2015: The Year of Prayer - Week 17

Come Away with Me.
Come Away with Me.
It's never too late.
It's not too late.
It's not too late for you.

I have a plan for you.
I have a plan for you. It's gonna be wild.
It's gonna be great.
It's going to be full of Me.  - "Come Away," Jesus Culture

How do you document faith?  How do you write up miracles?  How do you describe when the air of the room is so thick with the Presence of God you have a hard time breathing, walking, thinking?

I am tasked with documenting this last week in my prayer life but I'm not really sure I can because the eternal magnitude is too big to understand much less communicate.  I want to revert back to the old saying - you just had to be there.  I can say, though, that I was and you can be too.  These promises, these experiences, these moments when the light of the Son of God is so bright, your eyes hurt, can be yours too.  Open up your heart and let Me in.

This year has been the start of a ground-breaking project to build a new family - for me, for my church, for the Body of Christ in Houston.  Not because what we had before was bad - it was very good.  Still, as I said last week, God isn't in the "good" business.  He is constantly working for OUR BEST.  When Jesus' family came to get Him because they thought He was a whack-job and finally lost it completely - He said, Who do you think my mother and brothers are?...Look closely. These are my mother and brothers. Obedience is thicker than blood. The person who obeys my heavenly Father’s will is my brother and sister and mother.

I look back and laugh at what I thought was BEST but not in derision.  I thank God for where I came from.  I know my parents prayed for me in my Prodigal phase (no doubt before then).  I know 2 faithful women's prayers availed much because I came back to Christ.  I know the ladies Bible Study in Trinidad expanded my mind about faith and life in a way no Bible Study in the States ever could.  I got my calling as a writer, as "scribe" there.  The power of the prayers by the global church for Sophia's healing unlocked the door and let it in. 

As I testified last night, though, He didn't just heal her, though that would have been more than enough.  He healed me of anxiety disorder and PTSD too.  That's what happens to caregivers, we carry emotional wounds too deep to explain.  But I'm free of those.  By the miraculous grace of God - I AM FREE!  

The Lord is currently honoring the prayers of the generations before us and we get to be the torch-bearers.  Revival isn't just coming, it is here.  I can prove it.  You go to my Facebook account and it is there.  You come to my church and it is there.  You come to Monday night prayer at The Source for Women, it is there.  It is in so many places and the Lord is connecting all the little campfires into one big blazing beacon for the lost, lonely, hurting.

The fruit and the gifts of the Spirit are in abundance.  Only 2 weeks ago, I participated in the deliverance of a young man who is now so precious to me (and others).  That's what happens when you watch someone resurrected from spiritual, emotional, mental and in some respects, physical death.  Then last week, his mother was set free from 28 years of bitterness.

Sunday it was my turn.  My pastor and dearest friend used me as a sermon prop, speaking my love language, recognizing the callouses on my knees and heart for this community of faith.  Then Monday night, I worked in prayer with others to pray in the full magnitude of the Lord unleashing Himself on this city.

Then there was Wednesday - yesterday - last night.  The Release.  A City-wide prayer and praise service that we all knew was going to be huge.  After lunch, I spent 90 minutes walking the quiet, darkened room while Ella took a nap in the back.  Before she fell asleep, she (of course) saw an angel.  She said his name was "Christian," so I can only assume he was about 6'1", 215 and had Hershey's Kiss colored skin.  It's been awhile since she'd told me she was seeing an angel, and if you have time, go back on this blog and read the other accounts.  They are hair-raising.

While she slept, I got "undignified" before the Lord.  I danced like a fiend.  Good thing no one was around and I truly hope the cameras were off.  I've NEVER been like that, but I was so free, totally uninhibited.  No loincloths were used, but I was sweating like I ran a few miles - and I might have.

Left to get The Olders from school and then went back to the church with Sophia at 6-ish pm (David took Natalie to her softball game....pray for her, her team is struggling!).  Ella stayed with a wonderful babysitter the Lord provided at the last minute.  Sophia reminded me at 10:15 pm when we got home, we never ate dinner.  

I told her that was ok, because we'd just feasted at the Lord's Table.  (She was not impressed.)

The room/the service was primed ("fertile" as my friend Moseka said) and from the very beginning we knew it was going to be another level.  The music built, the praise began.  Confession was made and then 3 people got up to testify.

One of the most precious moments of my life will be Sophia and I standing there on stage.  All I said was, "She is healed and whole from cancer," and the room erupted.  It was as if the Heavenly Host came down, the noise was deafening.  A wall of praise hit us in the face.

I'm crying about it right now as I write the words.   I'm pretty sure she will remember it for the rest of her life too.  

Following all the testimonies, the real work began.  All over the room, people were being freed, delivered, healed.  After prayer, a lady who came in on crutches was able to put weight on her foot that, to that point, wasn't healing properly.  And her caregiver sister was freed too.  Prayed for lots of people, including the husband of my long-time Bible Study leader and mentor in faith.  He is in treatment for cancer and he had tears on his face when we finished.  He and everyone there received the life-changing touch of Holy Spirit power.

At one point I sat down with another precious new brother in faith, Oliver.  He put his arm around me and we took stock of what was going on...taking inventory of the Holy Spirit (important for a scribe to do but a wonderful moment for me because Oliver is one who experienced his own freedom only 2 months ago, at the February Release.)

It didn't stop, more work.  The picture is me praying and speaking into a little girl who is in Natalie's class.  The Lord broke her, her brother and her Mama of generations of cursing in this very moment.  (The young man in the red is the one I mentioned being delivered 2 weeks ago...he is already going to the mat with the enemy for others...that's what family does for each other and now he knows what it means to be in the family of God.)  

We worked, labored, travailed and PREVAILED in prayer for another 90 minutes.  Moseka said it was "the afterglow." Pretty sure we all had a very difficult time falling asleep.  You don't really feel like you need it after a night like that.  Oh sure, later today it will catch up with me, especially as I was woken before 5 from a dream about where things are and where they are going.

I know this is a really long post, but I can't help it.  I'll try and sum this week up in 3 words....

Tender - the tender mercies that are new every morning are no joke.

Extravagant - the Love of God is truly four-dimensional; wider, deeper, higher and longer than we can understand.  I will spend the rest of my life trying to touch the borders but I know I'll never get close.

Real - I ended a Facebook post with this statement last night (when I couldn't sleep):
"Prove God exists and still does the stuff in the Bible, you say. I can. Come see for yourself, May 27th, 7 pm, 11140 Greenbay, Houston, 77024. ‪#‎iamlivingproof‬"

 Open up your heart and let Me in.

Prayer, praise, is to invite the Lord God, the Creator, Redeemer and Sustainer of the UNIVERSE into your life.  When you really go there with Him, you will never be the same.  Ever.  I am not. And I'll never stop being thankful for it.

Summer Bridge Workbook LOL to Tears Entry #2

So, a couple of weeks ago, our middle daughter - the ever hilarious Sophia - wrote about what she would keep if she had to give away everything but three things in her room.  It was settled pretty easily - you can read her commentary here.

In her summer bridge workbook, she writes something weekly.  She doesn't try and make it funny every time, but today, I'm pretty sure she worked hard at it.  She was successful.  She was asked about something she could reuse or recycle and how she would reuse or recycle it.

Third Grade has never seen a kid like this.  I hope her teacher is tuned into Sophia's particular brand of dry wit.  Lord, have mercy on us!

(Personally, I think she likes the subtle fame that comes from me posting her work...no matter what she says!)

I would recycle my old toothbrush.  Because its old and I don't want a old, moldy, stinky toothbrush running around my house yelling, "I'm a stinky toothbrush!"  But once my mom sees it, she grabs it and sticks it in my mouth.  And that's when I reuse it.

Here is the original, in all it's unedited glory

I Cried When I Read This

The girls are going through their summer workbooks.  Today, Sophia had to write the following assignment: If you had to give away all the things in your bedroom except for three things, which three things (other than your bed) would you keep?  Why?

In classic style, Sophia wrote the following.  After reading it, I laughed so hard I cried.  

I would keep my underwear.  And my pants and my shirt because what would I have to wear, my dirty pajamas?

The Universal Proverbs of Motherhood

There are certain aspects of being a Mom that are universal.  We all sound the same when we say, "C'mon, honey."  I heard a Mom say it in Spanish this morning.  It wasn't just the words she said, it was the way she said it. 

We all wipe off our kids faces.  We all try to kiss them, even after they've gotten past the age they will let us.  We never stop worrying/caring/thinking about them and their future.  My own mother assures me this is true.

Yet, there are certain aspects of this noble calling we could never be prepared for when we entered into this sacred space of being MOM (and yes, DAD too.)  Those things don't depend on how our kids were born, or even who bore them.  They are not age or quantity of children specific or dependent on how well the kid eats.  Some stuff just is because you live in a house with children.

I'm not sure if these are Facebook status updates that need an outlet, or a book in the works.   But I am confident you can add to the list, so please do.  I have three future moms in my house, so I want to make sure they are prepared.....as much as possible for this crazy ride we get on when we become mothers. 

1. Obviousness has nothing to do with being locatable. 
2. There is a certain Feng-shui to a diaper bag.  It is a thing of beauty and peace when packed correctly.  But that work of art has a lifespan, which is the time it takes to walk from the house to the car.
3. There is always (at least) one child who tests the limits of the Chaos Theory with their chest of drawers or closet (or both). 
4. A neatly folded and orderly laundry basket has no bearing on which child ends up with those clothes.  
5. It is possible to wash all of one child's underwear and none of their socks and all of another child's socks but none of their underwear in a week's worth of laundry.
6. Everyone is so much happier on a trip of any duration when Daddy's "stuff" is in an independent bag rather than trying to force him to sort through four piles of female "stuff." (Ok, that could just be my family, but you get the idea.)
7. The amount of time you just spent holding a baby is completely unrelated to the amount of time they want you to hold them.
8. Children will always ask Mom if they can have a snack/go play outside/swim/etc, even if they are sitting on Dad's lap.
9. It is impossible to explain the logic behind underwear to a 10 year old.
10. Third children are so easy going because they have to be.  They are so extremely tough.  And they like their siblings best.
11. The smaller the human, the greater amount of materials they require.  (Thanks to Shannon Frederick for this one!!)
12. The baby always gets fussy when Daddy walks in from work.
13. Great ideas do not mean good implementation, especially any game related to bikes, skateboards, swimming pools and even adventure races.
14. Lists are the best coping mechanism God has given us.
15. Bathrooms may provide the happy place you are seeking,
16. Cleanliness may be next to godliness, but sometimes a nap instead of cleaning is heavenly.
17. Safety is best enforced, although generally it is also the most argued.
18. Sometimes, you just have to be absent when a need arises to be appreciated.
19. When something is resting on the stairs, it is invisible.  Especially if that something is supposed to be upstairs in the first place.  (Thanks to a Dad, Chris Archinal, for this one!!)
20. It is a well-known fact that your job as a parent is to say no.  Another equally well-known fact is it's the grandparent's job to say yes.
21. You can tell how well you've spent your time by how many smiles and hugs you've gotten in a day.

Mother of 3

I've been writing a lot lately.  The stuff I'm working on is book-related and I haven't felt like I need to condense it into blog format (yet).  I also don't have the time (see below).  School starts in a week and half so until then, I'm plugged in to write for about 2 hours a day, with generally 85% of that coming before 7:30 am.  What I've been working on is pretty heavy and while it is important, for my own sanity, I need to lighten things up.  Mostly because this life I lead is HILARIOUS.  I wish I could post all the crazy.silly.radical.ridiculous things my kids do, but again, see below (#4).  

For your digestion, here is a list of 10 things I've learned being a mother of 3.  I only have 6 months under my belt, but it's been eye opening.  Feel free to contribute in the comments - I know there are some multiple-kid Moms reading.  In short, I like it.  Not that I have much choice now, but it's really, really good.  Enjoy!

1. I'm THAT Mom.  On Monday, I handed the baby to a contractor who was out at the house giving me a quote.  Granted she wanted me to sign something and you can't do that with a wiggle worm in your arms, but still she was a complete stranger.  I didn't try and make it work.  She offered to hold her and I handed her over, no question.  Later, I marveled at it because I would have NEVER done that with Natalie; maybe even Sophia.  Things that used to rattle me don't so much anymore.  I know she will eventually feed herself, talk, walk, go to the potty, argue and go to school.  After all, I have 2 examples of just that.  I know she will be ok if I don't have a video monitor, just a regular old fuzzy one.  (In fact, the video monitor was making me paranoid.  I was losing sleep waking up to see if she was ok.  I had to give it up so I could sleep and be rational.)

However, those things that used to be pet peeves are major issues now.  I will inform you if you are making me or my child unhappy.  No more Mrs. Nice Mama Bear.

2. I don't wipe stuff off anymore.  Ok, I do.  In public.  But at home, not really.  I know how clean my floors are and if there are no visible signs of cat hair or dirt - said toy, bib or burp cloth is good to go.  It strengthens her immune system.

3. Rookie mistakes aren't just for rookies.  Case in point, yesterday I was playing with Ella, swinging her around and doing airplane.  I just kept on till she threw up on me.  The long string of spit-up/vomit hit a mere 1/4" from my mouth.  So gross.  You'd think by now I would know that was going to happen.  I have moments where where I just want to slap my forehead and say, "Stupid!  Don't you remember?" 

4. I'm not more tired than I used to be, but I am busier.  Like now, I look up and it's 3 pm.  Before, some days would drag, but no longer.  It's a constant blur.  I just hang on and let the clock blow dry my hair.  Kind of nice, no downtime.  I'm sure I'll regret saying that soon.

5. The Olders get more leash.  (To save time, I will henceforth refer to Natalie and Sophia as "The Olders.")  I can't harp on them or stand over them and in hindsight, never should have.  Now, they are learning that they will eventually get caught not doing what I told them to do: cause and effect in warp drive.  I'm pleased with how they are keeping up.  They don't fuss about discipline because I just make them do what they should have done in the first place, with less lecturing.

6.  It's not that I don't care about my looks anymore.  C'mon, I have a baby and the Olders.  If I want to write, workout and check email (which are my 3 personal goals for each day), I must wedge that between meals/feedings, laundry, doctor's appointments, playdates, other errands, shipment arrivals, grocery store and perhaps a few minutes to converse with my husband.  I like it when he says I'm pretty but I'm not going to hold it against him on days when I forget to shower (like yesterday).  When The Olders go back to school, hopefully I'll look better, but until then, there will be days when brushing my teeth is the extent of my beauty routine. 

7. The Olders personality quirks are magnified.  Things I only mildly made note of before are now on speaker.  Like Sophia asking questions: holy smokes that kid asks more questions - and about RANDOM stuff.  I have to work to keep up with her thought-train, I just try ride it with her and hold on.  The one I really like is Natalie's propensity to help.  I don't know what I would do without her willingness to change diapers, pick up the baby or just generally do things I ask.  She complains a bit, but being easy-going is another trait on steroids now.

8. I am more honest with The Olders.  I tend to tell them exactly how I feel about something without crafting it into "child language" - you know how we tend to soften things, pause before explaining or use kid-sized words.  I don't use profanity or anything, but I find myself using, for example, regular sized words.  Most of the time they get it and I think they appreciate my honesty.  Maybe they are secretly crying themselves to sleep, but if so, they are doing a good job of pretending to be well-adjusted and happy in my presence.

9. I've stopped trying to de-tantrumize The Olders.  In a house that is 80% female, I don't think tantrums will ever go away.  I like a good one about once a month myself.  I used to hang in there with The Olders: arguing, pointing out the superiority of my logic, trying to distract them - whatever.  Now, I largely ignore them.  Girls, see #4.  You want to throw a fit, great, do it in another room, don't break anything and keep the noise down.  I've found it shortens the tantrum cycle too.  I wish I'd learned this 9 years ago.

10.  I appreciate my family more.  They are the center of my universe and I just love them.  I catch myself looking at each girl's face everyday, breathless at how beautiful they are.  God really has created 3 magnificent masterpieces of girlhood.  They are all really well-behaved too.  They are kids/baby so we have issues, but overall - wow, I'm really blessed.  That goes for my husband too - I notice how thoughtful and handsome he is more now than I ever did before.  (Tell him I always did.  I don't want him thinking I was lacking in this area prior to baby #3!)

Our family is a great one.  I thank the Good Lord for it and look forward to growing (and laughing) about all this crazy life as a Mom of 3 has to teach me. 

A Funny Thing Happened on the Way (Back) to Italy....

Tons of you have let us know you've been praying for our return trip to Italy.  Your prayers were not only heard but answered.  The Lord was all over this trip, I knew it from the first moment at the airport.

(Thanks to my wonderful Dad who stayed with us till we got through security.  He might have even wiped his eyes when we went up to departures, I can't be sure.)

In honor of His faithfulness to us and yours as well, I thought I would put together a top ten list (with one extra!) of our amusing antics - or those of the people around us as the girls and I journeyed to Dave. (pictures included) 

1. We had two big issues before arriving at the airport.  a. Ella needed a ticket and b. the girls were sitting nearly 20 rows behind me.  When we checked in, both girls had been moved up next to me.  Yay!  However, it took KLM 43 minutes to fix the computer so I could pay the rate they quoted me on Thursday of last week (Yes, I timed it).  A few minutes later to check our baggage and an hour after arriving, we were onto security, which was a breeze.

2. When we got on the plane, we were sitting by the bulkhead.  We were seated next to a nice French couple with a 5 month old girl, who also used the baby bassinet.  The bassinets were so cute, just clipped right into the wall.  And we got to see our across-the-aisle neighbor's bottom crack, as he adjusted his luggage.  Sometimes track pants aren't such a good idea...

3. When we were getting arranged on the plane, an old man fussed at Sophia for not moving fast enough.  Never mind that she was obeying me to stay put till I got her baby sister settled.  If he'd have spoken English, he would have understood what I said back to him, but my hand gestures were no doubt enough. (Nobody messes with my children...)

4. Our unintentional sleep experiment got some interesting results.  Neither Natalie or I slept on the 9 hour flight and we were in better shape upon landing than Sophia, who slept for 2-3 hours.  Nats slept the entire length of the flight to Bologna, which was about 90 minutes, but Sophia and I stayed awake.  On landing, Nats was the mess.  As you might have guessed I didn't sleep, other than 1-2 minute cat naps, on either flight.  I was the best out of all of us but maybe I'm used to not sleeping. 

5. Thanks to Sophia, we are renaming Amsterdam to HAMSTERDAM.  I like it.

6. KLM is deadly serious about the safety of infants.  I am rather skeptical of their methods though, seeing as how I had to loop in a smaller lap belt onto mine and then strap it around Ella.  If you don't play along though, they get VERY annoyed.  I really don't see how this would keep babies safe in the event of an emergency (see picture) but I obeyed to avoid getting yelled at.

7. On the first leg of the journey, at takeoff, the 2 year old behind us was screaming for her mother.  When her father gave her over, she started screaming for him.  She fell asleep right about the time we hit altitude, then at some point threw up twice.  I'll let you extrapolate how I felt about this.

8. European women think babies will freeze to death at any temperature that's < 60 F.  When we were exiting the first plane, several flight attendants nearly tackled me to cover Ella, who was already pretty well wrapped in a blanket.  They kept saying "It's so cold for her!!"  It was 51 F.

9. Finally got to see the Alps as we were flying over (see picture).  It was a breathtaking view of God's wonderful creation.

10. If it wasn't for the sweet young woman sitting next to me on the leg to Bologna, we might not ever gotten to Dave, who was waiting on the other side of baggage claim.  With all the luggage we brought, including Ella's car seat, I desperately needed a cart.  Unfortunately, I had no Euros!  So, I humbly explained our predicament while we waited and she graciously gave me a 1 Euro piece.  We were able to load up and get out.  (Semantics note: luggage carts in Europe are called trolleys.)

Here's the bonus round (and I saved the best for last.)  This was how Natalie fell asleep on the second flight....

And this was Sophia's response....

We are glad to be "back," as much as we miss Houston.  In the words of Natalie tonight at dinner, "I like our Italian house, but I love our Houston house..."  Truer words have never been spoken.  More to come from the Traveling Vogels!

A View from the Piazza

Howdy Friends!

We are finally set up in Italy.  Vonage is working, Skype is active, internet is alive and we both have cell phones.  We've made it through 3 days of homeschooling (first one was in the States on Monday) and are somewhat caught up on sleep.  Life is beginning to start again after being so wrapped up in the move.  I'm sure we have many adventures to come, starting tomorrow when we explore our town in the daylight (gets dark about 4:45 pm here), so this post is to share come anecdotes about our travels thus far.  Our main goal tomorrow is to get gelato and maybe have lunch/dinner out.  Our goals are not lofty, but they are important.  There is supposedly a Christmas market in town too, so maybe we will find that and contribute some of Dave's hard-earned American Euros to the local economy.

Here are a few stories from our 2 1/2 days here, hope you enjoy!

1. The Dutch do not get my analogies.
We were targeted for a marketing survey while resting in the KLM business class lounge in Amsterdam (Dave and I both SUCKER tattooed on our foreheads.)  The very nice (and not surprisingly blonde) service rep was asking us questions (which is humorous in itself as neither of us travel regularly enough to really be of use).  One of my responses was "Oh, that's icing on the cake."  I got a blank stare back as she was trying to process what I'd said and I caught Dave smirking out of the corner of my eye.  I back-tracked and explained that I meant that amenity made the lounge all the better.  It was a good example that my skill at painting mental pictures doesn't translate well.

2. Laundry is done everyday hour.
You might think this is because we have a lot of clothes.  Not so.  I've washed what would equal 1 load in my washer in the States since 6:30 am yesterday morning.  That's because our washing machine is about the size of a small handbag.  The machine isn't really the problem.  My struggle is the lack of dryer and the consistent rain so I can't use the laundry line outside.  So, we've had all manner of Dave's personal items drying around - the fastest time on the radiator, but that makes them a little crisp, so you have to watch them.  I should get my American Texan sized drying rack next week in our air shipment so I'll be able to keep up.

3. Learn to live without TV.
Since our TV is rather small (think your grandmother's/parents' from 1990) and we don't have a couch, not to mention no English channels - we are occupying ourselves without the boob tube.  Today, the girls and I didn't wake up till noon (conquering jet-lag, finally!), so between homeschool and meeting Dave after work, it was not needed.  Right now, we are sitting around with Dave and I on the computers, Nats is reading on her Nook and Sophia is coloring.  I guess Sophers is the only non-techno geek at the moment.  But I think that will be good.  We've eaten 2 dinners at the kitchen table, all together, so this is kind of like re-orienting to family life.  We watched a lot of TV in the States, so this will only force us to be together.  For better or worse.

(On a side note, we do get MTV, which is all music videos (and in English).  But we can't leave that on when children are around because a lot of videos are, to say the least, not appropriate).

4. There are some (mostly humorous to Dave) quirks about the house.
I say they are funny to him because he lived in the house for 10 weeks alone, so he has already figured all of these out.  For instance, as I went to cook my first dinner in our kitchen, I didn't realize you had to lift the glass top off the burners.  Also, the toilet handles are not actually on the toilet, but on the wall (above and sometimes on a totally different wall) and about 1 ft by 1 ft.  And our electric recliner requires electricity to recline.  And we could blow out our breaker box with too many lights on.  Our shower doesn't quite work like a shower, more like a bath with a shower handle.  The bathtub is 5 ft by 3 ft, so later in my pregnancy I'm going to need someone to haul me out of it.  I'm sure I'll find some more to add to his collection of jokes.

5. Excellent preparation does not make up for poor execution.
Several of my friends and family know this story already, even though it happened just last night.  Our plan was to take the bus to Dave's work, then go with him to by some essentials (including a hair dryer, which is not on his list, but most certainly on mine).  He sent me the following email before we got on the bus, and I laughed it off because really, I knew the exact time the bus was coming and how hard could it be?

OK, to make sure we are covered on all the bases, if you were to miss the bus, just go head and go back home and after the bus goes by at Auchan's and you don't get off, then I will go home and meet you.  If you happen to be on the bus and miss the stop at Auchan's or whatever else goes wrong that you couldn't make the stop at Auchan's, then just go ahead and finish the bus route at the bus stop and wait there.  If you didn't get off the bus at Auchan's and I go home and you weren't at home, then I will go to the bus stop.  If you aren't at any of those locations, then I will panic and swim to Croatia.

Turns out, several different bus lines pull up to our stop within a minute of each other.  We arrived at the bus stop 30 minutes ahead of schedule (first mistake) because I didn't believe that the stop was so close to our house (second mistake).  So, we walked around the town for awhile.  When the bus arrived I didn't look at the front to see which one it was (3rd strike, you're out!)  As the bus pulled away, Natalie asked me if our bus was the "99."  It didn't occur to me that was wrong and we should have been on the 2A.  As a result, we ended up in the town next door (which is where Dave first stayed and is gorgeous).  We completely missed our rendezvous point with Dave and he began his search.  I asked a kindly Italian woman for help (she did speak some English and turns out most Italians are quite helpful) and her advice was the ride the bus back around to the station.

The station, interestingly enough, is less than 1/4 mile from our house, but we got back to our original stop first and got off there.  Even though I'd laughed off Dave's plan A, B and C, we did go back to the house.  I found a note from Dave, who had been there about 6 times in his search.  I also called my Dad on Skype because I thought he could help me get a hold of someone over here as I'd locked out the cell phone Dave loaned me when I couldn't guess the PIN number.  His advice was to sit tight, so we did and Dave showed up a few minutes later.

After lots of tears, profuse apologies and many hugs (on my part) I was calm again.  Dave didn't make me the butt of any jokes to his coworkers who we met up with later and hasn't breathed a word of this to anyone.

He is awesome and I am thankful for the quality of husband and father God has given me.  All of these experiences so far (like I said, more to come) have revealed how much he has grown as a man and how much the Lord has worked in him in his time away from us.  I wish I could say I grew a lot while he was gone, but I think that is the next phase.  Nothing like being completely away from everything familiar to force that kind of growth!

We face complex challenges (lack of visa and language skills not withstanding) but the Lord is here.  He is keeping us together and safe, bringing us to a country with a purpose He will reveal.  Until that time, I'm just going to enjoy and keep busy - the latter will be a lot easier in 3 months time when our 3rd arrives.

Then Dave will have his "four of a kind" and we will definitely have a full house.

Buona Notte from Fano, although I know you in the States have a few hours left till happy hour.  Toast your new-Italian friends and I'll have some pictures ready to share next week.

Comedy from the Pew

I've gotten the feeling lately that this blog has become a bit of a downer.  No one has said that, I just feel like I mostly focus on the struggles I have in my faith and life.  As a result, it seems a little too heavy to me.  Hopefully you don't think that way, but I wanted to, for today, mix it up.

You see, we love hilarity here.  In both my biological and marital families can find something to laugh about in ANY situation.  And I mean any.  Sometimes it is wildly inappropriate and that just makes us laugh all the harder.  It's kind of scandalous to me sometimes just how much we laugh when I think we should be crying.  Perhaps that is our coping mechanism, but it is something I'm not about to change.  As Dolly Parton said in Steel Magnolias, 

Laughter through tears is my favorite emotion!

Now, I'm no comedy writer, but I do find that I'm pretty good at describing my children's exploits.  They happen all the time, but some of Dave and I's most memorable guffaws have happened during church.  And religious/church humor, next to Dana Carvey, is my most favorite type.  So, here begins my chronicling of how ridiculous things get at church for us.  This is the top five, for now.  I'm confident there will be more.  There are times when it is all I can do to contain my laughter and sometimes I'm just mortified.  I'll let you guess in the stories below what my reaction was to each.

(By the way, Communion Sunday seems to be the catalyst for most of our stories.  I don't know why one of the most sacred acts in the Church is often punctuated with my children acting like loons)

1. In Trindad - as in the U.S. - the church we went to had communion every 1st Sunday.  Natalie and Sophia were pretty young 4 (going on 5) and 1 (going on 2) when we moved.  At this particular church, they served ritz-like crackers for bread and grape juice out of tiny, plastic communion cups, which were passed around on trays.  It never failed, Natalie would eat her cracker like Tom Hanks ate baby corn in the movie Big (see below video for visual) and try to shoot the grape juice like Tequlia.  Sophia would take a handful of crackers as the plate passed by and more than once, we caught her licking the inside of the communion cup like a dog, to get the last drops of juice.

2. At our home church, they provide coloring pages for kids to have something to do during the services.  Attached inside the folder are plastic bags with colored pencils.  To make matters worse, the flooring underneath the pew is tile.  Do you know how loud it is when a kid drops all those pencils on the floor during the silent prayer time?

3. On a related note, we were visiting a church recently in which the sanctuary sloped downwards towards the altar.  Being the smart parent I am, I had brought a bag of activities, again including coloring pages.  I've learned my lesson though - we only bring crayons.  However, again during the prayer time, Sophia dropped at least one crayon.  We were sitting in the back of the church and that crayon rolled all the way down to the front.  (We even had to try and retrieve it after the service.  No such luck there.)

4. Last Sunday, we went to my parents' church.  They are communion stewards there, so I expected that although we were not in their service, all stewards were trained in the ways of giving communion to young children by just saying "Jesus loves you" and avoiding the prescribed liturgy of saying it's the Body and Blood of Christ.  Apparently not.  When Sophia's turn came around, the man handed her a piece of bread.  She blanked on what to do with it so they stopped the flow of the line to instruct her on taking communion by intinction.  It took awhile for her to get the concept of dipping the bread in the juice but she finally got it.

But the crowning moment was after she dipped her bread and we went back to her seat.  We sat down and presented me with her not-yet-eaten and elongated piece of juice-soaked bread.  With a look of horror, she asked me, "Is this REALLY blood???"  She didn't take communion that day.

Last but not least....my favorite....All Saint's Day

5.  Last Sunday was also the day the Methodist Church took to celebrate those saints who passed away this last year.  As the minister was reading through the names, Sophia leaned over in a panicked voice and said:

"Old MacDonald died!?!?!?!?!"

Unexpected Moments

The Lord has a wicked sense of humor.

Last night, as Sophia and I were getting some things at our local grocery store after her dance class, the lady checking us out said "Oh, my goodness!  That is the cutest haircut!"

Lately, Sophia has been wearing her hat only to school and dance (and she promptly takes it off in the car after both), and I've talked about how big a deal her hat is.  So this was an unexpected and nice surprise.  Sophia and I looked at each other and smiled but we didn't tell.  The lady then asked me if Sophia had liked that we cut her hair that short.  I said, "Well, she likes it a little longer."  We both thought that was really cool, but Sophia hates attention like that, so I couldn't tell HOW much she took that unexpected, but welcome, comment to heart.  Until this morning.

As usual, we were getting ready for school and like every Mom in town, I was pushing to get in the car.  In helping Sophia put on her sweater, I asked, like I always do "Are you wearing a hat today?"  I was fully expecting to follow up with my usual, "Ok, then you better go get it."  Then I got another unexpected moment when she said, "No."

She said it like she hadn't been going to school with a hat, obsessively, for the last 3 months.  I thought "Ok, Amy, don't make a big deal about it.  Just go with it."  I did tell her, calmly, as I've told her before, that when she doesn't wear a hat to school, lots of people will comment about it.  She said, "No they won't."  I tried to assure her but she seemed fine.

She was a little quiet in the car, but the anxiety hit full force when she got out.  She started to cry and said "Mommy!  Please go get my hat!!"  In the middle of the car pool line, with about 20 cars behind us because the first bell had already rung, I jumped out and, as calmly as I could (which wasn't all that calm) tried to assure her.  I told her I couldn't get her hat but I could walk her into school.

(Thank you Lord for some presence of mind!!)

I parked the car and walked her in.  We talked a little bit, her big fear was that people would say she looked like a boy (because two little boys that we know have made that comment.)  I asked her when we started listening to them and she tried to smile.  But I could tell she was afraid up to her eyeballs.

We passed without incident (Sorry, Ms. Shenker if you are reading this.  I didn't have time to check in with the office and get a badge....I hope you understand!) until the Pre-K hall, when her teacher from last year saw me.  I gave her look and she came out to see.  She nearly started crying, which made the magnitude of what was happening and just how brave Sophia was being, hit me between the eyes.

I got her to her class and her teacher, who is so wise, Looked At Me.  I said, "She's a little nervous about it" so she just said, "Sophia, I'm very proud of you."  Then swept into normal routine.  God Bless Ms. Harrell - she is amazing.  Especially when she got within an inch of a boy's face when he started laughing when Sophia finally walked into class.  I didn't hear what she said, but she said it in what I imagine was such a voice, he might have feared for his life.  He certainly wasn't laughing after that.  And I Thanked God again for what a wonderful teacher He has blessed us with.  Sophia has a lion in a 5'2' Kindergarten teacher's clothes on her side.

What made it easier was when a little boy asked me what happened to Sophia's hair.  He said, "Did you cut it last night?"  She and I looked at each other again and smiled.  It took Sophia a little while to get relaxed enough for me to leave.  And I bawled all the way out of the school.  My best friend said it was like the day I left them at day care for the first time.

I'm sad/happy/proud/scared all at the same time.  I pray it will turn out as non-eventful as those first days in another's care.  I pray that what I told her will be true - that people would just make a comment and that would be the end of it.  It's a big deal for us, but just something pretty cool for them.  I also asked her to call me after my Mom picks them up today for a sleep-over.  But more than that, I pray it is so normal a day that she will forget to call me.

This seems harder to do than all those trips to the clinic.  More heartbreaking than all those pokes.  More emotional than ever.  I don't know what it means yet, but I am SO proud of my girl.  She is so brave and I thank The Lord for her.

I read once that courage isn't the absence of fear, it is the willingness to go on in spite of the fear.  And by that definition, my girl is the bravest of persons I know.

In case you are crying like I have been, let's get back to the funny part.  I have always known there would come a day when my nearly-pajama like (or worse) school dropoff outfits would get me into trouble.  I don't have to walk the girls in so I just go in literally, whatever. 

So, in another unexpected moment - I get in the car wearing brown furry boots (think uglier than UGGs), with hot pink sweatpants (the legs tucked into the boots), a black t-shirt and my husband's Texans fleece pull-over which is at least 2 sizes too big.  No makeup and wet hair pulled back into a ponytail.  It is possibly, in 3 years of school-drops, the WORST outfit I've ever worn.  Dave laughed hysterically when I told him.

Since I had to walk the entire length of school and see numerous people like this, it was God's way of keeping me humble.  Dave's comment was, "Good thing the news crews weren't there this morning!"  Total fashion humiliation that I was obviously not prepared for.

Thank you Lord for my girl.  I will praise You till the end of time for Your work in and through her.

And thank you for the wake-up call.

I'll put on jeans next time.