Annie was home from school today with bronchitis.  During lunch (chicken noodle soup), Annie began talking about our current political situation.  In school they are studying about community leaders… here’s what Annie thinks our country needs to do, followed by who she would vote for, and why (you can skip the first few seconds):

 

1)  New Jersey gas keeps getting cheaper!  I saw it today for $2.56!  Can you beat that?  If not, please drive to visit us and get gas while you’re here.  

2) On Sunday morning, we had the privilege of speaking three times at First Baptist Church of Collingswood.  We heard the interim pastor’s message twice – and enjoyed it as much the second time as we did the first.  Pastor Bob was preaching from John 15 about the fruitful life.  There was one quote that has stayed with me.  He said (paraphrased), “I think God is pleased to answer our prayer during these challenging times to make us wise and to make us generous.”  Listening to the news too much these days is incredibly discouraging.  I have numerous friends who say that when their retirement statements come in the mail they don’t open them because they don’t want to know how bad it is! Rather than being gripped with fear, there is something we can do: pray — God, make us wise with what you’ve given us;  and make us more generous.  I’m giving it a try.

Eric and I just got back from our fun ten-and-eleven year anniversary get-away.  We had wanted to do something special for our ten year last December, but decided for a number of reasons to wait until we were back in the US to do so.  Our friends the Weigels and my sister and brother-in-law Beth and Gene graciously watched our children for the four days we were gone…

A brief summary of where we went, and then check out below HOW we were able to get -away (which is the best part of this entry):

We stayed at a B & B on Tilghman Island, Maryland, which is right on the Chesapeake.  We wanted to go to the St. Michaels area, and were not disappointed!  Tilghman Island is about ten miles south of St. Michaels and we loved being somewhat removed from the bustle of a busy town but close enough to enjoy it. We loved, loved the Lazyjack Bed and Breakfast… we had a wonderful suite (fireplace and double jacuzzi!), and were served beautiful, delicious gourmet breakfasts.  Our favorite was this morning:  poached pears in a berry sauce, and then baked french toast stuffed with blue cheese.  Absoutely amazing.  

The area was beautiful.  We saw amazing sunsets over the Chesapeake each night, and enjoyed beach-combing on deserted beaches as well as walking in the morning around the boats as the sun poked through.  St. Michaels is well known for its antique shops, quaint buildings, and fine dining, and we enjoyed exploring it leisurely.  And we had great crab, oysters, and simple dining on the edge of a pier.

It was a really wonderful time, and we were proud of our kids for doing so well without us (Is it a bad thing that they didn’t seem to miss us at all the first 3 days??).  

The Get-Away Rest of the Story:

 Two weeks ago, I was looking at the calendar and realized that if were serious about celebrating our anniversary in a special way,  this past weekend was one of the few weekends when we were really free to get away for a number of days.  I found a cruise leaving from Baltimore to Bermuda from lastSaturday, and we started talking about the possibililty.  In line with the Bible Study I’ve been doing with some ladies at church, when I was praying I asked God to show us really clearly His will re. all of this.  I wrote down 3 specific ways that God would need to answer for us to do this:  a) childcare completely covered;  b) the funds completely covered, and c) a “good deal” on whatever we ended up doing.  Childcare came together quickly, but the last two were bigger challenges.

b) the money… When we looked at our bank account, we realized that we just didn’t have that much money to get away without dipping into savings, which I didn’t feel comfortable doing based upon what I felt like God was saying.  We looked into cruises, going to the Caribbean on a cheap flight, etc- but I knew we didn’t have enough money.  Every day I would check the mailbox in case God dropped money into our lap somehow- knowing he could do that! – but there wasn’t any.  A few people started asking us where we were going and it was weird to have NO idea.  We looked into cheaper options, like driving somewhere in North or south Carolina, or staying a timeshare in FLA, but even something like that would be a thousand dollars.
Finally, on Wed, we decided to go to St. Michaels on the Chesapeake in MD and stay at a B & B.  I thought we had about $700 that we could spend for 3 nights or so. We did a lot of research on a romantic get-away place, and decided on one place on Thursday.  Eric called and reserved it but they asked for a visa card, which he didn’t have, so he said I would call the next morning with it.  But that night, when we looked at our bank account, we really didn’t have enough to do even this.  I felt sick.  No surprise money had fallen in our lap.  And we had a lot of unexpected expenses that previous month that we still needed to pay for.
Friday morning, before calling to make the reservation, I did the last unit of the Bible Study I’ve been studying on listening to the Holy Spirit.  I went back and reviewed the 3 things I thought God was saying about our get away, and I had a sad feeling because I didn’t feel like we could make the reservation based on what God had said – we didn’t have the funds completely covered (and we had chosen St. Michaels because we thought it was affordable based on what we could pay for – but it really wasn’t).  But there was a section in the devotional on trusting God and not being afraid to trust him.  So I prayed and just asked him to take care of all of this.  Eric was coming home soon and I knew I would need to talk to him about other options if we didn’t have the funds, but I wanted to trust God with that.
After praying, I went over to the computer to look at our online bank account  to see why we didn’t have the money I thought we did.  My jaw dropped open.  That morning, there was a 2000 dollar deposit – it was our childrens refund credit from the IRS.  Deposited THAT MORNING.  I literally dropped on my knees, started sobbing, and all that I could say over and over again was “Thank you God.”  Olivia thought her mom had lost it.  
We had no idea that money would come…  Because of living overseas, and our kids being adopted, Eric had to file 2 extensions for this, and we didn’t know if we would get anything.  (Olivia still doesn’t have a SS number so it’s hard to prove on paper that we have 3 children, which is what is required).  They ended up giving us credit for 2 kids, and the money was deposited one hour before we needed to make the reservation.  We were amazed.  
As you can imagine, it was a joy to call the B & B and give them the reservation number.  They gave us the special weekday rate for Sunday night, as well, so we got a “good deal” (“c”) on what turned out to be a really lovely location.  

Words in a blog do not describe the amazing thing that God did.  He stretched my faith down to the last minute, but it was in order to show me again His wonderful love and care.  He wanted to remind us anew that He loves us to pray in faith, to listen for His voice, to trust the Holy Spirit’s work in our lives.  I know he works differently for each of us, but that He is trustworthy and wants us to continue to listen to him.

There are four different people listed on my childhood mentoring timeline.  Beth Ann Smith, who miraculously is the manager at the mission housing where we are staying right now (see previous post), the Henemiers, an older couple who taught me Sunday School, and then Pastor Wes Evans.

I was the second of fourth girls.  I was one of the earliest in my class to have braces and glasses – all at once.  And crooked blonde bangs. And a book worm. But Pastor Evans – despite all these things — somehow thought I was a neat kid.  He nicknamed me, “The Rotten Kid.”  The reality was — I probably would have done better to be a bit rotten.  So the nickname was our little joke.  He even had a t-shirt made for me that said, “I’m a rotten kid.”  He made me feel special!  And probably did this for all the other kids he loved on, but to me, I was his favorite and that was all that mattered.

In seventh grade, they left our New Jersey church to go to a new church calling in Michigan.  It was an incredibly sad event for me and many others!  We saw him a few times in the coming years, and he was always the same jovial, faith-filled Pastor Evans.  We invited he and his wife to our wedding, but they couldn’t attend.  They have received our newsletters over the years, and we have loved receiving an occasional Christmas card.  But it’s been at least 30 years since I’ve seen them…

Last week, I got a surprise phone call from — Pastor Evans!  I knew his voice as soon as he said my name.  They were going to be in town, and so on Saturday we all met at a nearby park.  Our family, Pastor and Mrs. Evans, my Dad, sister Beth her husband Gene, and sister Allison and her family.  We bought our favorite MacMillan donuts from our childhood days, and sat around a picnic table reminiscing and catching up on each other’s lives.

I was proud for Pastor Evans to know that I actually have become a bit more rotten – he didn’t seem surprised one bit! And we left convinced that he is still an amazing guy who has chosen to minister in average Baptist churches  while helping lots and lots of average joes and sues begin believing that they are something special. Maybe even rotten.

Eric picked up Owen and Annie from school.  Coming home in the car, Annie announced, “I like kissing boys.”  (Good thing I wasn’t in the car!)  Eric asked, “How do you know?”  Response:  “Because I kissed Jason today.”  Calm dad:  “Annie, remember what we talked about?  Girls aren’t supposed to kiss boys; boys kiss girls.”  Annie: “Oh, OK.” (So, it might have been different for a few of you, but don’t tell Annie that!)

Today, when I was at the school serving as room mother, I asked the teacher for her version.  She witnessed the whole thing, and it seemed to surprise both Annie and Jason when it happened (thankfully seemingly un-premeditated!).  But apparently  Jason had a HUGE smile on his face afterward.

Here we go!  Hopefully she’ll keep talking to us about these things… but hopefully we won’t need to have a lot of conversations again like this  for at least a few more years.

This past Sunday my niece Isabella Norton (isn’t she too too cute?)  was dedicated at our church. It was really special to be there, and to take part in committing that we will be part of the community who seeks to show her that Jesus is real, alive, and worth believing in.

Afterwards, Anthony and Allison had a great lunch for 30 or so of us back at their home.  Nothin’ like a lunch you have to go to that’s prepared by your Italian chef brother-in-law!  Awesome food.  And amazing flowers arranged by Dad.

A month or so before the event, Allison and I had been shopping at Walmart and Allison saw a picture of the perfect cake for this event… it was a large, 3-tiered, six color Martha Stewart cake.  “Um, Sue, do you think…?”

We worked on it together the week before the dedication.  It’s always good to make new kinds of cakes that stretch me.  This really convinced me that the Wilton decorating classes I’ve signed up for are a good idea.  There were some challenges, but it was fun and I loved being able to be in NJ and make this for the Nortons.

After lunch, I passed out index cards and asked everyone to write a message to Bella that they would like her to read when she turns 16.  (Hopefully Allison and Anthony will keep them safe for 15 1/2 years and then remember to give the messages to her!).  I realized that realistically, some of us might not be there for her.

It was neat to read together the messages that family and friends wrote for Bella.  Most memorable?  Someone wrote:   “Dear Bella, On this day, September 28, 2008, I hope that Obama doesn’t win the November election.  My second hope for you is that you will choose to follow Jesus with your life.”  Others were less controversial;  all very touching.  I imagine that this darling girl will be just as cute as a teenager, and hopefully she will find use for some of the sage advice, prayers, and hopes on these cards.

Sixteen years from now — where will we be?  What do we want to be?  I will be  – gulp – sixty one years old!  I hope that — if I’m still living in this body, that I’m:  more ME.  More comfortable in my own skin;  more who God has made me to be.  More transparently filled with Jesus.  Good things to envision being in sixteen years, but to work on today.  (And hopefully I’ll be able to whip off 3-tier cakes a lot faster!)

One week ago, both Owen and Annie started American Kindergarten. (Because we’re only here for five months, we decided in consulting with the school that it makes the most sense for Annie (4) to go into the other Kindergarten class where she’s learning letters and writing)   Of course, they’ve both already been in Japanese preschool/kindergarten, but nevertheless it’s steps forward; steps growing up.  

I have been thinking this week about all the little steps that lead our children on their journey toward adulthood.  Sending your kids off to kindergarten certainly shouldn’t direct one’s thoughts to “wow!  they’re going to be adults soon.”… but I would be a very rich lady if I had a dime for every friend who has told me to enjoy these days because they fly by so fast.

What has really driven my thoughts has been the sending off of our good friend Katie Susan.  Her middle name reflects that I’ve been a part of her life since before she was born.  She was a junior bridesmaid in our wedding.  We’ve prayed over Katie as she has taken all those important steps… starting school; struggling when everyone else in her class got to see the Titanic but her parents didn’t let her; her first prom; the HUGE decision about where to go to college; and now leaving home to study abroad.  She’s all grown up! We have been privileged in that part of her teen journey which included two visits to Japan in which she spent time with our family and helped in our ministry.  We’ve watched her grow up – and the days have truly gone by so fast.  

Last Friday night we gathered with her family to eat her favorite pizza and Chinese food and to pray for her as she prepared to go to Turkey for a semester of college study.  Turkey of all places!  With her parents, I have felt anxiety particularly in realizing that we can’t even begin to picture a typical day in Istanbul.  But on Friday, and every day since, we have entrusted her to God, assured that He indeed goes with her and goes before her.

One thing that she needed to find was a scarf to be able to wrap her head at times.  We helped by giving her one, and had a blast as she tried wrapping it the first time. Hopefully practice makes perfect…  Last week she also served as tour guide as Eric and Owen and our friend Yasko went on a day trip of New York.

Hodding Carter said, “There are only two lasting bequests we can hope to give our children. One is roots; the other, wings.”  So right now, we are trying in the midst of many upheavals and changes to give our children roots;  at the same time, we are cheering for Katie as her parents, and her community, give her wings.  You fly, girl.  Owen, Annie, and Olivia:  we are only here for five months, but let’s go as deep as we can.

We had a really great vacation week in Montana visiting my sister Hannah and being joined by the rest of our family. It was the perfect change of pace between four or five long days in the car on either end. Here are a few highlights of our time:

Our whole family was able to be there! My Dad and his wife Mickey came, despite Dad having been hospitalized just before coming. Times like this are very rare, making us all appreciate it all the more. On Sunday, our family sat outside in the Big Sky Country and had our own worship service, led by my Dad. He’s 81 years old, but still planning and thinking how to make a Sabbath special and turn our hearts to God.

One of the funnest two hours was our rafting trip down the Flathead River in Glacier National Park. We had no idea what we were doing but laughed our way through it. At one point, I couldn’t help myself– I jumped off the ramp and had to swim in the beautiful water. If I hadn’t been helped into the boat about 30 seconds later, i think my blood would have frozen– but it was still worth it!

The kids loved the jacuzzi and the great bubble baths it afforded…

My sister Hannah and the rest of our family planned a great surprise birthday dinner for me. I can’t even remember the last time I have celebrated my birthday with my whole family there. It was an unforgettable memory.

We had a great dinner one night with our friends, the Petersons. They are the ones who first taught us the singing grace before dinner, “Oh, the Lord is good to me…” which has since become our standard grace song in Japan. It was fun to all sing it together before dinner. Later that evening, Leif did a reading from his new collection of short stories, Normal Like Us. We loved it.

Our family’s favorite memory was an amazing hike we took in Glacier National Park. It’s a great hike… 3 miles in that ends up at Avalanche Lake, a glacier lake that still almost takes my breath away. We loved it that all three of our kids were able to hike in and out as well. (Olivia slept in her Daddy’s arms the whole back, actually). We love Montana!!

We are safely in Montana, having a fun time with my family….and wanted to update on our Road Trip to date!

We left early on Wednesday morning, with our car packed much much tighter than we would have liked.  Poor Owen barely had a window to look out of in the very back, but seemed to appreciate his privacy as well.

Next- and perhaps most importantly- we are all grateful for the deck of cards we brought along… We took an idea from another mom’s car survival tips.  Since I couldn’t find play money just before leaving, we used a deck of cards and a bell.  After starting our road trip from LA to Montana over 3 days, we would periodically ring the bell, signalling “point time.”  At point time, each of the 3 kids could receive a card based upon their behavior the past few hours (or, as in a few cases, not receive a card).  Then, they could cash in their cards for prizes that had been prewrapped… prizes that provided activities and books that they could do in the car.  Some may call this bribery, but it’s a lot more fun to reward the good than to punish the bad, and we have had three surprisingly fun car days!  

We spent the first night visiting with our dear friend Myrleen in Oakland, Oregon.  It was a wonderful reunion.  Myrleen had taught English with me seventeen years ago in Tokyo, and has since done many other wonderful service trips.  We loved being with her and her son and daughter-in-law.  I think it was my fourth visit to Oregon to see her over these years.  

After leaving Myrleen’s, we stopped at Multnomah Falls and enjoyed the view and a chance to do a little hiking around.  It was beautiful!

After spending a night in a “Sleep Inn” motel, we drove the last day through Montana up to Whitefish, where my sister lives and my family was meeting for a reunion.  Montana is a REALLY big state.  On the way, we passed a forest fire still burning… and then we were happy to come down the mountain and see the Flathead Lake and Valley in front of us, a clear sign that we were close.

The following morning, our family had a chance to meet my niece Isabella.  Here’s a photo of the reunion when we my sisters and I went to meet the Norton family at the airport:

Stay tuned for more updates coming soon….

Our past six weeks in California have brought many, many good days with friends and family. Our days have been too full to keep up with our blog regularly, so I am going to summarize our time with some favorite photos. (Not all of our photos are on this computer- there are LOTS more highlights not  pictured below.)

Of course — Disneyland! Pictured right — Eric’s brother Mark. Favorite rides? Annie: the carousel; Eric: Buzz Lightyear (new one at California Adventure) Owen: Star Tours. Sue? Soarin’ Over California (California Adventure)…Olivia? Winnie the Pooh. It was fun to meet a number of Orange County friends while we were there, as well, and the Sakamotos visiting from Japan.

Eric and Owen went with our friend Steve K. to Owen’s first-ever professional ball game — the Dodgers! Owen now loves to sing, “Take Me Out to the Ballgame” and thinks Cracker Jacks are great because they’re in that song.

Many memory-making times with special friends and family…

Annie had a chance to do her four-year old dream: take ice skating lessons. It is scary that after two hours she is already better than both parents

Bobby Clinton had a baton-passing ceremony for ten mentorees, and Eric and I had the privilege of receiving one.

Our friend Gwen’s birthday party (f you look closely, you’ll see Owen’s forehead is cut. Several hours later at the emergency room he received 14 stitches! He’s fine now)…

Our trip to Colorado for a Debriefing and Renewal (DAR) conference was a highlight for our whole family. We adults had wonderful opportunities to process our overseas experiences, gain perspective from biblical inputs, and reflect. It really was a time for renewal for Eric and me. The children also had age-relevant debriefs, and processed their experiences in more concrete ways.

Times of prayer with dear friends.

The opportunity to hang out with our Sanda friends, the Sakamotos, and participate in their 20 year anniversary vow renewal ceremony.

There’s no way to choose a favorite day or favorite event… but our overall feeling was joy and gratitude as our family was welcomed so generously and lovingly by family and friends across the southland. We already miss you all!