A Good Kind of Tired

We have been enjoying travel across the state of SC, catching up with old friends and making new ones. We've had the opportunity to visit lots of churches and share what the Lord is up to in Paraguay. We've also gotten a few unexpected opportunities, such as putting in a plug for the Samaritan's Purse Operation Christmas Child shoeboxes.

Operation Christmas Child is a program where folks across the US and Canada pack shoeboxes with small toys, school supplies, socks, gloves, etc., and these boxes are shipped to needy children all over the world. We were privileged to see these boxes in action in Paraguay and mentioned that to the pastor's wife at the Smoaks Church after she announced that their members should begin preparing for stuffing the boxes. Well, we were in Shoney's a few minutes later when we ran into the coordinator of the shoebox project for that region, to whom we were introduced by this same pastor's wife. To make a long story short, we were invited to share our story and pictures with those attending the drop-in the next day, as unofficial representatives of the impact of the shoeboxes. :) What fun!

This weekend, we were invited to speak to a group of kids at a harvest festival in the upstate. These same children had sent Camille and Caroline some handmade cards a few months after we moved to Paraguay, and we were thrilled to thank them for their special kindness. We also got to join in on their hayride, which brought back tons of memories.

Catching up with family and old pals has been incredible. There are lots of folks who have really encouraged and supported us, participated in projects, prayed for us, and just basically been good friends. We've been trying to spend time with any we can, and have been thrilled to visit so many over a meal or in their homes. It's just so exciting to share what's been happening the past two years, and the vision for the next phase of our mission in Paraguay. We are all very tired from the running around (so many people and places, so little time), but it's a good tired. I'm feeling the crunch of how many things are still on the to-do list, and how many people on the wanna-see list. And we are, of course, missing some things and friends in Paraguay. All in all, I guess we're adjusting well and managing just fine, due in no small part to sweet friends and attentive family. Thank God for each of them!

Coming out of the Fog

I'm happy to report that all fevers have broken, the girls are recuperating, and I'm getting closer and closer to eating a whole plate of food at one sitting. I think we're coming along! I have to admit everything feels really NORMAL, like we never left, but at the same time it is a little overwhelming. I'm not really comfortable in crowds where everyone is speaking English. Wal-Mart is a bit much right now. I may need to visit the Mexican grocery store nearby and get a "fix" of Spanish. ;)

Yesterday, we visited our home church, Carolina Heights Christian Fellowship in Greenville, SC. It was great to see special friends and touch base. Unfortunately, we had to leave the girls in bed while we presented our "report" of the last two years, and they were quite disappointed to miss seeing everyone. We are heading down to the low-state in a couple of days, where we'll visit with my side of the family and a few churches in that area.

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We Made It!

Well, we are officially in the land of the free and the home of the brave. We had a fairly uneventful trip, except for the part about the girls and I having some crazy cold, complete with fevers and coughing and runny noses. Oh, yeah, and the fact that I got pulled out of the line at each flight, for a full pat-down and luggage inspection, EVERY TIME. I guess the camp t-shirt was a dead giveaway. Not sure if I looked like a security threat or if they thought the fevered look of a woman with a cold was some sort of ploy.

Either way, we landed in Atlanta and Ken's mom and sister and her three kids (who have grown like weeds) drove us back to Greenville. My fever has broken, but the girls are having a terrible time of it. It's pretty impossible to enjoy the yummy foods we've been dreaming of, but I'm sure there will be plenty of time for that. We just regret that no one feels strong enough yet to catch up with friends. We are only a few miles away from folks we've missed terribly, but sick kids oughta be in bed. So we'll wait on that, too. All in due time.

We will be speaking at our home church, Carolina Heights, tomorrow morning. If you're in the Greenville area, swing on by. If not, we'd sure appreciate the prayers as we fight these fevers and get reacquainted with the world above the equator.