Sweet Sorrow

We are back in Minnesota, via Arizona. We had a wonderful visit with Mike's sister Lori and her family. Including a road trip to the Grand Canyon. We made the 3 hour trip in a Ford Explorer with 4 adults and 4 children--needless to say it was packed. The trip was broken up by a stop at the Flagstaff McDonalds playland. A must with 4 squirrely kids!
The Grand Canyon was amazing! And Cold! It snowed the morning we were there--a big change from the 80 degree weather in Phoenix. The visit however was not the most relaxing as the 4 crazy kids seemed to be a step from their death as we walked near the edge of the canyon. So I know, most of my views of the canyon were in 1/2 second increments as we tried to apply man-to-man defense on the kids. But it was all very memorable.
We are now in the midst of our last minute packing and organizing. And I know that no matter how much we try and prepare and plan, when we get there we will be asking ourselves, "Why did we haul this half way around the world?" and "Why DIDN'T we remember such-and-such?" Fortunately, we will be living in a big city where our necessities will be available.

The hardest part about this week is the good-byes. And I'm understanding more personally Shakespeare's quote in Romeo and Juliet, "Parting is such sweet sorrow." It truly is sweet in a sense. We are able to celebrate the wonderful relationships we have with family and friends. Mike and I are just overwhelmed by the support, help and prayers we receive from all of you. We feel like the most blessed people to have such a wonderful community. But that's what makes the goodbyes so hard. We are experiencing sorrow knowing that these relationships will change over the miles and years--and we will miss the ability to hang out with you on a more regular basis. It is hard.
We constantly thank God that we will have the technology to stay in touch on some level with email and phone calls. Obviously it's not the same as personal connection, but it's something.
Thank you for your friendships--we are blessed.

The Lord bless you, and keep you;

The Lord make his face shine on you and be gracious to you;

The Lord lift up his countenance upon you

And give you peace

Numbers 6:24-25

October Already?

It's hard to believe it's October already. This means that before the end of the month we will be in Malawi! To be honest this brings up mixed feelings. We are so excited to finally get to this country we've been talking about and dreaming about since last winter, but the realities of this move are becoming evident.

We are well into the second portion of our training here in Colorado. These last weeks are focusing on cross-cultural preparation. It has been a very challenging time as we again are faced with the realities of a move into another country and culture. One of the most humbling parts has been examining ourselves, and better understanding ourselves and our reactions to stress, conflict, and unknowns. We have been encouraged to do this because when we are put into such a new environment, our weaknesses of character are going to surface.

On a more personal note, one of my weaknesses is that I hate to make mistakes and try to avoid situations where that might be possible. So when our language teachers and cultural advisors say, "You are going to make a million mistakes, so you might as well start now," I'm not too excited. Unfortunately, sometimes that is how we will learn best. This is not going to happen easily on my part. But as I reflect on this fact, I am reminded that even the Apostle Paul had weaknesses. And just as Paul says in 2 Corinthians 12, I would love for my weaknesses or "thorns" to be taken from me. But God promises, "My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness." This promise brings such encouragement to me.

We've been blessed to have time to process some of this information. For Mike and I, the best way to do this is to get outdoors. These pictures are all from around Palmer Lake, where we are staying. There is a nice hike that the kids were able to do (at least most of it) up to the reservoir above the town. Processing this information in the majesty and beauty of God's creation always helps put things into perspective. What awesome evidence of how much God loves us!