This was taken this week when the older men of the Dekpo church came to visit,encourage, and talk about the goodbyes to come with Randy.
Saturday, June 02, 2007
Friday, June 01, 2007
What can we say? This week has been a blur of emotion, packing, 2 trips to Cotonou, and a continual search for information that will lead us to our fingerprint clearance so that we can obtain Lael's visa. With the help of our U.S. Consular we decided to re-do and re-send our fingerprints. Randy and I spent 2 hours at the Embassy yesterday. By the time we finished there we did not have time to stand in-line at DHL to have them sent to the USA. It was already 6PM and we knew that we were going to be driving at least part of our trip home in the dark. It is not wise to drive in the dark in Benin.
Tori and I returned to Cotonou early this morning to DHL the fingerprints to Nebraska. They will not arrive in Nebraska until Wednesday of next week. With this information we know that we are going to have to change our tickets. We are hoping to gain some more insight next week as to how far we will have to push out the date. We are still very hopeful that we will be home by the end of this month.
We are extremely excited about our visitors that arrive on Monday and Wednesday of next week. Tears have come to my eyes all day as I have thought about seeing my parents here with Phil and Brenda Martin and then on Wednesday being with Don Box and Kellye Stone! Next week is going to be a very special week! Having our visitors here to share our last week here among the Aja people, we have just about every minute planned. Lots of meetings, meals, prayers, laughs, tears, and blessings will be shared. Our visitors will also be helping us move out remaining furniture and appliances, occupying our sweet children, and they will be here when we turn the house lights off and actually drive away from our dear friends in just over a week. We are so thankful for the support they will be for us as we begin our transition away from a place where we have spent the first chapter of our family's life together.
Tori and I returned to Cotonou early this morning to DHL the fingerprints to Nebraska. They will not arrive in Nebraska until Wednesday of next week. With this information we know that we are going to have to change our tickets. We are hoping to gain some more insight next week as to how far we will have to push out the date. We are still very hopeful that we will be home by the end of this month.
We are extremely excited about our visitors that arrive on Monday and Wednesday of next week. Tears have come to my eyes all day as I have thought about seeing my parents here with Phil and Brenda Martin and then on Wednesday being with Don Box and Kellye Stone! Next week is going to be a very special week! Having our visitors here to share our last week here among the Aja people, we have just about every minute planned. Lots of meetings, meals, prayers, laughs, tears, and blessings will be shared. Our visitors will also be helping us move out remaining furniture and appliances, occupying our sweet children, and they will be here when we turn the house lights off and actually drive away from our dear friends in just over a week. We are so thankful for the support they will be for us as we begin our transition away from a place where we have spent the first chapter of our family's life together.
Tuesday, May 29, 2007
We are getting very close to the end! We are packing up, moving sold furniture to friends’ houses, and this past Saturday, we had a village-wide yard sale! It was not your average, orderly, calm, browse-at-a-slow-pace Saturday yard sale. This was Aja style!! Kelly and I had thought it would be best (thinking like Americans) to have all the sale items in one room and file in about 3 people at a time so as to maintain order. Of course, we relinquished all rights to style when we told the church leaders that the proceeds would go to the church, so therefore the church leaders would run the sale. We provide the stuff – they sell it! When we talked about having the sale in one room with only a few people at a time, they all politely disagreed with looks like “have you ever done a yard sale before!” Again, they are thinking African-market style! This means, no private viewing rooms with a limited number of buyers. But put EVERYTHING in a 10x10 room and make it a free-for-all! So Saturday morning about 8:30a, we started moving the items into a small shaded area outside and the swarm of people who started arriving was overwhelming. It was humorous to my American view of a yard sale. But they were in their element – bickering, bartering, negotiating, shouting, tugging, laughing, socializing…all characteristic of an interactive African market! Aja style!!
The sale was finished just after lunch! (By the way, as entertaining as Kelly and I thought it was at first, we stayed most of the time in our house packing up boxes, preferring to hear the market in action from a distance.) The proceeds mounted to about $60…not a whole lot for the value and number of things in the “market” but the good thing was that a lot of people got a little something. This was the church leaders’ vision: not that they would make a profit, but that everyone who came could walk away with something valuable as a gift (at a very very small price). This was fine with us because at the low prices, EVERYTHING was gone by the end of the day!
Every day we spend much of the time packing away, cleaning rooms, and sorting certain household items that are reserved for special African friends. We can’t give a gift to every member of the church, but we do have a top tier of special friends who we want to bless. In a gift-giving culture, it is just as important HOW you give the gift as WHAT it is. While we’re trying to scale down to the bare minimum, we also must wait until the very end to give these special gifts so as to maximize their significance! This also may be a part of our delayed grief, too…it’s hard to look at these close friends and know we are weeks away from not seeing them on a daily basis. Today, I spent several hours with my favorite church leaders – the ones I will miss the very most. It’s hard to talk about exact departure dates – it’s a lot easier to use generic terms. It softens the edge of this finality. Just like in many cultures, a lot of Aja people don’t express a lot of sad, tearful emotion. A mother will not likely even be around the day her daughter leaves to go be with her new husband (we don’t have wedding ceremonies per se; just appointed days when the child leaves father/mother and joins her husband). She’ll say it’s too painful. Even one of the dear friends who we’ve known the whole time told her kids that she would not be around the day we leave – too painful. Fortunately, her children have encouraged her otherwise (we do hope she’ll be there as we drive off). This is the reality of the missionary cycle – 8 years ago we crowded into a small room at the airport almost a hundred teary-eyed family and friends who were deeply grieving our departure. We cried as we got on the plane to come to this foreign country. Now all these years later, our excitement about returning to our home state of Texas can overwhelm us…but in the same breath, we stare into the faces of friends who, while perhaps not teary-eyed in the same way, are deeply grieving this upcoming parting. We are, too, and it reminds me of the way Paul wept with the Ephesian elders. We have become friends, mentors/disciples, family. Now we say words that indicate our relationship is changing. Still we prefer “until next time” over “good-bye”. We will never forget our Aja friends!
OK – a week ago we wrote about our fingerprints and the pending FBI background check. Still nothing. We will now re-do the fingerprinting and re-send them back through. We have received very helpful communication from the higher-ups in the US Customs and Immigration office and as well from the State Department (US Embassy here in Benin). Everyone is working on it, but it will take some time. We have so many people praying about this, we are sure it will work best in time. That’s not to say it’s easy! We wrestle throughout the day with frustration, sadness, anger, disbelief and aggravation! But we keep coming back (often by way of reminder from a praying friend, thank you!!) to the reality that God’s timing is absolutely perfect! While we really wanted to leave Benin on a certain date, that is not likely to happen. Did we not pray hard enough? Did we not hear that date right? All are questions we have asked ourselves. But we know it’s not all about us – God has His reasons for this timeframe. Admittedly it makes no sense to us…especially as we ponder a 4th of July reunion of Jeffrey family members…surely we’ll be there, right?!!! We are praying so! But we don’t know right now when we will leave. Just one day at a time.
Just FYI: for security reasons, we will not be posting our exact departure date, nor our arrival date in Texas on this public blog. If you want to know more, please feel free and email us at rkvaughn@harvestfields.net and ask!
-Randy
The sale was finished just after lunch! (By the way, as entertaining as Kelly and I thought it was at first, we stayed most of the time in our house packing up boxes, preferring to hear the market in action from a distance.) The proceeds mounted to about $60…not a whole lot for the value and number of things in the “market” but the good thing was that a lot of people got a little something. This was the church leaders’ vision: not that they would make a profit, but that everyone who came could walk away with something valuable as a gift (at a very very small price). This was fine with us because at the low prices, EVERYTHING was gone by the end of the day!
Every day we spend much of the time packing away, cleaning rooms, and sorting certain household items that are reserved for special African friends. We can’t give a gift to every member of the church, but we do have a top tier of special friends who we want to bless. In a gift-giving culture, it is just as important HOW you give the gift as WHAT it is. While we’re trying to scale down to the bare minimum, we also must wait until the very end to give these special gifts so as to maximize their significance! This also may be a part of our delayed grief, too…it’s hard to look at these close friends and know we are weeks away from not seeing them on a daily basis. Today, I spent several hours with my favorite church leaders – the ones I will miss the very most. It’s hard to talk about exact departure dates – it’s a lot easier to use generic terms. It softens the edge of this finality. Just like in many cultures, a lot of Aja people don’t express a lot of sad, tearful emotion. A mother will not likely even be around the day her daughter leaves to go be with her new husband (we don’t have wedding ceremonies per se; just appointed days when the child leaves father/mother and joins her husband). She’ll say it’s too painful. Even one of the dear friends who we’ve known the whole time told her kids that she would not be around the day we leave – too painful. Fortunately, her children have encouraged her otherwise (we do hope she’ll be there as we drive off). This is the reality of the missionary cycle – 8 years ago we crowded into a small room at the airport almost a hundred teary-eyed family and friends who were deeply grieving our departure. We cried as we got on the plane to come to this foreign country. Now all these years later, our excitement about returning to our home state of Texas can overwhelm us…but in the same breath, we stare into the faces of friends who, while perhaps not teary-eyed in the same way, are deeply grieving this upcoming parting. We are, too, and it reminds me of the way Paul wept with the Ephesian elders. We have become friends, mentors/disciples, family. Now we say words that indicate our relationship is changing. Still we prefer “until next time” over “good-bye”. We will never forget our Aja friends!
OK – a week ago we wrote about our fingerprints and the pending FBI background check. Still nothing. We will now re-do the fingerprinting and re-send them back through. We have received very helpful communication from the higher-ups in the US Customs and Immigration office and as well from the State Department (US Embassy here in Benin). Everyone is working on it, but it will take some time. We have so many people praying about this, we are sure it will work best in time. That’s not to say it’s easy! We wrestle throughout the day with frustration, sadness, anger, disbelief and aggravation! But we keep coming back (often by way of reminder from a praying friend, thank you!!) to the reality that God’s timing is absolutely perfect! While we really wanted to leave Benin on a certain date, that is not likely to happen. Did we not pray hard enough? Did we not hear that date right? All are questions we have asked ourselves. But we know it’s not all about us – God has His reasons for this timeframe. Admittedly it makes no sense to us…especially as we ponder a 4th of July reunion of Jeffrey family members…surely we’ll be there, right?!!! We are praying so! But we don’t know right now when we will leave. Just one day at a time.
Just FYI: for security reasons, we will not be posting our exact departure date, nor our arrival date in Texas on this public blog. If you want to know more, please feel free and email us at rkvaughn@harvestfields.net and ask!
-Randy
Saturday, May 26, 2007
Recent days...
This car was in front of us on the way to Cotonou and in front of us on the way home 3 days later. In the French language PARDON means Forgiveness.
Thursday, May 24, 2007
It has been good to be in Cotonou and away from our home for a few days. I did not realize how much we needed to change the scenery and the pace of what we have been doing. It has been good to eat at restaurants and just BE somewhere else. We drove into town looking like the Hillbillies with so much furniture and household goods on top of the car. Everytime we drop off something, Randy and I feel some amount of relief and that is a great feeling.
We are literally working daily to figure out this fingerprint thing
It is so frustrating but as long as we are working on something we feel like we are making progress.
We received an email today from the FBI today in West Virginia that our names have not yet been received into the system. They either are not there or they have not yet been opened. We are in communication with every contact (and our contacts are growing) that we have to discern what to do next.
We spoke with the consular at the US Embassy this morning in Benin and she was very encouraging. She offered us some counsel and said we could come tomorrow to discuss further Lael's visa. We are going to review all of our documents with her and make certain there is nothing remaining that needs attention while we are waiting for the clearance.
Thank you for your prayers. We trust God is working out the details!
We are literally working daily to figure out this fingerprint thing
It is so frustrating but as long as we are working on something we feel like we are making progress.
We received an email today from the FBI today in West Virginia that our names have not yet been received into the system. They either are not there or they have not yet been opened. We are in communication with every contact (and our contacts are growing) that we have to discern what to do next.
We spoke with the consular at the US Embassy this morning in Benin and she was very encouraging. She offered us some counsel and said we could come tomorrow to discuss further Lael's visa. We are going to review all of our documents with her and make certain there is nothing remaining that needs attention while we are waiting for the clearance.
Thank you for your prayers. We trust God is working out the details!
Tuesday, May 22, 2007
We were asked to put together some pictures of Lael during the year of 2007. We thought they were so cute that we would share them with you.
We are leaving for Cotonou early in the morning for a few days. Not sure yet if we will have internet access so we thought we would post something tonight. We are heading to Cotonou for multiple reasons, to deliver furniture and various items that people have purchased from us, to handle paperwork dealing with the purchase of our car, to potentially have a visa interview, and do some shopping for our upcoming visitors who are coming to bless and support our family and the Aja Christians in our final days together in Benin. We could not be more excited about their arrival!
Our thoughts and emotions are so diverse within the day. We are so thankful to be on your minds and in your prayers at any given moment. Tonight my sweet Tori was really having a hard time processing what is taking place. We had already put the kids to bed and about 30 minutes after everyone else was asleep, she came into the hall and said,"Mom, I can't sleep because I have so much on my mind." I could see the tears in her eyes and so we stayed up and talked for awhile. She is grieving the upcoming loss of her friends. She plays with these friends every evening and has done this for as many years as she can remember. They reenact Bible stories, pretend they are having church, set up medical clinics, wrestle and play hide and seek. Today they held a funeral for a frog they killed. She meticulously watches the clock every day for the hour to arrive when she can go out and play with these 10-12 friends. Tori has already helped put together gift sacks for each one of them. When she thinks of friends in the world, right now, this is who she thinks about. Tonight in her tears she said, "I have 98 friends here and I only have one in America." (Smile) Obviously Tori knows well that she is loved by friends and cousins in America but this statement shows where her mind is at this moment.
Saturday, May 19, 2007
Happy Birthday Timo!
We all enjoyed a day of celebrating 4 years of life with Timothy Randall Vaughn! The day he was born our lives were changed forever! Randy, Tori, and myself were SO ready to welcome him into our world. We had longed for him and he was the answer to prayers from the deepest places in our hearts. We love him so much and we are confident that the Lord has great plans for Timothy. He is tough and he is tender...a great combination in a man of God.
Today we started out the day with a special breakfast with Timo as "Co-cooker" with his Dad. Randy was making pancakes and Timo was making blue scrambled eggs. At one point, Randy reached over to assist in stirring the eggs and Timo said, "Dad, Cookers don't mess with other cookers stuff." ....wise words from Timo.
One of the pictures above is Tori reading a special birthday card to Timo that she wrote for him. Timo also helped to ice and decorate his own cake. Randy plans to make him a special birthday cake later in the summer in the USA! You see in the pictures above that the kids enjoyed today's cake very much. Tori was very concerned about Jonathan being too close to the candles. She did not think that I was worried enough.
I believe Timothy went to bed feeling worn out from his day but knowing that he is loved and treasured. We are absolutely crazy about this kid! We love him so much our hearts hurt and we love to anticipate the days to come. God's plans are always good and we know his plans are good for Timothy Randall Vaughn!
Passport in Hand ! - repost
Yesterday's post did not allow comments (don't know why). Sorry!
WE THINK LAEL LOOKS READY TO GO!
Today completed the last step that involves Benin government. We started the adoption process in August 2005. 21 months later all is complete!
When the Benin official placed the passport in our hands today it felt like a BIG DEAL! We have looked at it multiple times today and have thanked the Lord for bringing us this far! He who began a good work will be faithful to complete it!
Keep praying with us for the remaining details that surround obtaining Lael's immigrant visa.
Believing God is working out ALL things!
Kelly
WE THINK LAEL LOOKS READY TO GO!
Today completed the last step that involves Benin government. We started the adoption process in August 2005. 21 months later all is complete!
When the Benin official placed the passport in our hands today it felt like a BIG DEAL! We have looked at it multiple times today and have thanked the Lord for bringing us this far! He who began a good work will be faithful to complete it!
Keep praying with us for the remaining details that surround obtaining Lael's immigrant visa.
Believing God is working out ALL things!
Kelly
THIS IS A RE-POST - Yesterday's post did not allow comments (don't know why). Sorry!
Today we made a day trip to Cotonou to pick up Lael's passport and celebrate Timo's birthday at his favorite restaurant! He turns 4 years old tomorrow!...There will be more celebrations tomorrow, but today we had a great time. These pictures were taken over the course of our day. You will notice my glistening face!:)
It is SO HOT here!
We had already packed away the wrapping paper so Timothy opened his presents grab bag style. He closed his eyes and pulled out a present. He was delighted to receive some caterpillars and rubber snakes, among other things! Boys are so much fun!
Today we made a day trip to Cotonou to pick up Lael's passport and celebrate Timo's birthday at his favorite restaurant! He turns 4 years old tomorrow!...There will be more celebrations tomorrow, but today we had a great time. These pictures were taken over the course of our day. You will notice my glistening face!:)
It is SO HOT here!
We had already packed away the wrapping paper so Timothy opened his presents grab bag style. He closed his eyes and pulled out a present. He was delighted to receive some caterpillars and rubber snakes, among other things! Boys are so much fun!
Friday, May 18, 2007
Passport in hand!
WE THINK LAEL LOOKS READY TO GO!
Today completed the last step that involves Benin government. We started the adoption process in August 2005. 21 months later all is complete!
When the Benin official placed the passport in our hands today it felt like a BIG DEAL! We have looked at it multiple times today and have thanked the Lord for bringing us this far! He who began a good work will be faithful to complete it!
Keep praying with us for the remaining details that surround obtaining Lael's immigrant visa.
Believing God is working out ALL things!
Kelly
Celebrating Timo
Today we made a day trip to Cotonou to pick up Lael's passport and celebrate Timo's birthday at his favorite restaurant! He turns 4 years old tomorrow!...There will be more celebrations tomorrow, but today we had a great time. These pictures were taken over the course of our day. You will notice my glistening face!:)
It is SO HOT here!
We had already packed away the wrapping paper so Timothy opened his presents grab bag style. He closed his eyes and pulled out a present. He was delighted to receive some caterpillars and rubber snakes, among other things! Boys are so much fun!
Wednesday, May 16, 2007
Home is where your heart is.
Home is where your stuff is.
Home is where your family is.
Home is where your friends are.
Home is where you dwell.
Home is neither here, nor there, but in heaven.
The “definition” could go on and on. Any of you who have made a major life move can understand the feeling of being torn between the familiar present and the unknown future. You know well that feeling of your heart being divided in two. We have heard from countless missionaries who have made the trek across the ocean back to America. Our personal voyage ahead consumes much of our thoughts: excitement about the opportunities, curious about the unknown.
If things go as we hope, pray and plan, we will leave this country in less than 30 days. We are still awaiting clearance from the U.S. Department of Homeland Security. Our fingerprints were processed here almost 2 months ago, but still no word yet from DHS (part of our application being approved as adoptive parents). We are planning and preparing in faith that we will receive this word very soon!! We are scheduled for a visa “interview” for Lael at the end of next week. We’ll sit down with the Consular at the U.S. Embassy here in Benin and she will review all of our documents to make sure everything is in order. Once all is approved by her, it shouldn’t take long before we’ll have the visa and be ready to go! If we don’t hear from DHS by then, everything begins to get pushed back.
Today I spent from 8a – 6p breaking down this house! We just had one “deep cleaning” last October, but after 8 years of living here, we still have so much stuff to get rid of. We are working with the Leadership Council here to host a “garage sale” to benefit the churches. We are planning it for next week, so this week we are clearing out everything! We’re not taking anything with us to Texas, except what we will put in a few pieces of luggage as we fly out. Toys, clothes, shoes, medicines, bedding, furniture, dishes, towels, picture frames, décor…everything has already been claimed by other missionaries or is going to the garage sale!
I know this house so well. I know all its quirks and all its nuances that add “character” to this place (like the fact that none of our plywood cabinet have EVER closed properly because the humidity has warped the doors). What will our new home in Texas look like? What quirks will it have? I think about this so often, trying to picture myself actually living in another house. We have spent a lot of time over the past month perusing real estate websites. That’s been fun to think about the differences between our house in Benin and our home in Texas.
The same with our vehicle. Next week I will go and sign the paperwork for the missionary who is buying our truck. That makes it seem very final (we get to hold on to the truck until our last day). We have had 1 family vehicle the past 8 years. But we realize that we’ll probably need 2 in Texas (eventually). What will they be? We’ve also enjoyed looking online at various vehicle/dealership sites. We’ve looked at a variety of 6-8 passenger vehicles, new and used. It’s fun, overwhelming, consuming, nerve-wracking and exciting…all at the same time! Anybody out there wish to chime in with their favorite car pick for us?! We’re open to suggestions!
We are having some very sad conversations with our close friends here…people we love so much and with whom we spend hours and hours each week. While they do not wish to hold us back, I can’t say they are sharing our excitement about this move. Eight years ago, we boarded a plane with excitement in our hearts. But we said many tearful goodbyes to an airport crowded with friends and family (if you were among the multitude there at DFW on 3/16/99, we still remember that day and can’t believe we’re on the other side now). Now it is 2007, and we have to re-do that event all over again. We know well the faces of our family and friends who will be there to greet us in America! But we grieve now with those cherished friends and African family members whom we have grown to love so much. Please remember us and them these final weeks.
Please join the many people around the world praying that our DHS clearance will come through very soon…even this week! Once again, we revert to the old adage of a family friend, “God is seldom early, but never late!” When it comes, we will rejoice in God’s perfect timing!
-Randy
Home is where your stuff is.
Home is where your family is.
Home is where your friends are.
Home is where you dwell.
Home is neither here, nor there, but in heaven.
The “definition” could go on and on. Any of you who have made a major life move can understand the feeling of being torn between the familiar present and the unknown future. You know well that feeling of your heart being divided in two. We have heard from countless missionaries who have made the trek across the ocean back to America. Our personal voyage ahead consumes much of our thoughts: excitement about the opportunities, curious about the unknown.
If things go as we hope, pray and plan, we will leave this country in less than 30 days. We are still awaiting clearance from the U.S. Department of Homeland Security. Our fingerprints were processed here almost 2 months ago, but still no word yet from DHS (part of our application being approved as adoptive parents). We are planning and preparing in faith that we will receive this word very soon!! We are scheduled for a visa “interview” for Lael at the end of next week. We’ll sit down with the Consular at the U.S. Embassy here in Benin and she will review all of our documents to make sure everything is in order. Once all is approved by her, it shouldn’t take long before we’ll have the visa and be ready to go! If we don’t hear from DHS by then, everything begins to get pushed back.
Today I spent from 8a – 6p breaking down this house! We just had one “deep cleaning” last October, but after 8 years of living here, we still have so much stuff to get rid of. We are working with the Leadership Council here to host a “garage sale” to benefit the churches. We are planning it for next week, so this week we are clearing out everything! We’re not taking anything with us to Texas, except what we will put in a few pieces of luggage as we fly out. Toys, clothes, shoes, medicines, bedding, furniture, dishes, towels, picture frames, décor…everything has already been claimed by other missionaries or is going to the garage sale!
I know this house so well. I know all its quirks and all its nuances that add “character” to this place (like the fact that none of our plywood cabinet have EVER closed properly because the humidity has warped the doors). What will our new home in Texas look like? What quirks will it have? I think about this so often, trying to picture myself actually living in another house. We have spent a lot of time over the past month perusing real estate websites. That’s been fun to think about the differences between our house in Benin and our home in Texas.
The same with our vehicle. Next week I will go and sign the paperwork for the missionary who is buying our truck. That makes it seem very final (we get to hold on to the truck until our last day). We have had 1 family vehicle the past 8 years. But we realize that we’ll probably need 2 in Texas (eventually). What will they be? We’ve also enjoyed looking online at various vehicle/dealership sites. We’ve looked at a variety of 6-8 passenger vehicles, new and used. It’s fun, overwhelming, consuming, nerve-wracking and exciting…all at the same time! Anybody out there wish to chime in with their favorite car pick for us?! We’re open to suggestions!
We are having some very sad conversations with our close friends here…people we love so much and with whom we spend hours and hours each week. While they do not wish to hold us back, I can’t say they are sharing our excitement about this move. Eight years ago, we boarded a plane with excitement in our hearts. But we said many tearful goodbyes to an airport crowded with friends and family (if you were among the multitude there at DFW on 3/16/99, we still remember that day and can’t believe we’re on the other side now). Now it is 2007, and we have to re-do that event all over again. We know well the faces of our family and friends who will be there to greet us in America! But we grieve now with those cherished friends and African family members whom we have grown to love so much. Please remember us and them these final weeks.
Please join the many people around the world praying that our DHS clearance will come through very soon…even this week! Once again, we revert to the old adage of a family friend, “God is seldom early, but never late!” When it comes, we will rejoice in God’s perfect timing!
-Randy
Sunday, May 13, 2007
Children are a blessing!
I am so thankful for my treasures straight from heaven.
Children are a blessing!
I remember when I was in the hospital in the days following Jonathan's birth, the nurse bringing him to me in the night so that he could eat. I was so tired and happy to see him but...it was a lot of work to sit up and go through the process of getting ready to feed him, feeding him and all that follows. Everytime the nurse would come in to wake me up, she would say, "Mother, it's time to wake up, children are a blessing!" I remember thinking that it was a funny way to wake me up and a couple of days later it actually dawned on me that she was speaking Scripture!
Children are a blessing and I am abundantly blessed!
Tori, Timothy, Jonathan and Lael bring so much JOY to my days.
Oh I love them so much!
I truly cannot believe my life has been so blessed in this way that I am their mother!
Today they brought me bowls of flowers from the yard! Tori and Timothy made me sweet cards! And with Daddy's help, they gave me the much needed gift of a LONG UNINTERUPPTED nap! We had dinner together and they had their baths...then the power went out. It was so dark and we still had a few things to do! We ate a special desert they had made for me by the light of a flashlight and the pictures you see below were lit only by the flash of the camera! These are special days!
In the past 24 hours I have had the pleasure of talking with my sweet mother and my dear mother in law! I am so thankful for their influence in my life. They have both taught me so many things. Enjoying life and marriage, embracing adventure even when it requires big steps in faith, believing God to be who he says He is, and how to make my children feel special are a few things that come to my mind. I am thankful for who they are and continue to be!
God is good!
I pray that today their hearts are full with love and encouragement. They are blessed women and I love them so!
Our visit with the Chankins was too short! We so enjoyed them being here!
Emma and Jackson are so sweet and fun! Their parents are too!
Saturday, May 12, 2007
Tonight we have some special friends in our house.Archie and Mandy Chankin and their 2 kids, Emma and Jack.
Emma is pictured above. They are missionaries in Burkina Faso and are on their way home from a missionary retreat in Ghana. We have been friends for a long time but we have never had the opportunity to visit in each other's homes. We are so blessed that they have made the effort to come and see us before we leave. We have been up late tonight talking and anticipate more good times tomorrow before they go.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
