Sunday, April 21, 2013

Sweet Goodbyes


We are preparing for our first trip back to Asia in a long time and since we will be traveling alone we decided to take a couple days to make some memories as a family camping. The kids love to camp!  Our first family camping trip was a few weeks before Christmas at a State Park only minutes from our home and when it was time to leave, Jadynn cried and so did Jr. because they had such a great time.   On our way home from that camping trip we promised our kids and ourselves that we would do it again soon.   It's April now and we just might have experienced the very last of the the "cool" nights in Florida before the summer sets in. We saw all kinds of animals, had a fire and s'mores, discovered new things and walked nature trails and spent some quality time together.
One of our favorite memory was sitting around the camp fire singing and talking when we were nightly visited by a friendly Raccoon.  Jr. made a "meow" sound every time he saw him (he thought he was a cat) and Jadynn tried to chase him away since he was after our food.  One evening, he climbed up at our table and helped him self to a cup of hot chocolate!  We couldn't believe it, he was like a member of the family.

This month we will travel to Asia and spend some time with co-workers and friends while also taking care of logistics in the city where we used to live.  We hope to be an encouragement and blessing to those who are living overseas and are working hard on Language study and others who are moving into the next phase of their work.  Our Asian friends seem to have spread out to many different provinces and cities since we saw them last, but thankfully we are still in touch and will make an effort to connect with them during our travel in and out of the country.

As we say goodbye to our sweet children for two weeks, staying in Atlanta with grandparents, we also are returning to Asia in some ways to say goodbye to a season in our lives.  We are very hopeful for what the future holds, yet we also wanted to bring a sense of closure to what has been a long and challenging time for us as a family.  He has good plans and we trust that in the perfect timing we will be able to return to the work that we feel so passionate about (if it is His will) and in the meantime we are resting in Him and praying for contentment with what He has asked of us here.

Jadynn and Jonathan Jr. are growing so fast and we are so happy to be their parents.  Here are some recent pics of the past few months...Enjoy!
Our nature girl
Jr. made this tree branch into a bouncing horse

Jadynn practicing ballet and teaching brother how to bow

We love camping!!
Easter Sunday




Wednesday, March 20, 2013

All Things New

For quite some time now I have been thinking about this verse from the good book, "Behold, I am making all things new." It refers to the time at the end of this age when the Son will come and reign.

The idea of making all things new strikes me all the time. I just keep thinking about the beauty of it. That which is broken will be fixed, sickness healed, unjust made right, sorrow to gladness and death will give way to life. It must be because of all the brokenness that I am confronted with, from silly things like brand new clothes getting stained, things breaking down and becoming useless, to relationships that are strained or seem to fall apart.

We all yearn to be delivered from the old, broken, dying world where we live, don't we?

The good news is we can be delivered now!

We don't have to wait.

When we say no to the wrong we do,
and yes to the life He offers and trust
in the sacrifice already made on our behalf,
the process begins.

We are brand new!

It is a process that I have seen both my brother and sister go through recently and I cannot describe the excitement that they have because they are new creations. While it's true we are still "stuck" in this body with its wrong desires, we cannot go back to being old again. A whole new person is born and there is a desire to learn, grow, and change into the image of the one who created him/her.

Even still, my soul longs for the time when I will be free from the struggle in my self against, well, my self. I want to see Him make all things new.



The happy newlyweds. Rick and Pam.

My sister Renee. Together again!