Friends and Family

What a joy it's been the past couple months to spend time with Sarah, this lovely Korean woman, and pastor's wife. I help her practice and improve her English speaking ability, and she blesses me with her friendship and with lessons on preparing Korean food. We share what's in our hearts, what we're experiencing, what our challenges are...and we pray together. Each time, I come away encouraged and strengthened. What a tremendous blessing she is to me! I'm so thankful that God has knit our hearts together and helps us figure out how to communicate, even though I'm restricted by my inability to speak Korean, and she is limited in her usage of the English language. But it's like God's word declares: "Nothing is impossible with God." I continue to be amazed at the joy that fills my heart as God divinely appoints my days and hours.

And look at what else God did! He made a way for us to meet our newest grandson, Daniel, adopted from Haiti in December (just a couple weeks before the big earthquake hit Port-au-Prince).

While visiting our son and his family in B.C. we drove into Vancouver to spend some time with a precious uncle. It did my heart good to see him face to face again!

Do you see the resemblance? Haha! Grandpa needs to get out in the sun more, don't you think!? Just after I took this picture I noticed that the camera battery was dead, so that was the end of picture taking for this visit. Thankfully, John got some good shots of us with the kids; I'll have to see if I can get some from him.

PRECIOUS MOMENTS during this trip:

• Singing lullabies to the 3 youngest each night at bedtime,
• Having our car covered (blanketed, really) in pink blossoms on Sunday morning,
• Having Daniel come running and throwing himself into my arms,
• Night-time talks with Zach as I "tucked him in" (he even let me sing to him),
  
• Movie night with John & Kim,
• Visiting with Kim's parents and discussing majority world poverty and related issues,
• Searching for, finding, and playing with snails with Deanna,
• Extending Jacinda's hair by braiding in strands of yarn,
• Listening to Zach practice his piano lesson,
• Having the kids climb unto our laps during "evening devotions,"
• Hearing my dear uncle's voice again, and his gentle laugh,
• Basking in the friendship and hospitality of 3 sets of friends along the way: in Tacoma, Moses Lake, and Spokane.