The "A" Word

All boy.  Our boy. So loud, yet so sweet.  Big on hugs and kisses with Mom and Dad.  We can't imagine life without him.

Since he can't pump his legs to swing, he cleverly figured out how to propel himself side-to-side.

While in Kentucky we had Reni's bi-annual appointment at Shriners.  We had a serious discussion about amputation surgery for the first time.  Our hopes of a workable knee joint on his left leg seem to be fading, and in light of our upcoming move overseas, the timing of this discussion was pretty important.

Obviously, it's not an easy matter to contemplate.  But the pros seem to be outweighing the cons.  And to do nothing will only slow down his mobility. (Perhaps I'll get into the technical stuff in another post, but suffice it to say, after our discussion with the folks at Shriners, Nathan and I were on the same page, which isn't always the case when it comes to matters of the kids).

So as you pray for our family, here's something else you can remember on our behalf.  We have questions about when this can and should be done in between our homeland ministry travels.

The silly thing in the whole matter is dealing with the loss of a little part of him.  I know, it sounds crazy but he's been made uniquely and we've fallen in love with every little bit of him.  Even his little 'foot' and little 'toe'.

Indiana Friends, Old and New

We are home and settling back into our 'routine' of sorts.  It must be rather dull because Ellie is already asking about our next trip. ; )  Upon reflection, while Ellie has difficulties with 'goodbyes', the promise of a another playmate at her next destination made transition easier.  Now that we're back home on the farm, the view doesn't change, each day is similar to the one before and life just doesn't hold the mystery and excitement of the new and unknown!

Another struggle since coming home has been for the kids to go to sleep on their own.  Given that we slept mere inches apart in the RV, a room across the hall might as well be in the next state.  It has made for some protracted bedtime rituals! Deep down I know children crave routine and structure and this will eventually work itself out, but the in-between can be tough, but I'm not complaining.

Since coming back home, my mind has been revisiting the memories of our roadtrip and my heart has been thanking the Lord for blessing us with some wonderful appointments.  Our final weekend on the road found us up in Ligonier, Indiana.  I've heard of Ligonier for years, but never visited until this past weekend.  Up in northern Indiana, the sight of an Amish horse-pulled buggy is not an unusual sight.  But we didn't go to see the Amish or sample their cooking, we drove up to see our friends, Nate and Anne Lowe, their three children, and their home church.  

Nathan and I met the Lowes in Hungary, of all places, 6 years and (for them) one less child ago.  We were all in Hungary to help facilitate an English camp with our host missionary friends, the Searls.  About the same age, sharing some mutual friends, and ministering with a common purpose, it was easy to strike up a friendship, one I'm pleased to say has been maintained over the years and miles thanks to things like blogs (Anne's a fantastic writer) and the occasional conference or retreat.

Sunday morning we visited their home church, Ligonier Evangelical.

During the first hour, we shared with their high school Sunday school class (below).  On a side note:  Nate and Anne have a tremendous heart for high-school aged kids and they really challenged me with their efforts to help 'their kids' own and keep their faith through an age when many Christian young people are shedding their faith at an alarming rate during the transition to adulthood).  Nathan shared a 'missions moment' in church on a weekend that was devoted to missions.  I've said it before, but it's always an encouragement to worship with a church that's devoted to making disciples of all nations!

After church, Anne invited two families, the Floras and Diersings, over to their home for lunch.  I enjoyed this so much I only managed to get a few photos (above). If we lived in Ligonier, I'd want to hang out with this crew every Sunday!  Nathan and Pastor Troy Diersing share a common love of Buckeye football and the previous day's game with Purdue was the topic of much discussion! One of my highlights from the weekend was an opportunity to get to know Gloria (Diersing) a bit better.  I've met Gloria at a few Titus retreats in the past, but this was my first time meeting her husband and children too (below)!  What a sweet, encouraging sister in Christ!

Sunday evening the Lowes opened their home for us AGAIN by hosting combined small groups and having quite a gaggle of adults and children in all areas of their house!  In the photos below you'll see Ellie with Ms. Arminda, the lady who taught her in Sunday school earlier in the day and later that night presented Ellie with the gift of her very own disposable camera!  You'll also see Nate and Anne's daughter, Lydia, checking out different items on our display table, particularly the Albanian Bible and comparing it to her English Bible.  She has a tender heart for missions and her interest and questions were a great encouragement to us!  Before we shared our testimonies and what we will be doing in Albania, Nathan did a short lesson for the children which included a slight of hand trick.  Afterwords he had a few persistent young friends who convinced him to share how the trick was performed.

Monday morning we said goodbye to the Lowes and Ligonier, but not before getting a photo with Micah and the family pet, Chance.  Seriously, one of the best behaved dogs I've met and our kids adored him.

Very thankful for this past weekend and the friends, old and new, we have up in Ligonier.  You encouraged our hearts!

Indiana Friends, Part 1

We wrapped up our October travels with some visits to dear friends and family in Indiana and a meeting before the WGM Board of Directors.  But before I share about that... I have a few more photos from KY that missed the last blog post! And yes, Reni's hair will have two different looks from the time the post starts to the time the post ends...

The night before we left Kentucky, we met a former student friend/cabinet member, Nathan Crum, and his new wife, Sarah.  Since they started dating after graduation, this was our first real opportunity to spend some time with Sarah. Over a yummy dinner at Fazoli's we heard about their new married life, and their new addition:  a puppy named Sam!  They brought Sam out to the RV for Ellie and Reni to spend a little time with him.  (I am contemplating a separate post of photos of Ellie with all the canine friends she made on this trip!)

From supper, we met Mom and Dad for Chick Fil A Ice Dream in the RV. They were traveling through Kentucky and we were really happy to see them, if only briefly, and let them see the Mini Winnie in person!

(Above), friends Peter and Sarah came over to say goodbye Wednesday morning before we pulled out! What good friends whom our kids love and who love our kids!

Wednesday evening we were happy to meet our friend Heidi for coffee at a Starbucks off the interstate.  Heidi traveled on a team that Nathan took to Honduras a few years ago.  She's a quality young woman with a sincere heart for missions and following the Lord.  We're praying for her as she undertakes one of the last pieces of passing the CPA exam!

The next morning we got back on the road again and headed to Anders*n University where we met new friends Kevin and Maria to hear Nick Vujicic speak in chapel.  He has a tremendous testimony and it's a blessing to see how he has allowed God to work in his life, sharing his story in a powerful way to draw others to Him.

After chapel, Kevin and Maria had us over for a yummy lunch!  It was a treat to meet two of their three children (their oldest was at school).  I was so glad it worked out in our schedule to visit this sweet family!

Our next stop was a visit with a college friend, Rachel.  Her parents are our regional directors, overseeing all of the WGM missionaries in Eastern Europe.  Rachel and her husband, Chris, have two daughters, each six months older than our children and they got along fabulously, as you'll see below!

(above) Um, yeah.  When your moms are photographers, you've got the photo-taking thing down pat.  While our trip was pretty much one big highlight, I particularly enjoyed Rachel's Bible Study.  I shared a little bit about our family and what we hope to do in Albania, etc.  They were very inquisitive and very encouraging.  An overall neat group of women!  Thank you, ladies, for sharing some of your time with me and welcoming me so warmly!

The next morning we headed up to Marion for formal approval from WGM's Board of Directors.  I have no photos from this day (perhaps a little nerves about saying the right thing and having two obedient, well-groomed children)?  Interestingly, while we feel like we know just about everybody in our mission pretty well, I wasn't sure how many folks on the Board I would know as they're not a group that the staff and missionaries rub shoulders with regularly.  We had a good meeting with them and conversation over luncheon afterwards.  We appreciate the service of time they give to provide leadership and direction for our mission!

Once that was behind us, we went into Marion to pick up a new battery for the Winnebago (yeah, our wheels did give us a bit of excitement requiring a new alternator somewhere along the road which then killed our old battery, but for now things seem to be sorted out).  It was then on to Uncle Jack and Aunt Ruth's house for the night!

Ellie and her new pal, Annie.  Below, Ellie making a dog 'magically' appear from under the blanket.  Reni LOVES puzzles and whipped through their stacks of puzzles before mastering a little antique pinball game.

Thank you, Uncle Jack and Aunt Ruth!  You were great hosts and we all very much enjoyed our time with you!  Next up, our final destination:  Ligonier!

My Ol' Kentucky Home

To say the last week has been 'good' would be an understatement.  Being back in Kentucky has been wonderful.  It's only been a couple of months, so little has changed (which helps, if you know what I mean).  It was kind of like the last two months were a dream and poof!  we were back again.  That's not to say we have second thoughts about leaving!  We absolutely have been blessed with confirmations that we are where we are supposed to 'be', and that gives us peace.  Just being with dear friends and church family has been a balm to the soul; an encouragement to our hearts to feel the expressions of love... it's rejuvenation at a point when we could otherwise be feeling weary in the journey of a nomad's life (this is where the RV has been a tremendous blessing, too).  This post has lots of pictures (put into collages to make it a bit less overwhelming), but I feel like this past week has lots of gaps in the photo department, too.  I will try to fill in with text where appropriate.

I loved the light filtering in the window this particular morning.  This time together has brought these two even closer.  Love it.

Wednesday (Oct 10), we were invited to share at Daybreak Community Church.  It was a busy night and I completely forgot to pull out the camera (so disappointed) so we drove by a few days later to get the images below.  This congregation was so warm and welcoming!  We enjoyed dinner before the service, then Nathan gave a children's message followed by a message for the 'grown ups.'  We look forward to developing a meaningful relationship with this body of Christ in Lexington!  We are grateful to our friend, Dr. Shawn Taylor, for inviting us to her home church!

We met our dear friends, the Lauters, for breakfast one morning.  They have had a busy life pouring into so many Asbury students through education and missions as well as pastoring a church that they commuted to every weekend in Indiana for many, many years! In spite of sensing the need to slow down from a busy speaking schedule, it's exciting to see Prof's eyes light up when talking about a new ministry bearing much fruit in the mountains of eastern Kentucky community. I don't think they will ever truly 'retire' in this life!

On Friday we packed the day full of appointments.  Interestingly, at all but one stop we ran into friends from our home church.  At one of them we learned that the middle school girls missions group from First Alliance was hosting a table at a craft sale sponsored by the Explorium in downtown Lexington.  The extra surprise:  the proceeds were to benefit our ministry account!  In addition to crafts for sale, there were numerous activities for children to enjoy.  The kids loved it!

How cool is that?  What a blessing!  On Sunday they were pleased to present us with a card and check for $250!!!  The young lady (Christy) and her mother (Michelle) below are special friends from church -- they have cousins/nephews adopted from Albania!  Pretty cool, eh?

On Saturday night we were happy to attend one more African Goat Roast at the student center. It went off without a glitch and it was neat to see so many students turn out to have a good time!

Sunday morning we attended our home church, First Alliance.  Our friends, Prabu and Sheeba, were in Kentucky from India this week for events at Asbury Seminary. We met them when they were students at Asbury Seminary from 2002-2008.  They have an amazing ministry going on in their home country and since graduating have adopted their daughter Prarthna ("Prayer"),  She's just two months older than Reni.  It was a special treat to join them and the Putmans for lunch after church and finally meet Prarthna in person! (What did we do before Faceb**k).

Sunday evening Nathan shared a message with nearly 100 of our student friends at Global Cafe. Sarah and Cassie watched the kids so we could just enjoy the service and soak up the opportunity to worship with that special, special group of Asburians.  We are so appreciative of the job Jonathan and Faith are doing providing leadership at the student center.  The students love them and the Lord is blessing!

I was a bit curious how the kids would be returning to their old home.  For sure, understanding new boundaries was slow to sink in.  Reni would periodically ask if we could go to our 'old house' or 'upstairs' to get a drink or take a bath and play with old toys.  Jonathan and Faith were extremely gracious, particularly Monday night when we learned that Ellie and a few of her friends escaped the watchful eye of the babysitter during adoption group and took a tour of Ellie's former home.  J&F reported that they were watching TV when they heard the door open and a line of children follow Ellie in while she said (of the new paint and carpet), "Look what I did to the place!  Isn't it beautiful?"  then of the new four-legged occupants, Pixie and Bella, "Here is the dog 'Spike' and the cat 'Doggie'!"

One of our traditions was to eat in the cafeteria on a weekly basis.  Prior to eating lunch we stopped by to see an art exhibit created by our friend Ben who lived with us last summer.  I think one of our old van tires ended up in one of these creations inspired by wildlife from his home in Kenya.

Then it was off to lunch in the cafeteria.  Just like old times.

(Below left)  One of the reasons why Ellie loved college students so much:  cool cell phones with video games.
(Below right)  Pray for the girls Abby and Anna.  Graduating in May, they are planning to come to Albania with us for 6 months starting in September to homeschool the kids while Nathan and I go to language school.  Major, major provision there.  We couldn't be more excited!

(Above).  Yes, Reni did that hand stand all by himself. Peter is Reni's favorite guy on campus because he will  make Reni "fly".  Yeah, I'm pretty sure Peter is sorta regretting that. ; )

Check back later for our final pics from Kentucky!

Road Trip, Part 2!

We're back with more photos from our October homeland ministry trip!

On Monday we visited my 2nd cousin, Rebecca, and her family.  Ellie and Ruby hit it off right off the bat.  Thank goodness for cell phone cameras to catch the impromptu moments!

While Reni napped, Michael tried his best to join in with the girls, but in spite of what the photo above would indicate, he was pretty unsuccessful.

(below) Rachel, Rebecca's youngest sibling, is living with Nick and Rebecca and the kids while Rachel finishes out some schooling.  It was a pleasant surprise to see her (in my defense, we didn't have our usual family reunion this past summer to catch up on news like that)!  Rachel and I tried to give Rebecca a hand at making homemade buns for a church luncheon the next day.  Let's just say they didn't win any prizes for uniformity in size or shape but thankfully Rebecca didn't seem to mind!

Reni has been a great traveler, happy so long as there is an ample supply of toys with wheels.  Really, both kids have been fantastic travelers, enjoying the new people they have met and as well as seeing old friends.

 I know I look old here!  Blame it on no make-up.

While in Grand Rapids we parked our RV at the home of the Eernisses.  Sharon used to work at Bethany (our adoption agency) and was a huge help to us while we were making our travel and court arrangements for Ellie's adoption back in 2006. On top of that, Roger has traveled to Albania to help on a construction project at the Bethany orphanage, so he knows of whence we speak when we talk about Albania! Even though Sharon is no longer at Bethany, we've kept in touch over the years with them having visited us in Kentucky in 2007, and us staying at their home for a Bethany adoption event several summers ago.  Ellie is a big fan of their two dogs and Reni was a big fan of Roger's train table.  The gift of the Lego cement mixer truck didn't influence Reni's feelings toward Roger either.  Ahem.

Tuesday morning we made one more stop on our way out of Michigan and I sadly have no photos to share from this meeting (unless photos of sockets and prosthetic legs count).  We were able to meet in person a mom I've only corresponded with via Facebook and e-mail until then!  Her oldest daughter, Ella (10), is a bilateral amputee like Reni.  While we didn't get to meet Ella because she was at school, we did get to have a wonderful conversation with her mom, seeing Ella's various prosthetics, hearing about her treatment and care over the years, and viewing first hand some modifications they made in their home to make life a bit easier for Ella.  It was really, really nice to have made that connection (especially in light of the fact that we're meeting with Reni's Shriner's team in the morning).  I have a feeling our paths will cross again!

We grabbed some lunch then said goodbye to Michigan as we started our trek down to Wilmore.  We were glad to pull of the interstate just as it was getting dark to stay with Nathan's cousin Tim, his wife Marty, and their daughter, Tessa, in south central Indiana.  It was Tessa and Marty's fall break week so though we were sad that our visit with Tim was rather brief as he had to leave for work quite early), we did enjoy a nice visit over breakfast with Marty and Tessa in the morning.

Now we are back in Kentucky for a few days!  Our schedule is pretty full, but it feels good to be productive.  We're grateful for some more speaking opportunities, as well as chances to make some more personal connections with individuals while we are back "home", as our kids call it.  Right now though "home" is a bit of a nebulous idea...

Michigan Photos, Part 1

It's been a busy, busy time since we left Illinois with no time on the computer!  Here is a first batch of photos from our first days away!

Since we last blogged, soybeans were picked! 

On Thursday morning, we pulled out bright and early for Michigan...

A couple of hours from our destination on Thursday afternoon we found out that sickness had hit the friends were supposed to visit.  We immediately pulled off the interstate to strategize about how best to make use of our time and discovered that we recognized the town in which we had found ourselves.  A few text messages later, we had new plans for dinner with some Asbury friends, the Aukermans.  Ellie asked, "Do they have dogs?"  Reni asked, "Do they have kids?"  They were pleased on both counts!

You can see Reni no longer will stay put for a photo unless he's in arms!

Thanks, Adam and Sarah, for being such gracious, spur-of-the-moment, hosts!

The Aukermans live just a couple of miles from Lake Michigan, so we surprised the kids with a trip to see the Lake.  They were thrilled, in spite of the cold.  And we were glad for them to get some energy out before we got on the road again.

The kiddos like my bed, and are getting a jump start on devotions.

Nathan's making hot chocolate on the stove top -- a special treat on a chilly night! The RV has kept us cozy at night.

On Friday night we made our way to the central part of the state for our friend Meredith's wedding.  She made arrangements for us to park and hook up at her church.  The set up was perfect.

Sunday morning after the wedding, we were pleased to attend church with them and Nathan shared a word about what we're going to be doing in Albania.

Sunday before church we were invited to enjoy breakfast at a local B&B with the bride's parents and grandparents.

Reni requested this photo with a Santa ornament he found and liked.

After church we made our way back west again to Grand Rapids where we had supper with the Baron family.  Katie and I have been corresponding for almost four years but have never had the opportunity to meet in person before!  One of their daughters was adopted from Albania.  I'll let you try to guess which one!

Once again, Ellie found a canine friend that she effectively wore out.

We're in Michigan for another day and then off to Kentucky!