your veranda can be done in <2 hrs.

3. Always keep drinking water handy.

4. Learn how to use your swamp cooler and use it often! While our house has two window A/C units, we prefer to use our large swamp cooler. Not only is it much less expensive to run (equivalent of 2 light bulbs) but it cools our little cooker, I mean home, fast. We close up the house when we go to school in the morning and come back to an oven; however, our handy dandy swamp cooler pushes the hot air out in no time. It took a while to master the technique of using the cooler as it functions much differently than A/C. For optimal success, OPEN a couple of windows and park the cooler in front of a large opening. This allows it to draw warm air from outside, evaporate the water in the cooling pads, and blast cool and moistened air throughout your home.

5. Be sure to drink lots of water, especially if teaching PE outside on a clear blue, dry, breezy day.

6. Don’t own a black vehicle, oh, and make use of window tinting or windshield shades. With an average of 283 days of complete sunshine, let’s just say the parking lot can be a pretty brutal place for your vehicle.

7. Stay hydrated. Don’t leave your water bottle on your desk, even if you only have to teach 2 periods of PE. Your voice will not forgive you.

Outdoor movie night on our schools' football field. How about those mountains?!

8. Embrace the dust. No matter how often you clean, dust is inevitable.

9. Water, H2O, /wooder/ for you New Jersyians.

10. Embrace sweat. No matter how often you shower or apply deodorant, sweat is inevitable.

So there you go. The desert has so many new and interesting things to learn about! While it is indeed a dry heat, it is still hot. But as we look at the hills and mountains, endless blue sky and breathtakingly clear starry nights, we can’t help but be amazed by the variety and endlessness of God’s beauty as shown through His creation.

The heavens declare the glory of God;

the skies proclaim the work of his hands.

Day after day they pour forth speech;

night after night they reveal knowledge.

They have no speech, they use no words;

no sound is heard from them.

Yet their voice goes out into all the earth,

their words to the ends of the world.

In the heavens God has pitched a tent for the sun.

It is like a bridegroom coming out of his chamber,

like a champion rejoicing to run his course.

It rises at one end of the heavens

and makes its circuit to the other;

nothing is deprived of its warmth.

Psalm 19: 1-6 

(emphasis added)

Rockstar - JT National Park (Google image)