happy birthday!

A year ago today...Matt turned 27, Lily was thrilled, and for his gift Lily and I told him that Mommy was going to have a baby.

THIS baby.

Besides feeling a bit sick throughout the day, Matt had a great birthday...

 Great gifts from friends and family...

 ...a growin' little baby with a new bumbo chair and a new swing from the Renner's... (though we'd rather have the Renners!)

 ...and a growing girl who both enjoyed a new princess dress, and catching and playing with a baby lizard until he "took a nap" on the same day.

 Then Poppy and Lily had a blast carving a really cool pumpkin that Casey and Laura sent!

 Lily's first jack-o-lantern :)

 don't these pumpkins look real?  Such a cool gift idea for missionaries that always miss fall!

 Then Matt's annual pumpkin pie...and Lily insisted on wearing birthday hats :)

 ...and imagine that! Lily is wearing the SAME outfit she was wearing last year :)

It's hot.  We've got tarantulas in our toasters and we sure do miss fall, friends and family.  

But we have each other, which is a precious, happy gift,

good work that He continues to provide for in every way,

a family of foreigners who've poured themselves out for us

as we try to do the same for Him.  

Blessed.

so turns out...

that Matt's dad is kind of a champ!  Tonight, while putting potholders away, I realized that I almost grabbed a ginormous tarantula instead of the potholder.

Yep, that means it was on my kitchen counter, and it didn't even run!  (It was waiting to dismember me).  I didn't even see the thing and then suddenly I realized it was an inch from my hand and that I had almost touched it, and oh man, my heart stopped.  

But, Keith killed it in like two seconds (wish he'd been here for our rat-night a few weeks ago), and I spent the rest of the evening making sure to clap loudly wherever I went (I've decided that they don't like that....which may or may not be true, but don't tell me.)

Unfortunately, Dr. Rodney's appendix ruptured before they were able to remove it, and doctors are saying that he is going to need a few days before we really know how he's doing...please be praying for this Godly friend and for his wife and three little ones.

Matt's parents headed to the airport this morning with Matt and Lily (who told me I had to stay home with the baby.)

I'm so very thankful for their time here, for the chance the girls had to spend good time with them and get to know them better, and for all the help they were, around the house and with their girls and just through their friendship!  It was a big blessing to be able to share our lives with them, to introduce them to the people we talk about all the time, and to catch up on their lives as well.  We feel very blessed.

We're a bit behind after too much fun visiting, so today it is a big push to get caught up.  Matt leaves in under two weeks for his last residency for his Masters, so there is much to be done!

Good News

Good News 1...A doctor visiting for the month brought Belony into the clinic and tested him for everything he could and is now treating him for five different things (none of which I've heard of) with three months worth of daily meds.  He also believes Belony has a stomach ulcer on top of everything.  Belony and I went through his daily instructions together, and today, after almost a week, he already says he's feeling a bit better.  Hopefully all these meds will do the trick, no matter what he has!  Praise the Lord.

Good News 2...We're continuing to have a great time with Matt's parents, and took them to a church in Piat yesterday, where Lily spent most of the service "reading" her kid Bible with "my friends."  This morning they watched the girls while Matt and I were at work, and this evening we're just enjoying being together.

Good News 3...On a recent English test, a second year student said that "Emmaus Biblical Seminary is like a small beautiful village in the United States."  This really touched my heart and made me thankful all over again to the literal hundreds of people who helped to build, pay for, design and plan for this new Seminary campus.  I thank the Lord for this beautiful place given to us that we can share with staff and students and for the knowledge we have that this is a safe blessing for all of us.  I continue to pray that spiritually, Emmaus will be a beautiful, safe and blessed place for each, as well.

Good News 4...Dr. Rodney went to Milo a few days ago in excruciating, mysterious pain.  He was diagnosed Sunday with appendicitis and had surgery.  I'm so thankful that he was able to get help and a diagnosis right away.  Praying for a quick, smooth recovery.

Good News 5...He continues to be and give Good News.  Not just the Good News we are trying to teach and share and live.  But Good News for us.  For me.  So thankful...

beach and birthday

When Lily was about Sofie's age, at the same place!

First time Lily fell asleep at the beach since she was a baby!

Grammy and Pop-Pop

in full swing!  Lily is SO SO SO excited (like, 4:30 am this morning "I'm going to go jump on Grammy and Pop-Pop!" excited.)

They arrived safely, bringing loads of JIF, raisins, chocolate chips, medication for Sof and a swimming pool and princess crafts for Lily.  She has ignored Matt and I ever since.  

 I'm afraid Miss Lily is like her mother...I remember doing crafts like this for insane amounts of time when I was a kid.  Until I became a mom, actually :)

 There's really no good reason why she's naked.  But then it rained...

 ...which terrified Boone and made him come in, and made Lily blissfully happy outside.

 Then Grammy curlered her hair, which was magical to her :)

Today is Pop-Pop's birthday, and there is a family here with four kids dying to go to the beach, so after breakfast we are off.  Having eight hands to help with these two girlies is just a beautiful thing, and I LOVE seeing the girls enjoy their family!

good-bye to a friend

We met Shay back when we were kids.  My heavens, all three of us look young.  This was taken the week we moved to Haiti, over 5 years ago.

When we moved to Saccanville in 2009, we kind of inherited Shay as the Seminary compound watchdog.  Lily loved her from the start.

In Haiti, Shay will always be best known as "the red dog that killed a cow" based on the story from who-knows-when when Shay (and another dog) took down and killed a cow (a baby cow).  Over the years, the story has grown, and even though Shay is now almost blind, completely deaf, and almost completely lame, people in Saccanville are still scared of the mysterious cow-killer.  

 Lily tells Shay all of her secrets and shares all of her chicken bones and crackers with her.

...and until the last few months, loved to ride her.

However, when we came back from Sofie's birth this year, Shay (now some 13-15 years old) wasn't doing so well.  Her arthritis has grown increasingly bad, and today, she cannot stand, and if you help her stand up, she cannot sit back down.  She eats while laying down on her side, she's lost an incredible amount of weight no matter how much food we give her, and can't see or hear.  

We've been feeling terribly for her for a long time now, and for the last month or two have been looking for a very humane way to put her down as two people that can't even smack a rat, and as a family that loves Shay.  The last few weeks we've been praying for a good solution, and a doctor was finally able to help us with an overdose that should just slow her heart until it stops.  

While the entire concept of loving and caring for an animal, much less a dog, is very foreign here, we, and a lot of other people throughout the years, have loved Shay!  Putting her down, and even worse, having to put her down ourselves, is not going to be easy...but we have no doubt that it's the right thing to do.  Just wanted to let everyone who knows Shay know!

 Lily's going to miss her :(

"What are you like?" and some things that excite us

First year homework assignment...write 10 complete sentences about what you are like:

I have a big head.  
I like the pity.
I am very fragile.
I'm a very cool man.
I am not fatter than other people.
I am beauteous.  And genius.
I am the best young man in my area.
I am like a comedian.
I am some smart.
I'm jolly.
I am phlegmatic.  (someone is using their dictionary)
I am very nice.  Or good looking.
I love hygiene.  


I kept cracking up while grading (which is not usually the case...I hate grading papers!!)

Despite all of the difficult battles we and the Seminary seem to be going through right now, there are a lot of great things going on, too.

We are really excited about some of the students we have right now, both new students in first year and a lot of our returning students who are just growing and maturing in their walks with the Lord, with each other, and in ministry.  It is exciting to be, for example, in chapel with the guys, and realize that the 60 men and women you are praising with are working in 60 different places in 60 different ministries with literally thousands of people.  Every day.  Every weekend.

The ministry of the seminary is multiplied daily, and that is exciting!

We're are really excited about a lot of events coming up...Matt's parents come on Friday, bringing some meds that Sofie is in dire need of...Praise the Lord for the timing and for our doctor friend in the States helping to make this possible!  Matt, Lucner and Vilmer go to Mississippi for a 2 week residency in October, which is always like a spiritual administrative retreat for them.

During this 2 week break, the students have all kinds of ministry plans brewing. My dad is coming in October.  Dodo and Bubba come to help in October.  We have four great visiting professors coming the end of October, and 2 more coming in mid-November.  Two great friends coming in November...The Office Season 8 starts this week :)...the list goes on!    

But most exciting?  I can honestly say "HIM."  You would think that His steady faithfulness and unwavering love would become a boring "same-old"... but it's just the opposite.   His new mercies every morning and the daily ways His faithfulness is revealed continue to bless, surprise and delight us.  At the end of the days, difficult and great alike, He Is, and He is all that remains.

That's exciting.

standing on the promises

Ho! Everyone who thirsts, come to the waters;
You who have no money come and buy and eat.

Come, buy wine and milk
without money and without cost. 


      His gift in a starving land


Why do you spend money for what is not bread,
Why spend your wages for what does not satisfy?

Listen carefully, and eat what is good,
And delight yourself in abundance.


     my priority reminder


Incline your ear and come to Me.
Listen, that you may live;

and I will make an everlasting covenant with you,
According to the faithful mercies shown to David.


     my history and future


Behold, you will call a nation you do not know,
And a nation which knows you not will run to you,

Because of the Lord your God, even the Holy one of Israel;
For He has glorified you.


     my hope for the nation I now call mine


Seek the Lord while He may be found;
Call upon Him while He is near.
Let the wicked forsake his way
and the unrighteous man his thoughts;

And let him return to the Lord,
And He will have compassion on him,
and to Our God,
For He will abundantly pardon.


     my perseverance for many still walking in darkness


"My thoughts are not your thoughts,
Nor are your ways My ways," declares the Lord.

For as the heavens are higher than the earth,
So are My ways higher than yours.


     my joy and my desire


For just as the rain and snow come down from heaven,
and do not return there without watering the Earth

and making it bear and sprout,
and furnishing seed to the sower and bread to the eater;


So will my My word be which goes forth from My mouth;
It will not return to Me empty,

Without accomplishing what I desire,
And without succeeding in the matter for which I sent it.


     His promise I'm putting hope in!


For you will go out with joy
and be led forth with peace;
The mountains and the hills will break forth

into shouts of joy before you,
and all the trees of the field will clap their hands.
     
     my peace for today