pics from March

This past Saturday, we went to Atlanta to meet our new nephew/cousin: Wyatt. He is 2 weeks and 2 days in these photos. He is the son of Adam's brother, Aaron and Hilary. The blonde holding him in the 2nd photo is another aunt, our sister-in-law, Kelly.



Erica and boys spent Spring break with us. It was a great visit.... and nice to spend more time with grandparents too.







I spent the first week of March in Maine training for the part-time on-call job that I will be doing (about 5 days a month). Apparently, once the snow falls in the autumn, it sticks around until the end of March. Notice the snowdrift in a parking lot. One day we were there, they had a small snow, but since they had such a brutal winter, the city was low on sand for the roads and canceled school.



This is in Freeport Maine. Each one of these cottages is a different outlet store. Amongst my favorites: Gap and Banana Republic. Of course the main stores are the LLBean headquarters. Even Starbucks is in a small free-standing cottage.

Flattered

I went to elementary school at Rivermont, and then moved across the country to East Ridge : ). Over my junior high and high school years, I'd occasionally run in to an elementary school friend. Over the past 2 years, I've run into 2 people that I had not seen since 5th grade, but recognized me because of my daughter. They said that it was like looking at me.

Last week at the ballfield a girl asked "Did you have a sister in the 1994 TN Jr. Miss Pageant?" I said, "yes, Erica". She said that she had been in the pageant with my sister. I asked her how she knew that we were sisters, had she seen us together? She said "No, you look just alike". Funny, I did not think so, but thanks!

Casa Hogar Kids

Just a post of pictures of the kids.

Seeing new things

I am trying to be disciplined and systematically read the Bible cover-to-cover, first I read the chapter in Spanish, then I read it from my ESV in English to make sure that I am understanding correctly. I am currently still in Genesis and have been amazed at how many new things have jumped out at me!

Today, I was reading about Noah after the flood. I remember the facts, but the point to me today was different. Noah became a worker of the land, and planted a vineyard. One night, he became drunk and "lay uncovered in his tent". Ham saw him and told his brothers. Shem and Japeth did not look at their father but walked toward him backwards and covered him.

The sin that was cursed in this passage, was not the drunkeness of Noah (the only faithful man that God could find.... yet he was a sinner)... but the judgement and the lack of respect and honor that Ham displayed in exploiting his father's sin to his brothers.

I related most with Ham, and wondered if I might have done the same thing.... just as I relate to the older brother in the story of the Prodigal son. Just another reminder of how repulsive self-righteosness is to God... and that I need to repent!

Teamwork

Here we are on a break from moving a truckload of sand by bucket.

Here we are on our "Tourist day" enjoying the Pacific Ocean with intern Lindsey and the girls' housemother, Loolve

Robert prayed for our safety, as most of his staff (excluding pastors) went.

We had such a wonderful week! I feel like an amnesiac, I have to work really hard to remember everything because it went by so quickly and seems as though it never happened!

Thank you, Lord for the timing

Today, Joseph had a doctor's appt. scheduled for 4:00 at his pediatrition's office at Memorial. On the way, we had to pull over for a cop car who was rushing to a blockade a block before the Drs. Building. We started to circle around the campus to enter from the other side, and we were getting no where quickly with about 10 other cars inching slowly in front of us and a few cars lining up behind us. At 4:03, I called the office to apologize that we would now be late. The receptionist said, "Honey, you need to turn around and go back home, we are on lock-down, there has been a bomb-threat." We were off of the campus with-in a few minutes.

I just found a broadcast story on the incident. The "bomb" was found underneath a car in the parking lot and the bomb squad detonated it at 4:19. By that time we were a few miles away and did not hear anything. I might have run off the road, if we were still close by and heard it.

Thank you, Lord for protecting us with your timing. I had actually hoped to have a 1 or 1:30 appt. so that we would be out of there in time to pick Hannah and Jack up from school. We would have had a much greater scare if we were around when the bomb threat was discovered. Also, by getting us far enough away before 4:19.

Thank you more for protecting us and so many others who were at the hospital and surrounding Doctors offices today!!!!!

Here is a link to the story.

I was struck by the beauty of Mexico. Such a majestic flag, such beautiful topograghy, of course the ocean, beautiful trees and flowers. Yet we walked past human excrement on the road, trash in the streets, graffiti, and there is the unclean water.

It's kind of like us (believers), we are image bearers of Christ, yet clouded and junked up by our sin. I'll spare you the filth images, you can use your imagination.

(the same can be said for our city, too. When Adam and I were dating, we'd often go to the riverfront to talk and watch garbage float down the river.)