A Day at Silver Dollar City...

While in Springfield, we were able to take advantage of being so close to Branson, MO, and enjoy a day at Silver Dollar City. Thankfully friends had coupons to seriously reduce the number of silver dollars they wanted for us to enter the city!! It is a GREAT theme park though, and such a wonderful atmosphere as well. 

Dan and Micah went off doing "guy Rides" for a while, and Savannah and I enjoyed some less adventurous sites. 

Like becoming a long horn steer for a minute! 

 Savannah LOVES LSU... sorry to some, and I love the fleurs de lis symbol, so she wanted to get a limestone carving of one. The guy made it for her while we walked the park, but I was able to get this pic of her as he finished one like it.

 We then sat for a while and enjoyed a Trick Ropeman, and he called for a volunteer, and Savannah was very happy to participate! He had ropes ready, and taught the two volunteers to do a lasso spin... or something like that!

 Hard to see, I know, but he then gave each two ropes, and they spun both for a while. It was super cute to see her up there for a few minutes just enjoying the stage for a bit!

 We were being hosted at the Lange's house, affectionately named the "Lange's Linger Longer Lodge", I am sure because of people just like us!

We originally met them in Florida while on deputation, and then returned there and stayed with them again, and then again a third time! They moved to Springfield, and we returned once again to Florida, and seriously missed them, so we decided to go to MO!! Not really, our schedule just happened to bring us right through their new home area, and we were thrilled to have time with them!  This is a Dan and Jason... Savannah has taken a liking to getting a picture of Daddy and whoever we happen to be staying with. Thankfully so, because if it were up to me...

We do warn people that if you don't want us to return, don't say "come back anytime!" We are VERY likely to return!! Thankfully many really do mean it! 

Now to Pray it MAKES it...

We certainly had a crazy few weeks!

Thinking we wouldn't have the opportunity to send things on a container to Zambia, we had packed many of our household things up to be used sometime in the future by our older children when they needed to set up an apartment. Things like 110v electric appliances that we couldn't use there anyhow, but also bake ware, dishes, serving pieces, household blinds, curtains, etc. All the things that nickel and dime you to death when you get a place! It was something that we figure they could take or leave when the time came

 Well... we were able to unpack and re-pack many of those boxes and seriously reduce the future angst of my children! I am sure they won't be thanking me when it comes time... but I am thrilled to have the chance to send some things to Zambia for us to use!

We were full speed ahead sorting and packing and putting into an 18' trailer to haul it to Alabama. Once we reached Alabama we were able to unload it into a warehouse where it was then palleted and wrapped and ready for the tractor trailer to arrive and be loaded, and then brought to a shipping vessel headed for Africa. This is seriously something far greater than anything we would ever want to undertake on our own- we are SO BLeSSeD to have been able to purchase pallet space from I AM and piggy back on a container they are sending. These are a few pics of the mess...! We are so thankful to many, many people who were and are instrumental in facilitating all of this! 

 Some of the neat things we were able to send, that were complete unexpected blessings, were a couch and loveseat. It looks like this...

My son said it looks like an old ladies couch... I didn't know if I should relate or be offended!!

Another thing that we were able to send was paint! I know it sounds like something terribly simple, but paint is pretty pricey there and having it available to use is great! We got two 5 gallon buckets, and then tested the patience of the Lowe's associate to his limits. John in Decatur will be getting a glowing letter of thanks from me to be sure! Seeing that we have 10 gallons of white paint at a great price, I was happy for the deal. But... I was completely unsettled with all white walls. I got 12 screw top plastic containers, and asked John to put the tint for one gallon of paint into each one in order to mix it in Zambia. And he did!! I have 12 little containers of tint that hopefully change the white paint to look fairly close to the swatch I chose! He did 10 containers of various tint... and then one black and one white. Just in case! We shall see!

Plus... another advantage of having a 5 gallon bucket at our convenience is, well... convenient!!

Sorry if that is TMI for a few of you...!

I was joking with a friend from Decatur that I was going to go to Radio Shack and purchase a GPS tracker that I would plant into one of the boxes we are sending. I am sure James Bond would have been of great assistance in my scheme as well. I thought if they can let every person on the internet check the status of nearly every plane in the sky... why couldn't I track the container??! I think it would be so cool to do a weekly tracker check on it! We could have made our own FB page, "Where in the world is my junk"!!  Wouldn't that have been FUN??!

Well, I didn't plant a tracker on it. I will have to just wait. Totally not fun!! I am hoping to get there shortly after my stuff arrives. Lord willing the container will be loaded onto a ship sometime this weekend or next week, and be ready to head over the Atlantic. Once it eventually reaches South Africa  it will be trucked on land up through the continent through South Africa, maybe Botswana, Zimbabwe, and then finally to Zambia.

Did you know Google maps works for Africa??! The land route is about 3300 km or 2050 miles. That is lots of miles! I have no idea how many border guards that will mean, or how many nights the poor driver will have to sleep in his truck or other undesirable location. I know I am glad it is someone other than my husband!

This route... however, is one we will be making several times to go fetch it all! There are other routes if we want to travel unpaved roads through wild animal territory. I think we will stick to the main roads!!

We will definitely be having a much greater interest in the weather int he Atlantic the next few weeks to be sure! Out of our hands, but we know in whose hands it all is!

Life Boxed!

Our prayer is to be moving to Zambia, Africa, sometime in the first months of 2013. We have no solid date for several reasons, but that isn't stopping the wheels from moving forward!!

We got word two weeks ago that we have space available on a shipping container heading to Zambia! This is AMAZING news! Many don't even know the logistics of sending things to a foreign country ... and hey? WHY WOULD YOU??!

We knew to send a container on our own would be unlikely for several reasons. The greatest of which is...

Cost. It is somewhere in the neighborhood of  $11-15,000 to send a container to Zambia. And then you need to fill it...!

So we weren't even pursuing a container. At least not on our own. We thought maybe splitting one with a few other missionaries would be ideal, and that is (almost!) exactly what the Lord has provided!

A container is heading to Zambia, and there were a few empty places left, and we get them! Three pallets worth to be exact. Three 4'x4'x7+' blocks of space.... 360 cubic feet of my life can be sent for us!! You can only imagine the excitement that has been brewing here since we received the news. On September 6th!

And then the kicker to the news... it has to be boxed, labeled, wrapped, weighed, packed, and brought to Decatur, AL, by September 27, when we are leaving to go to a Missions conference!

Then the retrieval process quickly changed the mood from elation to sheer drive!!

I am so excited that a few of the things that have made my homes in the States feel "homey" will be able to come with us to the field. Several things have been in our possession for several years and in storage awaiting this possibility. It feels like a pre-Christmas festival here! All the unwrapping of things long in storage, and excitement and rush of memories and comments of "Oh! I had forgotten about this!", and then the repacking them into boxes securely enough to make the nearly 8000+ mile journey over the roads and seas to Zambia.

There is a bit of surreal in the air too. All of this has been directly given to us from the hand of God. The opportunity to send a "bit of home" to the field has been a prayer, and God answered with a "YES" and NOW!!!

Heard a great message on Wednesday night from Pastor Mike on Proverbs 3:5-6. Thank you Lord for your grace in our lives, your unending patience and longsuffering, and your desire to lavish us with your love. I truly feel spoiled, blessed, and like our time in the states is surely and quickly coming to an end! I look forward to this transition time!

On Glasses...

Right out of high school I went to college in Buffalo, NY, to become an optician. I actually earned my degree and worked in the field for the past 24 years.

I say that only because I know so many people who go to college for years and get a masters in oceanography and end up being a claims adjuster for an insurance company or something else completely unrelated to their degree. I find that I (and my husband as a matter of fact, who did the exact same thing...!) am an unusual statistic! It really has made us think twice about the way we encourage our kids to pursue their "forever" life goals... however none of this has much to do with the topic...

I think I need some sort of therapy to manage my scatter-hair-brainedness! ...

Ok... I became an optician in 1987... Wow was that a long time ago! Since then I have dispensed glasses with no-line bifocals to my unsuspecting public with complete confidence and reassuring words that they are wonderful, and after a few short weeks they will acclimate to them with no problems and love me forever as the rescuer of their previously unappreciated youthful sight.

And then I turned 43, and needed them myself.

What had I been doing all those years?! I am now an avid hater of no line bifocals! (I can use the word hate because glasses are an inanimate object with no feelings or sensitivities for me to harm.) Up to this point, I solved my "issues" (well, my VISUAL issues. Others are still on the "solutions waiting list...!) by getting glasses that are not for distance or reading, a sort of visual compromise. It had worked pretty well for me for the past few years. No longer.

The above is a sampling (sadly only a partial collection! I am kind of like the shoe sales associate that gave Imelda a run for her money... only in the optical field!) of glasses past and present that I have used in every attempt to Make It Work. My employer did nothing but encourage me with free pairs of glasses and significant discounts to associates. And then add an online website that offers complete glasses starting at $6.95 (are you KIDDING ME??! NO... they aren't!) and the possibilities to solve my issue without  no-lines were endless!!!

I could tell you with complete honesty that my eyes are unusual. Really, they are clinically unusual, not just because they are in my head. 

(Be prepared to be wow-ed and impressed with a bunch of technical words.) 

My right eye is myopic with a slight astigmatism, and my left eye is hyperopic with tons (yes, that is a technical word!) of astigmatism, and now I am a presbyope. That even sounds painful just to say! 

Alas, I have had to bite the optical bullet and get bifocals.

I am not sure if I will survive this.

Suffice it to say I need to make a blanket apology to all the patients I have patronized, pacified, adjusted and (lovingly, of course...) called certifiable in the past. You were so right. I had no idea. Please forgive me.

I once helped a patient who told me it took them two years to finally adjust to their no-line bifocals. I pray I can succeed as quickly!

From here on out, I make no excuse, explanation or apology for the inevitable typos, skewed pictures and bad hair and make up days. I cannot see any of it with any degree of clarity so I am completely off the hook.

Amen.

Lists, Lists and More Lists!

There is an application on my computer called STICKIES that is like an endless supply of little yellow post it notes... and I am so addicted. Every little thing that comes into my brain can be put on one of these little notes and it is saved for me to be retrieved at my whim, and I dont have to think of it again until I need to think of it. You know what I mean? OFTEN through out the day I think "I need to remember to do this" or "Don't forget to include this", and lately it has been a little out of control, as my entire life is being evaluated through the lens of, "Will I use up some of my 50 pound per bag allotment with ThiS?!" My whole life is being evaluated, quantified, weighed and measured in the balances of "need vs. want", and "light vs. heavy"!! I have lists of things like "helpful gadgets", "personal needs", "medical essentials", "what would I run to Walmart for", "If Weight and Space allows"...! Craziness that is just what my brain is going through as we prepare to move to Zambia. Sometimes I wonder if I am being given too much time to think through it all! 

 This is what my laptop desktop would look like if I am not careful! Thankfully the little application allows me to shrink the notes up into a little bar that has only the first line showing! I am truly grateful for the time to mentally prepare for The Move.  I am also grateful for the past two years of living in a camper. It has clearly shown me what I REALLY need, and what was toted along thinking I would need it and never took it out, and also what was toted along and almost never used, but when I needed it, boy was I glad I had it! Deputation has a way of preparing us for ALL aspects of ministry!

 Time is my friend and my enemy at times. I am trying to cram everything into little boxes in my head, and realize that my nature is compatible with that. I like to have everything classified, organized, filed and taken care of.

And then I wake up and realize that LIFE is not compatible with that!

Things blend into one another and get mixed up, and intertwine and intersect at too many places. To categorize my life into "Moving" and "staying" and "living here" and "living there" is an exercise in futility and for me is really not possible. I am learning to take it one day at a time, and make lists on my computer.

I am able to dream of perfection and have a place to quantify it. When reality hits, I delete the sticky.

Easy Peasy!

I love this stage we are in. We are given the gift of time with our children. Time with family and friends. Time with Walmart and Wegmans. Time with consistent electricity and water! I am purposefully and purposely enjoying this time. Learning to appreciate the amazing gifts I still have complete access to is a good way to live. It makes me realize how spoiled I am. And how much God truly has blessed me with.

When I am tempted to be stressed or anxious about the unknown, I trust the Lord because there have been plenty of times in the past that I have felt the same way and worse, and HE NEVER LET ME DOWN. He is always a good God, and no matter what comes to me, it has passed through his mind and hands first. He knows what I need and don't need, and I am his child. I am thankful for verses that have held me and helped me through so much of this course we are on.

John 10:27-29, Jeremiah 29:11, Psalm 139, Jeremiah 33:3, Exodus 33:12-17.

God made me, knows me, has a plan for me, and will complete it. As long as I surrender to His will, and trust His word, what shall I fear?

A Psalm of David. 

The LORD is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? the LORD is the strength of my life; of whom shall I be afraid? 

Psalm 27:1

Surgeries and Recoveries...

I hesitate to include pictures of the boys because they may very well disown me. Or bury me in my house and no one will ever find me again. They are  much bigger and stronger than me, but this is where they will, in the future... many years from now, look back and be glad I posted these embarrassing and not so flattering pictures. I don't have any pictures of me post wisdom teeth surgery. And I would So like to see one. Really! 

Our children were all born with thin cheeks. We didn't have even one that had those kind of cheeks that you cannot help but just SQUEEZE! Well Savannah got them around 9 months... I will have to find them and post them later! So CUTE! 

This is from a few months ago, just as a reference. Pretty slim cheeks, don't you think? 

Dimples showing and everything! 

And here is the picture for posterity. Is it a good thing? Well maybe not this soon after surgery. They both had all four wisdom teeth removed at once, and the reason his jaw is receiving ice in this shot was because that tooth was drilled into pieces and pulled out bit by bit. Si was later telling us how a part of the tooth fell DOWN HIS THROAT and the guy made him sit up to cough it out... Wow! And I am sure that was easy in his Novocain-ed state!

"Um dude, I can't feel my throat!"

Not good! Despite how it looks in this picture, he wasn't otherwise drugged. I think the state of his eyelids is either a mid-blink, or a result of shock. I am not sure.

 Levi shortly after surgery. Pre-swelling to be sure. Post swelling and his face wouldn't fit into a single camera frame. I would have had to do a panoramic shot. Not kidding. Well, maybe a kidding a little, but he had some seriously huge cheeks.

Caution... if you are squeamish, SCROLL FAST!

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One more....

Siah in a swollen self portrait. He actually doesn't look bad compared to other people, but he usually has only bones showing. Even as babies my boys never had cheeks! 

Cutest little one year olds if ever there were any.... but pretty slim cheeks! :)

Needless to say, they did not return to work that after noon. Nor did they return to work for several more days after that! They had the surgery on a Thursday AM and were back to work by the next Tuesday... which I think is AMAZING!! Their stitches are all removed...  now that they found the few that the office missed taking out...!!

We are all glad it is over and they will never have to go through that again!

Summer of Stuff...

This is likely the last summer I will spend in America for a few years. That being said, I am trying to enjoy it as such, but life keeps getting in the way. The audacity!

I know in my head that the logistics of moving to Zambia will be overwhelming and crazy, and having the time to prepare for it is helpful to be sure. SO I have been looking for suitable bags in which to pack our life up into in order to board them onto a jet and fly them with us. Most suitcases are well over 7 pounds, and that is just NOT acceptable considering I could well use 6 of those pounds to bring a pot or a drill. I am just saying. So I am desperately seeking durable duffle bags that are <1 pound. I think I have found the one... now to collect the 10 Bed Bath and Beyond 20% off coupons. I REFUSE to buy at retail...!!

Also knowing this is the last summer in the states, I am trying to be proactive in our health and such. That being said, four family members will be having surgery in the same week. The three oldest kids will have all their wisdom teeth extracted, and I will have a "procedure." (I am very excited to have it, and that is all I am saying.) All the surgeries will require some significant down time to be sure. The two boys that will be having their wisdom teeth out currently work for a roofing contractor. They are out by 6 am and regularly haul 40 lb. packs of roofing shingles up ladders and work with their bodies bent in half using power staplers and roofing shovels and pneumatic nailers. Often for 10 hour days. (So good for them! Building lots of character... like they were deficient or something!) They cracked me up when after the appointment was scheduled for their surgeries (they have 8:30 am appointments...) they asked, "So should we tell our boss we will be there after lunch that day?" Seriously. They have no idea.

Also we have been trying to finish sorting through all of our earthly possessions. We have decided to retain things of use for our children, and deciding what is keeps and what is chuckers can take some time. Also deciding where to put it that is FREE, out of the way but not in a place where it will be ruined in the process has been a bit of a challenge. I think we are nearly settled on the location. Now to get busy sorting it all!

Other than that we have been loving the summer! We have reconnected with our church family, which is a delight! We are blessed beyond measure, and praise the Lord for his unfailing faithfulness.

Our time here is fleeting for sure, and come September we will be hitting the road again. We are also in the process of deciding when to sell the travel trailer and truck. Anyone need either one of these things? Please reply and I will be sure to get you all the info!!

Until I get a few minutes to write... !