Time Off

Things are getting back to normal after a couple weeks off. Rob was in Tennessee for a week and then he had a week of vacation. Or maybe we should use the new term staycation? We used the time to do yard work and celebrate my birthday. Although we didn't really go any where or do anything vacation like doing the time off, my birthday was a great day! Rob took me to Anacortes for lunch and fabric shopping and then the whole family loaded up and headed to Birch Bay for an evening of bubbles, parachute man throwing (I threw my arm out doing that - how sad), beach combing and marshmallow cooking over a campfire. Ahhh..... And as far as the yard work - with acreage there is always something to do and it was nice to have time to do it. So, all in all, the time off went by way too fast - as it usually does - and now reality is back.

Hide and Seek

Monday afternoon we watched our children play hide and seek; it brought back memories of when Hayley and Riley used to play when they were younger - much younger. I remember when Hayley and Riley used to play hide and seek with me they would simply close their eyes. They figured that since they couldn't see me then I couldn't see them. The thought of them standing in the middle of a room with their eyes closed still brings a smile to my face. This time, however, they played outside using the front acre and they really hid. There were so many places to hide that the one who was "it" had to be diligent and persevering. Great effort was needed. During all the searching and seeking I was reminded that we are to be even more diligent and persevering and put even greater effort into searching for wisdom - we are to search for it as if it is a hidden treasure.

"My son, if you accept my words and store up my commands within you, turning your ear to wisdom and applying your heart to understanding, and if you call out for insight and cry aloud for understanding, and if you look for it as for silver and search for it as for hidden treasure, then you will understand the fear of the LORD and find the knowledge of God." Proverbs 2:1-5

And in the book of Colossians we read that the treasures of wisdom and knowledge are hidden in Christ. "...in order that they may know the mystery of God, namely, Christ, in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge." Colossians 2:2b-3

Amazing! The more we pursue the Lover of Our Souls the more treasure we will find. And this goes for everyone - the orphan in Zambia, the widow in Mongolia, me and you. I must say it again - amazing!

May we take the responsibility of being "it" to heart and may we passionately, purposefully and diligently seek Jesus Christ. May we play to win!

Feeling Wimpy

For the last couple of weeks I have been sick. And, actually, I am still not feeling as though the 'bug' is completely gone. Now, being a homemaker and stay-at-home mom I do not get 'sick days' - we moms are a tough bunch. But this time as I continued to keep our home running smoothly I couldn't help continually thinking about how awful I felt, how I just wanted to stay in bed - to feel better. My family did help out, and for that I am thankful. However, even with their help I was just feeling icky. But the worst was yet to come. You see, I had a variety of medicines to take in order to help me feel better. I had vitamins, too. But what about the moms I met in Kasupe? They don't get sick days. They still need to walk several miles a day to get water - regardless of how they feel. And they don't have vitamins or medicine or ...anything! So, what did I have to complain about? At this realization I felt sick and wimpy. Is it possible to be sick and not feel wimpy? Yes! Choose your attitude! I am thankful for the help I received - I am thankful for the vitamins, medicine, tea, tissues, honey and butterscotch candy - And I am praying for the women in Kasupe!

Look What We Saw...

Check out what we saw on our recent family trip to the zoo!!

Updated Pages

In case you haven't checked in a while, I wanted to let you know that some of our blog pages on the right have been updated with a bit more information and some new photos from our recent trip to the Woodland Park Zoo. Be sure to browse - and thanks for reading!

Instruments

Instruments make beautiful music - but only in the hands of talented musicians.

We own several musical instruments - keyboard, acoustic guitars, electric guitar, harmonica, recorders. They are all willing to be played and are capable of making wonderful sounds. But not in my hands. You see, I do not possess an ounce of musical talent. That's right - not even an ounce. I can appreciate other people's skill but I have had to come to terms with the fact that I will never play the fiddle or the banjo. While I sit here thinking about my lost career as a bluegrass band member I am thankfully aware that as we prepare for short term mission trips - or for serving the King in any way - we do not need to put pressure on ourselves to perform. We do not need to be worried about what to say or do - we simply need to willingly submit ourselves to God and allow Him to work through us. Thelma Wells put it this way, "We are the instruments, but God is the one who must make the music through us."

May we continually place ourselves in the hands of the Master Musician and allow Him to use our lives to make beautiful music.

Thank you

Thanks to all of you who prayed for the 30 hour famine event we participated in. It was amazing and we are so thankful to have been able to be a part of it. The youth learned first hand about world hunger and they raised $842 for World Vision. Thanks, again, for your prayers - and please continue to pray for those who are hungry - because 12 million people die every year because they don't have access to clean water and because every 4 seconds a child dies from hunger related issues. And because there is power in prayer.