Traveling Mercies...

Traveling mercies... that old-fashioned, perhaps 'holy-sounding' phrase we oft recite before driving.  Not that it's insincere, but it takes on a whole new meaning when one is driving, well, what we are driving.  In weather like what you see below... Often we think of 'traveling mercies' as safety for our person or vehicle, but it also comes in the form of hospitality and graciousness from a stranger or a friend along a journey.  We have experienced both on this trip, and we gratefully accept both gifts. 

For much of Saturday, that's what the road looked like.  It was supposed to be above freezing in Kentucky, and as warm as 55 by the time we reached our destination.  I don't think it got above freezing except for a small stretch in Tennessee.

Our first stop:  Berea, Kentucky.  Our college friends, Skip and Sarah Little, invited us to come for brunch to meet some of their friends Saturday morning.  We had a delightful time, eating Skip's yummy chocolate chip waffles, some locally made donuts, and lots and lots of fruit and sausage over easy conversation.  We are so blessed by the folks we meet along the way, and are humbled by friends who generously give of their time and resources to help us to Albania.  Unfortunately, I forgot to get my camera out of the bag until the very end!  Below is Reni and Nathan with Skip and Ryan and Skip's oldest son.  Sarah -- I'm so sorry you were under the weather!  We'll just have to come back another time! ;-)  Skip, you are a missionary's best friend, naturally anticipating needs and knowing just how to encourage. I'm not articulating it well, but just know we think you're awesome.

From the Littles', we made our way down to north Georgia to spend the remainder of our weekend with our friends, the Santors.  The trip took a couple of hours longer than the GPS predicted, thanks to snowy roads, but we safely pulled in just after dark, a little before 7.  In the last hour or so, we had begun to hear a grinding sound in the rear wheel wells going down hills, but assumed we were just accumulating snow and ice on the breaks.  The snow was falling so hard, visibility was poor on hilly, windy roads. To say we were relieved to finally arrive is a bit of an understatement.

We were warmly welcomed by our friends the moment we arrived.  Talk about balm for the soul. While we've only met in person once before, it didn't feel that way at all, getting hugs from the kids as we walked in the door.  We settled in and prepared for a gathering of their closest friends.  Nathan made Turkish coffee and we set up the projector for a little informal "Albania" night, kids included.  I don't want to give all the fun away, but hopefully everyone left with a little better knowledge about where we're moving and a glimpse of our hearts.  The evening ended with them surrounding us for a time of prayer.

The next morning we attended the Santors' church, where Aaron recently began pastoring (he formerly led worship -- you need to hear his his original music, playing on their blog).  The Santors' two boys brought little bongo-like drums.  Ellie asked to see one, then proceed to tap along with the worship in her seat.  I'm seriously thinking about buying her a drum of her own, the way it helped her stay engaged in the music.  (Not that she's not usually engaged in music, but it's just hard to tell since she usually doesn't sing).  Nathan shared a 10-minute message, and then we left with the children to do an object lesson in kids' church.

We wrapped up, sharing our theme verse for this year (Isaiah 45:3) about the hidden treasures God has given us in our journey with him.  Rich and MaryAnn (the children's leaders), opened the mic up for the kids to pray for our family.  As the line queued, Ellie leaned over to ask if she could go pray.  With a bit of reservation, I agreed. She waited her turn, then proceeded to pray a simple two line prayer: "God, thank you for parents who adopt orphan treasures and I pray for Albania."  I don't think I need to describe how Nathan and I were moved.

After church Ellie ran around with a new friend, "T".

Following lunch, we went to go see the Falls, on the campus of Toccoa Falls.

Jennifer had a photography assignment due the next evening, so she had her camera out to catch some images for class.  She shared her photos with me, so I'm not sure which images in this series are hers and which are mine!

The Santor kids are virtual gazelles and Reni wanted to be just like them.  He traversed quite a distance, navigating from rock to rock, like below.

 I'm not sure who likes it more when when Ellie gets to distribute doggie treats.  Don't worry, she wasn't feeding him M and Ms!

Some last-minute pics and we were on the road again!

Thank you, Santors and friends from Grace Fellowship!  You ministered to us in so many ways!  We are grateful for you all!  We can't wait to see you all again!

I hope to catch up the blog from this week's visits in the Atlanta area.  So far, the Winnie has been fine, squeaky belt aside. :-)  We hit the road shortly for Statesboro (about three hours away) after we finish school!  We are grateful for all of you who lift us up - thank you for praying for our safety on the road, but we also ask that you pray we might be good ambassadors, ever grateful for His provision!