Q&A

Today marks one week since we've been home!  To address lots of great questions coming our way...

Did you ever get that suitcase?

Not yet.  Today is our last ditch effort to get that bag, and this time we're going the cultural route...we know somebody who knows somebody who knows somebody, and will be happy to "thank" each of those somebodys if somebody gets that bag.  At this point, there is a good chance we're dishing out money to get a completely empty suitcase.

Will you ever fly Delta again?

That would be a NO.

Did you get all the rats?

Last night, there was one rummaging AGAIN in my oven, and I set a trap right above the oven, cranked that baby up to 400, and left the room (I love to kill them, but I DON'T want to see any of it.).  STILL she escaped without a scratch.  Uncle Don's method includes ripping off his flip-flop and whacking it on the head, then tossing the stunned thing to the Doberman.  That is a little too close proximity to me.

They are getting BETTER :)

Whatever happened with to the finance computer?

I ordered a new battery, a new charger, Sam changed out our harddrives, and until those things come so we can use the finance computer again, we're doing all our registration with Cammie's laptop!  Very thankful for this swich-eroo.  Thank you, Sam and Cammie!

How are the girls?

They are GREAT.  They were so happy all summer that I couldn't imagine them being any happier to be home, but they are a far more stable happy.  Far more content.  Schedule is back, their daily friends are back in their lives, they know where we are, where we are sleeping tonight, where we are sleeping tomorrow night, and what happens on each day.  They're great.

Sofie is one giant happy heat rash, and Lily is feeling good.

Yesterday, we started the registration process (Everything here seems to be a P-R-O-C-E-S-S :) for the new school year for Lily.  Last year, she was in the moyenne section (the middle section) and this year she is in the grande section, the top section.  Last year was similar to Preschool in the Staes, and this is a level similar to Pre-K.

She is surprisingly ecstatic about heading back to school, even unable to sleep the night before registration, and then just giddy yesterday showing her sister around her school.  We're letting out her uniforms, getting all her books and supplies gathered up, and school for Haiti (all of it) starts September 2nd.

How are you and Matt?

Matt is busy as a beaver and just as happy.  (beavers always seem happy, right?)  His life has returned to a slew of preaching, meetings, interviews, coordinating, supporting, phone calls, emails and errands, catching up and planning.  Hopefully once the year is underway (first day: August 22nd), he'll dive back into his Doctorate, too.  This absolutely seems to be Matt's easiest and most joyful transition back in, and he is just thrilled with the group of men and women who are quite naturally rising up around him and taking the reigns in so many areas!

As you can guess, when the girls are this happy, and Matt is this happy, Mama is GOOD.  We've had so many visits from such precious friends this past week, each just blessing my heart.  Staying in the same place, putting away the suitcases, and having more scheduled days is a blessing for me, as well...I'm a root-it-down kinda girl.  But even more than all of that, I've been spending a lot of time, as you can imagine, this past week talking to the Lord, and I can testify that even when it doesn't seem like prayer "changes things", talking and listening to Him sure does change ME.

I know we as Americans often spend a lot of time and money trying to make things as comfortable as we can for ourselves.  But there is something to be said for being UNcomfortable.  For struggling.  Even, for suffering.  It's in those uncomfortable places that we realize how much we need Him, that we search for Him, that we realize He is THERE.

We live in the midst of physical suffering in Haiti, but find that often it is the physical suffering that brings sweet spiritual growth.

I know many (including me, at times) continue to think we're a bit crazy for choosing to be in such an uncomfortable place, but once again I'm reminded how close He is to the struggling.  It makes struggling a good place to BE.

What are you guys up to?

We are back full-time at the seminary this week, registering students, interviewing new students, hiring a few of last year's graduates to come on full-time, doing lots of planning for the new school year, re-working things a bit to better fit everyone's callings and goals and giftings, getting student retreat (August 22-23) ready and staff retreat (23rd), getting things ready for the Heckman family to move in next door also on the 22nd, preparing for a slew of visiting professors coming in on the 24th, still visiting and catching up with friends we haven't seen in a while....  We are staying busy!

How is Junior?

Junior is GOOD, working in a little area in Port-au-Prince with a church plant, dreaming about a few other things, and heading our way on the 28th to talk and pray more together about his future and to enjoy being family!



Ah, we love you, and so appreciate your prayers, your emails, your letters, your boxes, your support, your concerns, and His LOVE that all of it represents to us.