We are now finally rested and ready to talk about our 10,000 mile summer. Some of you may think we are crazy heading cross country during the worst gas prices any of us have ever seen. The gas was bad, the highest we payed was 4.55, with the average being way too far north of 4.00. And we may have been crazy for being on the road for about 3 weeks with an active toddler. But spending all summer with most of my immediate family was well worth it. We decided to delay our departure to Indonesia just so we could spend this precious time together. My parents are very glad that they can now picture G when they hear him on the phone, and they are happy for all of the times they laughed and cuddled together. But, it was incredibly hard for them to say good-bye. Please pray for them. They don’t know when they will get to hang out with their only grandkid again
Now that we are back here in Pennsylvania, the preparations for Indonesia have begun in earnest. We’re buying every summer clothing item we can find, making lists and lists of what we need to buy, and praying that our visas will be granted. Will you pray with us?
We were able to share the Fourth of July with my Aunt, Uncle, Grandma, and cousins. Because my cousins are younger, for the first time in his life G played all day from the moment he woke up to the moment he fell asleep. He loved it. We loved it. It was hands off parenting at his best. We spent the Fourth of July with them and G was able to enjoy his SECOND parade.
Here is a picture of his FIRST parade. He’s only changed a little, don’t you think?
This is what I heard during my 10 minute Lasik surgery last week:
FIrst, take this valium so you don’t freak out while we cut your eyeballs open. Lay on this table. Try to relax as I pry your eyelids open with this strange instrument. Now you’ll feel some pressure as I suck your eyeball up into this suction ring. Suction on. You’re vision will fade to black now…but it should come back. Blade. Good, that worked. Now I’m going to lift the corneal flap. Focus on the red light that keeps moving around and slipping in and out of focus. Keep it in focus. Focus. Now I’m going to turn on the laser (click, click, click…smell of smoke). Ok…now I’ll just flush out your eyeball with this ice cold liquid. Good. Let’s close the corneal flap and you’re done.
When I opened my sore numb eyes I was amazed: everything was so BLURRY! Light hurt. Blinking hurt. Reading hurt. The only way to get away from it was to sleep. So I did. When I woke up Friday morning I did something I haven’t done since 7th grade: I read the alarm clock! The pain was gone. Everything was so CLEAR.
Now, I am free from the infections, sweat, and paraphenelia that lenses bring. And what’s more, I can see.
We just took a half step forward toward our departure for Indonesia, and Michael and I are pretty excited about it. We sent off all of our visa paperwork last month. When it got there, we got slapped with a customs fee. Our first customs fee, yeah! Because they had to pay that, our coworkers in Indonesia opened an account for us, another yeah! Our first bill says that we are 82,500 rupiahs in the hole. Yikes that was an expensive fee. But before we went and mortgaged our suitcases, we did the conversion and saw that its about $8.90.
Do you ever have had so much to write, or so much to say that you just don’t? That’s how I’ve been feeling lately. And we’ve been mostly off the grid in our little woodsy Montana town; we don’t have cell phone reception, and only spotty internet connection. Here are a couple of pictures of our “Montana-ness: haying and stacking wood…
We have really been enjoying this time with my parents. They have been inhaling the time with G. This was the reason we waited so long to leave for Indonesia, and we are realizing that it is very much worth it.
Here we go…again! Tonight we’re setting out on an epic cross country trip to visit friends and family that we don’t see often. Over the next 6 days and 3,000 miles we’ll be driving to Missouri to visit friends from our “Training Days”, then on to Wichita to share in a couple of Sunday school classes, before heading out across Colorado and Wyoming on our way to Missoula, MT. We would love to know that you are praying for us during this marathon trip.
Some (obvious) specifics are:
That our car would run as well as it has to this point (or better)
That we would have the patience to be cooped for that long
That G would be his regular charming self for that long
That our time with our friends and family would be honor God
and further His Kingdom
We appreciate your thoughts and prayers. We’ll let you know how everything went when (or if) we make it.
I quit my job yesterday. I slept in this morning, and I haven’t shaved in days. This afternoon I’m going out to learn how to ride a motorcycle. Next week I’m moving out of my house to go live on the road for the summer.
If I didn’t know better, I’d think that I was going through some kind of midlife crisis. The truth is, these are all just steps (except for sleeping in and not shaving…those are just signs of my laziness) that I need to take in our journey toward Indonesia. After working full time this past year, I am leaving gainful employment so that we can spend the summer months with family and dedicate more time to getting ready for November.
And my class M motorcycle license is also for Indonesia (although I MIGHT find some use for it here while the weather is nice). Since millions of Indonesians get around on scooters, I was encouraged to get my motorcycle endorsement so that we can get around the same way. I can’t wait to become a hardcore Vespa rider!
DISCLAIMER: By posting this video I’m not saying that I approve of everything about Radiohead or MTV. But I do like the message. And it got me thinking about this quote…
Is missions an option–especially for superwealthy countries like America? The biblical answer is clear. Every Christian in America has some minimal responsibility to get involved in helping the poor brethren in the Church in other countries. God has not given this superabundance of blessings to American and Canadian Christians so we can sit back and enjoy the luxuries of this society–or even in spiritual terms, so we can gorge ourselves on books, teachings cassettes and deeper-life conferences. . . . God is calling us as Christians to alter our lifestyles, to give up the nonessentials of our lives so we can better invest our wealth in the kingdom of God. – K.P. Yohannan
I’m thinking about things today. I bought a bunch of clothes yesterday. And I am busy writing up little yellow stickers to put on all of our mounds of junk to hopefully sell at our yard-sale extravaganza at the end of this month. That in and of itself is not wrong. But it is a focus issue. So often do pretty things get in the way of my current involvement in world and local missions; I am too busy with maintaining and enjoying my things to pray for others; I don’t want to wear plain inexpensive clothes, or give up my Duncan Donuts trips so I can give to others.
Are you like me? Do you cycle between guilt about all of the things you have (especially after watching a movie like this), or apathy and a lack of interest in other people’s suffering? What small steps would God have me do to move beyond both of those reactions (because neither of them are right), and use all of my things for His glory? I don’t know yet. What do you guys think?
Because you all have been very kind and very good…I’m going to write TWO posts this week. Or maybe it’s because I have been lazy, and haven’t written in awhile… Whatever the reason may be, I wanted to share this wonderful Indonesian spice cake recipe. I don’t know if it is a very common thing in Indonesia, we’ll just have to ask Becky or Dana. Beware it is loaded with everything bad for you and nothing good for you, unless you consider cinnamon to be heart healthy.
Spekkuk Bumbu
INGREDIENTS
All ingredients should be at room temperature
2 cups sifted cake flour (don’t use self-rising flour), plus more for dusting
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon ground clove
4 teaspoons ground cinnamon
Pinch of salt
3/4 pound unsalted butter (3 sticks), plus more for greasing
1 2/3 cup sugar
4 large eggs
3 large egg yolks, lightly beaten
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 tablespoon sifted confectioners’ sugar (for garnish, optional)
2. In a medium bowl, resift the sifted flour along with the baking powder, nutmeg, clove, cinnamon, and salt. Resift the flour mixture one more time, then set it aside.
3. In another bowl, beat the softened butter until it is soft and very pliant, about 1 minute (or about 4 to 6 minutes by hand with a wooden spoon). Gradually add the sugar, and beat on high speed until it is pale and fluffy, about 3 to 5 minutes (or about 6 to 8 minutes by hand).
4. Beat in the 4 whole eggs by hand, one at a time, until the butter and egg mixture is light and fluffy, about 2 minutes (or 5 minutes by hand).
5. Add the flour mixture to the butter and egg mixture in 3 equal parts, beating on low speed or stirring with the wooden spoon until the batter is smooth and the flour is well combined with the butter and eggs. Add the lightly beaten egg yolks and the vanilla, and continue to beat or stir until they are well mixed into the batter.
6. Pour the batter into the prepared pan, spreading it until the surface is even.
7. Place the pan on the middle rack of the oven and bake until a toothpick inserted into the thickest part of the cake comes out clean, about 1 hour. This cake will nearly double in size as it cooks.
8. Remove the pan from the oven and set the cake on a wire rack to cool in the pan for 10 minutes. If necessary, run a thin knife around the perimeter and the inner rim of the cake to help detach it from the pan. Invert the cake, turning it out upside down onto a wire rack to finish cooling.
“I’ve learned to hold everything loosely because it hurts when God pries my fingers from it.” Corrie Ten Boom
A painful little lesson about the ”temporariness” of things. G is learning quite well though; he didn’t cry, he just shrugged and looked for something new to play with. Oh how I could learn from him. I am never so resilient.
