Halloween and Missions

We're hoping to be able to go to Sudan next year in February for a 2 week medical mission trip. Heike went on this trip last year (see www.xanga.com/for_love_of_Akobo).  We wanted to go this year too, but we would have gotten back two days before our wedding.  We decided against it. =)  However, raising support for a mission trip as well as to go to a different mission field is proving to be a difficult challenge.

We had a halloween party at youth group tonight.  The group has grown slowly over the past couple months, which is exciting.  The two girls on the left were new tonight, they are two of three kids in the group who are not chaplain kids.  Check out Doug's new pirate hair-do:

Slowing down

Well, it's been a while since I wrote, but thankfully, life has slowed down so there hasn't been much to write about.
Doug and I are still struggling with being sick a lot. We're both busy at work: me at the hospital with newborns and he at Fort Jackson with his youth group. Other then that, we've been doing some work on the house we're renting (when we feel up to it).
So, if you're reading this, please pray for our health. We really need to get moving on visiting people and trying to raise support.
Thanks!

More camp, Boston, and the Red Sox

Doug is currently at camp with his Fort Jackson kids. It's a Young Life Camp in NC, Windy Gap. It's pretty impressive. I miss him, though, and can't wait for him to be home again. =)

The last few weeks have been busy with him getting ready for camp. I also took a trip with my parents-in-law up to Boston to see Doug's older brother, Keith, and his wife and 2 kids. I'm enjoying being able to be an aunt and getting to play with my 2 nephews.

We also played some games...

...saw some sights, and went to a Red Sox game!
Here we are standing in line for tickets:


We all had a great time, including Joseph. It was his first time going to see a baseball game.


On a side note, my arm is now better. After going from its previous state to this:


It's now almost back to normal!

Home again

We're finally back home again, hurray!!

We finished up in CO with Cadence and then hurried to Myrtle Beach, SC to spend some time with Doug's family. I don't have any pictures yet, but it was a good time of playing with our 2 nephews, going to the beach, sleeping, eating yummy food, and sleeping some more. Unfortunately Doug and I both got a virus and were sick for a few days.

Then it was off to the MK Re-entry Retreat/Seminar at Bethel Camp in Gaston, SC. I have worked with this particular retreat each year for the past 4 years, and this year I was in charge. It's a retreat for kids who have grown up overseas or spent a considerable amount of time there. Most of them have just graduated high school and now they are coming back to the States for college.

Here's a picture of our group this year at the end of the week:

Thankfully, Doug was on staff (due to my recruitment =)) and took over for me the first day as I was still really sick. It was hardly a good way to start the week, pretty much all 6 of us staff were already worn out, but God used us anyhow. It was a great group, but a tough week, and Doug and I came home exhausted.

I unexpectedly ended up bringing something back with me:
It has since grown a little in size and turned incredible shades of yellow. It's the worst bruise I have ever had, so I had to show it off a little. =)

It's official!

I'm a Cadence Missionary!

Candidacy in Colorado

We are now in Dever, CO attending candidacy for me to join Cadence International.

It has been challenging because of how tired we are from mono, as well as emotionally draining esp. for me, but one of the things I love about Cadence is how open and honest and vulnerable these people are. They are broken people who aren't afraid to admit it. They have been through so much, yet now they are here, serving God and loving His other broken people--one of them being me. One of their 'Core Values' is transparency--they want you to be open with where you are and how you are, regardless of how ugly that may be. I feel like I have talked and shared more then I ever have in my whole life.

These are a few of the people who have meant a lot to me. (I found some old pictures of them on the Cadence website =))

daily life continues

So we haven't been good at keeping up this site, but there hasn't been much to write about.

Doug continues to work at Fort Jackson with the youth there. It has been and still is frustrating for him as he waits for the contract to come through so he can work with the main post chapel in addition to the chaplain's kids. There are only 6 kids at the moment, and their parents kind of dictate what happens each week.

I am working at Providence Hospital full time on a medical floor. It's quite the switch from my newborns, but I am getting more experience which will hopefully serve me better when we go to Africa. It's been harder then I expected, mostly because I am still grieving my mom which saps me emotionally.

Physically Doug and I are both still fighting mono and trying to figure out a balance between getting done what we need to and getting rest.

We've also gone to our share of weddings this year. We went to another one yesterday and had the great joy of seeing one of our old friends again.

Until next time!