Saturday, June 21, 2008

Lazy Weekend

I haven't posted in a week, so I am basically just posting for the sake of posting right now. I am sitting at Eric's work waiting for him to finish up so we can go to the pool. Oh, the pool! How thankful I am for the pool. Nonetheless, I was decently busy this week, so I haven't posted. But I have been thinking about posting a lot.

Bible study this week was incredible. We said goodbye to a friend who has been with us for this study. She moved on to a new life, a new state, and a new start. We will miss her, but being able to pray for her and think of the ways she has touched my heart was a true blessing. I can say confidently I love the women that make up my Bible study. God has brought us together to share in his word and learn from each other. Each woman is so different and yet each week we come together to pray and cry, to learn and grow. It is always such a refreshing experience.

This week also at Bible study, I was introduced to a blog, audreycaroline.blogspot.com. In two days time, I have read every single entry and cried my way through a beautiful story of struggle and faith. It's always beneficial when you can see stories of real life women where God is weaving himself into their stories and showing his truth. I am blown away by how much a blog about a little unborn person can evoke so many emotions. If you want to cry and praise God at the same time, check out the blog.

My parents have been in Africa for 3 days now. Even though I don't see them when they are at home, I talk to at least one of them every day now. Three days without any emails, texts, or phone calls. I pray for them and think about them, but I miss them! I know God is working through them in Africa. Still, I worry. I can't get the text that says, "We're fine!" And, when something happens that reminds me of my mom (this happens several times a day), I can't call her to talk about it. It's so weird. This trip is a blessing for all of us but I will be thrilled when they make it back to America.

I don't know that I have anything profound to say so I think I will just sign off for the day. Maybe more will come to me tomorrow. Until then, I will just enjoy the lazy Saturday.

Here's to lazy Saturday pool adventures!

Friday, June 13, 2008

Thank Heavens for Friday!

Wow! This week has been so great, but I don't think my body could handle much more. I am completely worn out from work and kids club. How fun! Tonight we conclude kids club. Without unforseen rain, we should have a fun time outside with stations for the kids and their families to enjoy each others' company. Eric and I will be serving world foods. It should be a great place to make contact with lots of families.

I had a touching moment yesterday. I had a woman come apologize to me for a comment that she had made earlier. This comment was something that upset me a little at the time, but I had moved on and not really thought about it. She pulled me aside to make a formal apology, and it really touched my heart. I had read the verses in Matthew tons of times about being speedy to reconsile yourself to your neighbor and always thought that meant in BIG cases with HUGE disputes. But the kindness this woman showed and the good example she set by apologizing for something so small really had a big impact on me. It made me think about how powerful our words are and how carefully I should guard my tongue and keep all of my words in check. It was just a beautiful moment for me.

Today is a big day at work. We officially decided to stop taking applications for fall. We are already hearing plenty of comments, but I ultimately think it is a good decision. I am anxious to see how it is represented by those not in the MU community.

One last comment... I'm all over the place today... it's Friday the 13th! For some people, this may conjur up ideas of fear or superstition. For me, it is a day of love and tradition. Eric and I got engaged on a Friday the 13th, married on a different Friday the 13th, and have officially decided that Friday the 13th is our day. We celebrate the love we share on this very special day! We are planning to have dinner tonight after Kids Club to celebrate our special day.

Here's to Friday the 13th!

Wednesday, June 11, 2008

Kids!

Eric and I are volunteering at Kids' Club for church this week. It is incredibly fun but I am so worn out! We have fourth graders. Twenty-one fourth graders who like to climb, have piggy back rides, dance, and all-together enjoy themselves. It's fun to see Eric with the kids because all of the boys in the group just adore him. I personally feel we can never have enough examples of cool, fun guys who love the Lord and are willing to share that with kids. I mean, it's one thing to see women but quite another to see men serving in their church. Something boys don't see nearly enough of, but something that is great about kids club. There are so many men who help.

It's also really cool to see when the kids "get it." Our lesson last night was that God has compassion for all people in the world and he wants us to also show that compassion. A kid who was riding on Eric's back last night willingly gave up his spot so that a girl, who hadn't had a chance to have a ride, could get one. He gets it! I love to see them begin their journeys. They've got such a long way to go (I've got such a long way to go) but any ounce of admiration they can get now for our glorious God will plant and manifest itself later. So cool!! I will say this... by the end of this week I will be truly glad to have Saturday to rest and enjoy some time with my husband.

Other than that, not much has been happening. We had a full house of guests this weekend and have been doing kids club every night so there hasn't been much time for moving. We still have quite a way to go. I am hoping to hit the grocery store tonight, time permitting. Our cabinets are bare but we haven't had time to notice.

What a fun, unpredictable week!

Here's to no rain for kids club for the rest of the week!

Wednesday, June 4, 2008

Change is A-Comin

Lots of changes have been happening in my life lately. To follow up on my last post, I have a new fake tooth. Though the super glue holding the frisbee-catching tooth could have lasted a while, Dr. Miller chose not to take that chance. He fit me with a temporary crown yesterday afternoon. I will receive a permanent one in three weeks. The temporary is a bit lighter than my regular teeth so it makes the rest of my teeth look dingy if you stare too long. I try not to stare too long. In the time it takes to get the permanent crown, I am being very careful about what I eat. Right now, the gums are still a little bruised. I am hoping to wake up tomorrow to no more bruising.

Speaking of waking up, I am waking up in a new place these days! Pete, Eric, and I (along with Jack, Rodrigo, Tinkerbell, and Monkey) moved into a new duplex. It is a little more spacious and much nicer. We are enjoying the extra space, including more kitchen cabinets and a landing the boys have claimed as a "manloft." It's really all quite lovely. We are about half moved. We are also doing a little more decorating in this new place, and the boys promise that it will be MUCH cleaner. If not, evil Jess will probably rear her ugly head. On top of that, we love our new neighbors. We are in a neighborhood with quite a few kids and pets. The neighbors have almost all introduced themselves and seem to be upstanding people. It's been a great move so far, it's just going a little slower than I would like.

We also have changes in our office. We are doing interviews for several positions. I know change is unending and necessary. It's still hard. Hard to see people leave, to try to fill the shoes of those who are moving on. Hard to guess the dynamics of what could be if we hire someone new. It's incredibly exciting to see all of the potential. Probably the hardest part for me is waiting to see. I try never to pray for patience even though I know I need some. I am a firm believer that the only way to get more patience is to go through more events that try your patience. Though I know God would get me through any trying event, I am still not at a place in my faith that I actively pray for those trials.

I want to write so much more but I am getting wordy. Tune in later this week for an interesting (well, interesting to me) commentary on my current Bible study. Until then, I am off.

Here' s to change