At Last

It took 15 years. Yes. 15 years.  I finally made it to India.  I remember when my friend Marganne asked me to pray for her on her first trip..and I am pretty sure it was 15 years ago. Maybe even longer!  When she came back she and I dreamed about being able to go together but it never happened.  In that time many of my friends  visited that huge, amazing, vibrant country.  On March 2(what would have been my parents 60th wedding anniversary) I finally got the chance to see and experience some of what they talked about.  Priscilla, Pattie and I  left Abu Dhabi on Friday to visit missionaries that our church has in Tamil Nadu.  We landed in Trivandrum and the next day we headed to the village of Erakuchelum.  People, gods, goddesses, trash, colors, trees, horns, people, animals, temples, cars, tuk tuks, ....people...  You get the picture.  All of this lined our journey to the home of our friends and the school they started 10 years ago.  The trip was quick. Only stayed there from Friday to Wednesday morning.  We played with children. Visited classrooms and a couple of homes. Shared the  good news of Jesus Christ with the Hindu teachers. Tried to stay cool. Watched the chickens and the turkeys in the compound yard. Laughed. Prayed. Encouraged. Learned. Came home.  It was a fun trip. Being with Pattie and Priscilla(our Director of Children's Ministry) made everything just that much better. I liked India. I'm not sure I want to live there ever, but I loved the smiles on those kids faces. It was special. Mike needs to go next. I believe his friends have been bugging him, too. :)
 

It's a Big World

As of  Feb. 18th, our oldest boys are both in Texas.  I found myself truly experiencing the meaning of bitter sweet.  For two years Mike and I have, naturally, worried about Russell living where he lived. Maybe not worried, and not all the time,  but certainly we were concerned many times.  But it was wonderful to see him frequently and to be in the same time zone.  So, needless to say, when he left early last Saturday, our hearts were heavy.  There have been many times when Mike and I wonder at why we moved half way around the world, leaving our home, our families and our dear friends, but never more than when we have to hug our boys and put them on a plane headed across 9 time zones or approximately 8, 060 miles.(Dallas)  So, Russell arrived. He is in Austin.  Ryan arrived a couple of weeks earlier. He is in Lubbock.  And we are here.

Also on the agenda this week is my little girl.  Sallie calls me frantically from school yesterday. "Mom, we are heading into the gym to pick my classes for my senior year..."  Whoa..  I simply cannot get my head around that, and she was frantic cuz she has no idea what she needs to take. Ha ha. So, I am off to school to meet with Sallie and the High School Counselor to make sure she gets what she needs to G R A D U A T E.  What are Mike and Robert and I going to do when she leaves next year???  I really can't go there in my head. That 8000 miles thing is just a bit too much to handle.

Although I will say, that the illusion of control that parents entertain when it comes to their kids is just that...An illusion.   Prayer becomes more and more the means to life and peace. And Mike and I are learning to pray without ceasing.  Yes. yes, we are.
   

There and Back Again

I started out this morning with the comment..Is it really February 1???  I can't believe it.( And then I realized that I sounded like my mom.  OH boy. )   I haven't felt much like writing lately.  Sallie is in the middle of exams.  Ryan finished up his term at SHMS in Caux with finals and projects.  He is in the middle of an intense search for an internship to complete his SHMS diploma.  Before he returns to Texas he is visiting a friend's family in Prague. (This is also on our top ten places we'd like to visit. Don't know if it will happen but we hope so.)  Then, only a few days after Russell solved some visa problems and returned to his office, he showed up back at our door.   It was interesting when Russell came thru the door with one large suitcase and his "grab" back full of his essentials in case he had to leave quickly with only one bag. Not something any mom wants to hear when their son arrives unexpectedly at her door. Mike and I helped arrange places to stay for Russell and some coworkers and that has pretty much been our schedule for the last week.  So Robert is sharing his room again.  Mattress on the floor. Suitcase and back pack in the corner. He is a good sport and always likes it when either of his brothers are around.
Russell is playing the host for lunch time everyday. Making sure his friends eat at all of his and Ryan's favorite places. Mike and I try to join them when we can. A couple of nights ago one of the families who are helping house some of the guys served up great hamburgers for everyone.  Another night we had them all over for Texas Chili.  Although they are here unexpectedly we are enjoying getting to know everyone and thankful we can be here to help out.
Huh. So that is January.  Wonder what February will be like.....