Blog - Our Goodwin Journey

How Far I’ll Go

September 18, 2017

There is a dusty, dirt road near my parents’ house that is the perfect road for a good run.

The grid of roads in this area are marked out in perfect 1 mile distances, making it easy to chart a path.

My running schedule has been sporadic so each time I put on my running shoes, I have to wonder how far I’ll go.

1 mile? 2 or 3? push for 4?

I gauge how I’m feeling, how much energy I have, how invested I need to be to get another mile logged.

The dirt road calls to me and challenges me to run. Run farther. Hit the next mile.

But I still wonder how far I’ll be able to go that day, that run.

Knowing the mental and physical challenges my body will face, I set out with my headphones playing, my watch counting and my heart willing.

As I cross the busy highway and start off on the dirt road, I feel good.

Ready. Let’s do this.

The wind is behind me, the sun is shining and I’m going strong.

1 mile down.

Ok, this is going well… let’s run to the next road, do another mile.

Wait. If run to the next road and do another mile, that takes me another mile from home.

Going to the next road means I have to commit to a longer run. Every mile I run away is a mile I have to come back. I still feel the wind pushing me and I feel strong enough to commit to go farther than planned.

I haven’t pushed my runs too much over the summer so it felt like a good time to test my training.

That blue sky though… and the flowers. The countryside and quaint farm houses. What a great day for a run.

I see the stop sign ahead of me and know my second mile is almost finished. At the stop sign I’ll turn around and start mile 3.

Take a deep breath, listen to the beat of music, check my stride, fix my posture. Prepare for another mile.

And turn around.

The air changes. The wind that was at my back is now pushing against me.

A car goes by and kicks up dust in my face. Rocks fly.

Then the questions come. My body starts feeling the run, feeling tired, wondering about my decision to go farther than planned.

But I’ve committed to a longer run. I went farther and there is no way back but to continue.

Regret for going another mile yet a stronger desire builds inside me to finish strong.

A cramp in my side. Thirst comes.

Questions… wondering what I was thinking to go so far.

What was an easy two miles became a struggle to mentally keep up let alone physically make the run continue.

I can see the intersection ahead of me and know I almost made it to 3 miles.

That intersection also tells me there is another mile to go to get home.

Run it? Walk it? Push or stop?

The doubt of a loud inner voice saying, “Seriously… you ran a marathon! This can’t be that hard. Why are you struggling so much?”

Then, through my headphones, Moana began to sing, “One day I’ll know. If I go, there’s just no telling how far I’ll go.”

{I know… mom of girls here. Moana gets played often.}

Mile 4 was a battle. A battle of wills and heart. The song “How Far I’ll Go” playing on repeat.

The mirror of my life to that run becoming incredibly clear.

I don’t know how far I’ll go.

One day I’ll know…

But I’ll only know IF I keep going, keep pushing, keep challenging, keep running.

I don’t know where this calling will take us or how deep the challenges will be. I don’t know what the conditions will be or the challenges we have yet to face.

Whether it is a car kicking up dirt in our faces or the wind changing to push against us… the challenges and struggles will continue. They won’t stop.

In fact, over the coming years, they will only come harder and stronger as we move into this next term.

The road will be more difficult than before. The path ahead is full of unknowns. The twists and turns are many.

Yet, the course has been set and we are in it for the long haul.

The decision to keep going has been made.

How far will I go?

I don’t know how far I’ll go.

But I’ll only know IF I keep going regardless of the challenges.

I did finish my run that day. With tears in my eyes, I stopped my running watch, stretched on the steps and felt the sweat of a finished run.

The plans were already beginning for the next run, knowing that how far I’ll go is still yet to be seen.

I want to know how far I’ll go… so I’ll keep going. Keep training. Keep fighting. Keep pushing.

I’ve already committed to the journey.

The Voice is calling out to me to keep going. To see how far I can go.

But not alone. The sweet voice of Jesus is with me every step of the way.

Amazingly, HE KNOWS how far I can go. He knows.

“…and surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.” Matthew 28:20

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Travel Journal Ideas for KIDS! With Printable Pages

May 12, 2017

As families who travel a lot, finding ways to remember the fun means finding some travel journal ideas.

Whether you homeschool on the go like we do sometimes or are going on vacation and want your kids to have a way to jot down the details and memories of their days, you need a format, a guide, a journal of sorts made just for travel.

Travel journal ideas that will spark their interest, build their creativity and give them a memorable way to keep track of each family journey.

Family travel journaling is something we’ve done on and off over the years.

Finding travel journal ideas is not always the easiest thing to do. And, making sure to have a journal on hand when you need it can also be challenging.

But it is worth it.

Kids Travel Books gives us a great reason for travel journaling and says, “The reason being, I concluded, is that when you read and write, your life is truly enriched. The more you read and write, the deeper your thoughts and the deeper your understanding of the world. And let’s face it, the more you read and write, the more intelligent you become and the brighter your future.” {you can read that article here}

“Keep a notebook. Travel with it, eat with it, sleep with it. Slap into it every stray thought that flutters up into your brain. Cheap paper is less perishable than gray matter. And lead pencil markings endure longer than memory.” – Jack London

In all of our searchings for travel journal ideas, I decided to created something super simple and basic. A family travel journal that would be a continual list of places we’ve been, airports, countries, foods, languages and so on.

We could fill it out, put it in a binder and keep updating it year after year, journey after journey.

A one place keep all for family travels around the world.

{When you subscribe to our blog, you get that 20 page family travel journal as a free download!}

But that didn’t help me with the day to day memories of our girls.

What did they want to remember and write down?

How could they do that in a way that wouldn’t seem like “school” or be too much writing?

Was there just a simple 1 page guide to help them record the fun, important memories of each day?

So, as a companion to our family journal, I created this for my girls. It can be printed page by page or in full to get as many pages as you want. Put it in a binder or folder and you are good to go!

Kids Travel Journal Pages

Now, after you grab both of those journals, you still might be looking for a book or travel journal as a gift for your kids.

Travel Journal Ideas

1} Lonely Planet – My Travel Journal and their My Family Travel Journal Map are both great ideas to start!

2} My Travel Journal with “snap, stick, write and draw” journaling ideas on each page

3} I Was Here: A Travel Journal for the Curious

4} Ooly Pocket Pal Journals – comes in a pack of 8 with 6 different styles to choose from!

5} Postcard Journaling – I LOVE this idea! Grab a postcard each day on your travels, write family memories on the card, hole punch the corner and gather together with a ring for a creative travel journal!

6} Letter Writing – Have your kids write themselves a letter each day. This pack of 48 colorful blank note cards with envelopes will help them create a letter box of memories to read one day.

7} Blank Index Cards – Give each of your kids a pack of 100. Have them draw, write, color, bullet journal, record memories… options are endless.

Be sure to have a special box for the letters or the cards. Something like this would work great.

8} Sticker Journal – Go crazy with some fun stickers and let your kids put together a journal, notebook or card with stickers to remember the day.

9} Conversation – Do you know that kids remember things best when they are spoken? It is true. Stories told over and over will stick with them longer than some cute pinterest printable. So along with the journals, have them tell you the story out loud or you tell your memories of the day. This will help spark their own memories and give them a way to put the fun of your travels into words.

10} Expandable Folder Collections – These colorful letter sized folders would be a great place to store tickets, pamphlets, postcards, papers, maps and other collectables from each destination. You could also keep one large expandable folder for the whole family! Each adventure can be labeled and your family treasures filed safely in one place.

Families who are on the move need ways to remember and record the journeys.

As we begin another big year of travel, I’m excited to give a few of these ideas a try. I want our girls to have tangible ways to record their memories… and have some fun while doing it!

How do you keep track of your family travels and memories? What travel journal ideas can you add?

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Home Remedies For Beginners

May 8, 2017

You are on the hunt for home remedies for yourself or your family.

You don’t know much about home remedies but you hear a lot of people talking about these natural health type things.

You know there are home remedies that will help you greatly without having to make a trip to the doctor but you aren’t sure of the what/how/when it comes to medically helping your family from home.

You feel overwhelmed just thinking about it.

Your friend sells essential oils and you don’t get on board because it just seems like too much to figure out.

And honestly, you don’t want to be “oily” anyway.

You see, I’m the beginner who has felt those things.

I’m the unbeliever at times.

How can an oil do that?

How could a tea help with that?

How does one herb accomplish all that?

How do you even know how much or when?

How do you know who to trust when someone tells you about some tea or vitamin or supplement?

But, a few years ago, I became a believer.

And I made a decision to at least learn more.

Being overseas really speeds up the need to know and learn about home remedies.

Having a sickness or rash or unexplained pain when a doctor is far away is scary! Especially when it is your kids.

Often times the person behind the counter at the pharmacy doesn’t really know about what you are asking.

Sometimes the big trucks that are supposed to be hauling refrigerated medicines break down for hours and hours on the side of the road. And that medicine still gets shelved and sold at the pharmacy.

Sometimes, even though the doctors really want to help, the language barriers, cultural practices and educational differences keep us from being on the same page with basic care.

During our first term overseas, I’ve had a few different times when I needed medical help and had to figure out what to do from home.

And each time, I didn’t have what I needed on hand. But between help from friends in the states or hunting something down at the market or standing in a shop with my google translate giving me the vocabulary… I’ve been able to treat these things at home.

It takes asking questions, researching, googling, talking to friends, reading books and making sure you have a good understanding of what you need and why.

It takes prayer and a little bravery to step up and start using home remedies for your family.

You can do it.

Even beginners can help their families from home.

This coming from the girl who never felt a single contraction after having 3 babies because I’m a little in love with epidurals.

This coming from the girl who hates taking vitamins and never remembers to stay on my daily regimen.

This coming from the mom who is quick to call the doctor.

But sometimes, things can be treated from home and even beginners can find home remedies for their families.

It can be simple. The overwhelm can subside. And home remedies can take place without going “oily”, if you know what I mean.

Simple Home Remedies for Beginners

1} Essential Oils – When we first landed in Africa, the dirty water had gotten in my ears and I was dealing with terrible, gross ear infections. That story is long, starting with tubes in my ears in 2010. Anyway, the ear thing got out of control pretty quickly and our first 8 weeks in country were awful for me. I couldn’t hear anything, my head hurt, I had puss coming out my ears… yeah. that. I’d remembered using antibiotic drops after surgery so I walked into a local pharmacy and bought the drops. They helped with the immediate infection but it would keep coming back because of the fluid built up in my ears.

A friend wrote me and said, “You should use essential oils!” And I thought, “No way! That isn’t going to help this bad of an infection.” She was insistent and sent the oils to me here in Africa. I found this video online about which oils to use and how to use them for fluid in the ears. AMAZING and nearly instant results. The fluid drained within about a week and I’ve been able to keep my ears good since then with this technique and just a few simple oils.

Annalise got a weird, scary rash last summer with huge blisters that would burst and literally burn her skin with the acid inside. Some kind of beetle, we were told, will do that if it touches your skin. Tea Tree Oil to the rescue. Acne? Infected mosquito bite? Mango worm? Tea Tree Oil. Headache? Peppermint oil. On and on I could go. I’ve had oils mailed to me, flown to me and even found a few in local markets here.

I’m now a believer in oils and I’ll be bringing a good supply back to Africa with me when we return.

Essential Oils for Beginners – a really helpful resource

doTERRA Oils – I started using these. There are many kinds and brands. Just do some research and find the ones you trust and want to use. But taking a kit like this when you move overseas is a really good idea!

2} Tea – Whether we need to sleep after a stressful day or have a headache or upset stomach, I’ve learned that tea can really help. Natural, herbal teas with chamomile or lavender. There really are so many teas available to help with everyday issues. You can even mix your own.

3} Apple Cider Vinegar – Buy yourself a big bottle. And make yourself some hot tea with honey. Stomach, skin, gall bladder, colon… so many things can be calmed and helped with a tablespoon or two a day.

4} Epsom Salt – When we were training for the marathon in France, I had gone for an xray on my foot because I was in so much pain. The xray was normal and I just prayed for God to show me what to do to help my foot! I truly believe that God dropped epsom salt in my heart. We were on the hunt for it but it is not common at all in France. After some funny discussion with the pharmacy, I found a small bag of epsom salts. Withing a few days of soaking my foot, I was healing and doing better. The salts opened a deep running blister in my foot that I didn’t even know was there. Gross, I know… but I was able to treat it at home and run the marathon. Epsom salt baths and soaks are helpful for many things and really good for you! Those dry, cracked feet? Soak them. Promise. I’ve since had these bags shipped over.

5} Vitamins – Living overseas greatly increases our stress levels. That stress takes a toll and I’ve seen it take a toll in the health of missionaries. Last winter, I was experiencing great fatigue. I was needing a ton of sleep and just not feeling well at all. I did go to the doctor in Dakar and he very wisely gave me a prescription for 30 days of high dose liquid vitamins. I think there were 5 vitamins in the vials. Each morning, I would add 3 vials to some juice. Within a few days, I had my energy back and was doing better. I think we often discount how important a little vitamin D or E or C can be in our daily lives!

6} Youtube – Abby was having really bad pain in her hips. We again went for xrays and the doctor said she needed stretching and physical therapy. Well, to get physical therapy 3 times per week meant driving back and forth to Dakar and paying a lot of money. Of course, we’d do it if it was needed but I knew we could do it at home as well. I did some research, found a few credible youtube channels with stretching routines, physical therapy videos and some simple exercises she could do for her hips, back and legs. Her and I worked through those videos together, making sure she was doing them correctly and following the instructor. She is doing so much better now and has learned the stretches she needs to do when she starts to feel that hip pain. I wouldn’t recommend just hopping on youtube for everything, but in some instances, it can be a huge blessing when medical care is far away.

A few other posts I’ve written about health:

Mommy Tips for Sick Kids with a printable chart

Healthy Ways to Lose Weight

Running Tips for Beginners

Taking Care of You

Needing Time Away

Resources:

A Beginner’s Guide to Medicinal Herbs with herb plant growing tips!

Prescription for Natural Cures

Alternative Cures

Living overseas and not having access to health care can be a scary, overwhelming part of life.

But arming ourselves with information is comforting, beneficial and empowering. Being able to cure something naturally from home has been a blessing for our family.

But, I definitely need to learn more.

What is your go-to home remedy?

What resources to you have for home remedies for beginners?

Are you a beginner? What is holding you back from learning?

Please share here in the comments!

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What Do You Want to Learn

May 3, 2017

The want to learn. grow. change. mature. live. excel. step out. do more.

Learning is always happening but it takes a certain amount of purpose to grasp the lessons, hold on and truly grow.

I’ve decided that learning is always, always a good thing.

I want to learn so many things.

“There is no end to education. It is not that you read a book, pass an examination, and finish with education. The whole of life, from the moment you are born to the moment you die, is a process of learning.” -Jiddu Krishnamurti

For me, the past years have been full of a huge list of things I’ve learned.

Travel, moving, culture, language… the lessons are many and the challenges great.

Yet, there is acknowledgement in my heart that I have more things to learn.

Much more.

New things that God is doing… new things that just might require pulling up the boot straps and actually stepping out into the waters of something new.

Part of learning is getting up, getting out and moving forward. Stretching, slowly building momentum to something greater… and that is what I sense God doing in my heart.

Some of these things are spiritual. Some are practical. Some are things I’ve been wanting to do. Some are things I’ve been asked to do… just an all around personal learning to-do list.

Want to Learn

1} Learn how to be me again – that might sound just crazy to you, but to me (and a lot of other missionary expats) this is very real. We check ourselves at the airport and don’t know how to find ourselves within an entirely new context. This author said it like this, “Expats too often check significant parts of their lives at the airport. They assume that they can’t do things because it is not instantly obvious how they can.” We all know it IS possible to do and be those things… we just don’t know how. So my number one on this list is to learn how. Do you ever feel like you need to learn how to be you again after a life change, transition, struggle or growth step?

2} Learn to keep growing in my relationship with God – New seasons take new depths with Jesus. I’m learning that God’s Word is truly alive and active for my circumstance, my stage of life. He is deep and wide and full of things to learn. The Holy Spirit longs to teach us and grow us and take us further. I want that. I want to learn to DO that. Even if time with God is messy and life is busy, I need to keep growing in God.

3} Learn to communicate – Communicating in a new culture, a culture that has its own sub-cultures, it very tricky. Facial expressions, hand motions, words in many languages all blend into a whole new way of communicating with people. There is so much to learn about communication in other countries and cultures. Communication opens so many incredible doors to learning about ourselves and those around us.

4} Learn how share our story more clearly – Navigating social media and story sharing for a missionary family is terribly difficult. This goes with learning to communicate. Things change so quickly with technology that it is hard to keep up. Learning to stay on top of it is a daily challenge. Learning to share our story fully, honestly, meaningfully and creatively. Psalm 107:2 says, “Let the redeemed of the Lord tell their story…” We all need to learn how to do that effectively, purposefully and for His glory.

5} Learn new skills – Overseas life requires some serious pioneer woman skills. Slowly but surely, I’m learning new things and getting into a little bit of baking bread, making tortillas {which I’ve learned and you can too!} and so on. Jeremy is a huge help in this because he enjoys being in the kitchen {much to the amazement of our Senegalese friends!} and I’m so thankful for his love of all things cooking! And learning to share the kitchen, work together and end the day with jobs well done.

Another new skill I want to know more about is essential oils and how to help our family’s health with the right oils. This has been something I’ve been learning by doing. I have a few key oils that literally have gotten me through this first term overseas and helped my health greatly.

6} Learn to be home – This is starting to feel like home. Which is another huge long-term missionary milestone. Learning to be “home” wherever we find ourselves, where our family is together, where love is. And knowing it is a temporary home with a future home in heaven waiting for us. Home is a rough topic for expats and learning to understand the many facets of this is challenging but good. It means being able to live in the present and look ahead and do both of them well.

7} Learn to live fully – As part of mending, I’m realizing that I’ve been in survival mode for a long, long time. Just survive the application process. Just survive itinerating. Just survive all the goodbyes. Just survive language school. Just survive our first year overseas. Just survive rainy season… just survive. From one day to the next. Survive. Now, it is time to live. Not just survive. Because of our newness, there will still be great moments, long days of survival to come. But I need to make pockets of living. Where a day or two or three feels less like survival mode and more like normal life.

8} Learn to process well – The same author states, “Processing and complaining can start with the exact same statement. For example “This is really hard.” That is a fair and true statement but what you do with it sets you on one of two trajectories that ultimately lead to very different places. Processing the hard stuff is absolutely critical for staying well.” And after all we’ve been through, I want to stay well. Which means learning to process well. Process the new places, new cultures, new foods, new experiences, new feelings, new trials, new everything… and process it well.

“Learning is not attained by chance. It must be sought for with ardor and attended to with diligence.” Abigail Adams

9} Learn to read – What? me? learn to read? I am an avid reader. But an avid FICTION reader. I rarely read anything other than fiction, except my Bible… I rarely dig in too far to other genres. maybe once or twice a year… But this year, I’m already falling deeply in love with reading other things like the sermons of CS Lewis and the raw beauty of Elisabeth Elliot and the true stories of Lilias Trotter… learning to read and soak in new things.

10} Learn to do things in new ways – I’m continuing to learn to do things differently. to think differently. Learn how to shop here. Learn how to eat here. Learn how to have friendships here. Learn. learn. learn. learn. all things I know… but now I need to know them differently. Learn to do them in new ways. Culturally correct ways.

11} Learn to speak less – I want to learn to speak less. I need to listen. Just listen. and learn while listening. Listen rather than voice an opinion or add a thought. Just listen. Or just be silent and watch.

12} Learn to pray – Of course, I pray now. But I want that spiritual discipline to grow. I want to speak less to others and speak more to God. I want to go to Him first for all things. I want to deepen an already growing relationship. I want to hear His voice. I want to know Him more. and for that, I must learn to pray. more. longer. deeper. quieter. still.

Lessons I want to learn.

Ways I want my heart to grow and change.

Things that I hope to build.

Character, strength, trust, life.

What are things you want to learn?

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How Far I’ll Go

Ready. Let’s do this.

And turn around.

I don’t know how far I’ll go.

How far will I go?

Travel Journal Ideas for KIDS! With Printable Pages

Travel Journal Ideas

Home Remedies For Beginners

Simple Home Remedies for Beginners

What Do You Want to Learn

Want to Learn

Follow Along Everyday

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