We did not finish the complete challenge. The attitude, conservative spending and consciously looking for ways to help others--yes. The poverty food challenge--no.
For weeks I felt guilty but then I realized we didn't quit because we got busy or lazy or didn't appreciate the concept; we stopped because we hit a family crisis....
While Donnie was in Guatemala, something began manifesting in one of the small one's life. It snowballed so quickly and so dramatically that it slammed into our little world before I even, really, saw it coming. I refused to let Donnie know what was going on back home so that he could focus on his work there. I told a select few, only to ask for prayers and wisdom; and then told Donnie everything the morning after he returned (welcome home!).
He returned two days before the middle one's birthday and our focus was temporarily turned to that and then our friends' visit the day after that. When we set up the challenge's schedule, we had planned to take a week off to cover both the birthday and the visitors, but we had not planned on being hit with this family crisis. Perhaps others would have trudged through--splitting their focus between their child's issue and the poverty challenge--but we decided to skip the last ten days of the challenge and focus on our family.
There are some days I wish we would have trudged through--stopping ten days before the end sounds like a failure. But then I remember the fear and anger and array of emotions I had to deal with alone at first and then later with Donnie and I'm thankful we were willing to quit and turn 100% of our attention to her. She was worth it. She IS worth it.
Because we didn't finish, I feel it's incomplete--like I can't give a summary quite yet. Maybe one day, one day soon, we will complete it. Or come up with a new extended and broader challenge... Oh the possibilities!
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