We just said goodbye to our new friends from Australia who spent the week with us, one of about 25 families they are staying with over the spring. You may read more about it on their blog, but in a nutshell, they are a young couple wildly zealous for the Lord and knowing no one in their homeland who is like-minded, decided to travel the states for 3 months and get to know other families who have the same vision as they do.
I don’t exactly know the sequence of events that led them to us, but I’m so glad the Lord worked it out that way. I think we were the family where Jonathan and Katie got to see how true it is that none of us homeschooling families have it all together. We managed a complete come-apart learning opportunity Easter morning over….shoes. Their crawling baby had dirty knees most of the time (cleaning day is on Friday, people) and a broken dish washer had us using our share of paper plates.
Katie wisely explained that she wanted to add some positive experiences and influences to her “psyche” as she mothers her children. Jonathan describes his wife as “the fastest learner I’ve ever seen”. He is right. I’ve never met a young couple so passionate about following the Lord and building a family who honors Him. It was such a blessing to witness this loving husband gently bathing his wife in truth while she basks and thrives in the glow of this “life-laying-down love”. They are learning and growing together, and what he couldn’t give her–real life examples–he found for her. *tears*
Saying goodbye this morning was hard; from across the world, three people were swept briefly into our lives and became our brothers and sister. With our cultural differences and varied life experiences, there was yet such a sweetness of the bond of Christ. In one week we made forever friends.
We will miss you, Jonathan, Katie and Eljireh!
“Y’all come back now, ya here!”
14 comments
I am so glad you had a great time of refreshing! Have a fabu weekend!
Actually as a fellow Australian I’m insulted. I have found there are many beautiful Christian people who are increadibly zealous for the Lord over here. There are people who study the Lord’s Word & try to live for Him with their whole hearts & lives. Large families, Homeschooling, simple living, focusing on the family etc. are all found over here as well.
I think it’s wonderful that you had a great time with these people & I know that most people over here would love a trip to the USA because it certainly seems like a lovely country – however please do not insult ours.
I usually love your blog & enjoy everything your write, so sorry for being so strong.
Renata
I secong Renata’s comment about Aussies who are whole heartedly endevouring to live a life pleasing to the Lord. I hope Johnathan and Katie will seek them out when they return home 🙂
I’m jealous! I wish I could come stay a week with you too 🙂
Renata,
I’m very sorry you felt insulted. With all due respect, *I* offered no insult to your country. You may very well want to express your comment directly to the family who stayed with us on their blog, but I’m just passing along the information.
I certainly don’t think they intend to assert there are no “God-loving, heart-and-soul- Christians”; but maybe they have had a hard time finding families who share their particular family values.
And it may be that their part of the country has a lack of such families and that those here in America were just easier to find. I know that sounds weird, but given some very visible circles, they actually didn’t have a hard time making the connections here whereas there may be thousands of families there they just don’t know where they are.
I’ll also say, they would be THRILLED if you share with them what you have told me. I affirmed myself that I’m sure there were other like-minded Christians there, but finding them may take some time. I’m sure they would be so grateful for connections!
It sounds like you were a tremendous blessing to them! I am sure the Lord used their visit in a mighty way.
Renata,
I also re-read my first paragraph, and I wonder if the wording was unclear…
“they are a young couple wildly zealous for the Lord and knowing no one in their homeland who is like-minded”
That wasn’t to say that “they know that no one there is like-minded”, but rather, they don’t know of anyone like-minded.
Sorry
Guess it was the whole Sodom & Gomorrah sound to it – you know ” only one righteous man”. Thanks for clarifying.
Have a nice weekend
God bless
Renata 🙂
They also stayed with friends from our church in southern Oregon! It was great to hear of their desire to walk alongside others on their same journey, and I do believe they were from a more remote part of Australia. How great that your family got to be a part of their stay here in America!
Heehee, sorry if we are a little prickly!
I left a comment on their blog anyways to encourage them.
Thanks Kelly
Fellow Australian here too, and I think you’d find if the couple in question simply looked for them, they’d find plenty of people who agreed with them. They really aren’t that hard to find. I guess they didn’t look very far.
Wow, what a unique couple. It’s such a simple idea, but so foreign at the same time! So inspiring.
That is so neat! Y’all are so hospitable… I love it!
I am an Aussie too and was surprised to hear that they couldn’t find anyone like minded. We aren’t that small of a place!!
We are moving to Queensland and I am hoping to find somemore Quiverfull homeschoolers. We live in a very small town in W.A. and they are thin on the groung here!