Details

15 years ago today, I was in Alaska.  I was working as a student summer missionary through a partnership with the Alaska and Kentucky Baptist Conventions.   I had spent my first 2 college summers working as a camp counselor at a G.A. girls camp in KY.  I had a guaranteed job there for the summer of 1994 and I was planning on returning.  But, when the KBC released their summer positions in the fall of 1993, I felt compelled to interview for the Alaska spot.  My friends thought I was nuts.  I've never loved the great outdoors and my idea of a perfect day is reading a book cover to cover with the blinds closed, by myself.  So, traipsing a bunch of youth around the Alaskan Kenai Peninsula for the summer was hardly up my alley.  

Not to mention the interview process.  That involved a gruelling weekend of interviews and team building activities where people watched you while jotting things down on a legal pad and whispering to one another.  There were way more applicants than there were positions, and I was certain I would get a rejection call.  But, I knew God was calling me to apply, so I endured the weekend and I was shocked when I got a call on Monday asking me if I would like the Kenai slot.  With much fear and trepidation, I accepted and I'm so glad I did.

By the time I had arrived in Kenai, Ryan and I had just broken up.  It had been our 3rd break-up in as many years and I was certain it was over this time.  I was pretty much resolved to being single for at least the next decade, so I dug into my assignment with vigor.  My partner Misty and I immediately began our first of 3 consecutive weeks teaching VBS.

I was assigned to live with a newlywed couple who were members of the church I was working out of.  That ended up being a tough situation, and I confessed this one afternoon to a very nice and very talkative church lady who took us out to lunch one day.   The next day the pastor called me into his office.  He asked me why I had confessed everything to Mrs. B when he didn't have a clue what a mess I was in, and taught me the painful lesson of who and who not to confide in when you have a problem with someone.  That was the first of many lessons he taught me.  

The next week his wife and kids returned from a long trip to the lower 48 and I was moved into one of their downstairs bedrooms.  Now, let me tell you that as nice as these people were, they were weird.  They had 5 children, they homeschooled, and they were BY FAR the most conservative people I had ever met.  I could have never known that the 10 weeks I spent sharing dinners at their table, feeding carrots to moose out their kitchen window, or helping with housework would go so far in preparing me for marriage, ministry, and parenting.  

One of the first perks I experienced with the move was the opportunity to develop a relationship with their 2 teenage daughters.  Casey and Brittany were 4 and 6 years younger than I, but we hit it off immediately.  They loved to laugh and so did I.  They loved the Lord and so did I.  They had a lot to learn and so did I.  We thoroughly enjoyed that summer we spent together.   They had almost no TV privileges (part of that wacko conservative thing) and so we watched Anne of Green Gables and Anne of Avonlea at least 15 times.  I still can't watch it without memories of the Nichol's basement. They taught me how to sew my own hair scrunchies, which was a valuable skill in 1994 (part of their wacko homeschooled skill set.)  I got Casey grounded for taking her to see Forrest Gump (oops!)  

God is certainly a God of details.  He knew exactly what needed to happen in my heart that summer.  Although I spent that time teaching and leading a variety of VBS, youth camps, hiking and canoe trips, I think I was the one who was ministered to.  He knew that less than a year later I'd be married and within a few more years would be a pastor's wife.  He knew that some of those wacko conservative values I was seeing lived out would soon become a part of my belief system.  I, on the other hand, had no idea.  

Over the next several years, I kept in touch with the Nichol's family, especially Casey.  Ryan and I had the opportunity to host her for a weekend once, and I really enjoyed her company.  After a time, God called us to NC for school and the crazy thing was, Casey and Brittany ended up here at the same time.  We had no idea the other was coming until we were both committed to be here.  We ended up being seminary neighbors and relished the opportunity to make more memories.  Casey had spent the previous years developing her skills as a hair dresser and a photographer, so we spent those school years bartering haircuts and photos for home cooked meals.  

Last summer, the Lord put Casey on my heart.  You know when the Holy Spirit just keeps reminding you of someone and you can't get away from it?  That's the way this was.  It had been a couple of years since we'd spent any time together, but I knew I had to hook up with her.  I found her on Facebook and we chatted enough for me to find out that she was pregnant with her first baby.  I was delighted for her and we agreed we needed to get together soon as we were just living about 45 minutes apart.  Little did I know that once again, God was going to use her and her family to teach me some things.  

Over the next couple of weeks, Casey's world was rocked.  She and her husband really wanted to know the sex of their baby and he simply wouldn't cooperate with the ultrasounds at the Drs. office.  So, at 28 weeks, they went to one of those private ultra-sound places.  They knew from the reaction of the tech that something was not right.  They spent the next several weeks visiting a variety of specialists and experts who insisted that something was terribly wrong and suggested all sorts of options for the pregnancy- none of which they would consider.  They went back and forth between bad news and good news.  They faithfully shared each appointment and update on their blog so we knew how to  pray for them until finally at 37 weeks of pregnancy, Casey went into labor.  Asher Daniel Chappell was born last August, but his time on earth was only for a moment.  

The weeks that followed were intense.  Casey faced all of the grief one would expect.  I cannot pretend to know her sorrow, but in typical Casey fashion, she did it with grace and faith that was jaw dropping.  I would go to her blog and weep and laugh and be amazed at how one young woman could have so much faith. I knew that her heritage which had taught her to trust in a BIG God was a huge factor in her response.  It encouraged me to work more diligently to train my children. It encouraged me to pray for my friend.  It encouraged me to treasure my family.  Following her story and knowing her heart ministered to me as we were on the last legs of our adoption journey with Abe.

A few weeks after Asher passed away, Casey, Brittany, and their husbands came to dinner at our house.  We had an evening filled with laughter.  We talked candidly about the grieving process and about their thoughts about how they might build their family in the future.  Casey brought her camera and took some fabulous photos of our kids (did I mention she's an extremely talented photographer?) You may remember that I posted the link for them on the blog last fall.  Since that day we've been keeping in touch through blogs and Facebook.

We were amazed when November brought the news that they would be adopting a baby girl in just a few days.  The story of Zoe's adoption in and of itself is amazing.  And then we were both delighted and saddened to find out that she and Dan were planning to leave Raleigh this summer so that Dan could attend Southwestern Seminary in Ft. Worth.  Casey's dad now serves as the chaplain there and so it is a great opportunity for them.  

So, at the end of May, we got to spend one last afternoon with Casey.  She came for lunch and brought baby Zoe.   Once again, she brought her camera and we were blessed by her photography talents.  That's really the point of this post, I wanted to share those photos with you.  You can see them here

We know it may be a while before we get to see her sweet family again, but we are so thankful for the technology that allows us to stay connected.  When I look at my relationship with Casey and her family, I see God's hand in every detail.  He has intersected our paths again and again at timely moments and he has used them to minister to my heart in ways I didn't know I needed it.  I thank him for these giants in the faith who he has placed in my life and given me the privilege of calling my friends.  I love you Nichols- even if you are wackos!

Oh and by the way, if you want to follow her journey or go back and read about all the Lord had done in her life over the past year, go here. Just be sure you bring a box of kleenex!