Goodbye

We said goodbye to Tim today-- he's on his way to Tanzania for almost a month. While he's there he'll be joining a language survey and also doing some research for his MA thesis.

I'm not sure if it's fully sunk in yet that he'll be gone for so long. In our 7.5 years of marriage we've only been apart for a maximum of 5 days at a time. I could probably count those separations of 3-5 days apart on one hand! I'm sure some of you think we're wimps or codependent or something, but our family philosophy has always been to do our work together-- that we're BOTH missionaries working on the same team. And Micaiah, too, for that matter. She's a part of our family and we want her to understand why we do what we do.

Yet, there was no way we could justify the expense of us going with Tim, especially considering we'd just spend most of our time in a guesthouse somewhere in Tanzania. We would be in the way on the survey and only distract him from his research. Still, a part of me was so sad seeing Tim get into the queue at the airport knowing I wouldn't be going with him!

Safari njema, Timo. Tutaonana mwezi ujao, Mungu akipenda!

-JLR
ps... I told Tim he could post on here from Tanzania if he wanted and/or was able... just a heads-up to watch for who is writing each post so you're not confused!

Camping Trip

I've been really bad about posting pictures in the past few months. Here are a few from our camping trip to Johnson's Shut-Ins State Park in SE Missouri. Micaiah was an awesome helper as we set up our tent. We went with my sister/brother-in-law and a bunch of friends, so there were plenty of friends for Micaiah to play with! The park had been flooded a few years ago and just opened up this spring. We could still see where the flash flood had gone through and destroyed so much of the beautiful landscape. If you're not sure what Shut-Ins are, it's basically a part of the river where the water gets trapped. There are lots of huge rocks with water flowing over them and pouring into small waterfalls and pools... it's basically a naturally formed waterpark! On the way home we stopped by Elephant Rocks State Park. It's very close to Johnson's Shut-Ins and is basically the large rocks without water. So much fun to climb and explore! I think this is the famous "fatman's squeeze"... fortunately we all made it though just fine. :)
Thankfully Micaiah has a little superwoman in her blood... she held up these boulders, no problem!

-JLR

House-sitting

We had a great opportunity to house-sit for my sister and brother-in-law while they were out of town for their family vacation. I can't tell you how amazing it is to have breathing room for a few days and be able to cook for the 3 of us! It's hard to live with people constantly no matter how much you love them, so it's definitely not a slam against those who generously offer us their spare rooms or feed us meals. :)

Tim is counting down the days until his trip to Tanzania, so it was a good chance for him to work on his word lists without distractions. We were also able to get a few trip-related errands-- like getting his international driver's license-- done. Only a few more things to check off the list before he leaves in 11 days!

Anyone looking for a house-sitter? :)

-JLR

Patriotism

I went to a very disturbing 4th of July church service this year. There was almost a cult-ish feel for a good portion of the service as we (well, those around us anyway) sang songs that had nothing at all to do with God. In fact until about 3/4 of the way through the service I don't even know that I heard God mentioned specifically. Thankfully the final 1/4 of the service was more God-centered and we (all of us this time) sung songs of thanksgiving to God. Before you start to think I am being unfair or unnecessarily harsh, you should know that my in-laws felt similarly uncomfortable about much of the service, and it's their church.

One of the good things about such a disturbing service is that it has had me searching Scripture, praying and thinking about what true patriotism is. How can I thank God in a way that isn't idol worship or country worship? I spend a good portion of my year(s) outside of US borders, which makes it difficult to hold the same sort of national pride as my friends and family here. But I am thankful for my country. I'm thankful for those who have served and who continue to serve today in all levels of government and military.

Have you thought of these things? How do you maintain a healthy national pride without it crossing the line into unhealthy territory? (and that does NOT only apply to Americans!!!) Tim also found this LINK from Relevant Magazine that is very insightful.

-JLR

ps... I can't wait to see the rest of the World Cup games even though the US is out... go Netherlands!!!

Unpacking my suitcase...

... seems like a waste of time. I mean seriously, we're hardly in any one place for more than a week. The task usually consists of putting my clothes in a drawer only to pack them up a few days later. But there's something about feeling "moved in" that can only happen once your suitcase is unpacked and sitting in the corner. So I'm putting it to my readers... to unpack or not to unpack??

Also, does anyone have any tips on how to keep the toiletries bag functional? Travel-size shampoo bottles aren't really helpful when traveling for more than a couple days, but the full-size ones take up so much room. Plus the rest of the toiletries, the first aid kit, the general meds... it fills up fast.

Too much packing on my mind as we leave for KC tomorrow. :)

-JLR