We’ve experienced a lot in just 365 days.
May 1st marked one year in the books for the Stark family at Shiloh! We’ve experienced a lot in just 365 days. It’s been encouraging to reflect upon the journey. Our faith has grown, our family has grown, Shiloh has grown with the addition of the Fitzgerald and Ellermets families, as well as all the new children filling their houses. There’s a saying that goes something like this, “If you think my hands are full, you should see my heart.” And that’s about how we feel. Some days are more overwhelming than others, but what God is doing in our hearts is far more valuable than the cost.
Baylor is now 4 months old, Gibson is 2 ½, and Harvey just turned 5 at the end of May. We’ve graduated to fitting 3 car seats along the first row of our 15-passenger van, it’s quite a sight! Harvey is excited that his Pre-K teacher will also be his Kindergarten teacher at Tri-County next year, is the best big brother ever, and says the “darndest” things. Gibson loves to laugh and chat, do everything that Harvey is saying and doing, and eat snacks! Both of them love reading, dancing, and their new bunk beds that daddy made for them! Baylor is our sweet baby boy with handsome eyes and chunky thighs! We can’t get over how huge he feels to us! He is flexible, smiley, and loved by everyone here!
We’ve continued our mission of the month where we learn about a country and what it’s like for Christians who live there. So far, we’ve covered Japan, Italy, Indonesia, and the Dominican Republic. We cook a cultural meal that reflects what the locals might typically eat. I will say, the mashed plantains from the Dominican were nobody’s favorite, but nearly everything from the Indonesian meal has been requested again! If possible, we have visitors share their experiences and passions behind mission work in the country we are praying for and learning about. We had a mother and her son over for dinner to share about their 2 week mission trip to Japan, as well as video chatted with a college student who went on a mission trip to a remote island in Indonesia. It has been meaningful for all of us to learn about countries and cultures, pray for Christians and unbelievers, and experience new cuisine.
Mr. Stark, Mr. Fitzgerald, and Mr. Ellermets all joined in on getting NASP certified for archery instruction. NASP stands for National Archery in the Schools Program and this allowed us to be able to get a grant for the onsite school to get $3,000 worth of archery equipment free! We received 6 targets, 12 bows, 72 arrows, and a backdrop to stop arrows. This way our South Shelby and Shiloh School kids can shoot archery on site safely with three certified instructors.
With school out for the summer and work groups just around the corner, we feel grateful and excited to now begin treading water that we’ve “done once before” because up until now everything was still brand new territory. We’ve experienced a lot in 365 days and now get to live that cycle again with a slightly different perspective, because we kind of know what to expect… !
Grace and Peace, The Starks