West (and North) Before East

So we went west, to California, before we head east. We plan to go north, too, to Arlington and Somerville, MA, and not-so-far west to Superior, CO before mid-August and our launch. Our commitment service gets closer, too, but we plan to do Power in the Spirit in Salem first. Adam and Austin were one of the main reasons for the trip, and definitely the cutest. Well, ok, we were very glad to see the others, too, including Marta, Laura and Andy, Drew and Ellie, Jen and Derek (who were really generous with their boys' time).


We listened very carefully to Pastor Becker at church, since he was speaking directly to us (oh, and maybe to the others who were at Trinity on Sunday, too). When you are called, say the lessons, you have the choice to hear the call or hear the world. That's freedom. But don't let freedom become self-indulgence. We think we've been called, and we'll stay that course until we hear that we're not. Erika told us that right from the beginning, if we'd have listened.

And now we're back to packing, and arranging, and cleaning, and.... We remember good times with all of those folks on the west coast, and look forward to more good times before we go and after we get there. We are grateful for your prayers, and be sure they are returned, for good, for y'all.

Blessings and grace.

Move Along, Nothing to See Here....

Because there's nothing to see, we've posted no pictures with this episode. We've packed some more boxes, chosen a moving and storage company, found a buyer for the Odyssey, held a garage sale, donated the leftovers to a thrift store, and on and on, but nothing very picturesque.

This is a real trial for old f- folks, at least old folks who have been in their house too long. How attached do you become to "stuff"? What does it mean to keep some things just because they have "sentimental value"? We've talked to a couple of ex-military folks who say that at about the second move overseas involving storage, they're starting to wonder why they stored that appliance that rotted out, or became obsolete, or why that box got into storage. And they were dealing with the government's money; we'll be storing by the pound at our own expense. Live and learn....

Obviously, we're still pointed at a mid-August departure for Bratislava, assuming no health considerations in the family dictate otherwise. Our fingerprints went in to the FBI today, so they can reassure the Slovaks that we're not terrorists. We're also still excited about the prospect of learning about a culture that is foreign to us in many ways beyond just geographics, and yet with people and ways of doing things that we expect will be too familiar (and too American) in many other ways. The new mega-mall with the Sheraton next door, for example. Now the new Rick Steves book that talks about Vienna and Bratislava teaming up to create an entrepreneurial corridor between the two cities with high rises and more mega-malls. Bratislava, the "new Berlin, only smaller." As Erika would say, we're not sure how we feel about that. And we haven't even gotten there yet!

So stay tuned, especially for posts with a little more graphic appeal. We head for California on Wednesday to meet our 7-month-old grand-nephews before, as Paula says, they're too busy with little league. That's precisely the problem we old f- folks have; time goes by too quickly to get everything done that needs doing. And we're not just talking about packing, either....
J&P

Messy

Messy. The house is messy as we pack things up, separate things to donate or put in a garage sale, store, or take. LIFE is messy, as we hear, suddenly, about our son-in-law's serious illness. Will we get everything packed? Where will God have us go?

The more things seem to be certain, the more they are uncertain. Still, we are directed to go somewhere. Right now we are still aiming for Slovakia, and we can only trust that we're pointed in the right direction. If not, I guess we'll be told!

Our commissioning service is scheduled for July 11 at St. Paul's, Hampton at 10:00 A.M. Y'all come! We're really looking forward to it. Meanwhile, if you have a yen to pack boxes, just let us know; we have plenty.