Matthews Family Herald

Hi Friends,

It's been a very long time since we have posted here!  A lot has happened!  We don't have internet at home and so making posts here and uploading photos is still not very easy.  If you keep in touch with me by Facebook or email or otherwise it will be a lot easier.  We still have not forgotten about this blogsite and hope it will one day be easier to get back to posting regularly here.

We still live in East Texas.  The rent house I was going out to look at is the same house we live in today.  We joined a nearby church and serve by working with the children and participating in worship there through occasional leading and special music performance.

It is so great to live near to various family members!  I am telling you.  Family is so important.  Extended family.  The nuclear family is like a castle.  The extended family is like a moat and wall of protection.  It's something we really need and was intended!

I am working in the criminal justice field while attending full time college (criminal justice major). 

We participate with our local homeschool group as I have mentioned. 

We have a new daughter, Rebekah, born just a month ago!

We are planning a trip back to Missouri here within a week in order to pick up a car we left there and the remainder of our things.  We hope to see lots of friends as we close up that chapter of our lives.  We close the chapter but will always want to stay connected to those we knew and lived with and near while there. 

Why did we leave Missouri and our life there?  Looking back, I think going to Missouri and attempting that way of life we began there was something we just had to do.  I don't think I would have gotten it out of my system unless we did it.  I felt that as time went on, making that life work and accomplishing those goals out there had become the way of life and purpose; not the purpose of growing the Body of Christ and working for the Lord as we raised our family.  I felt an ever increasing struggle to either pursue the work God was placing us in, within our local church and within the greater global church, or putting everything into doing what it would take to live as we were trying to live.  These conflicting efforts, combined with the hardship of the lifestyle and the challenges we faced, made me feel like God was bringing me to the point of needing to decide; build a farm or build My church.  That's the choice I felt I was coming to.  Fulfill your desires or fulfill God's. 

God's desires are mine as well now and I have the peace that comes from being in His will once more. 

Yes, we had a great time out in Missouri and learned so much.  However, we are in East Texas now and getting back to more of a normal life.  Closer to family.  We still hope to live in the country, but with all the normalities of modern life such as electricity, plumbing, more space, etc.  We plan to keep you updated as we go along.  I turned in the U-Haul yesterday.  I picked up a new set of hub caps for the van and a mirror to replace the one knocked off on the driver's side.  Micah and I look forward to replacing that.

Tomorrow we intend to check out a rent house out in the country.  Monday I have an interview with a major grocery store chain here where one of my family members is a long time employee.  Long term I hope to enroll with UT perhaps and work towards a business degree.  Heather will continue her herbal business ambitions and increase her knowledge base.  Micah is working on getting his job and driver's license, etc.  We plan to link up with the area homeschool group and also go to our family's local church this Sunday.

It's good to be back in Texas where it's warm.

We've been in Missouri for two months now.  We started out living with some family friends in their upstairs while we staked out an acre of property on their land and then cleared it.  We next moved into our camp site we set up, and then spent three weeks building up our little Winter cabin.  We've moved into that and are working on getting it warm and cozy for living.

Right now we are visiting family during the Thanksgiving timeframe in Oklahoma and in Texas.  Lord willing, we'll be back in Missouri by Wednesday.

God is incredible and has gotten us through in the wilderness by a mighty hand and many miracles. 

If you want to keep up with us a lot better, I'd recommend connecting with me on Facebook.  I'm able to update that with my cell phone out there, but not able to update this blogspot through the cell phone. 

Send me a comment here if you want me to find you on Facebook.  Give me the info to look you up and I'll see what we can do.

We made it safe and sound, thanks to the Lord.

So far for us, we done the following with my family and our friends: chopped and stacked firewood, helped finished a woodshed roof, helped put up windows in a green house, fed chickens and ducks, used an outhouse, surveyed land and narrowed down a good building site, done some yard work, had some new teas and foods, enjoyed some new board games, and we finally have cell phone numbers and library accounts. It's been a busy first week. But it's great. Way off in the boonies and we love it. We've seen lots of Mennonite families inside of Walmart and elsewhere. Coming up though, Thursday there is a big animal swap and flea market we plan to go to. Saturday is a trip to Home Depot to get a better idea of supply costs for building our home, and then I'll probably go to pick up the Yaris around that time.

That's the news from us.  You all take care,

James and family 

For Nathan's Birthday we boys and Hannah went to a local travelling Monster Truck Show.  You can see more about the show by looking at this link:  http://www.crazy-nitro.eu/#HOME