Just another Look into A Day in My Life...

I warned Dan I was doing this, cut and paste yet another excerpt from a letter I wrote to him last night to tell of my day. It is so much easier than typing it all twice, and I am sure you would like to know how my day went while my man is many thousands of miles away. I am so glad he will be returning on Friday. If for no other reason than to try and secure the safety of his children!

and I quote...

"Hey! I dont think I am supposed to drive without you! After the soccer game tonight driving home through the city on 490w it looked like the hood of the car to the lane on my left FLEW OFF! It was a miracle it didn't fly into our our windshield! I am not sure what it actually was- just big and metal- but I did hit it with the left tires and prayed and prayed they would stay inflated! They did Thank You Jesus! And all of this was on the way home.

On the way there...

Some history first... to get to Jolie's it took 1/2 tank of gas... very impressive if you ask me. (well half tank on our gas gauge- not that it is ever accurate below half a tank... could have been nearly empty for all I really knew! But it said 16.4 gallons used in the digital gauge :) On the way home with a 140 mile detour because of my tom tom faux pas - and yes he is all better now that I charged him well! - we used the entire tank of gas... on the digital gauge 22.7 gallons. Yikes! But because the door was a mess I parked it in the garage since then, and figured since it is a 25 gallon tank I would have enough gas to get me to Henrietta to get the cheaper price at Sam's.

W.R.O.N.G.!!!!

We ran out of gas... empty... sputter... coast as far as we possibly can... and made it partially on the Hylan drive exit ramp. Look immediately to the right, and there is Sams and those beautiful gas pumps right over one small gully-swamp, and one fairly high and very rusty fence. No fear. I have strong young soccer players ready to run to Sams for a gas can... none there so off they go to Pep boys. I 411'd information and pre empted their visit to them with a phone call so the guy saw them coming and had The Can ready. Very cute- holds 1.5 gallons and cost $10.00. ( !!! ) Then they RAN to the gas pumps - whom I called as well to tell of their arrival - 4 kids - Olivia, Katie from soccer team, Micah, Savannah (Dont ask! I put her over the fence thinking I would be going over next and then when I realized there was NO WAY I was going to make it over the fence- she took off with the ones who did...!) running to the Sams gas pumps through all the cars. In record time Micah ran it back to the fence, heaved it over the fence, and then was over in a split second. The rest ran back to the pump and waited for me to get there. WoW! It was great too because there were two abandoned construction cones that I could put behind my vehicle so the traffic would give me space while I put the gas in the tank. See, it isn't so bad living in construction zone heaven!!! We even made it to the game 20 minutes before it started!

Now that I have fairly secured the fact that you will never again leave me alone for any length of time- let me just say we are all doing really well. Really!!! "

I don't really know if it is wise to tell him all of the details of my days home while he is gone. I am fairly sure he will laugh about it ... a little while after he reads it. Probably. I hope.

Suffice it to say that if you choose to continue to read this little 'ol blog while we are on deputation, there is no limit to the things you may read here. "Abundantly above all we ask or think"... I wonder, what exactly does all that verse pertain to?!

God is Good to ME!

There has been so much happening around here, I doubt I will be able to document it all! We have gone to MD and stayed with my girlfriend whose husband travels a great deal, so he was gone- just the mommas and their chicks! What a blast! She is my Proverbs 27:17 friend for sure! We had some very good conversation, thought provoking and very edifying. I love her dearly and though life and God's plans have taken us apart in the miles, we will forever enjoy the bonds that are stronger because of God- bonds that tie and keep us together! (The hair is due to a long drive ahead and 90+ temps... and very humid with no A/C...)

speaking of which... the following is an excerpt from a letter I sent to Dan in Zambia...

"a LOT of white knuckle driving in the rain-dark-fog-no a/c -85 degrees and fogged up windows.


By the way... are you able to pull out a dent, or is that something I should talk to Bob Kaiser about tonight?! Lets just say I HATE PENNSYLVANIA AND THEIR DRIVERS!!!!!!!!!! (note- I did not get a look at the license plate of the car so this is just a statement against the road... not the driver really. HA!)


We are all fine, and the car is too... well mostly. There is a nice long dent on the passenger front corner panel that prevents the doorfrom opening more than 10 inches. We are now driving the green car to prevent more damage! On the way home from Jolie's we were driving
at 9:00 pm and the traffic was all on one side with the cement barrier between north and south traffic, and on the "on ramps" for the merging traffic there was a stop sign for the merging traffic... NOTE :Not for the MAIN HIGHWAY!!! There was some psychotic moron in front of me - still the a fore mentioned driving conditions - who mistook the stop sign for THE 65 MPH DRIVING LANE!!!!!!! HE STOPPED IN FRONT OF ME!!! It was ALL I could do not to plow right into him, and in turn the car behind me was almost as desperate not to hit me- we were barricaded on the left with the cement and the right by a 6" + drop off in the pavement from the unfinished part, with the little white posts all along the side as well... I swerved to the right and BARELY missed him... but they do have a few less white posts now. I really thought we were going to have a major accident. And then, I saw the sign that said "75 miles to Binghampton" ... I about cried. I knew we had at least three 1/2 more hours of this!

Dan did not have the benefit of a picture to make it better or worse... I hope to have Josiah try to pop it out a little today. We shall see!

But all in all we had a very nice time there. It was so beautiful to see DC. It happened to be September 11 the day we went- not planned that way by us! All flags were half mast, and the sights were very beautiful. We walked great distances that day! From 9:00 am to 10:00 pm we were out! Even Savannah did exceptionally well! We went to the Lincoln Memorial at night, walking the whole way passed the Washington Monument and the WWII memorial, down along side the Reflecting Pool. The weather was beautiful, and thankfully cooler than the drive home! But we did enter several swarms of unidentified insects and step on immeasurable quantities of duck doo-doo. It was worth it though, and despite the batteries on my camera dying, we got some pretty pictures.


The picture of the flag against the Washington Monument was so beautiful in person. It was a breathtaking scene with all of the flags circling the grounds, and knowing it was the 7th anniversary of the largest single attack on our own soil only added to the impact of the day. It was our first trip into our nations Capitol, and we were glad to have such a great time.



We also went to Baltimore and toured three ships that are docked in the Inner Harbor there. The USS Constellation, USS Torsk, The Chesapeake Lightship, and USCGC Taney. I learned one major thing- I would not make it on a submarine! It was a walk through, and I really felt for the first time in my life what a panic attack must be. It was really an amazing thought knowing men, and many many of them- lived on that ship for months at a time. I would not have done well!

The coolest thing was in the Museum of Natural History, there was the section on animals and regions in Africa. This banner was on one of the walls, and I was so inspired! We are always in thought and prayer about what we will use for our ministry "look" and this phrase was branded on my mind and all I could think about.

"Imagine a Different Africa"

I know they were not thinking in light of evangelism and spreading the good news of the Gospel if Jesus Christ, but I was!! We have a vision to at first start one Bible Institute in the Eastern Province of Zambia where we will teach Zambians the Bible in an institute setting. A two or three or four year course. They will be trained, discipled, loved, encouraged, and Lord willing Called to start churches and works of their own. As the Muslim religion spreads its infectious message down from the north and up from the south, the central region of Africa must be strengthened to HOLD THE LINE! We desire get there and help others with the same vision and passion - compelled to march to the beating of God's heart- and spread the Good News of the Light of the Gospel. Imagine... the illumination of the Dark Continent.


"Imagine a Different Africa"

Good Bye's and Hello's!

I am always a big fan of getting "the picture" right before we are separated for a while. This is the LONGEST while to date, and while I am not loving it- we are doing OK. Time flies so quickly, and Savannah feels it is her duty to take over for Dad in the snuggling department and she does it quite well!

Aren't we adorable!! :) 19 years very soon!!!

Yeah, I know. The three oldest are taller than me.
I am not sure how I feel about that!

Dan and Levi have safely landed in Zambia and are off to some great reunions with friends that have been made over the years.

One story Dan told me was of a man names Anderson who was his interpreter from his first trip in early '05.

Anderson did not know Dan and Levi were coming, and he saw Levi first and thought how he reminded him of Dan- not knowing he was his son. Dan came up behind him and gave him quite the surprise!

Another reunion was with Kapolo, a young man in the Bible Institute. We met him in '06 and he made us a picture comprised of seeds all smaller than mustard seeds. He cooks them for different times- the longer they cook the darker they get. He then draws a picture on a piece of wood and after many hours of painstakingly gluing them on one at a time, this is what they look like.

Double click the picture for a close up. The detail is incredible!

It has a prominent place in our living room... right next to the animal carvings, and the rebar-wood-and- fur spear. (Another story for another post!) It is beautiful and a great reminder of those we have met and fallen in love with. It is incredible how the bonds of Christ knit people together.

I am always so thrilled at the provision and blessings of God on our family. I am sure everyone has testimony of the goodness of God, but sometimes it is so overwhelming one can scarcely take it all in. And all because HE LOVES US!!!! Great is the Lord and Greatly to be PRAISED! This verse in Matthew has been one that I have loved, and though what we have "forsaken" seems small in comparison to many, God IS FAITHFUL and has blessed us abundantly!

Matthew 19:29 And every one that hath forsaken houses, or brethren, or sisters, or father, or mother, or wife, or children, or lands, for my name's sake, shall receive an hundredfold, and shall inherit everlasting life.

ps I am glad there will be 5 people to recount to me all the events of this trip- seeing I am NOT ON IT!!! (do you sense some repressed emotion there?!) Maybe it will feel like I almost went after they all tell me their stories.

:)