Our school responsibilities ended officially on Friday, May 27 and two days later we were on a plane to Miami.
Hannah was happy to share this first leg of our journey with her friend Anna, who lives about an hour's drive from us in Port Margot.
The boys happily slid right back into the easy availability of junk food and touch screen entertainment. I joked that it was American Airlines' way of easing us back into American culture.
Now that our kids are getting older, it is so much easier to travel with them. Our kids strike me as SO mature as they ride the Miami airport train to reach the baggage return.
Old friends, Gonzo and Twila met us at the airport and guided our rented van to the best Mexican restaurant I have ever had the pleasure to visit. Amazing food and sweet and generous hosts for our first meal back in the States.
After spending Sunday night in Fort Pierce, our family was unanimous in requesting a stop at a Panera Bread for breakfast. Our plan was to drive to Orlando, pick up Grandma Trudy (who was flying down from Indiana to meet us), and then spending about five days "decompressing" in Florida before driving north.We'd spend our hours relaxing by the pool, visiting real grocery stores, walking around Sea World, and generally being spoiled by Grandma.
But the Panera stop Monday morning was the last thing to go according to our plan.
Sometimes life rudely reminds us of the truth James taught in Scripture:
Now listen, you who say, “Today or tomorrow we will go to this or that city, spend a year there, carry on business and make money.” Why, you do not even know what will happen tomorrow. What is your life? You are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes. Instead, you ought to say, “If it is the Lord’s will, we will live and do this or that.” (Chapter 4:13-15)
On our way to the Orlando airport to get Trudy, we got a call from Melissa's youngest brother letting her know that her other brother, Randy, was in the hospital and not expected to live.
It was certainly a bittersweet reunion with Trudy a few minutes later at the Orlando airport. In shock, we weighed our options and decided to send Grandma Trudy and Melissa north on an afternoon flight the next day. The kids and I would stay and make use of the time share for at least a day or two more and then drive ourselves back to Indiana.
I took took the kids to Sea World the next day, Wednesday. It was fun and interesting, but not the same without Mom and Grandma.
The Antarctica exhibit was the coldest we've been in 12 months. We didn't linger long with the penguins!
We made sure we caught one of the dolphin shows. The whole motivation behind going to Sea World in the first place had been Grandma's love of all things dolphin related. Meanwhile, Grandma and Melissa were at the hospital at Randy's bedside.
About the time the kids and I returned to our room, I got a text from Melissa that Randy had passed away. We were so thankful that she and Trudy had flown back to Indiana when they had.
Friday was a long day for everybody. Melissa and Trudy and other family members were involved in funeral arrangements. The kids and I drove from Orlando to Columbus - a little over 900 miles - with minimal stops. The kids were troopers and we made it to Trudy's house around 1:00 am.
Sunday morning we were all more than happy to worship at our home church, CCC, before a long afternoon of visitation at the funeral home.
I was privileged to lead the service for Randy's funeral Monday morning. Sad, sad day. He was only 43 and left behind three daughters, college aged and younger. If the Lord brings Melissa's family to your mind in the coming days and weeks, please lift them in prayer. It's going to be difficult moving forward.
Tuesday was a recovery day for us. Melissa took Caleb shopping for clothes and discovered that his favorite color is gray. Any non-gray shirt was "ugly". Loading a cart in Kohl's was a good way for Melissa to start - or restart - our summer break.
And then yesterday felt like our summer was truly BEGINNING. We drove to Indy to spend some time with precious and supportive friends, Bob and Jill, and their kids. Sweet corn, potato salad, and a swimming pool. And the weather has been glorious.
We finished the day with a cookout at my brother Russ' house. Again, good food and good company. This is the highlight of our summer - catching up with friends and family. The Lord has blessed us so much!
Beyond Melissa's extended family, our immediate family also covets your prayers. We need wisdom as we seek to find a good balance over the summer and, of course, God's protection as we travel. Our kids would be in paradise if our schedule allowed them one sleepover after another with their friends, but our reality is that much of our summer will be focused, once again, on sharing about our ministry at Cowman School and raising the necessary funds to keep us working in Haiti.
While we're on the topic, Melissa and I still have several Sunday mornings we'd love to use in visiting supporting churches. We are always open to any lead which God might lay on your heart - just contact us through Facebook or email at sgross@onemissionsociety.org.
I will post what we know of our summer schedule in a day or two! Looking forward to reconnecting with folks in the coming weeks!
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