…But we are back in Iceland with VISAs. Here’s a recap of what we had to go through in the last 3 days: 1. 1. Three hour train ride from Jyvaskyla to the capital: Helsinki, Finland. Colby’s backpack broke. Had to shop for another one in the Helsinki mall and transfer everything into it. 2. 2. Hellsinki Airport. Got into the slowest line at Czech Airlines. Finally it is our turn at the check-in counter. We find out we are only allowed to check 80 kilos and we are required to check our Read More
Meet the Pauls
We met the Pauls in April of 2008 at our interview conference. They were pure-bred Californians deciding whether to serve in Indonesia or Finland. Since our church was doing work in Indonesia, I tried to persuade them to go to there. They decided Finland. We went back to our separate coasts, packed up our lives, rented out our homes, and reunited in August in Richmond at our training center. For 9 weeks we shared meals together, sat together every day for our sessions, and bonded through Read More
13 months and 9 days…
The moment came at the perfect time. We were at the home of Irma, an amazing Finnish woman who glows with the presence of God and who owns a lovely piece of property in the outskirts of town. We had just sat down for afternoon coffee with her and our dear friends here, the Pauls, when Darcy busted in the front door from playing outside screaming, “I have to go POO-POO!” Colby got up to help her when I heard his phone ring. My stomach immediately dropped and the Finnish fancy cake I was chewing Read More
Adventures in Scandinavia, Part 1
In Iceland, people are serious about catching rays when the summer sun shines (since it's so rare). It’s almost as if people just collapse wherever they happen to be when the sun peeks out. One time, I looked out my window and saw a full-grown man lying prostrate on a piece of grass beside the bank parking lot. I love to see the Icelandic people enjoying the warmth of nature and not taking it for granted. Naturally, here in Finland I want to soak up every last bit of summer. Yesterday, I Read More
Gorgeous Girls
Psalm 139
(Cuddling in bed reading this psalm to my girls in pajamas):1 O LORD, you have searched me and you know me. 2 You know when I sit and when I rise; you perceive my thoughts from afar. 3 You discern my going out and my lying down; you are familiar with all my ways. 4 Before a word is on my tongue, you know it completely, O LORD. 5 You hem me in—behind and before; you have laid your hand upon me. 6 Such knowledge is too wonderful for me, too lofty for me to attain. 7 Where can I go from Read More
Ever After..
My husband wrote this on our anniversary: Today is our 8th Wedding Anniversary. It's always hard to believe we are getting older, but we are edging ever closer to ten years of marriage and that is unfathomable. These are the moments we say, "time flies" or "before you know it," hoping to capture in words our sense of the fleeting nature of life. I must say...I like marriage. Not so much because either of us are very good at it, but precisely because we are not. There is nothing more rigorous Read More
My Week in Status Updates
Annie is: amazed that all we really need to survive anymore can be packed into 4 suitcases.Annie is: watching a Finnish TV station with Colby who is trying to imitate the new sounds (His response when he saw me watching him: "Oh sorry...I was just thinking about Diphthongs.") Annie is: APPALLED to hear that you have to PAY to use public bathrooms here.Annie is: attempting to blow-dry and curl her hair in the kitchen using the reflection in the microwave as a mirror because the only outlet Read More
Living on Poo-Poo
When our Finnish friend first told us, I didn't believe him. "We live where?" "Poo-poo-hoo-dante," he said again. The girls went nuts. (Darcy, of course) "So, who lives on Pee-pee?" (roaring laughter from her and Haley). I guess there are worse things to have as your street name. Honestly, I could care less what this thing is named...I can walk out our door and take my next step into the woods. And then my next step is on a trail that wraps around a beautiful lake. The leaves are Read More
The Treasure Principle
Randy Alcorn's book The Treasure Principle is a gold nugget. It is a concise, readable, inspiring, and challenging message about the source and practice of generosity. It is full of challenging anecdotes and colorful points to ponder for anyone who wants to experience the joy of breaking free from the bondage of materialism.Well for our faithful blog readers (actually only for those with a U.S. address) ... We have a deal for you! The first 30 people to send an e-mail with there address to Read More
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“Remember He is the artist and you are only the picture. You can’t see it. So quietly submit to be painted” -CS Lewis