Interview with Serene
Q. Serene, tell us about your husband and family.
S. God has blessed me with a wonderful husband named Samuel,who is my best friend in life. He is very hardworking and is busy working full-time and building our home on the weekends. He is a wonderful spiritual leader and a great father. He wants to have a tribe of children, if God so chooses to bless us. We have two little darlings so far.
Arden Lee is our 3-year-old son (4 on 15 December) who loves dinosaurs and anything that goes raaaaah! He is a sweet big brother and prays daily for God to put another baby in mommy’s tummy.
Our little girl is 18 months and her name is Chalice Hosanna. She is so sweet and squeals all day in delight. We are trying to make her happy squeal sound not so loud in grocery stores!
Q. The songs you and Pearl have written together are mostly about motherhood. Tell us what motherhood means to you.
S. We wanted to write the majority of our songs about motherhood because we want to encourage other mothers. The songs came easily to us. There are so many beautiful moments in motherhood that need to be captured. In society today, the value and worth of motherhood has been stolen. We want our songs to help restore the pleasure, delight, and importance of motherhood.
In answer to what motherhood means to me, I would have to say that it is the definition of what I am meant to be. It is my desire to be the mother God wants me to be, and to love and nurture from the heart of God.
Q. Serene, do you ever have bad days?
S. Every one has days that are better than others, but instead of looking at it them as “bad days” or “good days” I like to see them as “ great days” and “ really incredible days.” Of course, if a tragedy happened, it wouldn’t be classified in either of those.
However, in every day life I see every day as great, no matter how mundane, as it is just such a joy to be alive and live the exciting life of having Jesus as our best friend.
Q. In the #54 issue of Above Rubies, you wrote about the difficult situation you live in as you wait for your home to be completed. What’s your current living situation?
S. Last winter was a very interesting situation, with no running water or toilet, and a freezing unfinished home, but it was fun. It is “a fun” I am glad we won’t have to repeat this year, but we have some great memories.
We now have a toilet! Yeah! When we first hooked it up, I just stood there and marveled at the flushing mechanism. I won’t ever take a toilet for granted again. We are little by little getting more civilized. We are still living in one room on a concrete floor, but my Dad plastered our house so we have no leeks now. Praise the Lord!
Q. What is the greatest vision in your life?
S. My greatest vision in life is to serve the Lord with my life completely. He has blessed me with a husband and children so I want to pour my life into being the best wife and mother I can be. I believe this is my highest calling and I want to have all the children God has planned for me. I don’t want to turn my face away from one little treasure He has purposed for me.
If someone asks my husband and I how many children we want, we always say, “All of them.” We’ll receive whatever God decides to bless us with, whether it is two or 15!
I always feel sorry for my husband when he goes of to work. I feel like I have a princess life. I get to stay at home and have my needs provided, while I play with “little treasures” and tend my little castle, no mater how humble my home is right now.
Q. What is the funniest thing that has happened to you in your life?
S. I am one of those people that embarrassing things happen to all the time, most of which are two embarrassing to mention. I have done everything embarrassing, from slipping over in a grocery store and doing the splits when I can’t naturally do them and my skirt flying in the air, to even more public embarrassments.
One time when on stage, when we use to tour, one of the spot lights (which make everything white glow like a flash light) somehow shined though my black knit (never-been-see-through-before shirt) and made my white, granny nursing bra, stuffed full with nursing pads (as my baby was still young) plain for all 500 people to see! It didn’t make it any better that I was ignorant of the fact, and had my arms constantly raised in the air praising God.
A nice well-meaning older lady came up to my sister, too embarrassed to speak to me, and told Pearl the scene. She didn’t know I had young baby and asked Pearl why I stuffed my bras with rags! I suppose she thought I was trying to grow a cup or two. See, I told you my stories are embarrassing. I will stop here to save face.
Q. Can you share with us a Scripture that means a lot to you?
S. I love the whole Bible, but I especially love the Psalms. Maybe I love them so much for they are songs and talk a lot about singing praises unto God. I love Psalm 100, which is a song of praise for the Lord’s faithfulness to His People.
Make a joyful shout to the Lord, all you lands!
Serve the Lord with gladness;
Come before His presence with singing.
Know that the Lord, he is God;
It is He who has made us,
And not we ourselves;
We are his people and the sheep of his pasture.
Enter into his gates with thanksgiving
And into his courts with praise.
Be thankful to Him, and bless His name.
For the Lord is good;
His mercy is everlasting
And His truth endures to all generations.