david

.... these last 24 hours seem like some sort of a nightmare... i keep praying that i will wake up and see dear david walk through the door - his big smile, his crazy hair. it seems so unreal.... except that it is very real -- it's real as i sit with the students.... and tears run down our faces as we hold each other. it's real when i think of the pain the two families are going through. it's real as we try to figure out what needs to happen next....

i keep thinking about him.

his greatest loves in his young life: 1) God and serving his kingdom, 2) his family in Kenya, and 3) flying.

i will miss him tremendously.... anyone who ever met david was immediately impacted by him and his great desire to serve the lord as a missionary pilot.

i'm exhausted..... more later.

my spirit runs dry

i just sent an email to a friend that went something like this:

My spirit is low these days and I just feel tired .... in part I long for a year of Christian fellowship like I experienced when I lived in Sweden. At this point, being immersed in that type of a setting sounds good again... (never thought I would come back to that point). Anyway, I hunger for the Lord's spirit and for a place to get away. Just to be..... not to have to be on the go all the time or to meet anyone's expectations, but just to be.

Hmmm... the psalm comes to mind. "Be still and know that I am God."

well, so much for starting 2010 off with a bang!

i long for the long walks in the woods of holsbybrunn, for the opportunity to not be responsible, in charge, or required to say, to do, to be a certain way except to learn more about being a child of the almighty and to rest in his presence.

i'm tired.

i miss community.
friendships.
the joy of pure laughter.
fun.

i'm drained and my spirit runs dry.

living water, fill me with your spirit!

i love how clear this water is..... crystal river, sleeping bear dunes, mi

Colors by Whitni Thomas, MK (1991)

I grew up in a Yellow country
But my parents are Blue.
I'm Blue.
Or at least, that is what they told me.
But I play with the Yellows.
I went to school with the Yellows.
I spoke the Yellow language.
I even dressed and appeared to be Yellow.
Then I moved to the Blue land.
Now I go to school with the Blues.
I speak the Blue language.
I even dress and look Blue.
But deep down, inside me, something's Yellow.
I love the Blue country.
But my ways are tinted with Yellow.
When I am in the Blue land,
I want to be Yellow.
When I am in the Yellow land,
I want to be Blue.
Why can't I be both?
A place where I can be me.
A place where I can be green.
I just want to be green.

Multicolored.... GERMARICANESE

Create your own flag.... http://www.wearemulticolored.com/

breakage....

do you ever wonder if there is just one more thing that can go wrong or can break? i swear ... in a matter of 24 hours:

--barkley chewed off the face of a doll that my mom made for me when i was a little girl.... (awwwwww... the pain!)

--the basketball pole that rodrigo was assembling "blew over" in the wind and destroyed my rhodedendron (it looks pathetic)

--rodrigo accidentally spilled some spicy salsa on a new table cloth

--i broke rodrigo's favorite wine glass..... :(

after finishing the dishes i think i just went to bed to avoid any other disasters...

oh yeah... never mind that the neighborhood was destroyed that night in a storm.... there must have been something in the air for all of this to happen within 24 hours...

Neighborhood after the STORM

it's been a long time since i've gone 26 hours without electricity.... (and yet that is the reality for many folks around the world on a daily basis!)

well, it certainly was a weekend of storms... i heard that "little holland, mi" made the national news by hosting two incredible storms -- one early friday morning (2am) and one on friday night.... some in the community have even said that they saw a tornado.... after seeing the storm damage in our woods, i wouldn't doubt it.


we are incredibly thankful that our home was spared and that there was no major damage.... our neighbor on the other hand was not so fortunate.... we didn't even hear the branch come down, cuz the thunder was sooooo loud for sooooo long.....






trees down everywhere... power lines down..... basements flooded..... roads damaged... cars smashed... all of these right here in our own block and a half..... we have a lot to be thankful for....

when mom and dad have no power, they even lose their water supply..... having city water here in holland is a true blessing.... even though we sat around with candles (and some vino) and settled into the dark.... we still had water. so, that was our weekend.... kudos to the many, many, power supply folks and cleaning crews who worked so hard over the entire weekend.... especially on FATHER'S DAY.

Up North.... I love being home.

There is just something "WILD" about this picture.... I wonder what's going through their furry heads!



Given that Pancho and Rodrigo weigh about the same, there was as much pushing into the water as resisting the water....


Barkley looks like he's a water fountain....




Otis Pottery.....