Packing...

Most of our packing was done, but the day after we got our Marching Orders, we finished up and packed the whole day long after a breakfast of buttermilk pancakes, eggs and ham. 

Most of the kids worked hard most of the time.  ;)

We have a system... everything starts fine and dandy.  Joy and excitement, singing and dancing fill the air. Tossing things here and there, lots of "yes moms" and "yes dads".  Helpful brothers and sisters.  Sweet talks. Thankful-for lists of The Dalles.  Talks of our new appointment, new ministry, new people, 

new city, new house, new cars, etc...

stir up hope in all of us. 

And then... a few hours into it, when weariness and overwhelming-ness  take over,

we settle quickly into our all too familiar flesh.....

I start throwing stuff away, the kids start protesting, I say "Where in the world did all this stuff come from?"  "Who left a banana under the bed?"  "What did I just step in?"  "I didn't know cheesesticks could get this hard."  and "THERE is my black flip-flop I've been missing since last summer!  How did it get up there?!?"   Then someone's crying that now they don't want to move and I have to psycho-analyze, only to find out that my child just doesn't want to pack.   Paul's scowl deepens. 

Chaos begins to creep in and take over the loving-order that the Lord had so easily begun our day with.

STOP THE SHOW!

Deep breaths,

pray together, ("yes Ann I know Elijah has his eyes open,

but how would you know unless your eyes were open too?")

and make some fun....

What to do with an empty, freshly scrubbed toy chest????

 

We pack, and Paul carries the boxes downstairs to the garage.

This box had a special surprise in it.

I think Paul caught on though because there were giggles around the box.

So the joke was on David.

Paul picked it up, without giving David a chance to jump out with his "SURPRISE!".

And instead, David screamed with cries for help, which we all ignored.

After Paul finished his "Incredible-Hulk-Box-Crushing-Scene"...

he set David down and squeezed Elijah's nose.  

Then we all seriously considered taping up Elijah

and putting him with the rest of the boxes in the garage.

But we love him too much,

and what would our family be

if we were missing even one...

incomplete.

Thank you Lord, for the fullness You give me. 

Back to Israel Again

The Mount of Beatitudes.

The grounds were very beautiful and well maintained. 

The church was old, solid, and adorned.

This was a very quiet part of our trip.

In Capernaum, the Synagogue where Jesus taught.

In Capernaum, the city Jesus knew so well.

It is the central point of the ministry of Jesus Christ.

Ruins of Capernaum were all around,

covering almost a square mile, and that was only what was visible.

The above picture is of a home.

Peter's mother's house, where Jesus healed her.

In all of Capernaum, Peter's Mother's house is the most well preserved because the people at the time honored her and the miracle that Jesus perfomed there.  For hundreds of years the people of Capernaum cared for the home.  The church that is built over it made a glass floor so that one could look down into the house of Peter's Mother.

There were many other miracles performed in Capernaum, the healing of the Centurion's servant,

the healing of the paralyzed man,

the miraculous feeding of the 4000...

to name just a few.

And... judgment.

I LOOOVED being in Capernaum... in the footsteps of Jesus.

This is what's known as the Jesus Boat, a fascinating discovery.

Paul blowing a Shofar- A trumpet made of a ram's horn,

blown by the ancient Hebrews during religious ceremonies

and as a signal in battle, now sounded in the synagogue

during Rosh Hashanah and at the end of Yom Kippur.

A visit to the Golan Heights.  Behind us is Jordan and Syria.

We drove on the road to Damascus.

We spent some time crawling around the underground tunnels and bunkers. 

On our way out we visited with some English

speaking United Nation Soldiers from The Phillipines. 

They were proud to take a picture with us and so gracious.

Israel was such a wonderful event in my life that I am so grateful for. 

...Dinner tonight- chicken/cheese quesadillas and salad.

On The Move

We have received our Marching Orders and will be moving to San Francisco in about 6 weeks.  We will be training to become Salvation Army Adult Rehabilitation Center (ARC)  Administrators.  (I think our official title is "Trainees"). Wow.  Didn't really see that one coming.   Although, when I look at the seeds that God has been growing in mine and Paul's hearts over the last couple years,  it makes perfect sense.  I am most excited in the intimate way that the Lord has been working in my faith and knowledge of Him.  It almost scares me (actually it does!).

While we are very much looking forward to this new chapter in our lives, I can't help but have some hesitation when I pull back from trusting God.  When I am fearful for my children because of the depravity they will most definately encounter, I am reminded that God loves them so much more than I do and His plan is to prosper them not harm them.  Perhaps this will be the time in their life that God will arouse their compassion for those who are perishing. 

The Dalles has been a spiritually cushy appointment.  It has been exhausting and challenging at times, but overall is such a nice, friendly, Christian-like community.  I have enjoyed my 6 years of being spiritually built up.  We have so loooved our people, even when they drive us nuts, or, more often,  when we drive them nuts.  We will miss them so very much.  We will miss our friends very much.  I will even miss this crusty old house that I have grown to love because of all our memories.

I also feel hopeful- 

• hopeful for a flat driveway and nicer kitchen,
• many learning opportunities from all that San Francisco has to offer,
• being close to my family, childhood friends, and old stompin' grounds

I am praying-

• for the Lord's Way to be in and around our lives and for the courage to stand firm in Him
• for a fruitful ministry,
• for like-minded friends,
• for my brain to take in all of the new stuff I need to learn, 
• that admist all the stress and responsibility that I will be the Mother I need to be for my children, 
• and I am praying hard for my husband and the new stresses he will have

When I Am Old...

Grandma writes lots of letters to the children. 

This letter to David cracked us up!  It is humungous!

The kids LOOOVE to have sleepovers together. 

Mary carries a purse with her everywhere she goes,

sometimes 2 or 3 when she's collecting them along the way.

We have enjoyed the beautiful weather and playing outside.

David played a Pirate in his school play.

(Elijah played a frog in his Aesops Fables school play the previous week,

but I didn't get the pictures of that one!! BIG bummer!)

Mary didn't know what to make of him.

Ann liked being the damsel in distress.

                           "When I am old,
            I will not wish I had less children."