A Summary Of Deputation.

Since we began deputation 19 months ago, with 12 of the months actually being on the road, we've traveled 30,000+ miles (glad that's behind us), presented our ministry in 72 churches in 28 states, drove through 34 different states, had one car accident, stayed in all kinds of places and in all kinds of situations and met some of the sweetest people out there. Friendships were developed and strengthened, kindness was shown to us many, many times over, and our desire to get to the mission field intensified each time we presented our burden.

But now? Deputation is officially behind us. We were done at the end of June, but had two last commitments to complete in October, so now we can say we're done for sure. :-) As evidenced by this blog, I have a great love for travel, but after being on the road for a year and living out of a suitcase, I'll admit the novelty of traveling has worn off a bit. Add into the mix traveling with a newborn baby and that really puts a whole new spin on things! When we went to Texas for this last trip, Paul and I flew down while Nat spent four days driving (poor guy). So I missed out on the first leg of the road trip, but we experienced it full force the rest of the way! Paul did fairly well during the days, but nights were just a mess. In fact, one night he was up from 1 am - 6 am for no apparent reason (like teething, flu, etc). That one really baffled us and the next day we had a 6.5 hour drive to make. Thankfully he finally slept. ;) Since we've been home though, he's been doing very well and going to his bed with zero fuss. I guess he really does sense all the upheaval and chaos and reacts to that.

So now starts the mad dash to the finish line, so to speak. We hit the ground running with commitments and people to see and this next week looks pretty full. In between spending time with people, we have lots of packing to finish and things to put into storage. I thought I did a pretty good job of downsizing our stuff until I came home Thursday (after living out of a suitcase for three weeks) and realized things just multiplied while we were gone! So now it's time to get ruthless again. :-) In the end, it's all just things and I have to keep reminding myself of that. 

17 days before take-off!!!

Exciting Times!

We just ended our first of two missions conferences Sunday evening and it was exciting and sad all rolled into one. Exciting because this was the first missions conference of this church and we know the Lord is going to do great things as long as this church stays yielded to Him. But it was sad to say good-bye to the other four missionary families, knowing that we won't see them for a very long time or ever again until eternity. Unless we have layovers in Australia, Mexico, Nova Scotia, and Prince Edward Island that is! I told Nat we could take a different route to and from Thailand every time because we have so many friends in so many countries. Can you imagine a trip that includes stops in South Africa, Scotland, and Canada? That would be a looong trip home!

One of the missionary families was quite delayed in getting to Texas from Oklahoma City (4 hours away). Last week someone tried to steal their diesel from their truck and made a real mess of some hoses. They got that fixed and then were on the way down to Texas when their transmission died. They finally got here Saturday by borrowing a church van. This morning the pastor was sharing their story and said a couple of people gave him checks to go towards the transmission repair. He then mentioned if anyone else wanted to give, they could. I was so thrilled and excited for this missionary family as this little country church took up a free-will offering of several hundred dollars. I know how it feels to have an overwhelming car problem that you have no idea how it will all sort out and then the Lord uses people to meet that need. God is so good and I'm thankful this family got to be on the receiving end of His goodness!

We have now entered the "under one month" mark for Thailand! That is to say, Lord willing, this time next month we should be in Thailand, travel weary and bone tired. Ahh, but before that month finishes out, we have exciting things in store. Birthdays to celebrate, an early Thanksgiving with my family, dinners, lunch dates, packing, more family time, a special sending service at our home church and yes, tearful hugs and goodbyes for now. I'm not a huge fan of long, drawn out goodbyes but there's something sweet about those teary goodbyes too. I know that God will give much grace to make this big move halfway around the world!

Texas Travel.

We've been hanging out in the middle of nowhere Texas for the last couple of days, but it has been nice to have a comfortable trailer to stay in! We're taking part in a little country church's first missions conference and we are glad to be here, along with a few other families we've crossed paths with while on deputation. If we can't see a missionary when they come to our home church, then we'll just have to meet up with them at a conference!

Yesterday we drove about 45 minutes to a nearby town (yes, that is nearby for Texas!) to what is considered the world's largest flea market (http://www.cantontradedays.com/). If it's not the largest, it's certainly a close second! We walked around for a couple of hours and gazed longingly at everything we couldn't buy. We did pick up two small Christmas items, and kept telling ourselves the day is coming when we will be able to purchase things again. For now, we wait until Thailand! 

The market we were at reminded us a lot of Thailand, with the exception of the booths having space between them and wide aisles to walk through. The day was hot and the sun seemed to be just above our head. It was a good reminder of what's in our future! Thankfully the humidity was low. :-)

From here we move on to Louisiana, a state I've not been to yet. I'm surprised the tourist in me hasn't started checking out things to do in Shreeveport and Baton Rouge. :-) I'll gladly take suggestions!

I can tell that we've been out of the traveling mode for a while, because we're all slightly off our groove and what little schedule/routine Paul had is gone.  I'm very grateful our deputation days are over because I'm not as big of a fan of traveling anymore. I'm ready to make the one last big trip to Thailand and then be done for a little bit. :-)

My Poor, Neglected Blog...

Umm, where did summer go? Seriously. It was just here!  I suppose with today being the official start to fall that I should get off my summer slump of not blogging and resume this little place I call home. :-) So let's see... a quick recap!

Nat, Paul, and I took some cousins to a nearby amusement park in early August. While I did manage to write about it here (yay!), I failed to add a picture.  Here ya go:

Paul and I on one of the (few!) rides he could ride.  Just wait 'til he is older... he'll be zooming all over the park then. :-)

We also celebrated Paul's birthday in early August with a grand birthday party... balloon animals and face painting included! Between Nat's immediate family and mine, we had 15 kiddos running around.  It sure got confusing because the kids on Nat's side are siblings while the kids on my side are nephews and nieces, so we were forever saying, "Go to Uncle Nat, I mean... Nat!" or ".... Anne, I mean Auntie Anne!" But we had lots of fun. :-) 

His party was a little early since my in-laws were up from Texas at the beginning of August.  Hey, we figured this was the only birthday party for Paul we'll actually have family at since most of his birthdays will probably be celebrated in Thailand.

Paul's gift was his first set of car keys! Too bad the car didn't come with it! ;-)

Then we celebrated Paul's birthday on his real day by taking him to a local burger place.  Too bad the kid doesn't have any teeth so he could enjoy a burger! ;-) For the record, the burgers at the Creamery are amazing... seriously, they are so yummy. Although the name of Nat's burger was "The Heart Attack" so that should also tell you how good for you they are!

We did take Paul to a local yogurt place for dessert and he devoured an entire bowl of yogurt and blueberries... mmm!  Happy birthday little guy!

So the next plan on our agenda is head to Texas to visit with my in-laws before starting the drive back through the South. I am very excited to be adding three new states to my list of states I've been too. Once this trip is over, I'll only have ten more States to visit... like Hawaii and California. :-) But we'll save that for the next round of deputation/furlough.

 There's my little update and since we're hitting the road soon, I'm sure you'll hear from me a little more often now.... I tend to be a better blogger when I'm traveling or living in a different country! ;-)

No more stuff!

I feel like it has been an eternity since I last posted, but that's because life has been happily chaotic and full. I was glancing around my apartment this morning and realized we met a really important goal this weekend: getting rid of stuff. 

We had our yard sale Saturday and even with the dead-end street factor working against us, we still managed to get rid of quite a bit. One couple who stopped by mentioned their daughter was having a boy in September. Since Paul was a September baby as well, I gave them 5 boxes of baby clothing and both parties were very happy. :) 

We only hauled back half of a tote into our apartment and that made me really happy! What didn't sell we put out for free at church and then whatever is leftover goes to Goodwill. :)

There were several items that we were sad to see go, but that's just the way it is. Now my plan is to start helping my mom go through her house - now that's going to be a job! ;-)

Cousins And Couches.

Friday Nat, Paul, and I picked up two little cousins and headed to an amusement park nearby to join up with my sister and her family. The five little cousins had so much fun together, although I will admit that the ones who had the most fun were the ones who could go on all the rides. :-)

Nevertheless it was a great day to spend time with some of our nephews and a niece, especially since our time here in the States is rapidly drawing to a close. 

In other news, our couch moved on today to a new home. Nat had bought a couch set with one of the guys from church when they were both bachelors and split the set when the other guy got married. Now the two parts will be reunited again and we have one more thing out of our apartment. I suppose we could've waited until we moved to Thailand to get rid of the couch, but the space it freed up was a little more important to me. :-) Now I feel like I can organize our remaining stuff a little easier! Plus we won't have as many last minute things to do if we start doing them now!

The next thing on my calendar is a yard sale on August 24th... Please buy our stuff! It would be lovely to get rid of the pile in my bedroom. :-)

Stuff.

The weather has been simply gorgeous here in Eastern Pennsylvania the last few days and I've been able to have most of my windows open ~ my favorite way to cool down our little apartment!! In fact, Thursday night on a stroller walk with Paul I brought along his blanket because it was a little chilly... but not too chilly that I couldn't later play volleyball. ;-) I'm glad my mom is nearby and more than willing to watch my little guy so I can get a little volleyball in.  I'm afraid there won't be a lot of volleyball in my future when we move to Thailand! It sure was fun Thursday night: lots of laughs, good volleyball action, and a great time to spend with friends. :-)

I wish you all could see our house right now: stuff is everywhere! I am in the thick of packing, sorting, and getting ready for a yard sale soon. The first wave of going through my kitchen cabinets was emotional because most everything we have in our apartment is from our shower/wedding, but now I've kicked into the "clean it out!" mode. :-) Of course there are still many decisions to make as to what to store here in PA, what to take with us to Thailand and what to sell off. At the end of the day though, it's just stuff.

My little munchkin is going to be turning one in September, which I can't quite believe. That year went way too fast! My in-laws will be heading our way the first part of August so we're planning to do a little party for Paul while they are here.  At first we weren't going to do a party but then thought that unless anyone comes to Thailand every September, we won't have family around to celebrate Paul's birthday with us. So party it is!

Not too much else is going on for us. We're home until the end of September and we're trying to soak up the moments with our family and friends before our big move overseas.  It's kind of strange in that we can't wait to get to Thailand but then also realize that a bunch of people we know and love won't be as much a part of our daily lives anymore.  What a blessing instant communication is! At least technology helps us stay a little more connected with life on this side of the pond. :-)

Picture Time!

There must be something so inspiring about cow appreciation day at Chick-fil-a, because we seem to time our family photos around that wonderful day. :-) And yes, we are going to dress up with our cute cow outfits and go enjoy some chicken for dinner tonight!

Last year we were waiting on our little Peanut and this year we have Paul joining us in the pictures... this time on the outside!

What a difference a year makes! Paul is now 10 months old and has brought a lot of joy and happiness to our little family. :-)  Now if we could just convince him to sleep... ;-)

Happy 4th!

We had a wonderful day, from early morning to a late night!

We joined my sister and her family for a morning of fun with a parade, sack races, three-legged races, and of course food!

Paul even had a festive outfit for the occasion!

Paul also competed in a race for the 0-2 year olds. He didn't win (shocking, right?!?) but he had a good time. :)

Nat joined in on the sack race, which was fun to watch. What a great way to spend the morning!

In the afternoon we had some family and friends over for a picnic. 30+ people definitely wouldn't fit into our apartment, so we opted for the great outdoors and was happy to see the weather cooperate. :)

We had a missionary family in all week so we had them over for the picnic too. The missionary entertained all the kids with balloon animals...

... including Paul!

Of course we finished the day with a few games of volleyball - my first time playing in two years!  What fun. :)

Most everyone else went to see fireworks, but we were too tired. We're hoping to see some Saturday night.

What a wonderful 4th of July. I'm sure next year won't be anything like this year. I'm so glad we were able to spend time with lots of dear people!

Playing Catch Up.

We've been home for almost a week and I finally feel like I'm getting into the swing of things. Unpacking was easy and getting adjusted to the East Coast was easy... for two of us anyway!  Our little babe decided it was way more fun to stay on West Coast time. :-)  Thankfully the last two nights have gone better than the previous four nights!

I was somewhat nervous going into our month-long trip out West, mainly because it was the first time we were on deputation without our car.  Up until that point, we were used to being in new places on new adventures ~ always in our car. :-) So, yeah, our comfort zone was gone for a month and replaced with planes, borrowed cars, trains, buses, RVs, and hotels.  We just kept rolling along and trying to be flexible!

But as usual, the Lord worked out all the details and we met some wonderful people along the way. My husband and I marveled at the way the Lord (once again!) met all of our needs, right down to giving us a place to stay when just the day before we were wondering where we were going to pillow our heads for the next night!

The West Coast is absolutely beautiful, and we only saw parts of Washington, Oregon, and Alaska. :-) I used to think Pennsylvania had mountains... nope, guess again!

Mt. McKinley in Denali National Park, Alaska

We are grateful that our deputation travels have taken us to some amazing scenery across this great country! There's nothing like staring at a beautiful mountain and feeling pretty puny. :-) Add to that Paul is one of the most traveled babies I know of. This kid has already been to 22 states... and counting. :-)

Alaskan mosquitoes took to Paul and left their mark. Two weeks later, and he still has a couple of marks on his face! He was a pretty happy camper through it all and thankfully most of his bites took place just a few days before we left Alaska.  I told our friends who live there that I'm going to have a really hard time picturing Alaska being cold and snowy because it was so hot and full of mosquitoes while we were there. Oh, and it was light outside for 22 hours.  Sheesh. 

We had a wonderful time in Alaska spending time with our friends. We were in the Interior, which isn't your typical picture of Alaska. We did get to see grizzly bears, caribou, moose, Dall sheep, mountains, mountains, and more mountains! There aren't too many major roads in Alaska, and most of them are around Fairbanks, which made it convenient for us. :-)

Paul's latest adventure is cruising around, with a lot of help from Mommy and Daddy. :-) He has attempted to crawl, but doesn't quite make it... although it sure is fun to watch!  Now that we're home, we're hoping he doesn't get too bored with being in one place.  We plan to be in PA for most of the summer, with a quick trip out to Ohio to help friends with vacation Bible school. I'm grateful for the time home to spend with family, friends, and trying to pack our apartment up for our move to Thailand.

We have our tickets in hand and we plan on leaving November 5 - just a little over four months away. Downsizing our apartment into eight suitcases is going to be a wonderful challenge.  I was thinking again this morning of how I'm going to do this and was ready to burst into tears at the thought of leaving my home.  We've spent three happy years in this little apartment, but being sentimental is not going to get things organized! I think I'll have one good cry over it and then get to work. :-)