The Adventure Begins

Exodus 9:16 "But I have raised you up for this very purpose, that I might show you my power and that my name might be proclaimed in all the earth."

We are simply overwhelmed at the outpouring of love and encouragement that we have received from our family and friends as we leave Dickinson and set out for Texas and then Brazil.  I have so much in my heart and the overflow will come soon on this blog.   But for now, we delight in this verse from Exodus and are humbled by how God has called this large, loud, but bursting at the seams with love for Jesus, family of 7 to follow him and proclaim the gospel away from our "home".

The "Great Adventure" begins....

Robbyn for The Hanstads

Hillside...our home

Today we said goodbye to our church family.   SO HARD!  We have grown up there.   Literally.  It was just like God to have this scripture as part of our worship today...Ephesians 4:11-16.  Here it is:

"It was he who gave some to be apostles, some to be prophets, some to be evangelists, and some to be pastors and teachers, to prepare God's people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ.  Then we will no longer be infants, tossed back and forth by the waves, and blown here and there by every wind of teaching and by the cunning and craftiness of men in their deceitful scheming.  Instead, speaking the truth in love, we will in all things GROW UP into him who is the Head, that is, Christ.  From him the whole body joined and held together by every supporting ligament, grows and builds itself up in love, as each part does its work."

Praise the Lord that over the years, we have grown up.  So many in our church family have poured into us and into the lives of of children.   They have taught, encouraged, and guided us in so many ways.  In our marriage, in our parenting, in our service, in our walk in Christ.   But the thing that will stay with us the most is that our church family doesn't just talk about the Christian life, THEY LIVE IT.  In the hard times, in the joys, among our church family, and out in the world.  They have set for us an example of integrity, godliness and faithfulness that we will always strive for in our lives.  They have raised us up, all of us.   And now they send us out.   Even though it is difficult to say goodbye to our daily life together with them, they will always be the family we go "home" to.

With tears of joy, hearts of thanksgiving, and excitement to follow HIM.....

The Hanstads

Seeking HIM

A dear friend shared this with me today from the Beth Moore "Daniel" study.  It brought me great encouragement so I thought I would pass it on...

"The world says "Seek Position!"  The word says, "Seek God!"  If in our humble pursuit of God, we find ourselves with a fleeting moment's position, it's a platform for God's glory.  A sovereign trust.  Matthew 6:33 tells us that if we give our entire lives to the pursuit of God, everything else of value will find us.  We'll have a head-on collision with calling, a sense of purpose, and satisfaction.  We've been chosen by the God of all creations for a life worth living."

Let's seek HIM, not the things of the world.  It will most definitely be worth it.

**Check out Shelby's personal blog at myannabelee.blogspot.com

Waiting

Hello friends and blog followers...thank you for your prayers.  Monday we sold our house here in Dickinson and bought our house in Texas....all in one day.   Everything went smoothly and for that we are grateful.   We have spent the last week at Grandmas catching up on the little details of things and have gotten some rest and of course some delicious meals from Grandma Fran.  The kids are doing well and enjoying their vacation at Grandma and Grandpas house.  We definitely feel a little out of place in that we are still in Dickinson, but cannot go "home".   We look forward to getting to Texas and establishing a new place to call "home".   But until then, we wait.  We are hoping to still see many of you before we leave on the 29th.  We were able to share with our church family last week about our plans and it really was difficult to put into words the joy we have in our heart of how God has blessed us here in Dickinson and how we are confident that he will continue to be our help as we move on with His plan for us.  Sometimes the lulls in life and the waiting times can be good, even though sometimes frustrating.   It causes us to slow down and listen for God and take notice of the work He is doing in the details of our lives.  He truly knows every detail and delights in showing up in all kinds of places.  May he continue to prepare the way for us to Texas and in Brazil.

Isaiah 40:26 "Lift your eyes and look to the heavens:  Who created all these?  He who brings out the starry host one by one, and calls them each by name.  Because of his great power and mighty strength, not one of them is missing."

Praise HIM!

Robbyn

Exhausted!

We are officially exhausted.   We worked long and hard, with many helpers, to leave our home looking nearly new for the Nelsons.   We hope that they will enjoy it as much as we did.  Now we will spend 3 fairly restful weeks living with Grandpa and Grandma...pray for them!   We will continue to work on details of the move while we await for March 29 when we will load the moving truck and head to Frisco, Texas.  We will enjoy these last days here in Dickinson with many of you.   We will treasure every moment.  Maybe it will be a goodbye dinner or one last coffee date.  Even though we will not be here in Dickinson, those closest to us will still be close, along with us on this journey, and always in our hearts.   Pray for us....pray for the final settlement details of the homes and practice.   Pray for the kids as they finish up school and say goodbye to friends.  Pray for our health as our stress level is high and immunity a little low.  Thank you for following our blog and for encouraging us in so many ways.  

Rest in HIM,

The Hanstads

Week of weeks...

This will be a big week.   A difficult one.  This will be the last week in our home of almost 7 years.   We will be finishing the packing, and storing everything in the garage until we load on the 29th.  We have sold our house to Dr. Jay and Jamy Nelson and will close on Monday, March 12.   So this week we will finish up with the packing, determining what we will need for three weeks at Grandmas house, and saying goodbye to this place.   A great place.   It's where we have spent the last chapter of our lives and watched our kids grow from little ones into...well bigger.   Some are now even teenagers.   They can all feed themselves!  Ellie Jane was not quite 1 year old when we moved in.  Drew was only a speck in the eye of God who thought 5 kids for the Hanstads was funny.  Turned out it was a good idea.  Shelby had like four teeth (inside joke).  How she has blossomed!!!!  Molly still wore pull-ups.  Jack was a "mite" in hockey.  Hope the kids aren't keeping up on the blog...hehehehe.   What a blessing this place has been!  So it is not without a few tears and a lot of thankfulness that we say goodbye to it.  What a blessing to be able to pass it on to another family to make memories.  And what a blessing to know that God has been here with us and will go with us to our new home.  What a blessing to know that he understands the heartache of saying goodbye....better than anyone.   What a blessing to know that he is the creator of new beginnings...the best kind of new beginnings I might add.   So, we move forward with a little sadness, of course, but with courage and strength drawn from the one who has called us to a new chapter with new memories to make and a new story to write.    And I have a feeling......it's just gettin' good.

Judges 5:21b  "March on, my soul; be strong!"

Holding on to HIM,

Robbyn