Chapter 223: A Season of Waiting

The setting was a beautiful fall day in 2004, on a quail farm in which peacocks roamed, leaves fell, and the wind blew softly against your cheeks. It was here that we said our vows before all our family and friends and started a life in which we knew the end goal, but were completely naive as to how God was going to get us there.

Several months prior to this day Derek had returned off the mission field with plans of enrolling in school to pursue some type of healthcare degree that we could use when we returned to overseas ministry (which we hoped would be fairly soon since I had just finished Nursing school). We quickly found out that things don't always go as you had envisioned, no matter how well-intentioned, thought-out, and planned as you might be! It became evident that the credits from Derek's previous schooling unfortunately would not transfer into his current curriculum, and he would have to start all over again as if he had never gone to school in the first place. {Bummer!} So, he enrolled in some classes at the local community college, got training at a local hospital as a Patient Care Assistant, and settled into a rhythm of studying and working.

getting into the study groove...

Looking back, I chuckle at those early days...how I made Derek paint our first living room mustard yellow, and our tiny kitchen a fire-engine red (what was I thinking?!)... How I hot-glued my first set of curtains to the wall because I didn't know how to use a sewing machine... How I caught our toaster (and almost the entire apartment complex!) on fire when I left taco shells unattended in the toaster oven, and then proceeded to offer a chenille blanket to help put out the fire (which my husband graciously pointed out was flammable and would kill us all!). He was also valeting cars for a season and I have memories of him using a gas station pay-phone in the middle of the rain in downtown Birmingham to call me to bring him a rain jacket (the memory is foggy but I think we only had one car, and one cell phone at the time...)

the combustible toaster...

our apartment when we first moved in (pre-mustard colored walls)... I get stressed out just looking at this picture!

our first Christmas (post mustard-colored walls...)

Time went on and before we knew it two years had passed. Derek had joined the Honor Society at the local community college, and God again decided to provide for us financially by giving him another 2-yr scholarship through the honor society to attend the University of Alabama at Birmingham. We had heard about a program offered there that trained you in Laboratory Sciences, and felt this would be a great fit for use on the mission field one day since you could make your own diagnoses based on looking under a microscope. Derek also became interested at this time in the Physician's Assistant program offered at UAB and thought this would maybe be something good to pursue as well when he finished his undergraduate studies.

the very first graduation (at least for this season...)

It is worth mentioning here that our best friends, the Cosby's, lived in the apartment directly across from ours when we first got married. We were inseparable, and they were privy to many of the above-mentioned fiascoes (as well as many others) during that first year. Well, somehow those 2 rascals managed to convince us that we all needed to move out to the country and buy houses across from each other. "We would be like one big happy family..." is what they told us. Brian also wrangled Derek into being the Young Adults Interim Pastor for a year at the church where he was working, since we didn't get to see enough of each other as it was! Truth be told, both of these were the Lord's doing and were wonderful moves for us into the next season of life. (We just like to give them a hard time since after relocating us all out to Moody, they ended up leaving us and moving to do ministry in another state!)

 

 the Webbers + Cosby's = A Big Happy Family

{This picture cracks me up because 1) there is not a single one of us that looks good in it, and

 2) man, do I miss every one of these people!}

Another 2 yrs ticked slowly by, and before we knew it, Derek was wearing a graduation gown and donning a suit for interviews to PA School. Although the first leg of schooling took longer than what we had originally thought it would, God had miraculously grown us by leaps and bounds, taught us patience, perseverance, and steadiness in keeping our eye on the goal. He had provided for us every step of the way, and was teaching us to rely on His provision for the next season, which we knew would be the most challenging thus far.

PA School definitely proved itself to be our greatest academic challenge we had encountered yet, as we expected it to be. In addition, we had little time for extra-curricular activities like date nights, Bible Studies, small groups at church, or any kind of social life. In one word, life was STRESSFUL! Apparently, God is in the business of making you step off the cliff when you are already hanging on by your toenails, because He had some other things in store for us during this stressful season...

The biggest surprise of all was finding out mid-way through school that I was pregnant! There were so many emotions flying around at this point, but in the end it was the greatest blessing of all, and turned one of our most stressful seasons into one of our most God-glorifying seasons. Following Lucy's arrival, I returned to work the weekends and Derek was on full-time Daddy Duty. Then, we'd switch roles and I would play caregiver for the week while he hunkered down in the books. The last 18-months have seemed like the most challenging, but also the most rewarding (see previous post for a few reasons as to why this is). Somehow, we also managed 2 moves during this season, both during the end of my pregnancy. How my husband survived it all, I have no idea...

 

the last graduation (with Baby #2 on the way...)

And that, my friends, brings you up to speed on our 7-yr Season of Waiting. We knew we were called to the mission field, we hungered to be there, but we knew there was much preparation to be done before God sent us out. Really, I feel like our whole life theme should be titled "A Season of Waiting"... In reality, we are always waiting on something- the next season! How I wish I seized the day more often and just relished in the season God has me in currently. It is a struggle I constantly fight against, to have complete contentment in the present. However, I've come to realize the struggle is good and it is never-ending. This is because what we are truly waiting on is Heaven, for the amazing day that we will look no further for greener pastures because the rolling hills of His Majesty will be a continual resonance that sings,

"Welcome Home!"