celebrate

Summer is a season of celebration in our family, as 3 out of us5 have birthdays,

and then of course, our home nation celebrates its birthday too!

left: Elise and Amy celebrate their 19th(!)  middle: Mark celebrates a few days later  right: July 4th

The birthday candles and the sparklers twinkle in the darkness, and I think about how much joy and wonderful good there is right here in the middle of being a family together. 

These celebrations are mile markers; reminders to look back with thanksgiving, grateful to the God of life, the One Who gives each breath, each smile!  And reminders to look forward with hope, to trust Him for the year ahead, full of unknowns, and full of opportunities to see His hand at work, faithful as the years are long!

center: Michael, Amy and Elise drive off to a day of work at camp   sides: Elise's sparkler photos

15

It seems like yesterday you were so small,

and today (is it true?) you are now 15.

Happy Birthday, Michael!

You have brought incredible joy to my life...

and to our whole family.

Your smile is ever-ready,

even when I assign onerous Geometry proofs,

and order you to take out the trash, 

there it is, 

that smile that lights up the room.

upper left: Michael flying r/c       upper right and bottom: regional archery competition

We're proud of your accomplishments:

of your aptitude and insatiable thirst for information about all things aeronautic,

for your precision in archery...and for shooting a 266 at State,

for your growing academic abilities.

We're thankful for your flexibility and positive attitude through so many transitions and losses,

thankful for your sincere care for others,

your desire to live honorably,

and to be pleasing to God.

That could give us no greater joy.

We admire the man you are becoming, Michael,

and pray God's blessing and goodness will rest on you all the days of your life.

I have no greater joy

 than to hear that my children 

are walking in the truth.

3 John 1:4

pull up a chair

When our children were small, 

they loved to come into the kitchen to help me.

They'd drag a chair over to the counter,

and they'd dump in the ingredients I measured out,

stir for a few minutes until their little arms got tired,

and then hop down to go and play while the food simmered and cooked.

2002 - the 3 junior associates helping in the kitchen

God lets us do the same thing.

He's measuring, working, preparing the feast,

tirelessly providing the direction and the materials

and graciously allowing us to pull up a chair

and have a hand in what He's up to

as He makes His Word known throughout the world.

He summons us to cooperation.   
We are honored in being given the opportunity to participate in His good deeds.   
Remember how He asked for help in performing His miracles.   
Fill the water pots, stretch out your hand, distribute the loaves.  

-Elisabeth Elliot

...for it is GOD who works in you, 

both to will and to work for His good pleasure.

Philippians 2:13

all quiet on the home front

Life in the U.S. is just not as exciting to blog about.

We see many of you on a regular basis, and you know what we're up to and how we're doing!

But for those of you who are going through withdrawal from more details,

the following is for you.

:)

**************

Elise and Amy have completed their first semester at college.  

They've worked hard, made friends,

and assimilated into a student body of 20,000 pretty smoothly

for a couple of MKs*.

(*MKs - missionary kids)

Amy and Elise pose in front of their dorm building with Mark's mom who honored us with a visit

They are pretty happy to be on break, but are already buying books for next sem.

Michael's finished his first semester of high school,

and has been using his extra time to play some disc golf,

learn archery, 

and cut into new foam board

to create small r/c planes perfect for the front yard.

Mark and Michael do a Saturday airplane build together

Michael flies his Mini Scout in the front yard

December in Georgia means that it's cotton-pickin' time.

I had never seen fields and bales of cotton before coming to Georgia!

  It also means that it's time to put up some Christmas lights,

Michael does the high parts for Mark who doesn't like heights...

 ...and to bake Christmas treats.

Time for family ping-pong tournaments...

  (with thanks to Sunju for the perfect-sized dining room table, 

and to A&J for the removable ping pong net!)

Though it's been a busy season for Mark in his work,

it's been a delight to hear the voices of all our kids laughing together again,

and to see Amy and Elise have the time to read

and practice driving, and exercise creativity.

And now it's almost time for Christmas...

for a remembrance of the coming of our Savior,

and a reminder to come and adore Him,

for He alone is worthy!

photo thanks to Kay Heritage ♥

We wish you all a season of joy!

Good news from heaven the angels bring,
Glad tidings to the earth they sing:
To us this day a child is given,
To crown us with the joy of heaven.
~ Martin Luther

 

another year of His faithfulness

It's that time again, to mark another year of God's faithfulness.

Two weeks ago I celebrated another birthday...very different from my last one,

but still so very good.

Michael's gift to me was a beautiful flowering plant...thank you, Michael!

By Amy's request, I'm recording some of it here for posterity.

How blessed I was by the loving remembrances of so many...

from my amazing extended family, 

and cherished friends who showered me with love.

I am unutterably blessed.

Thank you to each one of you who took time to send

 fun emails and texts and cards, singing to me at church, 

making time to spend with me, and all the other creative ways you found to bless me...

THANK YOU!!

One of my most treasured greetings came from the O. family in Davao (above)

whose only way to contact me was to message Michael on facebook

and to tell him to wish me a happy birthday.

Sweetness.

 To top it off, that evening Mark, Michael and I drove over to have dinner with Amy and Elise.

After dinner at the school cafeteria, we came back to their dorm room for cake and ice cream.

The subtle sign above (Happy Birthday to you in Tagalog!) 

greeted us in the hallway outside their room.  :)

  

And inside they had supplied more decorations.

That's my girls! ♥

 Together again

 And though without transportation, these girls had found ways to bless me with gifts...

a cute mug for my morning tea (thank you, Lise!)

 and a water color rendering of one of my favorite verses (thank you, Amy!)

Mark was behind the camera for most of the time, but Elise did catch us together too...

 NO CANDLES are allowed in the dorms,

so we got a little creative with glow sticks... ;)

Fun memories.

 It was over too soon,

but then, most good things are.

I am blessed,

content, and grateful.

"To it all we say, by His loving enabling, I trust.  

Let us be content with our Lord's will, 

and tell Him so, 

and not disappoint Him by wishing for anything He does not give."
~Amy Carmichael

is it worth it? part 2

"Is it worth it?  

I mean, moving your family overseas, giving up your good job?  

Do you think that what you do is worthwhile?  Like you make a difference?  

Is it worth it?"

In the last post we took a look at the second part of the question, so today let's look at the first part:

"Is it worth it?  I mean, moving your family overseas, giving up your good job?"

This move we took, to leave regular employment, to live by faith, and to transport our family to a foreign country, was a bit of a step of faith.  We really had no idea what we were getting into!  But we were convinced that God was leading us, and so what else could we do?  And the move resulted in amazing blessing for our family.  Together we left what was 'safe' to venture into the unknown, and together we watched God be faithful over and over again.  That bonds a family pretty tight.

So many missionaries, intent on doing something, 

forget that His main work 

is to make something of them.

-Jim Elliot

 

Worth it for our family

We had unique opportunities (read the past 4 years of our blog!) together that we'll always fondly recall. The community we lived in was close, and that gave us even more closeness as a family.  We struggled together with minor inconveniences, laughed together once they were over, and spent more time around the table than in vehicles on our way to events.  It was a rich environment offering unusual chances to learn, serve, work and play.  Our kids mused at one point how good it would have been to have arrived in Davao earlier in their lives!  It was worth it.

 Worth it in our marriage 

The move was healthy for our marriage, too.  Yes, every season of transition puts pressure on a marriage.  But once we had settled, we found that for the first time in our lives, we were truly working toward the same cause.  We worked with the same people, and I could visit Mark in his office at any time of the day without special permission and a visitor's pass (like at his former job!)  We found that we only grew in common goals, and that our marriage was strengthened through the change.

 Individual benefits

Not only was the move into missions good for our family as a whole, and for our marriage, but it was worthwhile for each of us individually. For Mark, this move into missions was not a flight of fancy, nor the whim of the moment.  I believe that it was a long-term calling which I, perhaps unwittingly, actually held him back from pursuing earlier in our marriage by my love of security.  He has never been so vested, so excited about any work he has ever done.  Though he still loves aeronautics, he never ever found such fulfillment in that industry.  He has been challenged, and his background and personal strengths have equipped him well to do exactly what he does.

For me, this move was a step of faith which God used to challenge me spiritually, and to reveal more of my need for Him.  Could I ask for anything better?  He's given me rich friendships with Filipinos who love Him and me, and with missionaries who love me for who I am, and for the fact that we are working together in service for Him.  He's faithfully provided all I need, and given me opportunities to share with others who have so very much less than I. How rich is that?  He's opened doors for me to do work I've never done before, and I can see even more opportunities in the future that look incredibly interesting to me.  Yes!  It's been worth it.

For Amy, it confirmed her early frugal bent, and provided her with a plethora of ways to find inventive ways to be creative, which she never would have needed to employ in this land stocked with every craft supply you could dream of.  It opened the door for her to play competitive sports at the high school level, to make friends in a multicultural community, and to play her flute and ply her pen and learn contentment in a world away from the materialism of America.

For Elise, it fulfilled an early calling that she felt to become a missionary - long before she knew that we were considering missions.  As someone who had strong sentimental attachments, it gave her the grounds to grow in holding the things of this earth less tightly.  Elise had opportunities to use her artistic skills in ministry, doing both graphic design work and photography in ways that blessed other missionaries around us.  Like Amy, she had opportunities to play high school music and sports, and to grow beautiful multicultural friendships.

For Michael, it shaped his world view. He was overseas during some of the most formative years of his life. He's not entirely at home in the US where you have to use cross walks and seat belts, and there's no rice at McDonald's.  He had a community where he was free to come and go on his own.  He was friends with everyone, from the local grave diggers to the local guards, from poor kids in rags sporting smiles just as bright as his, to wealthy kids so rich they had their own chauffeurs.  He has learned early that material stuff can be unnecessary baggage, and that friendships make you rich.  I think it's been worth it.

Millions have never heard of Jesus. We ought not to ask, 

"Can I prove that I ought to go?' but, 

"Can I prove that I ought not to go?";

-Charles Spurgeon

 

So, what do you think?  

Could this sort of decision be just as worth it for you?