Tuesday, March 26, 2013

A Farm is Where...

Saying goodbye to one of your favorite places and to some of your favorite people is harder than it sounds.  If lumps in throats could speak, they would be more equipped than I to accurately express what it meant for Sam and I to drive away from his brother and sister-in-law's farm in Indiana for the last time for the next few years.  A farm is where...
boys become men...
chickens are actually free-range...
kids are free-range too...
we depend on each other...
boredom isn't a bad thing...
because it leads to ingenuity, like making cake factories out of crusty rusty junk...
fences are suggestions...
life is not stifled...
 you get adopted as  family just by showing up on the doorstep...
toddlers perfect the skill of climbing, a skill most neglected in the developed world...
any place is a spot for reflection...
cats THINK they rule the roost...
sunshine is life and so is freedom...
little bodies do what they were made for... 
cousins are buddies...
we work through differences because community is small...
age doesn't matter... 
 and life is sweet.




We love you, JKMM!




Wednesday, March 20, 2013

This Little Kingdom...

"You delight in the little things.  You delighted in little Bethlehem and chose it as the birthplace of the King of Kings.  You delighted in little David who took on great Goliath as a sign of your power.  You delight in this little Kingdom of Lesotho that you created nestled in the mountaintops and will pour out your blessing on this little nation as we send our loved ones there with your Good News."

This paraphrase of a prayer prayed over us by Pastor Tim of a little home church in California has stayed in my heart.  The little Bethlehem.  The little David.  God is fond of displaying His glory in the little things.  How I wait with expectancy to see what God will show me of Himself in the Little Mountaintop Kingdom of Lesotho.



"And you, O Bethlehem, in the land of Judah, are by no means least..."
Matthew 2:6 excerpt

Sunday, March 17, 2013

Have You Hugged Your Missionary Today?

When you text a friend that you're craving her cookies and 5 minutes later her husband shows up on your doorstep with the most amazing cookies in the world.  Yeah, that's what we call super-sonic awesome in our book.



THANKS PAT AND JEFF!

Saturday, March 16, 2013

Salvage...

Several of our trunks for our shipment to Lesotho got flooded.  PRAISE God that only one of the trunks was destroyed and that we were able to salvage the rest.  Among the destroyed things were our books and Elaina's baby book.  But, again, praise God that Elaina's baby book wasn't beyond hope and we were able to remove each picture and should be able to keep those memories!

Cutting out each picture
Drying each picture!

Tuesday, March 12, 2013

Sister Sweetlies...

Days of high-stress packing and sorting make one very grateful to have a day of supply-shopping with a SISTER!  Swapping stories, laughing, and trying to explain to the cashier that, "No, really, we're shopping for 3 years..." sure makes a day sweet as honey!

Unloading some of our loot :)

Wednesday, March 6, 2013

The Emotional Toll...

The emotional toll sets in when you least expect it.

Like when you're running between stores trying to be a good steward, trying to find a few good outfits for the next 3 sizes for your kids and enough socks to last 3.5 years for each person in the family and wondering if your daugher will even like the few articles of clothing you're taking over because she's not picky now but maybe someday she will be and trying to find only items on sale for $2.99 and I know my 7 year-old sports Angry Birds but do I buy something with Angry Birds for 2 years down the road?  Do 9 year olds wear Angry Birds?  Will Angry Birds still even be a thing in 2 years?  And...

The emotional toll sets in when you least expect it.

Like when you're laying all these clothes out in the basement to take inventory....there's winter in Lesotho, you know.  So did I get enough long-sleeved shirts for Sawyer for size 8, 9, 10?  And what about shoes?  He's a size 1 now...I have no idea how fast they grow...will he need a size 2 and 3 and that's it?  Or do I need to get some size 4 and 5?  How big will my 7 year-old be in 3.5 years?

And I'm taking this inventory...sorting the size 8 and 10 shorts and reminding myself that I forgot to get him swimtrunks for next year...and I think, "I should be out spending time with my lovelies and my friendlies.  The ones I won't see for so long.  Why am I counting gym shorts and short-sleeved shirts?"

And I remember.

I remember that I count the shirts and the socks and the cargo pants because this is part of it.  This is part of going to the ends of the earth.  The counting, the toll, the sorting, the remembering.  This is part of what I'm called to as a missionary mom.  And when I look at it like that, I know I can do this.  I know I can because He has called me to do exactly this for today.

"Then Jesus said, 'Come to me, all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest."  Matthew 11:28

Tuesday, March 5, 2013

Every 3 Minutes...

Click here for the Every 3 Minutes video

THIS IS AWESOME.  WE LOVE HOW GOD IS USING MAF!


*Stats in film reflect MAF International.  

Sunday, March 3, 2013

Sugar and Spice...

and everything nice, that is what my girlfriends are made of.  I am soaking up these moments, these last moments that are lasting moments, with the beautiful people God has put in my life.  I am so thankful for a night out with some of the beauties God has given me.

Hawaian Roll Sushi
We got Athena to try sushi for the first time.  She hated it, so that smile didn't last long.
 It's amazing what peer pressure can do :)



Thank you, Sarah and Athena!