Joy-zee

   Last week was one crazy week, but God's goodness was ALL over it.  We started off the week in Port Republic, New Jersey, visiting our friends at St. Paul's UMC (or as the locals call it, Port Church).  Port Church is where Mom Waggoner grew up attending.  It's where she and Dad were married, where Nathan was dedicated as a baby...  we were so glad when Rev. Frank Brown (whom we used to work with at WGM) invited us last fall to come for a visit when we made our way out east. 

   Frank and Kelly hosted us at the parsonage for a little meet and greet on Saturday night over supper.  The next morning we were blessed by wonderful worship led by Brian (center, below) and the choir.  ('Cause I'm assuming Brian probably doesn't read the blog, I'll just mention that he sang back-up to Sandy Patti for seventeen years -- but if you heard him, you didn't need to know that to know that God's blessed him with a great voice!)  They performed a beautiful missions song ("We Speak to Nations") accompanied by a video with images from around the world.  Nathan shared the morning message, and then we shared together during Sunday school.

(L-R: Amy, Brian, Reni, Pastor Frank, and Ellie)

 Thank you, brothers and sisters at Port Church!  We loved our time with you!  We appreciate your heart for the world and all you did to make us feel special and get to know us better!

Our hosts were Nathan's amazingly generous aunt, uncle, and cousins who live just down the street from the church.  They spoiled us with great food, and lots of attention on Ellie and Reni!

Sunday afternoon we headed down to the Cape May Zoo.  Many of the photos below are courtesy of Aunt Melanie (shamelessly swiped by me from her Facebook page).

On Monday before leaving town, we went to visit Nathan's Pop Pop (grandfather) Champion.  This was our first visit since he passed away over a year ago.  It made me appreciate again the fact that we were able to visit New Jersey in the summer of 2011 to introduce Reni to his great-grandparents.  Little did we know then, but we only had six more months with Pop Pop in this world.

After visiting the cemetery, we made our way to the nursing home to see Grams.  Reni was a bit shy, but Ellie was fantastic, holding her hand and talking to her.

As I posted last, shortly after saying 'goodbye' to our New Jersey family, the newly rebuilt transmission in the RV started failing quickly.  We hobbled off of the Garden State Parkway into a little town called Manahawkin where we were directed after a couple of phone calls to Bay Transmissions.  I also shared how  George gave us the courtesy van and encouraged us to go check out the local light house.  Here are the pics from that excursion...

(top left)  Long Beach Island is so narrow (at some points I could see the beach and the bay just one block to the right and left of the road we were driving on) that I asked Nathan to take a photo of the GPS to show you how skinny this strip of land felt.   

(Right)  Nathan was an amazing dad and carried Reni up all 217 steps to the top of the light house!

After lunch we came back to the shop to learn that the transmission was just going to have to be tossed and that we'd have to stay another night as the guys were going to stay late to install a replacement, but George couldn't clear us for the road until the morning.

Ellie and Reni found a lot to entertain them at George's shop.  Whether it was model cars, Twizzlers, a beta fish, or Tracy's puppy, the kids enjoyed it so much, Reni asked yesterday if we could go back (for more Twizzlers).

Given that we would be staying another night, we decided to take up Uncle Paul and Aunt Melanie's invitation to return to their home to sleep and get showers.  Wouldn't you know that after sharing of our experience, we learned that they KNEW both George and Tracy (the office manager)?  What a neat, small world connection and evidence of God's hand on us during this !

Thankfully, Thursday morning we were given clearance to return Winnie to the road and we made our way to Vermont!  More on our time in the not-so-Green-yet Mountain State coming up soon!  (you can check out advance photos on our Facebook page).

HMA: Not a Vacation

I snapped a photo of the book above 'just for fun' the other day at Camping World (where we had to have an appliance replaced that we broke).  Then I realized today how much I probably should have read this book before we started our adventure in the Winnebago on this journey called Homeland Ministry Assignment (smile).  

I'm pretty sure, though, that this book would NOT have a chapter on the fervent and effective prayers of the Body of Christ for traveling mercies.  It would probably not have a chapter on the goodness of God to direct us to interstate exits and repair shops where we could get the assistance we needed and encouragement for our hearts that chases away fear. It wouldn't have a directory listing on where to find Brothers and Sisters in Christ who run such shops. 

I REALLY do not like blogging about the adventures Ms. Winnie has brought us, but God has been so good in going before us, that I can't NOT share it here.  Plus, I know that some of you are prayer warriors for our family and I want you to know that your prayers are being heard and answered.  

You may recall that before we left on this trip on April 2, we had the transmission rebuilt.  On Saturday Nathan sensed that it wasn't wanting to shift into the highest gear.  When he took his uncle out with him for a drive on Sunday, he couldn't replicate the issue.  We left Port Republic on Tuesday and not even 20 minutes down the Garden State Parkway, the problem re-emerged.  We pulled off the interstate and stopped at an auto shop.  They recommended we call another shop.  That second place thought the job was too big for them and told us to call a third business.

Enter Mr. George.  We learned that not only is he extremely knowledgeable on what we desperately needed help with (he's owned his business for 30 years), he's a fellow brother in Christ and he wanted to help us.  To make a long story short, after looking us over and driving Winnie down the road, he delivered the news that Winnie needed 'major surgery'.  She needed another transmission rebuild.  A phone call back to the shop in IL took some of the sting out when they offered to reimburse us the cost of the first rebuild.  

We settled in to the waiting area where Ellie was thrilled to find a beta fish, Reni a kids table with puzzles and Twizzlers, and for Nathan: coffee and ESPN.  After getting a better handle on the state of affairs under the hood, they dropped the transmission out, rolled the RV back out in the parking lot and plugged us in.  We were going to be here overnight.  But it doesn't stop there.  George gave us the use of his courtesy van and recommended we take the kids out and maybe go to the movies.  Then told us that it would be most of the following day too and keep the van as long as we needed it, suggesting we check out the local light house on Long Beach Island in the morning.  All we could do was shake our heads at the kindness shown us by George and all of his staff at Bay Transmissions.  What an answer to prayer, to be treated like friends and family, by someone we didn't even know.

It's now a little over 24 hours since we've arrived.  We just received word that the underlying source of the problem has still not been discovered.  Could you please pray for discernment on the part of the mechanics to find what is wrong so that we can get back on the road in time and safely without concerns that we could find ourselves back in this position again?  

We still have a few more weeks (three Sundays of church services) to go before we head back to Illinois in mid-May.  We also still have several days of the month left to be covered if you want to join our Epaphras (prayer) Team!  Thank you SO much to all of you who have responded!  We'll send you an e-mail reminder the night before so you don't forget! :-)

I'll close out with some photos from our time last week in Northern Virginia!  We spent some time with our friend, Jan.  She spoiled us by redeeming a Groupon at Fluffy Thoughts.  Yum!  She asked me not to post the photo of she and Ellie.  I guess that makes me a bad friend.  Sorry, Jan!

Then we did what good parents do investing in their child's education, and courtesy of Jan's driving, took the kids into the city to see some of our capital's landmarks.

We missed the height of the cherry blossoms, but found a few places where they hadn't all blown off yet.

We got into Ford's theater at the end of the day.  Reni waited anxiously while the National Park Service guide gave his spiel down by the stage.  After waiting long enough, Reni finally asked. "When is the MOVIE going to start?"

We paid a couple of visits to Nathan's sister, Rebecca, at her home in Reston.  Having just had knee surgery less than a week earlier, she understandably wasn't up for going out, so we came to her, bringing breakfast one morning.  It was so nice to see you, Aunt Rebecca!

We finished out the week with a few more visits including...

The Lu Family.  Kristie was involved in leadership at the student center back when she was at Asbury more than ten years ago!

We then got to see the Raudenbush family outside of Philly on Friday night!  It was a real treat to fellowship with these folks who, like us, are in the midst of a big vocational transition.  Mark and Kelly have developed some excellent resources for adoptive families including the website We Are Grafted In, The Sparrow Fund, and Together Called (a faith-based annual retreat for adoptive couples).  Kelly writes over at My Overthinking -- be checking her blog out next month for special giveaways as they embark on their third Build the Nest campaign to raise funds for adoption grants.  Thanks, Mark and Kelly, for all you do for the Christian adoption community!  It's been a blessing to us!

On Sunday we were super blessed to worship and share at Port Church!  That will be up on the blog next!

Virginia!

   Last weekend brought the special treat of staying with one of my college roommates, Jenni.  Living deep down in Chesapeake, Virginia, her home hasn't fallen along the routes of many of our previous travels.  And given that I hadn't seen her or her children in five years, or her husband, Robert, since I was in their wedding eleven years ago (blame several long Navy deployments), we had a lot to catch up on! Within minutes of arriving, I was hearing a story of Jenni riding a gimpy horse and I was instantly transported back to when we were eighteen.  (Any of our college friends reading this will know what I mean -- Jenni is the consummate storyteller!)

It was so fun to see Ellie and Ms. A become friends!  Friday night Ellie stayed the night in A's room, Saturday night, A  stayed with Ellie (and us) in the RV!  Super fun for Ellie to experience her first sleepovers!

Saturday morning Mr. P had a Little League game and I had fun trying my hand at sports photography.  Wow!  What fun!  I see why so many enjoy this!

Reni thought the game was one big snack time and ate (and drank) through just about everything I brought along!

Maybe it's capturing moments like the one below that is why I think I could really enjoy this kind of photo-taking!  At least at the Little League level (I'm guessing the bigger kids hit those balls a little harder and faster!)

I never envisioned Jenni marrying such a sports enthusiast.  But I'll forgive her, 'cause at least he's a Cubs fan.  I don't think P stood a chance of playing any other sport!

   Saturday night we had supper at Jenni's parents' house.  I think I was a surprised at the wave of nostalgia that hit me driving into their neighborhood.  I spent two of my four college spring breaks at the Savage's home, then when I moved to DC after graduation, I would escape the craziness of the city for the more tranquil and familial feeling I got at Jenni's parents' home in the timber where they treated me like family.  I hadn't visited since Jenni's wedding and not much had changed, except for the presence of all the KIDS! :-)

Jenni's sister, Karen, came over too with her three children (her hubby was at work) and for the first time I got to eat in the formal dining room!  Finally a grown up! ;-)

Special times!

After church and lunch, we drove up to Richmond, Virginia where we reconnected with Jesse and Sarah and met their daughter, Sarah!  We met this talented couple when they were studying at Asbury Theological Seminary.  Shortly after they married, they traveled to Albania where Jesse entertained the Planters' Bible Club kids with his music and juggling. 

The Joyners have renovated an older home in downtown Richmond.  After supper, we took a walk to see some of the beauty of their neighborhood.

(Above) I learned that a well-known adoption blogger (whose blog is linked over in the sidebar) resided on this street until a year or so ago!  I know.  What a nerd. My version of celebrity ;-) 

(Below)  According to Reni, that is "The Statue The Liberty"

Next up:  Northern Virginia Aunt Rebecca's and Jan's!

In the mean time, we're headed tomorrow over to Port Republic to share on Sunday at the prettiest church on the Atlantic Coast:  Port Church.  We appreciate your prayers on our behalf!  We are presently at 54% of our monthly support and appreciate opportunities like this to share about Albania and meet new potential ministry partners!

PE-AY

PE-AY, P.A. ... however you read it, it's Pennsylvania!

Oh, these travels are good for our soul.  Reconnecting with special friends, seeing our children renew friendships, enjoying conversation that sharpens our minds and refreshes our spirits... it's one of those unexpected gifts of this season.

We spent 2 nights and a day with the McCready family.  Ellie and their youngest, J, picked up where they left off last summer.  From the back, they sort of resembled each other with the same height, hair color and length.  I think she might have come with us if we asked her. ;-)

From there, we made our way to the Tomlians!  We met the T family when we were both living in Wilmore.  Deb and I were part of the same Bible study.

Our kids love friends, little or big, it doesn't matter!

A really fun development to our visit was the discovery that Ashley had been planning a college visit to Liberty University in Lynchburg.  When her ride to Virginia had to cancel, Ashley nixed her plans.  We were excited to tell her that Winnie would be heading to Lynchburg, the very day she had been planning to go, and we'd be happy to give her a ride! A couple of phone calls later and Ashley was packing her bags and accompanied us!  Ellie wondered if Ashley would be traveling on with us, and if we'd be introducing her as part of our family!  

This is totally unrelated to this post, but before I forgot, I had to share a Reni quote...

We were at a park this afternoon and Reni had a couple of shadows that followed him around, probably a couple of years older than him.  After several minutes, one finally asked Reni where he lived.  Reni looked at him and matter of factly replied (as if it's totally normal), "In an RV."

What would you have done?

Sunday afternoon we visited a fun new park near Pam and Dave's home. Reni had a blast because unlike most playgrounds which use prickly mulch, this park boasted that spongy feaux asphalt which allowed him to fly around the place independently on his little stubs.

I wanted to try to get some footage of his "sprinting" so you can see how speedy our little man is, but caught something else entirely (he had blown by me by the time I got the video recording).

I saw him make his way to the "spiderweb" and overheard a little interaction unfold.

I heard a boy say to Reni, "Wanna be my friend?"

Reni doesn't immediately agree, hedging his reply by first asking the all-important question: "Do you have [toy] cars at your house?" 

I see the boy touch Reni's stubby leg, then sweetly put a hand on his back.

Reni for some reason thinks he can crawl through this boy and his friend or something and as Nathan tells him to wait, the boy's grandmother comes over and scolds her grandson, saying something like, "I told you not to bother the little kids", then as her grandson says, "That little boy has no le---" She tries to silence him with a loud "SHSH!!!" and yanks him off the equipment and away from Reni.

I keep the camera running on Reni, as if to mask the grandmother's embarrassment, pretending I hadn't heard what was said.

It wasn't until later, after letting the interaction replay in my mind, that I realized how much I failed in my lack of response. By then it was too late.

First of all, this young boy did nothing wrong. If anything, he interacted better with Reni than most new people he's met in a setting like this. He asked to be Reni's friend, then he touched him kindly.

My lack of response was what was wrong. The last thing I want is people yanking their children away from Reni as if he's got a contagious disease. I've always said I appreciate how children are usually the best at acknowledging Reni's differences -- they're straightforward with their questions and unlike adults, they don't whisper or look away as if their vision has a huge blind spot.

But before anyone feels like I'm judging them, let me tell you, I've been on the other side. As the parent of young children (who rarely have 'filters' over what comes out of their mouths), I've done my share of 'shush-ing".  My advice? If you see your child curious about another child with physical differences, I suggest you be straightforward and approach the child's parent with a comment like, "My daughter noticed that your son doesn't have any legs.  She wants to know how it happened, if that's not too personal a question to ask."  I can't guarantee that it will always be received graciously, but if they're anything like our family, asking questions is preferable over the shh, the stare, or avoidance. We like meeting new people and making friends  If you want to know how to ask wrongly, read this.

If I could have done it over again, I would have put the camera down and gone over to the grandmother to say that her grandson hadn't done anything wrong, but express that he and Reni had been talking and her grandson wasn't preventing Reni from enjoying the equipment.

What would you have done?

We're learning as we go, but Reni's turning four this summer, and getting more socially aware and I'm thinking about this more. We're about to move to a country that could medal in the art of winning the 'stare-down.' (Read Sarah's description from an American perspective here).  I'm also in a FB group for amputees and regularly read comments like "I'm used to being stared at."  Ouch. We know we can't protect Reni from this reality, but we want to equip him as best we can to have confidence.  It's going to be refining for his character (and mine).  Anyway, I'm not beating myself up, but want to take this as an important lesson in handling situations like this and offer a word or two if you might be the parent on the other side.  I understand.

Check out the video below to see the situation yourself.  I had nothing to do with the frame which was chosen as the thumbnail pic, but I love it.  That encourages my heart more than anything.


 

Incidentally, Reni climbed this several more times, getting faster and faster each time and mastering it completely independently.

P.S.  I'm not one who feels like I need to 'educate' people. We actually love watching the faces of others when they see Reni navigate so well because they're usually smiling. And once kids start talking to Reni, within minutes it's usually no big deal -- they see him as a kid much like them. It was just because I actually captured this one incident on video that I even wrote about the subject matter at all. As a post script, I should add that this winter Reni was going to have the opportunity to meet a little adoptee who was missing part of her right arm, and then later a little boy missing part of his left leg. In both cases he expressed fear, but quickly over came it upon meeting them. When it comes down to it, I think it's a matter of overcoming the fear of bodily differences to get to know the person inside the body.

P.S. #2:  Here is a link to another mom's thoughts on "Reclaiming the Playground".

Over Hill 'n Dale...

Did you know that western PA is hilly?  Like REALLY hilly?  I've been here before, but not while driving an RV, powered by a diesel engine. You tend to notice each and every incline a little more (especially when they boast names like "Slippery Rock" or "Breakneck Hill").   Poor Winnie chugs up and up a hill, slower and slower, while cars zip past us at 65+ mph.  We're past any pride issues though.  After all, we're driving a 1985 Winnebago. ;-)

Thankfully, Winnie has been holding up well!  Unless you count the cabinet door that just fell apart and landed on the floor after a bad bump (I blame the end-of-winter condition of the roads). 

Or the front passenger seat that decided a few days ago to lurch forward like an ejection seat -- she won't stay back and upright without a serious pound. 

Or the rear medicine cabinet latch that just fell off for no reason, leaving us with a swinging mirror over the rear window (it kind of messes with your eyes).

But don't worry.  These little hiccups are MINOR.  They actually make us laugh! We still love our Winnie and are grateful for the blessing of a little house on wheels while we travel.

Speaking of travel, we're getting our hearts filled up by time spent with some wonderful people.  I hope that we can be a blessing in return!



Saying 'goodbye' to Nonna in Ohio...

We got to meet the Chaneys in person, also in the process of raising support to go serve as missionaries to Albania (not the same agency as us)!



Ellie's becoming quite the little photographer!  She got this great pic of us here we are with college friend, Jessica, and her husband, Dave.  It's so cool to see where our friends call home, even if it's almost twenty years later!  Especially when they live in the heart of Amish country and treat you to an Amish buffet!!

 

 

Not many know that the Salvation Army is also a church! Our friends David and Pam Rhodes are Captains at the Greensburg, PA Corps. As soon as we announced our travel schedule last summer, they invited to share at their Sunday morning worship service ("Holiness Meeting"). It was so neat to see them at work in their roles!  They are so obviously where God would have them, using their giftings serving in the "Army". After church we enjoyed lunch with many of the church folks, and then we shared again at the missionary service afterwards.

 

Lo and behold, who happened to also find themselves in Greensburg that weekend but fellow Asburians, Andrew and Summer Gross!  We all ate supper together on Saturday night, then they came to church to hear us share!  (Summer actually visited Albania in 1992 where her team constructed a wall around the Tirana kids orphanage -- the one across the street from the American Emb*ssy!)

 

 

After recovering from 5 hours of church (smile), we visited a city park that the kids absolutely loved.  The nice weather didn't hurt anything either!

 



He said, "Come and sit by me, Momma!"

On our way to Ellwood City (where we are now), we stopped for lunch with a Kenyan MK (missionary kid) friend that we've known for years.  Annette and her husband have a huge heart for kids with special needs.  After giving birth to their daughter who happened to have Downs Syndrome, they decided to adopt a baby boy ("S") with downs, which led to another adoption ("M"), and now possibly a fourth special little one to come home soon!  They have an amazing play room with all kinds of sensory toys.  Ellie and Reni were eager to test ride the "egg" swing...

 

... and the platform swing!

 

 We so gotta figure out how to install one of these in Albania!  Check back soon for some fun video of Reni navigating the playground.  I've been told the blog doesn't nearly convey the speed of his mobility!