Baby it's Cold Outside....and inside!!!

I am freezing!! I say this, knowing that my lower 50 degree/upper 40 degree weather would be a welcome change for all my friends in Oklahoma at this point. However, when you live in a concrete building and there is no heat.....it is a different kind of cold. A cold you can't ever escape. The longer you are inside, the colder you get. We bundle in layers and socks and fuzzy slippers and blankets, and yet, we are cold.

So, in an effort to stay warm, we are staying inside and keeping busy. My mom sent some wonderful crafts for the kids as Christmas presents and we have been enjoying them the last few weeks! Here is what we have been doing in the last week or so.

Last weekend I was sick and didn't have a chance to travel with Rob, so Hannah went in my place. They had a great daddy/daughter weekend. And Hudson and I hung out at home. He got "sick mom" so probably the short end of the stick. I tried to make up for it. Hudson and I did our Rice Krispy treat craft together where you make and decorate Rice Krispy dinosaurs. It was tons of fun. This is something I often get to do with Hannah, so it was extra special to do with just Hudson at home.

Hudson and "sick mom". It was very important to him to have a self pic of me and him and the dinosaurs we made!Hudson with his creations. If you look close you will see the Boomer and Sooner dinos as well as the OU dino. He was very proud to show his dad!This weekend we had some friends come in for a visit and tonight i have a total of 7 children spening the night at my house! Fun times. So, thanks again to my mom's gift, we made and decorated flower and fairy cookies! The kids (6 girls plus hudson) had so much fun painting their cookies with edible paint and making the cookies. Hudson asked to take out the dino cookie cutters because he didn't want any part of the flowers or fairies!

And finally, we enjoyed another Christmas present from my brother Reagan and his wife Heather, BBQ sauce from Rib Crib. The restaurant Rob misses the most, being here, is the Rib Crib. In spite of the cold, we grilled chicken and sausage on the balcony of our apartment. It was nice to have a little "taste" of home. Thanks guys for the thoughtful present and the good meal!!

Lessons in Futility

Have you ever felt like you were running in a hampster wheel? Going nowhere as fast as you can? Well, lately I have made mental note of a few jobs I have witnessed people doing that were, well.....pointless.

The first is the lady at our "South Lake" park. We travel around, through, beside this park almost every day of our lives here. Rob and I routinely ride our bikes to class and our route is to "cut through" the park to save time. The park has a wonderful wide sidewalk/road where we can ride conveniently along with everyone else with no worry of cars or buses. Inside the park there are several small "gates" that keep cars from driving on the nice sidewalk, because that happens sometimes, and usually those are open just wide enough for bikes and people to go through. However....there is this one "gate" that has a lady who sits in the guard shack next to it and tells people they aren't permitted to go through, unless they are on foot. But, only sometimes. Most every day this gate is open, bikes passing through evey few minutes, and the lady just sits and watches. Other days, the lady decides to stand up and yell at you (me) as you drive through. I, being the good citizen that I am, always have my ipod volume turned up loud and my sunglasses on. No eye contact, no hearing. To me, her job is futile. She has no authority to actually stop people nor does she really even try. And yet, day after day, she comes to work to sit in her little guard shack and watch people driven in and out of the gates. Some days she chooses to make a difference, other days...she doesn't. Meaning, she is ineffective.

The second futile job is the lady who mops the floors at KFC. If you have ever been here you will know and understand why you take off your shoes when you enter a home. The floors and streets are FILTHY!! So, you can imagine it is a full time job keeping those floors clean, and yet they always need to be cleaned. Last week we carried our food up the stairs to the second floor just as she was coming down with her mop. The clean stairs were instantly soiled by all of our dirty shoes and it looked immediately like the stairs needed mopping. I watched her all hour as she did nothing but mop up and down the stairs over and over again. As people came and went it was amazing how futile her job was. Yet every day she comes to work and mops.

These two situations have stuck in my mind lately. I have questioned myself on things that I do that are futile and pointless. The "time wasters" that have no eternal value, the things that I put such stock in yet are fleeting. And I wonder, am I like the woman who shows up every day and yet makes no difference or am I like the woman who works hard every day on something that will not last?

Lest you think that I am feeling "down" or "discouraged", quite contrary, I am inspired and encouraged to know that the One I work for has such a great plan and purpose and I have the sweet privilege to take part with Him! I am also reminded to be on the lookout in my own life for things that may distract me from those things.

In reflecting on the new year, the passing of time, etc, I am reminded again of Who I work for. That "He who has called me is faithful, and He will do it." That "He who began a good work will be faithful to complete it". That I need to be "about His business" every day so that my life will be a reflection of Him, not a lesson in futility.

Welcome 2010

Happy New Year from our family!

My how it seems like just yesterday we were huddled up in the Summit welcoming Y2K. There was karaoke and "2000" hats and glasses, and we weren't really sure if the power would stay on past midnight and were thankful we had bought all of those kerosene bottles and camp stoves and water and cans of food.....just in case.

And now, a decade has passed. I never dreamed that I would be on the other side of the world from Oklahoma at the start of this decade away from my family and loved ones, and yet, here we are. Our job is different, our house is different, our surroundings are very different. In the year 2000 we found ourselves with 2 babies, and now those babies have turned into big kids....who I love desperately.

I can't wait to see what this decade holds. I am sure there will be sadness as well as many happy times. In this decade my big kids will turn into adults and possibly even leave home....that is still under negotiation. But there are several things I do know. I am happy to have my best friend by my side every day. Rob and I were talking as he kissed me to ring in the new year, and we agreed again how glad we were to spend the new year.....and every day in it together. This will be our 3rd decade to live in together, and I wouldn't want to live it with anyone else!

I also know that no matter what tomorrow holds, I know I trust in the One who holds all my tomorrows. I am so thankful to know Him and tust in him daily.

Christmas Gift

I am blessed beyond measure. My tree is full of gifts from family who have so graciously spent a lot of money to mail boxes full of gifts to us, or prepared months ago to have the gifts brought over early. I am so blessed, not to have gifts but to be loved by our family. Christmas is always the most difficult time being away. We would love to be home with our loved ones, sitting around the table sharing a meal or sitting in various living rooms laughing and sharing memories, or even standing/sitting around dining room tables playing nertz or scrabble eating pie and junk food!

But this year I feel like I received some special gifts from my Saviour as well. They have come in some very special moments of just being obedient to him. He knows our hearts, my heart, and how much we miss home during this season. And yet he continues to help us every step of the way and encourages me as I continue to walk. So, if you will, I would like to share my gifts with you as a testimony of His faithfulness.

Gift #1 - My children

Obviously, those two gifts were given to me several years ago, but they seem to be the "gifts that keep on giving"! This week in particular I have seen their love for their Saviour and it hasblessed me beyond measure. On Monday, we hosted a party for some "little friends" of ours. They came over and we made crafts with them and gingerbread men. I was overwhelmed at the love Hannah and Hudson had for their "little friends" and how excited they were to do something special for them. They gave their day to prepare, play, and then clean up so their little friends could have a special day. It was nothing big, but it blessed this mom completely!

Gift #2 - Baby Jesus and Karaoke

While this may sound a little strange, my second gift was the simple reminder of Father's faithfulness. We have a small group of friends that meets together, and Tuesday night we met for karaoke and a Christmas party, they invited friends and we had triple the number of people we normally have come to our party. So we met new friends that night and were able to tell His story to them, and they heard for the first time. His faithfulness and goodness to us comes as He reminds us "do not grow weary in well doing, for in due time you will reap what you sow". His faithfulness gift to me also came in the fact that I told the Christmas story from start to finish....not in English....which is something I couldn't do a year ago.

Gift #3 - 207 Elementary students

My third gift is summed up in the new song by Shane and Shane that says "Jesus you are my great reward!" After coming home from our Karaoke party we headed back out with some friends to help them with a Christmas activity they had planned. In a small village about an hour away from where I live, there is an elementary school our friends have made relationships with. Their home church has helped sponsor them the last two years and have sent backpacks to each child full of socks, underwear, toys, school supplies, and other goodies. We had the privilege of going yesterday and playing games with these kids and giving them their gifts. These children have parents who have left to go work in factories in the big cities, only coming home maybe once a year. Some of these children even live on their own at the school, cooking for themselves, caring for themselves. Seldom do they have someone play with them, laugh with them, share them love. They were dirty, had clothes on that didn't fit, and were neglected. It was obvious from the time we drove in the gates and got out of the car that this was going to be a special day for them. Jesus said, "when you have done it unto the least of these, you have done it unto me" and yesterday as we served these children and made them smile with our games, songs, and gifts, the Saviour reached into my heart and reminded me visually that His love is for everyone. As I watched my whole family together with our friends love these children, the true reason for the season was glorified. No matter how much I may want to enjoy the "comforts" of home and the love of family this season, my Saviour gave me a sweet gift of Joy and Peace yesterday and truly Jesus is my Great Reward!

I am so thankful for Jesus and so thankful He has led us to this place where we can serve Him and He continues to bless us in so many ways. So, Merry Christmas and may you find his Joy and Peace this season!

A Writing Sample

A few weeks ago Hudson was the "student of the week" in his class. He was asked to write a poem to put on the bulletin board along with his favorite pictures. I thought, for your enjoyment, I would share his poem with you.


Hudson

I like to play football and basketball too.
You can play if you want, but I will beat you.

Oklahoma is my home and I miss it very much,
But thanks to Skype and the computer I still keep in touch.

My birthday is coming, it will be in May.
I will be 10 years old, the 18th is the day.

I have a sister who is older than me.
She has brown hair and goes to NTC.

My mom and dad are lots of fun,
And wouldn't you know it, they have the greatest son!!!

A first....of sorts

I want to document something that happened Thursday night , December 10, 2oo9, because it is a first since moving here, and truly a milestone.

Thursday afternoon Rob and I had been meeting with some friends who live in our apartment complex. Hannah and Hudson came home and began their homework. As dinner approached we decided to "go out" and eat as I hadn't been home to prepare dinner for the evening. So, Rob and I called the kids and asked them to meet us downstairs and we would all go to dinner.

As we walked to our front gate Rob asked the kids the infamous question, "What do you want for dinner?"

Hudson: "Shao Kao!!"

Hannah:"Guilin Mi Fen!"

Excuse me?

Ladies and Gentlemen, for the first time in 20 months, when going "out" to eat neither one of my children mentioned "Mc Donald's" "KFC" or "Pizza Hut". This is truly a milestone!!!

****in case you are wondering what the kids wanted to eat, "shao kao" is the local variety of grilled meat on a stick and "guilin mi fen" is a local noodle dish with a little beef, peanuts, and pickled green beans

Friends

You know the saying, "Friends are the chocolate chips in the cookie of life!" We have realized that our friends, like chocolate chips are quite a commodity. We are blessed to have so many new and great relationships here where we live. And of course we are thankful for those who are still at home.


There are, however, the few friends that live over here that we were friends with in America from long ago . I think they are the "white chocolate chips" of the "cookie". So, running into them is, well, pure gold. Rob had that opportunity 2 weeks ago when he spent the weekend with the Eggrolls, dear friends we have known for many many years.

I know it was such a blessing to him and I am sad I couldn't make the trip with him. And I am a little jealous as well. I heard the food was good, the fellowship even better, and the after midnight activities, legendary!

I love this picture of Rob playing dress-up! Looks like I missed out!
Thank you so much for hosting my hubby! Next time, I am coming!!