June 2008
June included my 22nd birthday and our first Vacation Bible School experience at Quinault. Fruit tart from Desserts by Kelly and having fun with the kids in our church - what could be better?
July 2008
It's official. I hate the month of July.
Okay, so maybe the word "hate" is a little strong... but I definitely DISLIKE the month of July.
Don't get me wrong, July is great and all with it's warm weather, the Fourth, summer vacations, etc. July just so happens to contain all the "emotionally challenging" moments of my recent years.
The past few Julys (or is it Julies? July's? I'm a nurse, not an English teacher for heaven's sake!) have included the loss of Jim's job and beginning of a seven-month period of unemployment, the suicide of a dear friend, and the most difficult times of my nursing career. Every shift I worked in July 2008 included the unexpected loss of a patient. When you work in a field where life and new beginnings are the norm, death is an unexpected and unwelcome visitor. Loss of a child is devastating for anyone, but when you feel as though you are supposed to have some semblance of control over the situation and you don't, it becomes especially difficult to stomach. These precious babies and one precious mother-to-be have changed both the nurse I am, and the person I am, today.
Despite the depressing state of my work this month, Jim and I experience some wonderful blessing through the ministries we were involved in with the youth of our church. We took part of our youth group down to Salt Lake City, Utah to participate in a missions-based organization called World Changers. During our week there, we were split up into teams with youth from all over the nation and each given a construction-based project to complete in that time. I, being the hardened construction worker I am, was paired with another adult and eight youth and given a house to roof. I am sure God was chuckling in Heaven watching the progression of this roof over the week! Despite my sparkly pink hammer and lack of construction skills (and general fear of dirt and germs!), I was able to successfully co-lead eight youth in roofing a house and use tools such as a staple hammer and a nail gun without harming myself or others. Jim is so proud!
More importantly that the roof we provided was the work I saw God do in my own heart and the hearts of our youth. Between that week and the next week of youth camp, our youth shared the Gospel with people who had never heard the good news, grew closer to God, and began to discover what God's will for their lives might be. What an amazing opportunity to be a part of it all!
Jim, Nicole, Jon and I after climbing the "mountain" at Camp Touchet. What a day!
August 2008
July and August are tied for the busiest month of the summer. At work, the large amount of babies born and opening a new wing on our unit created chaos and doubled our workloads. At home, my childhood friend's wedding in Oregon kept us occupied for a few weeks. Beyond all this, Jim and I decided to facilitate a Financial Peace University class at church starting in September. This meant that we spent August previewing the material and reorganizing our finances. Money has never been a "strong point" in our marriage, and while it was difficult and painful to pull out old issues and deal with them, we are better and stronger as husband and wife for it. More importantly, we are on the same page financially for the first time in our marriage. Thank God for that!
Presenting Walker and Heather Orr... and Heather Orr with Daja Brown... It's amazing to think of how far we've come since planning our double wedding at age 8!
Mrs. Orr with the Megan, Suzie, and Katie Gelston... How precious!
1 comment:
i am so excited to see an update. i check daily knowing that there probably isn't an update, but i always have the urge to check in on you just in case. sounds like your summer was a busy one!
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