Heavenly Storehouses

Recently, I took Smith and Zaisy for a hike. One of the first interesting things we came to was a pile of rusted metal with the remains of what appeared to be a car all twisted up inside. It was sad.

This season of life has been extremely unique for our family. I've read lists of regrets that people often have at the end of their lives. They wish they would have spent more time with their kids when they were little. They wish they would have burned their keepsake candle when there were still others around to enjoy it with them. They wish they would have lived for the day instead of spending so much time worrying about tomorrow.

At this point in our lives we don't know a lot to be for certain, but we do know that God has called us to go to Mexico. We don't know why we're still here, but we do know that God is more interested in the journey than the destination. Some of the lessons we've learned over these last several months are priceless. They could never be taught in a school. I will caution you however, if you ever read, "The Breaking of the Outer Man, and the Release of the Spirit," by Watchman Nee, and you invite the Lord to break your outer man and release your spirit...He will do it. It's not fun, but the fruit is delicious.

I've never been a huge proponent of home-schooling, mainly because the examples I had of home-schooled kids growing up were pretty sad. One of our home-schooled friends became a master of making absolutely anything out of cardboard and duct-tape...however, I don't think he ever learned much more. But as we spend time pouring into our kids each day, reading the Bible with them, discussing different scientific theories, and so on, it's been such a joy to be on the offensive for once. We're realistic in knowing that this season won't last forever. Soon we'll be on the field and busy...but we're really trying to soak it up now.

We're trying to live life without anymore regrets. We're trying to get to a point where we know how to use today's provision for today and stop worrying about the fearful tomorrows that never really come. We're trying to soak up all the joy and laughter that our children have to offer today, knowing that soon they'll be grown with families and concerns of their own.

Like that pile of a car we saw on our hike, everything that you can buy with money, everything that we spend so much time working for and investing in...will one day burn up. We're learning to invest in the Heavenly storehouses where our treasures will never be destroyed.

Happy Valentine's Day!

When I was a kid, my mother would put on a huge Valentine's day breakfast. It was pretty much the only time of year that we used the good china. She always made oatmeal (with lots of butter and brown sugar-yum!) and something red to drink (usually Cran-something). We'd all eat at the dining room table with a long, white table cloth. And there were decorations all over the table and each person had a little present by their plate. Good times.

So, this was our version. May you enjoy your memories for years to come.

Hope In God!

It was exactly 10 years ago today that I got down on one knee and proposed to Rachel. We took the kids to the park today to enjoy the beautiful weather and were recounting the memories of that night. I asked her if she could have looked 10 years into the future, saw us with 4 kids, living in Colorado, trying to move to Mexico, and jobless, if she would have reconsidered. She said, "No way!" I think I got a keeper.

I got a call from our realtor this morning. Apparently, the one couple that was interested in our house ended up getting their bid accepted on their 1st choice house. Good for them! The couple that came yesterday liked everything about it, however, they couldn't figure out where they would put their big screen tv in the living room. Oh well...the wait continues. We're glad to be counted worthy of this faith building experience.

One of the big lessons that we're learning on this path is about where we choose to put our hope. If we hope in man or in money we always end up getting let down. They will always fail you. However, when you put all of your hope and trust in God, He will never let you down. He is not a man that He should lie. He has made certain promises to us, and rather than be discouraged today, we find ourselves encouraged by the fact that He is in control. We choose to stand on His promises and know beyond a shadow of a doubt, that no matter what happens, He is good!

Cheese and Crackers

There was a man taking his family on a vacation cruise. They were not wealthy people and could only afford their passage, but no more. Every night they would sit in their rooms and eat cheese and crackers for dinner. Finally the very last night on the boat, the father decided to splurge and take his family out to the dining area to eat. He asked the maire' d how much it would cost for his family to dine. "But sir," the shocked servant replied, "all meals were included in your ticket price."

I've made many decisions in my life based on money. "We only have this much money, so we can't have that," or, "We could never do that because it is way too expensive!" I realize that everyone has different reasons for spending money based on what they deem worthy. Clothes, cars, events, food, fun, looking good.

This weekend we were invited to a birthday party at a local fun-plex in our town. We had never taken our kids there before because it's so expensive. I told Jon that I'm tired of making decisions based on money. These were good friends and we wanted to be in their lives, so we went. When we got there, her mom bought my kids' tickets without hesitation. It was super fun! I'm so glad we didn't sit at home doing nothing when the provision was already taken care of!

Don't sit in your room eating cheese and crackers. Everything you need is already paid for. -a message from your Dad

Nagel Status Report

What a ride this has been so far! God is amazing and we are learning to enjoy His presence more and more each day.

Emotionally we're all doing quite well. We're excited to hit the road and see what lies ahead. The kids are doing great with their home schooling. For reading, Smith, Zaisy, and I have a goal of reading through the entire Bible together this year. We read 3 chapters a day. I read the first one, Smith reads the second, and then Zaisy and I alternate verses on the third chapter. Boy, reading through Genesis sure sparked some interesting questions! Luckily, our kids are all amazingly intelligent, so they're easy to teach.

Just in the last two or three weeks, Davis seems to have really gotten over the "two-year-old hump" and is now such a joy to be around. He's even eating almost everything we put in front of him now. He adores his older brother and sister and will do anything to make them laugh.

We've had about $4,000 come in for the van so far. Praise God! We're currently shopping, test-driving, and narrowing down our selection. We really like the 15 passenger Ford E350 models. Let us know if you see anything good out there.

Last Thursday we had another showing on our house. The people have a bid in on another house here on the West-side...but there is two other bids on that same house. They said our house is second on their list.

Then today, which is the last day of our original listing, our realtor gets a call from a "drive-by." They loved everything about the outside of the house and are coming for a showing tomorrow from 12-1pm. They said if they like the inside as much as the outside they will place a bid tomorrow. Praise God! He is never late.

Rachel and I are so excited about life right now. We made it through the fear and uncertainty stage, and now we're ready to get going. We don't know exactly where this road will lead us, but we're sure glad to travel it together!

ps. on Thursday our home phone will be turned off and we'll go to strictly cell phone use

STUFF MART

I’ve often thought when I come back from a trip to Wal-Mart with several bags in tow, “Where does it all go?” I mean, really now, I have a 1300 square foot house. Where am I putting this stuff? Well, I’ve spent the last few months figuring that out.

When the Lord told us to get rid of our stuff, I didn’t realize he meant all of our stuff. I’ve gotten rid of things that six months ago I thought I would keep for my whole life. I’ve sold my mom’s dresser and most all of my kids’ toys. We’ve cleaned out our kitchen stuff so we now only have two small tubs of utensils and appliances (half of which is taken up by our coffee maker). I’ve given away 95% of our clothes and I’ve realized something very important. I don’t care.

Every time I go through someone’s clothes (again) to try to fit it all into one duffle bag, I start out thinking that I can’t get rid of this stuff. I like it too much. But then... I get rid of a big pile and realize, I don’t really even like that stuff. Funny, huh?

So we have a garage full of “Goodwill stuff” and a shrinking pile of boxes and tubs labeled MEXICO. I just want everyone reading this to know that this experience I just related to you has been one of the most freeing of my life. I have said many times in my life, “I would give up anything for You, Lord.” I'm glad He took me seriously. I don’t want stuff anymore. I just want Him.

What a Guy!

Of all the things we've thrown out in the past months and realizing we could still light our whole garage on fire and still have enough stuff, we have managed to keep this. May I introduce you to What a Guy. He became a family icon first when Zaisy would tease her big brother with all the stunts he could do and always end in the same sing-song way, "Whaaat a Guy!"

We've tried to throw him away, but somehow he almost supernaturally reappears in our stuff as if to prove that he wants to go with us. So, we decided to take him along as our family mascot. According to the kids he can do a great number of fantastic feats, so he should be pretty useful to have around. He'll make a great missionary.

So, in the future, when we post pictures of our family around the world, keep a sharp eye out for our little mascot. He represents our family in many ways. He is fun-loving, ready to travel anywhere, smartly dressed, and able to anything. WHAT A GUY!!! (You should really ask Zaisy how to say it the right way.)