My speech went fine. Everyone thought that it was very interesting which means that they could understand what I was saying! They had some good questions and all begged me to burn a CD with my example songs.
Since I was busy with my speech all last week, this week I am playing catch up. There is no food in the house, and my laundry racks are are bursting at the seams!
Wednesday, April 29, 2009
Monday, April 27, 2009
Happy Anniversary
Hey Alan and Michelle! Happy Anniversary! Lucky 13!!! I love you so much and miss you terribly!!
DON'T FORGET
Please pray for me Monday 3:00 pm my time. If you are in the Eastern time zone that means at about 8:00 am. I sure would appreciate it!!
Pray that
*I speak this new language intelligibly
*I remember the words
*that my technology works
Pray that
*I speak this new language intelligibly
*I remember the words
*that my technology works
Sunday, April 26, 2009
Done!
... now it's time to edit! Here's the opening paragraph...
Rock n Roll 1950’ler Amerika’da bir özel müzik tarzı oluyour. Ama gerçekten otuzunu hayli geçmiş Rock n Roll doğdu. 1920’ler Rock n Roll’un başları bulabilir. O zamandaki Rhythm & Blues, Blues, Boogie Woogie, ve caz yaygınlaşıyourdu. Onlarla hem halk müziği hem de siyah Amerikalılara özgü dini müzik türüne Rock n Roll müziği çok etkiledi. Zaman geçtikçe bunlar ve çeşitli müzik tarzlarıyla Rock n Roll yaptırıyordu.
research + writing + speech x foreign language = UGH!!!
Rock n Roll 1950’ler Amerika’da bir özel müzik tarzı oluyour. Ama gerçekten otuzunu hayli geçmiş Rock n Roll doğdu. 1920’ler Rock n Roll’un başları bulabilir. O zamandaki Rhythm & Blues, Blues, Boogie Woogie, ve caz yaygınlaşıyourdu. Onlarla hem halk müziği hem de siyah Amerikalılara özgü dini müzik türüne Rock n Roll müziği çok etkiledi. Zaman geçtikçe bunlar ve çeşitli müzik tarzlarıyla Rock n Roll yaptırıyordu.
research + writing + speech x foreign language = UGH!!!
Friday, April 24, 2009
Thursday, April 23, 2009
Children's Day
Today is Children's Day. It is a huge holiday here. The kids have two days off of school. On the actual holiday all the local school children do special performances, dances, readings, etc. That day became so full of preperations and presentations that they had to give the second day off for actual rest.
Noah and Callie each have special performances. Callie is doing a song and dance with her class. Noah has been in a special club all school year. He will be doing a traditional folk dance with his dance group. They both have adorable costumes and are SO EXCITED!!! You better believe I will have video for you soon!
****** It was postponed until next week because of bad weather*******
Noah and Callie each have special performances. Callie is doing a song and dance with her class. Noah has been in a special club all school year. He will be doing a traditional folk dance with his dance group. They both have adorable costumes and are SO EXCITED!!! You better believe I will have video for you soon!
****** It was postponed until next week because of bad weather*******
Wednesday, April 22, 2009
Barry... Barry Graco
As I was walking the kids to school today I was contemplating the history of kid movement. I only have three kids, but God help me (and I mean that), none of them are programmed to move from point A to point B at the same pace, or even along the same path, for that matter.
Noah has a future in speed walking. He is a born leader and is always a mile ahead of me. Callie is a mile behind me, usually talking to her imaginary friends, ChiChi and Nalice (she likes to plan sleep-overs and special dinners when they are in town from Hawaii). If the stars have aligned correctly, I have high hopes for a special anointing of patience, and by some crazy relapse of amnesia I have forgotten how horrible it is, then I will let Lucy walk. She is like some sort of cat on crack. She CANNOT walk in a straight line. It is physically impossible for her body to move in a straight forward motion. She goes back and forth, climbs, crawls, touches all forms of gnarly trash, and occasionally rolls in foul smelling matter. It is fun.
But, I digress... So, as I was trying to herd this ill-fated group to school I was wondering just how many kids Henry Ford must have had that would drive him to invent the automobile. Do not try to convince me that there was some other reason that he would do such a thing. I KNOW it was because his kids were more of a pain than mine when herding them to visit Nellie Olsen at the village store.
Then I got to thinking of Mr. Graco, and wondering how many kids he had. I am sure he invented the stroller. But I wonder why doesn't it hold school aged kids. Or at least have some sort of leashing system. (Oh how I used to look down on those women who would leash their children.) You know how people with several dogs have those fancy leash/harness-y things that strap the dogs together. Who, tell me, who among you will invent such a miracle product for my children.
So, all this to say, I miss my car. If nothing else, it sure made gettin' them kids where they need to be easier!
Gotta go... my kids are playing in the street!!
Noah has a future in speed walking. He is a born leader and is always a mile ahead of me. Callie is a mile behind me, usually talking to her imaginary friends, ChiChi and Nalice (she likes to plan sleep-overs and special dinners when they are in town from Hawaii). If the stars have aligned correctly, I have high hopes for a special anointing of patience, and by some crazy relapse of amnesia I have forgotten how horrible it is, then I will let Lucy walk. She is like some sort of cat on crack. She CANNOT walk in a straight line. It is physically impossible for her body to move in a straight forward motion. She goes back and forth, climbs, crawls, touches all forms of gnarly trash, and occasionally rolls in foul smelling matter. It is fun.
But, I digress... So, as I was trying to herd this ill-fated group to school I was wondering just how many kids Henry Ford must have had that would drive him to invent the automobile. Do not try to convince me that there was some other reason that he would do such a thing. I KNOW it was because his kids were more of a pain than mine when herding them to visit Nellie Olsen at the village store.
Then I got to thinking of Mr. Graco, and wondering how many kids he had. I am sure he invented the stroller. But I wonder why doesn't it hold school aged kids. Or at least have some sort of leashing system. (Oh how I used to look down on those women who would leash their children.) You know how people with several dogs have those fancy leash/harness-y things that strap the dogs together. Who, tell me, who among you will invent such a miracle product for my children.
So, all this to say, I miss my car. If nothing else, it sure made gettin' them kids where they need to be easier!
Gotta go... my kids are playing in the street!!
Remember When...
Remember when I was whining about having to do a 15 minute speech for my language class. Well, this term- Monday to be exact- I have to speak for an hour! An hour! Lord, help me!!
You can probably count on lots of blog posts in the next few days (WHOOPEE). It is my favorite procrastination tool!
You can probably count on lots of blog posts in the next few days (WHOOPEE). It is my favorite procrastination tool!
Thursday, April 16, 2009
MOM
Today is my Mom's birthday. I miss her like crazy because without a doubt she is the BEST person on this planet. I won't tell you how old she is today, but here are 66 reasons that I love her so much I could bust...
1. She weathered my incredibly jerky teenage years (I am still regretful for how I treated her then)
2. She volunteered to help lead my brownie troupe for 5 years
3. She handled our moving here ok despite I was taking her grand babies and precious son-in-law half way across the world and the only answer I had for most of her questions was "I don't know... we'll see!"
4. She learned how to use video skype so that we could talk and she could see the grand kids
5. She sends up lots of packages with all of the little things that we love
6. She models what it really means to put others first
7. She makes it look effortless
8. When we were little and she had to spank us (well deserved!!), she would line us up and she always started with Alan so her hand was tired by the time she got to me
9. She keeps me up to date on all weddings, funerals, and babies born in the state of Georgia
10. She loves my Daddy and has modeled what marriage and commitment can and should look like after 43 years
11. She doesn't always have to have her way
12. She'll share her opinion if you ask, but she's not pushy about it
13. She laughs at my jokes
14. She acts goofy with me- especially in the evenings when we are slap-happy and put on crazy shows to entertain my Dad (he is rarely entertained by this nonsense!)
15. When I was a senior in high school she bought me the prom dress of my dreams even though it was too expensive
16. She looks cute in her Keds
17. She says Noah-er and Cinder-rillah but she in not a redneck
18. She treats everyone with love and respect
19. At Christmas time she bakes enough goodies to feed half of Cambodia, wraps them up beautifully, and delivers them to friends, neighbors, and people who many others have probably forgotten about.
20. She was the treasurer of her Sunday School class for more than 20 years
21. You never have to ask her twice for help
22. But, she will share all information with you 3 times
23. She reminds me to write my thank you notes
24. She is not nosey and does not gossip
25. She is content with what life has handed her
26. She serves her family faithfully and selflessly
27. Truly, I have never met anyone so self-less
28. She loves to give gifts
29. She is patient, or at least makes you think she is
30. When I was in high school and dating Justin all I could think about was myself- she still tried to engage me and was nice and patient with me
31. She came to every soccer game that my brothers and I ever played in
32. One time on Christmas morning she was suffering from terrible pain from cysts and various other abdominal lady problems, but she would not let my Dad take her to the hospital because she did not want to ruin Christmas. He had to force her to go, and she ended up needing major surgery
33. She begged me not to cut my beautiful long hair when I was in second grade, but ultimately she let me get it cut... she was right- the girl mullet (made worse by a perm) was a look I regret! (Not that you didn't do a great job, Mrs. Ramona!)
34. She talks to babies in the grocery store
35. She loves her grandchildren and would love to tell you all about them... do you have an hour or three?
36. She is beautiful, truly gorgeous! When I was in seventh grade she had a conference with my MILE teacher Mr. Mills. The next day his only comment about the conference was, "your Mom is beautiful!!". At the time I thought it was weird and gross. Now, I'm like, heck yeah, she's beautiful!!
37. She can flat out cook
38. She does not waste money, but she's not afraid to splurge once and awhile
39. She is fun to talk to
40. On trips, she never just drives from point A to Point B. She stops to see interesting things along the way
41. When her 18 year old daughter began talking about marriage she calmly laid out all of the reasons to wait, but ultimately let me make my own decision. And even though it was not how she would have planned it, she supported me, helped me plan the wedding, and even paid for most of it out of her pocket
42. When she is with her grandchildren she has more energy than most 10 year olds
43. She has real conversations with the grand kids. She doesn't baby talk them or talk down to them. She listens to them and truly cares about what they care about
44. She throws a family party for your birthday and will make whatever you want to eat
45. She isn't all wrapped up in what others think of her
46. She sends Justin lemonheads because they are his favorite
47. She talks nicely about others
48. She helps others
49. If she knows you have a need or anticipates that you will have a need she will do her best to help with it
50. Every Sunday morning she drug my brothers and I (usually kicking and screaming) by herself to church. She introduced us to God
51. She works part time so that she has extra fun money that is usually spent on others
52. She is a loyal friend
53. She treats her daughter in law, son's girlfriend, and son in law like they are her own
54. She enjoys a good spoon full of peanut butter every now and again
55. She made my lunch every day and did every piece of my laundry until the day I left for college. She still does it for us when we come home. And she would even iron my outfits.
56. Sweet mercy... she spoiled me!
57. If you are having any type of event and ask her to bring a bit of food, chances are she will practically cater the event
58. She taught me the most important rule in cooking- double the meat, cheese, and/or chocolate in any recipe that you plan to serve other people
59. She has made cheeseburgers every Friday night since before I can remember, and now we have cheeseburger night in our home
60. She still kisses my Daddy
61. She does not complain- ever!
62. She keeps things in order
63. She does not need the latest and greatest thing or whatever has the most bells and whistles- she is content
64. She often laughs so hard she cries
65. She has a signature cough. Whenever we did a performance, play, or whatever, if we could not see her all we had to do was wait until about half way through. At that time we could always hear her cough. It is absolutely distinct
66. She is my best friend. She is the one I want to call first when something is good or bad. She is the one my hearts longs to see most. She is the one who has helped to make my life great. Everything I have and am (the good stuff) is because she nurtured me and did her best to raise me. And at some point she magically changed from Mom to Mom and friend. And thankful isn't a big enough word to say what I am for my Mom!
Happy Birthday, Mommy. I love you more than words can express!
1. She weathered my incredibly jerky teenage years (I am still regretful for how I treated her then)
2. She volunteered to help lead my brownie troupe for 5 years
3. She handled our moving here ok despite I was taking her grand babies and precious son-in-law half way across the world and the only answer I had for most of her questions was "I don't know... we'll see!"
4. She learned how to use video skype so that we could talk and she could see the grand kids
5. She sends up lots of packages with all of the little things that we love
6. She models what it really means to put others first
7. She makes it look effortless
8. When we were little and she had to spank us (well deserved!!), she would line us up and she always started with Alan so her hand was tired by the time she got to me
9. She keeps me up to date on all weddings, funerals, and babies born in the state of Georgia
10. She loves my Daddy and has modeled what marriage and commitment can and should look like after 43 years
11. She doesn't always have to have her way
12. She'll share her opinion if you ask, but she's not pushy about it
13. She laughs at my jokes
14. She acts goofy with me- especially in the evenings when we are slap-happy and put on crazy shows to entertain my Dad (he is rarely entertained by this nonsense!)
15. When I was a senior in high school she bought me the prom dress of my dreams even though it was too expensive
16. She looks cute in her Keds
17. She says Noah-er and Cinder-rillah but she in not a redneck
18. She treats everyone with love and respect
19. At Christmas time she bakes enough goodies to feed half of Cambodia, wraps them up beautifully, and delivers them to friends, neighbors, and people who many others have probably forgotten about.
20. She was the treasurer of her Sunday School class for more than 20 years
21. You never have to ask her twice for help
22. But, she will share all information with you 3 times
23. She reminds me to write my thank you notes
24. She is not nosey and does not gossip
25. She is content with what life has handed her
26. She serves her family faithfully and selflessly
27. Truly, I have never met anyone so self-less
28. She loves to give gifts
29. She is patient, or at least makes you think she is
30. When I was in high school and dating Justin all I could think about was myself- she still tried to engage me and was nice and patient with me
31. She came to every soccer game that my brothers and I ever played in
32. One time on Christmas morning she was suffering from terrible pain from cysts and various other abdominal lady problems, but she would not let my Dad take her to the hospital because she did not want to ruin Christmas. He had to force her to go, and she ended up needing major surgery
33. She begged me not to cut my beautiful long hair when I was in second grade, but ultimately she let me get it cut... she was right- the girl mullet (made worse by a perm) was a look I regret! (Not that you didn't do a great job, Mrs. Ramona!)
34. She talks to babies in the grocery store
35. She loves her grandchildren and would love to tell you all about them... do you have an hour or three?
36. She is beautiful, truly gorgeous! When I was in seventh grade she had a conference with my MILE teacher Mr. Mills. The next day his only comment about the conference was, "your Mom is beautiful!!". At the time I thought it was weird and gross. Now, I'm like, heck yeah, she's beautiful!!
37. She can flat out cook
38. She does not waste money, but she's not afraid to splurge once and awhile
39. She is fun to talk to
40. On trips, she never just drives from point A to Point B. She stops to see interesting things along the way
41. When her 18 year old daughter began talking about marriage she calmly laid out all of the reasons to wait, but ultimately let me make my own decision. And even though it was not how she would have planned it, she supported me, helped me plan the wedding, and even paid for most of it out of her pocket
42. When she is with her grandchildren she has more energy than most 10 year olds
43. She has real conversations with the grand kids. She doesn't baby talk them or talk down to them. She listens to them and truly cares about what they care about
44. She throws a family party for your birthday and will make whatever you want to eat
45. She isn't all wrapped up in what others think of her
46. She sends Justin lemonheads because they are his favorite
47. She talks nicely about others
48. She helps others
49. If she knows you have a need or anticipates that you will have a need she will do her best to help with it
50. Every Sunday morning she drug my brothers and I (usually kicking and screaming) by herself to church. She introduced us to God
51. She works part time so that she has extra fun money that is usually spent on others
52. She is a loyal friend
53. She treats her daughter in law, son's girlfriend, and son in law like they are her own
54. She enjoys a good spoon full of peanut butter every now and again
55. She made my lunch every day and did every piece of my laundry until the day I left for college. She still does it for us when we come home. And she would even iron my outfits.
56. Sweet mercy... she spoiled me!
57. If you are having any type of event and ask her to bring a bit of food, chances are she will practically cater the event
58. She taught me the most important rule in cooking- double the meat, cheese, and/or chocolate in any recipe that you plan to serve other people
59. She has made cheeseburgers every Friday night since before I can remember, and now we have cheeseburger night in our home
60. She still kisses my Daddy
61. She does not complain- ever!
62. She keeps things in order
63. She does not need the latest and greatest thing or whatever has the most bells and whistles- she is content
64. She often laughs so hard she cries
65. She has a signature cough. Whenever we did a performance, play, or whatever, if we could not see her all we had to do was wait until about half way through. At that time we could always hear her cough. It is absolutely distinct
66. She is my best friend. She is the one I want to call first when something is good or bad. She is the one my hearts longs to see most. She is the one who has helped to make my life great. Everything I have and am (the good stuff) is because she nurtured me and did her best to raise me. And at some point she magically changed from Mom to Mom and friend. And thankful isn't a big enough word to say what I am for my Mom!
Happy Birthday, Mommy. I love you more than words can express!
Wednesday, April 15, 2009
Grandma Beth
Justin's Grandma Beth, his father's mother, passed away yesterday. Today would have been her 95th birthday. She was getting very sick, and it was no surprise. Justin's three aunts were there with her.
Yeah... But That's Different
I was complaining about the gray hairs I have been finding. Noah piped up with, "The Bible says that gray hair is a crown of glory! So you why don't you want to have gray hair?".
What do you say to that?
What do you say to that?
Tuesday, April 14, 2009
Wow... A Blog Post!!
I am not dead... I just haven't been on my computer a lot lately. Our internet is really out of whack! Sorry, Mom and Earlda!
We are doing just fine, but have been busy. The weather has finally gotten nicer and we have been trying to get outside as much as possible. There is just a small window of comfortable weather here, and these kids are STIR CRAZY!!! So, sorry... we'll call it a sanity break!
I should be studying but instead its far more appropriate to make a quick list of what we've been up to:
* Callie lost her first tooth yesterday. Can you say EXCITEMENT!! She lost the the bottom right tooth. She wrote the cutest note to the Tooth Fairy that included an arrow pointing to the tooth. We put a lira under her pillow, but when she woke up she found 1.25 lira! Hmmm...
* Lucy says "my self" now, and you can bet she uses that little phrase a lot! Lord help me! She is turning into quite the charmer, and may even be funnier than Callie! Mercy, I hope my bladder gets stronger! These girls are so stinkin' funny!
* Noah tested in the top 20th percentile of students in the country. Pretty good considering that he didn't speak the language a year and a half ago. He is a very smart and athletic boy!
* We had an amazing Easter. We have to be very creative when trying to celebrate Good Friday and Easter. Friday night most of our team gathered to read scripture, pray, and meditate on the sacrifice Jesus chose to make. On Easter Sunday our team met up with a few other workers in our area and headed out of the city to a picnic area. It was a foresty-parky sort of area. We all brought food. The men made a fire. We ate, sang, worshiped, had a devotion, and played. It was such a wonderful afternoon. The kids were so happy because they got to roam and explore. Lucy, it turns out, is fearless. She was happy to wander as far as possible away from the group with no fear at all. Justin and I got the opportunity to realize how old we are when we tried to take on the teenagers in ultimate frisbee. The old gray mare ain't what she used to be!!
* A major source of excitement for our family was renting a car. The place we went for our Easter celebration was well out of the city, so we knew that public transportation would not cut it. Justin shopped around and found a nice little compact car that was affordable. Can I tell you that after almost 2 years of not driving, that man was not rusty at all. His brain has a built-in map, and he maneuvered the world's worst traffic like it was nothing! He is amazing!!!
Have you ever seen the movie Braveheart? Can I just tell you that when our family settled into that car on Saturday morning I felt like just like William Wallace when he bellowed "FREEDOM!!!" with much joy and passion. Oh how I have missed going where I want when I want! We just drove around all day Saturday! We've lived here for almost 2 years but because public transportation with 3 little kids is still a challenge, we have not been able to see very much. We also explored possible areas to move into. It was fantastic. You have never seen children so excited to get into a car! "Look mom... SEATBELTS, WINDOWS, AIR CONDITIONER, RADIO...". Oh the excitement!!!
* One of the advantages of living in a place like this is the lack of social (ie- economy driven) holiday cues. We don't get the Christmas catalogues, holiday marketing, etc. Also, we don't have any of the traditional holiday trappings (I'm not saying they aren't good) of church services, Easter dresses, and the like. So we get to really seek the Lord and be creative about how to celebrate our religious holidays. It helps us stay focused on the real reason we are celebrating, and has made for very meaningful times of reflection on the reality of Christ.
* We are doing well. Justin's language is fantastic. He has done a phenomenal job studying and practicing. He is challenged with his current work task of developing our company's jewelery line. It is a far cry from sitting at a desk in front of a computer doing flood mapping for FEMA. He is also continually trying to jump through the right hoops to get his work permit. We never know what on earth they will ask for- and then it has to be professionally translated and notarized. I told my Aunt Joyce that I would not be surprised if they asked for a Kroger receipt from 1987.
I am still loving my language class although I will probably take a break for the summer. I finally feel like I have found my balance between keeping up with the kids, running the house, learning the language, making friends, etc. It is a lot to manage, and for so long I felt like if I was up on the laundry everything else was falling to pieces. So, praise the Lord, I think I've found my groove!!! I can even talk on the phone in the language here and (Jennie and Mindy will be proud) I know how to send text messages in both languages!!! Life is falling into place.
I realize that this now sounds more like the newsletter that I am supposed to write some time soon. Oh well... Its a much needed update. God is good. We are so thankful to be His hands and feet here. And we are especially mindful of what Jesus has done for us. Really its what sets us apart from our friends and neighbors here that we are trying to minister to. Because of Jesus we do not have to strive in our own power to be good and wait anxiously for the final day to be judged. It makes life very stressful for them. Thanks to Jesus we have assurance of our salvation and the help of the Holy Spirit. Praise the Lord! He is Risen, Indeed!!
We are doing just fine, but have been busy. The weather has finally gotten nicer and we have been trying to get outside as much as possible. There is just a small window of comfortable weather here, and these kids are STIR CRAZY!!! So, sorry... we'll call it a sanity break!
I should be studying but instead its far more appropriate to make a quick list of what we've been up to:
* Callie lost her first tooth yesterday. Can you say EXCITEMENT!! She lost the the bottom right tooth. She wrote the cutest note to the Tooth Fairy that included an arrow pointing to the tooth. We put a lira under her pillow, but when she woke up she found 1.25 lira! Hmmm...
* Lucy says "my self" now, and you can bet she uses that little phrase a lot! Lord help me! She is turning into quite the charmer, and may even be funnier than Callie! Mercy, I hope my bladder gets stronger! These girls are so stinkin' funny!
* Noah tested in the top 20th percentile of students in the country. Pretty good considering that he didn't speak the language a year and a half ago. He is a very smart and athletic boy!
* We had an amazing Easter. We have to be very creative when trying to celebrate Good Friday and Easter. Friday night most of our team gathered to read scripture, pray, and meditate on the sacrifice Jesus chose to make. On Easter Sunday our team met up with a few other workers in our area and headed out of the city to a picnic area. It was a foresty-parky sort of area. We all brought food. The men made a fire. We ate, sang, worshiped, had a devotion, and played. It was such a wonderful afternoon. The kids were so happy because they got to roam and explore. Lucy, it turns out, is fearless. She was happy to wander as far as possible away from the group with no fear at all. Justin and I got the opportunity to realize how old we are when we tried to take on the teenagers in ultimate frisbee. The old gray mare ain't what she used to be!!
* A major source of excitement for our family was renting a car. The place we went for our Easter celebration was well out of the city, so we knew that public transportation would not cut it. Justin shopped around and found a nice little compact car that was affordable. Can I tell you that after almost 2 years of not driving, that man was not rusty at all. His brain has a built-in map, and he maneuvered the world's worst traffic like it was nothing! He is amazing!!!
Have you ever seen the movie Braveheart? Can I just tell you that when our family settled into that car on Saturday morning I felt like just like William Wallace when he bellowed "FREEDOM!!!" with much joy and passion. Oh how I have missed going where I want when I want! We just drove around all day Saturday! We've lived here for almost 2 years but because public transportation with 3 little kids is still a challenge, we have not been able to see very much. We also explored possible areas to move into. It was fantastic. You have never seen children so excited to get into a car! "Look mom... SEATBELTS, WINDOWS, AIR CONDITIONER, RADIO...". Oh the excitement!!!
* One of the advantages of living in a place like this is the lack of social (ie- economy driven) holiday cues. We don't get the Christmas catalogues, holiday marketing, etc. Also, we don't have any of the traditional holiday trappings (I'm not saying they aren't good) of church services, Easter dresses, and the like. So we get to really seek the Lord and be creative about how to celebrate our religious holidays. It helps us stay focused on the real reason we are celebrating, and has made for very meaningful times of reflection on the reality of Christ.
* We are doing well. Justin's language is fantastic. He has done a phenomenal job studying and practicing. He is challenged with his current work task of developing our company's jewelery line. It is a far cry from sitting at a desk in front of a computer doing flood mapping for FEMA. He is also continually trying to jump through the right hoops to get his work permit. We never know what on earth they will ask for- and then it has to be professionally translated and notarized. I told my Aunt Joyce that I would not be surprised if they asked for a Kroger receipt from 1987.
I am still loving my language class although I will probably take a break for the summer. I finally feel like I have found my balance between keeping up with the kids, running the house, learning the language, making friends, etc. It is a lot to manage, and for so long I felt like if I was up on the laundry everything else was falling to pieces. So, praise the Lord, I think I've found my groove!!! I can even talk on the phone in the language here and (Jennie and Mindy will be proud) I know how to send text messages in both languages!!! Life is falling into place.
I realize that this now sounds more like the newsletter that I am supposed to write some time soon. Oh well... Its a much needed update. God is good. We are so thankful to be His hands and feet here. And we are especially mindful of what Jesus has done for us. Really its what sets us apart from our friends and neighbors here that we are trying to minister to. Because of Jesus we do not have to strive in our own power to be good and wait anxiously for the final day to be judged. It makes life very stressful for them. Thanks to Jesus we have assurance of our salvation and the help of the Holy Spirit. Praise the Lord! He is Risen, Indeed!!
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