Time to Wash the Carpets

Birthday Boy!

This boy turned 13 today!!  I still cannot believe that my baby boy is a teenager!  I am probably the proudest momma on earth.  Noah is such an amazing kid- smart, funny, thoughtful, athletic, and caring.  It is so fun to see how he is growing into an amazing young man.

Unbeknownst to me, he sent out birthday emails several months in advance.  So, he was excited that our very kind and generous family sent him so many amazing gifts.  He had been asking for weeks if any boxes arrived from America.  He was so excited I thought he would explode!

I missed his big day because I was in America with Mindy.  I celebrated with him before I left and promised I'd bring back some birthday candy so he was fine with that!  Justin was SuperDad and held down the fort while I was gone.  He also made sure that Noah's birthday was special.

They had our small group worship in the morning.  So Noah opened his presents before they left.

Percy Jackson t-shirt

new baseball glove

 That afternoon Justin took Noah and two of his buddies to play paintball.  Ever since he played paintball last summer with Uncle Alan and Tayne Noah has been hooked!  His friends have never played so it was really fun teaching them.  Justin especially appreciated the red suit they gave him.  It was like having a target on his back!  Ha!

Paintball Party!

Happy 13th Birthday, Noah!  I am so glad God gave me you!!

Noah's 13th Birthday Party

Sweet Justin is manning the fort while I am away.  We had all sorts of great plans and intentions for Noah's birthday party.  The main thing was that we were going to do it on Sunday June 1st so that I could be there.  All Noah wanted to do was play paintball with his friends.  So Justin found a place and made a reservation.  It was all planned.

Well, we woke up to heavy rain, thunder, and lightening on Sunday morning.  So we had to call the kids and postpone the party until the following Sunday.  Noah was devastated.  So were Justin and I when a few minutes later the sun came out and by afternoon it was perfect for paintball.

Oh well!

They got to go today, Noah's actual birthday.  I was so sad to miss it, but Noah assured me that it was awesome!  His two best friends came and they had so much fun.  I still can't believe that my baby has grown up!

Sunday Sneak Peek: I'm Never Going to Sleep Again!!

Well, I closed my eyes and overnight my sweet precious baby went from this:

to this:

Happy 13th Birthday, Noah!!

I love you so much and am so proud of you!  You are an amazing young man!!

Blessed to be a Blessing

You know, in all this that we do over here, in the end we just want to bless the local people and be a glimpse of Christ.  I don't really know how successful we are, but everyday that is our main goal.  Often times there is a battle going on in my head telling me that we are far from that and really shouldn't bother loving and serving the folks here.  But we press on,  not really seeing the earthly value or results of our work.

It's a faith thing.  We know He has called us here to love and serve those around us.  We do our best to be the fragrance of Christ and leave the hard work of changing people's hearts up to the Holy Spirit.

All that to say, it's pretty easy to feel ineffective and like a failure.

So...

Lucy's teacher called me this week and wanted to schedule a meeting to say goodbye before I had to leave.  We settled on Thursday at 2:00.  Come Thursday, I dropped Lucy off at school at 1:00 and headed downstairs to the PTA room where I spent the majority of my Spring.  I had planned to just hang out in there with my friends for an hour until my meeting.  It was locked.

When I went back upstairs to look for some of the PTA ladies.  I found them and a few other friends all dressed nicely and surprised to see me.  They were acting funny.  I asked why they were so dressed up and they sort of choked out that they were headed to tea party.  I teased that they didn't invite me and one of them said, "Well, you're meeting the teacher at 2:00, so we couldn't invite you."

How did she know I was meeting the teacher?

Then I was sort of hanging around outside and a different friend said that I should go on home and relax until the meeting.  And, that's when I knew that something was up.

I had an hour to prepare my heart.  I just drove around our neighborhood and then found myself in our old neighborhood.  I turned on worship music and prayed for all the folks that I have encountered over the years.  I prayed and cried and thanked the Lord for how far He has brought us.  He is so faithful!!

At 2:00 I showed up at school for my teacher meeting.  As we entered the conference room all the moms were there.  I figured just a few that I was close to would come, but almost every single one came.  A few teachers came and even the principal dropped by for a few minutes.

Of course I burst into tears again.  I just couldn't believe that it made a difference to them wether we were moving or not.  I was just so blessed by their love.

They gave us a huge framed picture entitled Mutululuk- happiness.  Of course I didn't get a picture of it because I was opening it.  And they gave Lucy a sweet little dress.  Even though I had a bit of a heads up about this, I think I was in shock the entire time.  I just had no idea that that these women even noticed me!

Our amazing teacher!
(I should have used the extra hour to go home and change clothes!)

Everyone brought food

When it's eating time, back up or you'll get run over!

When the bell rang, the kids all came in to eat with us.

There were more moms that this, but some had to leave early!

"Every time I think of you, I give thanks to God."

Phil. 1:3

Flying Out

I am heading out for a quick trip to the States for Mindy's wedding!  You remember Mindy, right...

Well, she's gettin' hitched in a few days and I'm the Maid of Honor!!

Triple YAY!!

Prayers for smooth travels, a clear complexion and fantastic wedding hair, and an amazing wedding appreciated!  

Justin is holding down the fort while I'm gone.  Please pray that he and the kids do well.  This coming week is their last week of school.  Then they get on the overnight bus to head down to camp.  Prayers for their safe travel and an awesome time at camp would also be appreciated!

Celebrating 13

Since Saturday was our last time all together, I asked if we could celebrate Noah's birthday a little early.  I asked each of the men to please bring a word of encouragement, advice, or something like that to share with Noah.  And I asked them to bring a little something to serve as a visual reminder of that word for him.  It was amazing.  They men on in our fellowship really stepped up and blessed my son so much.

Our British friend even taught us the "bump."  The men each took an arm or leg and they threw Noah up into the air 13 times.  Noah LOVED it!

BUMP!

Justin talking to Noah about being a warrior.

13th birthday cookie cake

I know every mother says it, but I cannot believe my baby is almost 13.  The time really does fly.  

Although I miss the sweetness of those baby days, I am loving having older kids.  We love to go and do stuff, to laugh at the same goofy things, and watch movies that don't always contain singing and animation.  

Noah is such a cool kid and I am beyond proud of him!  Thank you Lord, for my son.  He is one of your best gifts to me!!

This is Why we Fellowship

Yall, our small group blessed us beyond measure on Saturday!  It was our last time together and they prayed for us, encouraged us, and commissioned us to go out!  The way that they spoke blessing into my children still makes me tear up!  It was the epitome of how and why we join with folks in this task.

Praise the Lord for His people!  They are the hands and feet of Jesus, and this group has definitely loved and served us like Jesus throughout out years together.  Of the things I am going to miss, they are at the top of the list!

Lucy's mentor reminding her to be salt and light.

Callie's mentor praying over her.

All the kids giving Noah a big bear hug.
He ahs really stepped up over the last few years and taken his role as "big brother" to all the kids very seriously.
He has done a great job helping with, playing with, and loving on the little kids!  I couldn't be more proud of him!

Praying over Noah

Scouting out the (Touristy) Land

We have a group of folks coming to help at a conference in a few weeks.  They are going to come to the big city and stay with us for a few days before we all go down tot he conference together.  They don't have much time here, and there is so much to see.  So, I have been busting my tail trying to make sure that they get the biggest bang for their buck!

On Monday I went out to double-check the places that I want to take them.  I wanted to make sure I have the right admissions prices for museums, right bus lines, good restaurants picked out, etc.  If you haven't noticed by now, I am a PLANNER!

(That is an understatement!!)

Things have been busier than usual around here for  me.

(Another understatement!)

So, taking a day to explore research was just what I needed.  Plus, it put my crazy mind at ease.  Now, I can check this task off my to-do list and won't have to keep churning it around in my mind!  Here are a few phone pics from the day...

I'm a sucker for an interesting alleyway!

 First stop on my list was an beautiful old church with incredible mosaics.  Then the city walls.

After climbing around on the walls I wandered down the street to the bus stop.

I went to several other places and feel like I have a really good plan for my friends.  Plus, I picked up a few necessities from the Spice Bazaar.  I did have to stop myself several times.  I keep thinking, "I've got to stock up on such 'n such before I move.  I don't know if I'll be able to get it there!"  But, in the end, my brain won out and I didn't stock up on anything!   (I'm patting myself on the back!)

By the time I got back to my side of the Straight the sky looked like this.

I was standing at the bus stop watching the sky get darker and darker.  Then huge raindrops began to fall, but they were few and far between, so it wasn't a big deal.  Finally, the bottom dropped out and it began to pour!  Everyone was scrambling!  Of course my bus was running late so I had to duck and cover.

When my bus came it started to pass the stop because no one was out there waiting.  Several of us started running for it.  Since I was the young one of the group I felt it was my duty to catch the bus for all of us.  So, not only was I running full out in 4' of water (be impressed!), but I was waving my arms and hollering like a crazy person!

It's not hard to be humble here! 

We caught the bus, praise the Lord!

There isn't an underground sewer or drainage system here.  Since we rarely get sudden heavy rain, it typically isn't a problem.  But, when we do get a heavy rain, it creates a bit of a flash flood- with all the water rushing down to the Straight. 

Yall, Monday was insane!  The water was so high it was coming in the bus doors!

source

This picture is a bit of an optical illusion.  It makes it look like the sea had risen, but really there is still about a 3 foot drop between the road and the sea.  You can see the line in the middle of the picture where the chain fence is if you look very closely.

What an adventure!  It was still raining, although not nearly as hard, when the bus reached my neighborhood.  By the time I walked home I was drenched!

I'm a Reader, Too!

Yesterday I told you about Noah and his great reading habits.  If I can keep him reading and get the girls reading like that, I won't have to supplement their local school with homeschooling in the summers!!  That is enough motivation for me to push the issue!  We really struggle with sitting down to lessons during those sweltering summer days!

Anyhow, I reviewed the books that I read over the winter, so I thought I'd mention some that I've read this spring.  Honestly, I'm not too picky with what I read.  I love stories and easily get caught up in them.  Although I read all sorts of things, primarily fiction, I rarely come across something that I don't like for some reason or another.

(All the jacket pictures are captured from Amazon.com.)

The Dressmaker by Kate Alcott

This was an interesting book with a good portion set on the Titanic.  The post-Titanic chaos is really interesting.  Of all the books I've read and movies I've seen involving the Titanic, this was one of the more interesting.  It hit things from a different angle and had an interesting relatable characters.

Glitter and Glue by Kelly Corrigan

This is an autobiography sharing the author's experiences traveling the world, living and working as a nanny in Australia, and how it all grew and changed her.  I liked the shift in the way she saw her mother as she began nannying.  There are some sweet and hilarious sentiments in this enjoyable read.

The Middle Place by Kelly Corrigan

Kelly takes us through that weird and difficult middle ground of caring for kids and parents at the same time.  In this autobiography she walks us through her battle with breast cancer meanwhile, her father is also battling cancer.  I kept waiting for a terrible ending.  I won't tell you if my fears were realized.  The thing I liked about this book was hearing the very real thoughts of someone that I don't know or love who is battling cancer.  It was eye-opening to see myself as one of the well-meaning bystanders in this book and may help me to better care for those I love in the future.  Having said all that, this is actually an enjoyable read, full of good stories, flashbacks, and lots of laughs.

Growing Up Duggar by Jessa, Jill, Jinger, and Jana Duggar

This is the book I'm reading right now.  I'm not embarrassed to admit that I find the Duggar family really interesting.  Although, I think this book was written for adolescent girls (and will certainly recommend that Callie read it in a year or two) I am finding it interesting.  I thought it would be a bit more fluff lit with a side of reality tv.  But, these girls are the real deal!  They have amazing hearts for the Lord and wisdom beyond their ages.  I am finding the principles they share about relationships very challenging.  Say what you will about Jim Bob and Michelle Duggar, but they are amazing parents and I wish I could nurture, encourage, and shepherd my three kids half as well as they do their 19!

Hearts West: True Stories of Mail-Order Brides on the Frontier by Chris Enss

So, this book popped up on my Amazon deals page for 99 cents so I bought it.  It had all sorts of interesting stories about how the American West was full of men- pioneers, miners, fortune seekers, claim-jumpers, etc., but there were few women to speak of.  The book shares stories, pictures, and even newspaper advertisements centered around finding wives for all those bachelors on the West Coast.  It was something I'd never thought of before and there were some surprising tales.  However, it's not 99 cents anymore, and I'm not sure I'd pay the $7 for it.

The Furious Longing of God by Brennan Manning

A-mazing!!  This is such a deep and beautiful book yet it is short and simple.  A great read that gives insight into the heart of God.  Buy it and read it!

Cruising Attitude by Heather Poole

This is another one that I picked up on an Amazon deal.  Since I wish that I had been a flight attendant and a nurse before this current profession, I was interested in this book.  It is a flight attendant's hilarious tale of how she does it all.  She starts from the beginning, and I was shocked to learn about the training, living situations, grooming and dress standards, and basically the entire life of flight attendants.  So interesting!!  Plus the crazy things that she comes up against on a regular basis will have you in stitches!

Still Life with Bread Crumbs by Anna Quindlen

This was a good story.  The characters were likable and it was a good read.  It is about a famous photographer who has sort of lost her touch.  Her money has started to dry up so she has to make some rash decisions.  She ends up living in a cabin in the woods outside a small town.  The sweet townspeople sort of help her to find herself and her talent again.

When I Found You by Catherine Ryan Hyde

I just finished this one.  It was such a great story of loyalty and not giving up on someone.  Nathan, a sort of ordinary small town guy was out duck hunting early one morning and found a newborn baby in the woods.  Miraculously the baby was still alive and immediately the two were connected.  Life was more or less difficult for both Nathan and the child in various ways.  The child was raised for by his grandmother for the majority of his formative years.  Then things change.  Nathan shows us what it looks like to be steadfast and love someone unconditionally.  I loved this story!

Coffee & Orange Blossoms by Nate Scholz

This is the autobiography of a colleague's 7 year stint in Lebanon.  It goes back and forth- one chapter sort of filling in the back story and one chapter giving the present, nail-biting account of their narrow escape from the country as war broke out.  It was interesting to go along on this journey with the author as our backstory has a very similar thread.  Let's hope we don't get to the nail-biting part!  

Where We Belong by Emily Griffin

This is a sweet story of a career woman whose life is brought into perspective when a teenager shows up on her doorstep.  Although it's a bit predictable, there is a plot twist at the end.  This is a good story and a quick read.  I like Emily Griffin's writing style and wit.  I'll pick up more of her books when they are on Amazon deals.

The Paris Wife by Paula McLain

This is the story (hard to tell where the fiction ends and the non-fiction begins) of Ernest Hemingway and his first wife Hadley.  I love the reading anything set in the 20's and the fact that was mostly set in 1920's Paris is fantastic!  The Hemingways led a roller coaster life.  They hung out with all the movers and shakers on the arts scene including Gertrude Stein and F. Scott Fitzgerald.  They traveled to interesting places and did crazy things.  It seems like it took a lot of chaos and wild living in order to produce the great American novel.  Hemingway was a bit of a tortured soul and this was an interesting glance into his life.

The Sisters Weiss by Naomi Ragen

I have no idea how I ended up with this book on my Kindle!  I must have caught a deal at some point or read a glowing review.  Regardless of how it got there, I'm glad it did.  This was a fascinating story of a Hasidic Jewish family.  I had no idea how, what, or why they practice their religion the way they do.  So, on top of the interesting story, I learned a lot about this particular group of folks.  The story is a heartbreaking tale of a woman's rash decision to break away from her high-practice staunchly Jewish family and the fallout that occurs as a result.  Not only was it eye-opening because I knew so little about Hasidic Judaism, but I was also able to sort of intimate what it must be like for some folks here who make similar decisions and sacrifices when they become Christ-followers.  Anyhow, it was a sad read, but a good one.

So, like I said, a very eclectic collection of books.  I say that I read mostly fiction, but looking back at this list I guess I also read quite a bit of autobiographical and biographical non-fiction, too.

I've already downloaded several new books on my Kindle in preparation for my big trip this week.  I'll be reading Orphan Train by Christina Baker Kline,  My Story by Elizabeth Smart, Half Broke Horses: A True Life Novel by Jeannette Walls, I Am Malala: The Girl Who Stood Up For Education and Was Shot by the Taliban by Malala Yousafzai, and The Book Thief by Markus Zusak.

What are you reading?  Got anything to recommend???

The Reader

Yall, my parents gave Noah a Kindle for Christmas and we loaded it up with what I thought would be at least a years worth of books.  Would you believe that he has almost finished them all?!  That kid is a reader!  And, I'm not talking about your little tween books, either.  He's read:

-Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's Sherlock Holmes 

-the C.S. Lewis Space trilogy 

-the Hunger Games trilogy

-Andrew Lang's King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table

-Rick Riordan's Percy Jackson series

-Brother Andrew's God Smuggler

-Andrew Peterson's Wingfeather Saga series

-Lois Lowry's Number the Stars

-Rebecca Stead's Liar & Spy

-Sook Nyul Choi's The Year of Impossible Goodbyes

He's asking for Rick Riordan's Percy Jackson Lightening Thief series for his birthday.  You better believe that we'll get it for him!  We are happy to do anything that will keep him reading!

The funny thing is that he isn't very studious.  He makes good grades and does well in school, but he doesn't work very hard.  Callie is the complete opposite.  She studies.  She does above and beyond the homework assigned.  She is a great student, but it takes her forever to get through a book.  I'd say she's only read 4 or 5 books since she got her Kindle for her birthday in February.

It's funny how we are all wired so differently!  Tomorrow I'll let you know what I've been reading lately!

Sunday Sneak Peek: Çay on the Straight

Justin and I were out doing some exploring in order to put an itinerary together for the group that is coming in a few weeks.  But, all work and no play makes us very crabby.  So, we had to take time out for a walk through one of my favorite parks and a pot of çay while staring at the Straight.  There's just something about being near the water that helps put everything into perspective!