heading off to explore Belize!

As I write this it is after midnight on Thursday and we are still winding down from an exciting evening with good friends.  I have laundry in the washer and a load in the dryer and am trying to figure out what to pack for the weekend.

Belizean Shores

We have several errands to run before we can drive to Belize City.  And we must arrive there in time to catch the water taxi out to Ambergris Caye.  We are so excited about this gift we received to spend time on one of the many islands off of Belize.  There is so much of this country we have yet to see and we can hardly wait for this experience.

Happy Friday and have a great weekend! 

following His path...

I took this photo at the Botanical Garden not far from our apartment!











Not long ago we were at the wedding of a young couple... talking with someone we had not seen in a long time. He was asking us about what our plans are when Spencer leaves home. He mentioned that at this point in our marriage we now have room in our lives for the "spiritual" children that God would send our way.

One week later we were invited out by a young Russian couple. We are enjoying getting to know them better. And it is interesting to note that he was born in the same year that Tom and I got married!

We thought we came here just to work with addicts, alcoholics and their families however, just through following His path we are able to do that and more!

Whose life is it anyway?

Wednesday July 11, 2007

Like a mother who so desperately wants the world to see her child shine as brightly as she sees him, I was concerned today about:
His hair
His clothes

I wondered... did he shower? brush his teeth? Would he make a good impression?

We rushed out the door to get him to his job interview, not stopping for me to run back in and get my sunglasses, knowing that it would have only taken a minute but believing that every second counted, we jumped in the car.

He asked me to drive.
Now was not the time for a driving lesson, neither one of us knew the way, we were trusting MapQuest not to fail us, praying that the time we allotted for the drive was enough.

He didn't ask me to worry.
He didn't expect me to take this interview more seriously than he did.

Watching him walk into the hotel where the interviews were being held, I saw his air of confidence. I sat waiting in the car with a Bible and a notebook. Reading, praying and watching the door.

Before this day I thought my mother was silly to worry about her adult children. How did I get from being a confident teen myself to being a silly fretting mom?

Today I saw that my fretting over Nathan is in vain.

He has the type of Godly self-confidence that I have admired in his father since the day we met. Over the years I used to think I had to worry for the both of us since Tom never seemed to.

Now, I can relax... and trust that God has it all under control. Tom and Nathan believe it. And so do I.

the setting sun

"mama, look!"

The setting of the sun is one of our favorite things to experience together. As a family there are certain things we enjoy doing, places we delight in going, people we love spending time with.

Tonight following dinner out with Mom and Dad, as the rest of us were talking in the car Spencer was gazing out the window taking in the view. Of course this view deserves to be noticed so we went into the house, grabbed the camera and headed back outside to find the perfect vantage point.

We pray that you also take time to enjoy sunsets, your family and all that God brings into your life!

meeting new people

We ate a great meal with Shirley and Gerry at Brick Oven happily topping it off with Sheridan's Frozen Custard!

It was good to see Tom standing behind the wooden pulpit in their 118 year old sanctuary. The congregation is currently remodeling the property with the men of the church doing the majority of the work themselves.

We loved how they kept the original sanctuary in tact...incredible stained glass windows on each side of the room give the room a peaceful feel. I had not felt that serene since my time in Assisi, Italy. We are eager to return and see how it looks a year from now!

Before leaving Topeka we had lunch at On the Border with Kathy and Ray. We met Kathy's son when we were in Oregon. We are so grateful to Brian for connecting us with the loving, caring congregation we spent time with in Topeka. It reminded me of the church I grew up in... small and close knit like a family.

Today we leave for Edmond, Oklahoma after that we are moving on again. I don't know if I will have internet access for the rest of the week. So, if you don't hear from me just know that we are taking a long overdue mini vacation for just the two of us at a Bed and Breakfast somewhere in the midwest!

Praise God!

On Wednesday, we had the appointment to see if we could get some type of financial assistance so that Tom could have his gallbladder surgery before we return to Russia.

We found out that we qualify for a UNM Care medical plan that has a 5$ copay for a doctor visit and 25$ copay for emergency room or surgery.

We are so grateful to everyone who prayed for him. This is such a blessing. Our hope now is to get Tom in to see a doctor very soon and for surgery to be scheduled not long after!

Today we leave Albuquerque, New Mexico and head toward Topeka, Ks. We will drop Spencer off along the way so that he can travel with a group of youth from Andover and Wichita to the Young Life Camp he will attend in Colorado.

After Tom speaks in Topeka on Sunday we leave for Edmond, OK where both of us will be speaking at a Celebrate Recovery meeting on Monday.

We get a brief time out at a Bed and Breakfast before we go back to Andover to retrieve Spencer on the 17th.

Rock of Love

Looking at the mountains beneath us as we rode the tram down from Sandia Peak the other day, I saw this heart-shaped rock and quickly snapped a picture.

Each time I look at it, I am reminded of how God's unfailing love has been the rock we have leaned on over the years. His love has helped us to survive life in a foreign country. His love has helped us endure the pain of our first two children being stillborn. His love has been the foundation that our marriage and family have rested on for 25 years.

May God's love be the solid rock in your life, today and everyday!

Young Life Camp

Spencer is scheduled to go to a Young Life Camp in June. I think he is counting down the days until he is away from Tom and I.

He really has had such a great attitude as he has traveled the country with us. I know when I was 17 I would not have wanted to spend my summer on a road trip with my parents!

Spencer will be going to Frontier Ranch in Buena Vista, Colorado. If you check out the website you can watch a video to see some of the activities he will be involved in.

Spencer is able to attend the camp thanks to the Outward Focus team at Hope Community in Andover, Kansas.

We are so grateful that they thought of this detail ... giving him a chance to have a real vacation before we return to Russia in July!

welcome!

Our friends in Andover had been on a cruise before we visited them. They said that everyday there would be a new towel animal on their bed.

This is what we found waiting to welcome us to their home. It was such a treat! We are grateful for the hospitality that we have been shown in so many unique ways since we have been here in the states.

Thanks Cathy and Paul!

New to us!

On Sunday after one of the services at Hope, Tom was speaking with Mel who was asking if we had gotten a laptop yet. Tom was telling Mel that we had not gotten the funds yet. Jeff overheard and stepped up to say that he had a laptop that was not being used and that if we could use it he would clean his information off of it and bring it over.

True to his word, on Monday night Jeff brought over a Hewlett Packard laptop and we are so excited. This donation provides us with a computer that we can travel with. Tom often uses power point when he speaks. As I type this, using Paul and Cathy's PC, Tom is sitting with our new laptop typing up a summary of book he read.

What a blessing... the kindness of people within the body of believers never ceases to amaze me!

thoughts about Sunday

Since it was Communion Sunday we also had an open microphone time. It was interesting to hear testimonies and be able to understand most of them.

One of the girls who was to be baptised on Saturday has parents who do not want her coming to church. She didn't come to our church after the big Seeker camp that was held this summer near the Black Sea. She choose another church because they had an evening service that she could attend. Her parents thought that churches only meet in the day time. So they had no idea she was attending!

Sasha (Volodya and Lena's oldest daughter) shared a story about eating macaroni for a more than a week. She lives with another girl from the church. They both work and go to college but they were very low on money. They were excited when there were invited to eat with someone from church and guess what was served...MACARONI! Finally, one of the girls was given some money and was able to buy some food. They were grateful to God for that provision. As I listened to her talk I thought of when Nathan was little and how we made it to the end of the month and didn't know where food was going to come from. We would go to church hungry and get invited to someone's home for lunch. It is great when you see God's hand at work like that!