Chronicles in Washington

When we start looking at the weekends left in Washington, we notice how fast our time here has been! We are grateful for opportunities to meet with you and say thank you! Thank you for your prayers, your support, your encouragement, your hugs, your food, and your sweet words. I haven't been able to find the words to express how crucial YOU are to this journey we are on, but trust me, friend, you are.

We had the chance to update at a missions committee meeting about we have been up to in Papua. The island is the most beautiful when the sun is shining. The meeting was held at a beach house. We didn't know this, but friends who we work with in Indonesia were sharing at the same meeting! It is SO fun to meet with people that we work with overseas in America- talk about worlds colliding.

A couple days later we were invited to share at the "Chapel-ites Ice Cream Social". I joked that people think the reason we come to Washington first on our furloughs is to avoid the intense heat in Texas during the summers, but I'm beginning to think the REAL reason may be so we can join in this fun time of music, ice cream, and testimonies of others that serve overseas. It was one of the first times I was able to express my gratitude to those that came alongside us and prayed for our sweet baby girl. It was an emotional time for me, but for those that know me that is no surprise! :)

On Thursday Josh's parents celebrated their anniversary. We joined them for a nice lunch and ran some errands around town. The highlight of the day was the trip for ice cream. (If you are beginning to see a pattern in this post... it's true. I have been eating a TON of ice cream since we've been home.) This place is a town called Conway. They have a local produce stand but also sell some of the best ice cream I've ever had! They have a variety of flavors, and best of all they LOAD up your cone. You have no regrets while you're eating, and when you're finished the thought "maybe I over did it" crosses your mind, only to return about 30 minutes later confirming that "YES, I definitely over did it!" 

More adventures are sure to come.

Answered Prayers

Many of you have been praying for a vehicle to use during our stay in America. We asked for ideas, suggestions, options regarding renting/borrowing a car. Some of you responded with a group called "Righteous Rides" based out of Missouri. They are a group who leases cars at low rates to missionaries on home assignment. We also heard they are in high demand and should be contacted a year in advance... oops :) Would a few months be okay??

I contacted them, and yesterday we were told they have a car of us to rent during our time home. It's a great deal. Low cost per month with insurance and maintenance included! I know what you may be thinking- what kind of car is it? I'll give you some options.

 

 

 

The correct option is a minivan! It should be a comfortable, dependable ride for us while we are home. Thank you for praying!

Catch-Up

It's hard to believe that we've been stateside for two weeks.

We've enjoyed seeing family and friends.

We were surprised at MATA with a sweet baby shower with wonderful gifts for our Little Girl.

The Lord has blessed our time in Washington with AMAZING weather! We've spent a few afternoons at the beach. Let me define beach: rocks and cold water. :)

On this clear day we could see clear to Mt. Baker

I actually got sunburnt. That's a first for me in Washington!

 We've enjoyed eating and drinking those things we have missed.

Josh grilled this salmon on cedar wood. He ate this piece by himself!
I've been eating sandwiches and drinking sweet tea and dr. pepper... which may explain the following part!

We've also had a few visits to the doctor's office. After a clear sonogram (thank you, Lord!) we have been back and forth for the glucose test which checks for gestational diabetes. You have to drink a concentrated sugary drink and have blood drawn an hour later. The results were in a week later, and my levels were a bit higher than they were looking for. So today, as I type, I'm in the midst of my re-test. This test involves a pre-sugary drink poke,  a higher concentrate of sugary drink (image the juice from a melted orange pop-ice, now multiply times 5), and three post-sugary drink pokes every hour. I'm about to return for my second post-poke.

We're hoping to capture more images from our time home, but so far we're enjoying seeing the faces and eating the foods we've missed.

Jet-Lag and Good News!

Less than a week ago we started the journey back home. I wanted to quickly update you about our trip, because I know so many of you prayed for us.

Here are some "God-Things" that happened:
- We had overweight luggage domestically in Indonesia but were not charged overweight.
- We had two roller bags as carry-ons, were the last ones on the plane, and had storage space for both bags right above our heads!
- Enjoyed a hamburger and a movie in Jakarta.
- Met some friends who helped us settle during our time in language school at the hotel in Jakarta. We were able to catch up during the free shuttle back to the airport.
- Comfortable flights! First flight from Jakarta to Taipei- aisle seat. Second flight from Taipei to Seattle- bulkhead,  legs stretched out, bathroom located on the other side of the wall :)
- Seeing and meeting (new and old) family in Washington
- Sonogram appointment on Monday

I'll pick up the narrative from here. Despite jet-lag I woke up early on Monday morning, anxious about the upcoming appointment to see our Little Girl. I continually prayed that God would heal her, open up the ventricles, and allow all fluid to flow freely through her little body. It was so weird to see this body moving on the screen and feeling it at the same time! The technician wasn't able to legally answer many, if any, of our questions. She just said a radiology report would be sent to the doctor's office. We left not knowing anything. That afternoon we were wandering around Wal-Mart and got a phone call. The call was from the doctor's office. The doctor asked if I had a sonogram that morning. He went on to say that the results were in and that even though I should follow up with my doctor on Thursday, the office thought I would want to know that all the results were CLEAR! (Of course we wanted to hear that!!) There were no signs of fluid on the brain! I was overwhelmed with gratitude for the Lord's healing hand that I started crying right there in the chip aisle at Wal-Mart!  Today we had our follow up appointment with the doctor just to read through the results together. Everything looked great!

We wanted to let you know about the results because you have been going on this journey with us! Thank you for your prayers and your words of encouragement.