Thoughts on Quimby

In my class, I had to reflect upon a life event. Thought I'd share it here, since so many of you followed our "Quimby saga". :) Just a snippet of what God taught me through it all.

In the fall of 2008, my husband Marc and I became landlords. We moved into the parsonage of the church where I worked, and we decided to rent out the house we had bought as a newly married couple.  The house was nothing special, but it was something we had carefully decorated, updated, cared for and held many special memories for us. When time came for a new lease and another month's rent, we discovered the woman on the lease was in jail, had others living there who didn't have rent money and the house was completely trashed. What followed included phones calls to lawyers, locksmiths, a dumpster to remove all the trash, gutting the kitchen, insurance claims, thousands of dollars that we certainly didn't have, every single free night and Saturday we had for about six months and asking help from family, friends, and our church.

As we filled the dumpster with loads of trash I kept asking how in the world people could live this way. How could she let her children color in permanent marker all over the walls and ceilings? How could she let other people live there who couldn't pay? Why were there eleven mattresses in a three bedroom house?  How could she let a leaky faucet ruin an entire kitchen and never correct the simple problem? How could she sell lawn mowers and other things out of the garage that didn't belong to her ? How could she allow drugs, alcohol, tobacco and pornography to exist in the same home as young children? How could she break doors, put huge holes in the walls, ruin all the carpet and wood floors and never think about the damage she was doing to us? How could she be so completely selfish, neglectful, filthy, ignorant, broken and utterly disgusting?

As Marc and I were the landlords of a simple, one hundred year old house, God is much more significantly the landlord of the earth, and the creator of all life.  He gave us the responsibility of caring for his world and one another.

Genesis 1:29-31 ²⁹ Then God said, “I give you every seed-bearing plant on the face of               the whole earth and every tree that has fruit with seed in it. They will be yours for food. ³⁰             And to all the beasts of the earth and all the birds in the sky and all the creatures that        move along the ground—everything that has the breath of life in it—I give every green plant for food.” And it was so.

³¹ God saw all that he had made, and it was very good. And there was evening, and there          was morning—the sixth day.

 We are God's people, yet we have acted and continue to act like the renters of our Quimby house. We are completely selfish, neglectful, filthy, ignorant, broken and utterly disgusting. Does God not have every right to ask us the questions I wanted to ask of my renter? How can we continue to live this way? How can we do so much damage to ourselves, others and the world and not think of the damage we do to our Lord? We have taken the good gifts of God and exchanged them for unworthy imitations.

“There is no one righteous, not even one;
¹¹ there is no one who understands;
there is no one who seeks God.
¹² All have turned away,
they have together become worthless;
there is no one who does good,
not even one.”

^{Romans 3:11 - 12}

It took longer than I care to admit for me to forgive my renter. The anguish she caused and my disgust at her lifestyle were overwhelming and I am not sure she has any idea what her actions did. It felt good to be furious with her. I needed a direction for my wrath and anger, and she was the natural recipient. In my mind, she deserved my judgment and unforgiveness.

God's wrath also needs a direction and we are the natural recipient. We deserve God's judgment and have no right to be forgiven, but instead he imputed the guilt of our sin to Christ, and we are declared righteous in his sight.

"But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us." Romans 5:8

We all, like sheep, have gone astray,
each of us has turned to our own way;
and the Lord has laid on him
the iniquity of us all.  Isaiah 53:6

Our sin and brokenness is so much worse than a simple ruined kitchen and marker on a wall. God's wrath is much more severe than our anger as landlords of the ruined house. Yet, the awesome gift of God's grace is more than we can comprehend. His love for his people is deeper, wider, higher and more intense than we can fathom.

"Your love, Lord, reaches to the heavens,
your faithfulness to the skies." Psalm 36:5

I will not forget the feelings I experienced through the discovery of the trashed house, the rebuilding and restoration of it and finally the selling of it. It will serve as a reminder of the amazing reconciliation to God that has been offered to us through Christ. Praise be to God!

Izzy Fighter

http://fightingforizzyauction.wordpress.com/about/

This is a link to an online auction for friends of mine, Molly & Kendrick. Their 4 year old daughter, Izzy, is fighting stage 4 cancer. She's fighting for her life. They should be getting results tomorrow from a bunch of scans they did today to see how effective the chemo has been. Please pray for Izzy, Molly, Kendrick & older brother Carter. If you have a few dollars to spend or are looking for a gift for someone, head over to the auction & see what there is!

GIve Thanks

I've missed more than a couple days of Giving Thanks! Let's catch up:

* I'm thankful for my new little one, Geneva Claire!

* I'm thankful for my husband, who works so hard at work and then still comes home and gives, gives, gives. He even takes a turn at night holding Geneva, changing her, etc.

* I'm thankful for how well Isaac and Hope have adjusted to having a baby around! They love her and always want to hold her, kiss her, etc.

* I'm thankful for our family - both blood & church - getting meals delivered is AMAZING! While I feel pretty good and have gotten out of the house a few times, I'm not ready to go to the grocery store, let alone try to cook something when we're no where near on a schedule and I'm exhausted. It's truly a blessing. And man, people in our church can cook! I'm going to be requesting some recipes.

* I'm thankful that Marc has had some great conversations about our move to Tanzania with his principal and administrators. I'm thankful for all the support and encouragement we've received since we've told people about our plans. While some people might think we're crazy, not many people have told us that to our face.

* I'm thankful for my volunteer leaders at church. Maternity leave would not happen without ALL of them. Everyone has been so willing to step in so that I can have a few weeks at home with my family. I am so grateful for this time.

* I'm thankful for fall. I'm going to miss fall next year. I love fall in Michigan. The colors, the smells, the foods, the activities...it's beautiful.

* I'm thankful for coffee. Seriously. I'm going to get myself a cup right now.

* I'm thankful for Hope's speech therapist, Becky. She's been awesome and very encouraging. We're going to bump up the amount of therapy Hope receives as we look forward to moving. We are not so sure there will be many resources for speech therapy in Tanzania, so they therapists are going to try to teach me as much as possible so I can continue working with Hope while we're there. I'm so grateful for the resources available here, and that they're FREE! What a true blessing!

* I'm thankful for an amazing home that is spacious and allows us room to be hospitable. Growing up, we had several non-family members live with my family; a couple of college guys (family friends), and a few of my mom's small group students who had rough family lives. I got used to sharing my space and family with others. It has seemed natural that throughout our married life, Marc and I have had 2 of his sisters live with us at various times, and 5 international students. This would not have been possible without this home that we rent.

* I'm thankful for my church; for my co-workers, for my students, for my volunteers, for my friends, for community, for the fact that I live next door, for the freedom to worship!

* I'm thankful that right now, WE DON'T OWN QUIMBY! Whew. I HATE still having to make payments for it, but at least the actual physical burden of owning it is no longer on our shoulders.

* I'm thankful for the doors that have opened and the clear leading that the Lord has given us in our decisions regarding Tanzania. He has truly made his will known to us and we are humbled and excited to be on this journey.

* I'm thankful for technology that makes the world a bit smaller. I love that I can keep up with friends and family that are not in GR easily. I'm thankful that when we move, we have these tools to keep up with everyone here!

* I'm thankful that we could pay off a debt this month!

* I'm thankful for slippers.

* I'm thankful that I'm in my last class at CTS and that I will (pending internship & oral comps) graduate this spring with my Masters!

* I'm thankful for clean water, indoor plumbing, healthy food, a warm home, more clothes than I need.

* I'm thankful for coffee. Did I say that already? ;)

So many gifts to be thankful for. I am certainly blessed.

Geneva Claire

So I thought I'd share a bit more of the birth story for those of you who might be interested (and for my own memories).

I had a doc appt the Monday after my due date and the doc scheduled a non stress test and another appt for the following Friday (11/2). The non stress test went fine and at the appt the NP told me I was still only 1 cm, about 50% and baby was still at postition -2. UGH. Seriously I know God made women's bodies to have babies, but I think he forgot something in me...my babies have all needed medical motivation to come meet us.

I was sure my doc would schedule another NST for the following Monday or Tuesday and then induce, but to my surprise, he was comfortable setting the date as I needed induction with the other two kids and they had both been successful. So, we planned for Sunday night. When the receptionist called over to set it up, Sunday AND Monday were full. I almost cried thinking it would be Tuesday, but then she said, "How's Saturday?". Um, YES PLEASE!

Now, I am not all about inductions. I hate them. I hate that I've never gone into labor on my own. I've had to spend an extra night in the hospital with each birth. I've had long labors. I've been afriad to not get an epidural because of how long the labors are. BUT, when you're already 41 weeks and realize you're probably going to be induced whether you do it the next day or next week, it's a welcome relief to have it scheduled.

So, on Saturday we went out to Wolfgangs for breakfast as a family of four, came home and cleaned a bit, went to the store to get food for Jun while we were away, packed the kids and brought them over to my parents house. We grabbed some Jimmy Johns as my 'last meal' and headed to the hospital.

We had a resident, a med student, my doc & our nurse all talking to us about the 'plan'. It was refreshing to be a part of that discussion, and tell them my hopes (no pitocin, probably epidural) and to have them truly consider my past inductions and what worked (cytotec) and what didn't (cervadil). So, we went with what had worked - cytotec. It's a 4 hour med that is to help you dialate, essentially. The first round produced a few contractions, but nothing serious. So, around 1:30am they started a second round. We got a few hours of sleep and around 6:10am I woke up to a painful contraction. The doc checked around 6:30am and I was at 5cm. I soon after asked for an epidural because the contractions were 'tripleing' - I would have 3 in a row with no break in between. Then about 30 seconds rest and 3 more. I got the epidural around 7:15/7:30am and when the doc checked me around 7:45am I was 10cm. Went from a 5 to a 10 in about an hour. The doc had me labor down a while so baby could drop more and a little before 9:00am I got to start pushing. It probably took 15-20 minutes of pushing, and Geneva arrived! The epidural didn't fully work because things progressed so quickly, but it at least took the edge off.

Geneva Claire was 8lbs 9oz and 21 3/4" long and born at 9:06am.

She came the easiest, the quickest and was the smallest!

We chose the name Geneva because we liked it. :) We've typically done a 'Bible' type of name, and while Geneva isnt' in the Bible, Eve is (Hebrew for Life), and we will most likely call her Eve as a nick name. Her middle name is Claire after my grandmothers, who both had the name Clara.

Give Thanks - Days 2 & 3

Today I'm thankful for TCBY. I've been craving it the last few weeks and had a few coupons I've cashed in finally. It's the simple things sometimes, folks.

And for yesterday, I'm thankful for a washing machine and dryer. Not having a working dryer for over a week a while back made me realize how much I depend on it and appreciate it. I had a few nice days where I could line dry our laundry, but a few wet & windy days that made it difficult to keep up. I actually love drying things, but being this pregnant & having to carry the baskets upstairs, outside & hang the laundry was about as much as I could do in one day. It zapped me. Things will be a bit different next year when we have to line dry/iron EVERYTHING!

Give Thanks Day 1

Year after year I see people do the "Give Thanks" month on their blog for November. Well, this year I'm hopping on that bandwagon!

As I hope to instill in my children thankful hearts, I must model that attitude for them and figure this is a start! I'll also be doing some activities with the kids this month but am trying to come up with those yet. We did a thanksgiving tree last year, which was fantastic, but they are doing one in Isaac's class this year so I'm trying to think of something different. It also has to be flexible enough to be interrupted with baby girl coming and the chaos of a newborn at home. So, nothing set in stone, but hoping to have some fun this month with the kiddos as we look forward to Thanksgiving!

What I am thankful for today is medicine. As I am now overdue and think on my past pregnancies, I wonder what would have happened (and what would happen) without modern medicine!? Would Isaac have survived 100 years ago being overdue with low fluids & not coming out after 3 hours of pushing? What would have happened? What is this baby was overdue & there was no way of interveening to make sure she comes out healthy? I have too many friends who have or are dealing with cancer right now - in themselves or their children - and the chemo they are receiving is sustaining their lives. From a simple prilosec that allows me to eat without throwing up every day to the life-saving measures that doctors and nurses perform each and every day - I am grateful.

CHRISTMAS CRAFT & VENDOR BENEFIT

SATURDAY, DECEMBER 1ST

9:00AM - 1:00PM

PLYMOUTH HEIGHTS CHRISTIAN REFORMED CHURCH

1800 PLYMOUTH AVE SE, 49506

This craft and vendor show is a fundraiser to support our family moving to Tanzania, Africa through Christian Reformed World Missions in July 2013. Crafters and vendors will include: * Blessings Unlimited * 31 * Miche * Tupperware * Just Jewelry * Lia Sophia * Tastfully Simple * Oragami Owl * Scentscy * Premiere * Life Expressions * Bring them Joy * Pampered Chef * LaVa Babies * and MORE are being added all the time! There will also be home crafted goods, such as beaded jewelry, handmade cards, hair clips/bands for kids, knitted and crocheted kids hats, sweater mittens, baked goods and MORE! Come start your holiday shopping while supporting a GREAT CAUSE! If you're interested in having your own booth, there are a few spots available. Email me at gretchendriesenga@gmail.com for more information and an application.

Hope Update

We had our 6 month appointment with the geneticist this week. We were there for over an hour going over updates, checking her out, wondering, planning. I love this doctor. While the first time, it was hard to hear him describe Hope's features with such medical terms, he always mentions how cute she is and that seems to help. :) We spend about 20 minutes with the genetic counselor, and then the doc comes in and spends over 30 minutes with us. It was probably closer to 45 with Isaac interjecting and wanting HIS head measured, and HIS arm length checked, etc. They are very patient over there, that's for sure.

While Hope's growth curve for height, weight and head circumfrance all continue to grow parallel to one another,  her head circumfrance continues to be off the charts. We hope each appointment that the gap will begin to close and her head growth slows down, but that's not the case yet. The doc noticed a few new things, but nothing that would ease him into a diagnosis of any kind. So, we still don't really know if we're working with anything at all, or something that has a real name. We will likely be getting a Microarray test done soon, which is a simple blood test that will determine what Hope's chromosones look like - if there are mutations, additions or deletions from what should be. About 10-20% of these tests turn up helpful info, so it's likely it won't do a whole lot of good, but with insurance covering it all, worth the shot.

In addition to the geneticist, we met with one of the speech therapists one on one this week. She brought up her thoughts about Hope's development and wondered if she  might have Childhood Apraxia of Speech (Apraxia info) rather than just a delay. Reading through the info, it seems very likely. She and the other therapists are going to pay specific attention to her in the next few playgroups and do a little diagnostic work with her to see that's what it is. If it is, the playgroup we're in now (Hanan "It Takes Two" program - 2 1/2 hours a week) is good, but not sufficient. It would require much more intentional work with her to bring her up to speed.

The next few week to a month will likely bring more answers in both of these arenas - which may or may not be connected.

I continue to feel a peace about it all - knowing that God has made my little girl as his beautiful daughter and that we are doing all we can to see if there is more we should be doing or not.

Life & Death

It's been amazing to me that in the last few years whenever there is a death, there is often a birth near to it. My grandma died 10 days after Hope was born. Two dear friends had babies the same week as another dear friend lost twin girls at 20+ weeks. Life and death are obviously always happening, and it is a sweet reminder that the Lord is sovereign over them both. Death is never easy, but praise God that it's not final and there is so much hope found in Christ.

Three years ago today I miscarried. And today, while I still think about that little one we lost, I look down and see this ginormous belly ready to pop...I am in awe of the gift of Hope and this baby that God has graciously given to us (that we hope to meet ANY day now!). I am reminded today of God's goodness, faithfulness, provision, comfort, and peace.

Unexpected blessings

Blessing #1: A couple weeks ago, a former youth group student texted me saying that she was coming to watch our kids the next night so Marc and I could go out and she wouldn't take no for an answer. So she did. Marc and I used a gift card for dinner that we got LAST CHRISTMAS because we hadn't been out alone in so long. SO what we needed - especially before baby!

Blessing #2: A friend graciously offered to keep my kids for a few hours just becasue I was having a no-good, very bad day. I got to do some errand-running kid-free and clear my head for a bit, which was SO necessary. She also listened to me cry and vent and question and break down. It was exactly what I needed.

Blessing #3: While literally searching the online garage sale site for a fall jacket & jeans for Isaac (his winter one is down & really poofy/big) besides his non water-proof fleece, I get a message from a friend asking if I needed a mid-weight coat for Isaac. Um, yes please! Went over the next day & it's a perfect fit. Doens't stop there though. She then says, "Oh, he's a size 6, huh? Need any jeans?". Why yes, yes I do. All the ones I bought this summer he grew out of before he even wore. Came home with 6 pair of jeans, long sleeved shirts, shorts, short sleeved shirts, PJ's and a jacket. For free. Another amazing blessing.

Blessing #4: I let someone down. I messed up and hurt a relationship I value in the process. Through shame and tears, I apologized and was offered grace and forgiveness. That whole grace thing that Jesus tells us about - it's FOR ME TOO! What an ugly situation to remind me that I am in desperate need of Jesus (and others) grace as much as anyone else. It was humbling and ugly, and the pregnancy hormones did not help the day of sobbing that had commenced, but it was a beautiful reminder.

New Blog

Check out our new blog:

www.thedriesengafamily.blogspot.com

Yikes. :)

Community & thankfulness

"In the Christian community thankfulness is just what it is anywhere else in the Christian life. Only he who gives thanks for the little things receives the big things. We prevent God from giving us the great spiritual gifts He has in store for us, because we do not give thanks for daily gifts. We think we dare not be satisfied with the samll measure of spiritual knowledge, experience, and love that has been given to us, and that we must constantly be looking forward eagerly for the highest good. Then we deplore the fact that we lack the deep certainty, the strong faith, and the rich experience that God has give to others, and we consider this lament to be pious. We pray for the big things and forget to give thanks for the ordinary, small (and yet really not small) gifts. How can God entrust great things to one who will not thankfully receive from Him the little things? If we do not give thanks daily for the Christian fellowship in which we have been placed, even where there is no great experience, no discoverable riches, but much weakness, small faith, and difficulty; if on the contrary, we only keep complaining to God that everything is so paltry and petty, so far from what we expected, then we hinder God from letting our fellowship grow according to the measure and riches which are there for us all in Jesus Christ."

Dietrich Bonhoeffer, Life Together: The Classic Exploration of Christian Community

Teaching generosity

Isaac was given a plastic blue cup at school last week. The goal is to put change in it as a fundraiser for DeVos Children's Hospital. So, we started talking about it with Isaac over the weekend.

We've been praying for my friends daughter, Izzy, for a while now, and Isaac gets that she is really sick. So, we talked about kids like Izzy who have to be in the hospital, and how hard that can be and it costs a lot of money. We talked about obedience to God and the Bible. We talked about how our money isn't our own, but a gift to be generous with.

To be quite honest, it's a lesson I need to relearn. I'm not generous. Money/debt is the #1 stress in my life and I almost always feel like there isn't enough to go around. Beyond our regular tithe, compassion kid & a missionary we support, we don't go crazy giving things away. I never pass a red bucket around the holidays without sending Isaac up to put something in, but this weekend I realized that I'm missing so many other opportunities to teach him about giving and being generous with our gifts.

So, finally on Sunday afternoon, he decided to take some money out of his piggy bank & put it in the cup. He took maybe 10 coins out & put it in the cup and asked me to put the pig snout back on to close his piggy bank. I did. Then a few minutes later he asked me to take it off again because he wanted to put more in. For about the next 1/2 hour, he kept taking a few coins out and putting it in the cup. He emptied his ENTIRE piggy bank with the exception of 3 coins.  At one point he looked at me & said, "Mommy, it feels good to give my money away". Gulp. Why don't I always give with that attitude of joy and generosity? Why do I typically feel the sting that comes with being stingy and wanting to hold on to things?

And let me be totally honest. My kid has been scouring the house for change for the last several years. He's earned some, he's received some and he's found some. Saving all that he had in his piggy bank has taken a long, long time. And I wanted to ask him, "Are you sure you want to give it ALL? Don't you want to keep ANY of it?" I resisted. There's also a part of me that wants to go & refill his piggy bank as a reward of sorts, or go buy him a lego set or something to show him how proud I am of him. But then I thought I don't want him to associate giving with getting. I don't want him to think giving is always easy or pain free. I don't want him to learn the prosperity gospel that is already too (wrongly) prevelant in our culture.

Isaac and his completely full cup!

So it's been quite a weekend of learning - both for Isaac and myself. I hope to take advantage of the many opportunities I have to teach my son about generosity - not only through words but through my own attitude and lifestyle.

Save the Date

Plymouth Heights is doing a craft/vendor show on Saturday, December 1st from 9am - 1pm. We will be in need of many volunteers starting at 7am and going until probably 2 or 3pm. Let me know if you'd be willing to help!

My Hopes

I hope this baby does not have to be induced.

I hope this baby is healthy.

I hope this baby is a good eater/sleeper.

I hope this baby doesn't spit up like Isaac did.

I hope people will like her name.

I hope labor & delivery are smooth.

I hope she grows well & we don't have to see specialists.

I hope Isaac & Hope adjust well.

I think this baby is coming on October 23.

I think this baby might be smaller than the other two.

I think this might be my last pregnancy.


I know that this child is God's child and is a beautiful gift given to us. I cannot wait to meet her!

Beauty

I have a beautiful new niece, Elizabeth (Ellie) Joy. She was born Friday afternoon and is a beautiful little girl! Her older brothers are smitten with her, as is Hope. And my new little niece, well, she already loves her auntie, I can tell. I just KNEW Ellie was going to try to make her arrival on Friday - the day of my exam - the exam that counted for 100% of my grade for my 2nd to last class for my MA. I was anxious thinking that she would come right in the middle of my exam and I would have to miss being at the hospital. I've been at the hospital for all 3 of my nephews, and I was in tears and all kinds of stressed out on Friday thinking about possibly missing this moment with Ellie. But little one waited - not long - but she waited. I got to the hospital and got to spend time with my sis & bro-in-law for a few hours before the doc said it was go time.

No matter how many times my sister, my friends or I have given birth, it's a miracle each and every time. To walk out of the room with "Ellie in the belly" and come back in a mere 30 minutes later to see this perfect little creation laying on her mama's chest - oh - tears flowed, friends.

And a mere 9 weeks from now (give or take) I get to experience this again. I cannot wait to meet my little girl, to introduce her to you all & for her to meet her baby cousin. Hope, Ellie and this baby are going to have so much fun together as they grow! I am feeling very blessed, indeed.

A quick vent

I'm supposed to be studying for my exam which is tomorrow morning, but I'm so frustrated that I needed to quickly vent.

I'm taking a week long class, which started Tuesday and ends tomorrow. I got my binder/syllabus tuesday morning. It tells me I have to read a book for this class, which is for sale in the Calvin bookstore. It also says that as I've had the syllabus since before the start of the class (no I didn't), I should read the book prior to the class starting. Um, well, impossible now, but thanks for the tip. So, I head to the bookstore immedietly after class. They have no idea what I'm talking about.

Thankfully I have friends in the seminary & one of them had it, but I couldn't get it until Wednesday after class. Throw in a 30 hour work week somewhere, and normal wifely/motherly duties, which leaves me no time to read in the first place, let alone when I have 2 days for a whole book.

Then, today, my prof says "sorry the book wasn't in the bookstore, should be there now", as if having a 12 hour window to read is helpful.

He also says, "if you want to review any portion of the class, it's online to watch". Can't find it anywhere. Email the prof. Shortly after I email him, the IT dept sends out an email on how to find the class capture. I go to the link. Nothing there. Seriously??

I'm not sure how I'm supposed to pass an exam when I got the book yesterday because they forgot to send the email with the syllabus a few weeks ago & I can't review any of the lectures that are supposed to be available to me.

Talk about a frustrating week! Thankfully its over after I hopefully pass this exam, and then I'm left with 1 class, oral comps and an 'internship' until I officially have my Masters degree. I hope I survive!

Menu Plan this week

I'm trying to get my favorite recipes on my computer, so I actually typed my menu plan up this week. Thought I'd share on here for anyone interested!

Sunday, August 19

Lunch: fresh fruit, Blueberry Muffins, Egg casserole

 Easy Breakfast Strata (egg casserole)

1/2 (1lb) roll sausage
8 eggs
10 slices bread, cubed (approx. 10 c)
3 c. milk
2 c. Cheddar cheese shredded (approx. 8 oz)
1 can mushrooms (optional)
1 (10oz) pkg cut asparagus, thawed, drained
2 Tbsp margarine, melted
2 Tbsp flour
1 Tbsp dry mustard
1 tsp basil
1 tsp salt

In a large skillet, brown sausage and drain. In a large bowl, beat eggs. Add remaining ingredients and mix well. Spoon into 2 greased 9x9 inch baking pan - in one pan add the sausage, leave it out of the other one. Cover and refrigerate 8 hours or overnight. Preheat oven to 350. Bake 60-70 minutes or until knife inserted near center comes out clean.

Orange Blueberry Bread

2 Tbsp margarine
1/4 c. boiling water
1/2 c. orange juice
3 tsp. orange rind
1 egg
2 c. flour
1/2 tsp. salt
1 tsp baking soda
1 c. sugar
1 c. blueberries

Melt Margarine in boiling water. Add orange juice and rind. Beat egg in large bowl and add dry and liquid ingredients alternately. Carefully stir in berries. Bake in a greased loaf pan at 350 for 50 minutes to 1 hour.

Glaze: mix 1/4 c. orange juice and 1/4 c sugar together. Pour over hot bread.

Dinner:

Famers market sweet potatoes, green beans & corn
Hamburgers/black bean burgers

Monday, August 20
Dinner: Tuna (and vegetarian) casserole, salad & bread

Eat your Peas Louise Tuna Casserole
1 (14 oz) pkg. Pasta Ruffles, cooked, drained
1 can cream of chicken soup
1 can cream of something vegetarian soup
1 cup milk
1 (8oz) pkg. cream cheese, softened
1 (12oz) pkg Colby Jack cheese, shredded
1 can peas, drained
2 (6oz) cans tuna fish
1 (2.8) can French fried onions (optional)

Mix in 2 separate bowls. One bowl with the cream of chicken & tuna (+ other ingredients), one bowl with the cream of vegetarian & no tuna (+ other ingredients). Put each bowl of ingredients into a 9x9 pan - one being vegetarian, one being for the carnivores. Reserve 1/2 can of onions for topping.  Bake at 350 for 1 hour. Put reserved onions on top for the last 15 minutes of baking.

Note: If you do not use onions, you can put potato chip crumbs on top for the last 15 minutes of baking. You may want to divide casserole in half and freeze half for a later time, it makes a lot.

Tuesday, August 21

Rice & Curry

1 Tbsp brown mustard seeds

2 tbsp oil
2 onions, chopped
4 Tbsp mild curry paste
12 2/3 oz canned tomatoes
1/2  c. plain yogurt
1 c. coconut milk
2 carrots, sliced
7oz cauliflower florets
2 slender eggplants, sliced
7oz green beans, halved
5oz broccoli florets
2 zucchinis, sliced
3oz baby mushrooms

Place the mustard seeds in a dry pan and heat until they pop. Add the oil and onion to the pan;  cook, stirring until the onions are just soft. Add the curry paste and stir for 1 minute until the mixture is fragrant. Add the tomatoes, yogurt and coconut milk; stir over low heat until combined. Add the carrots and simmer, uncovered, for 5 minutes. Add the cauliflower and eggplants; simmer for 5 minutes. Stir in the remaining ingredients; simmer, uncovered, for 10-12 minutes. Serve hot with steamed rice.  
You can always make a little chicken & cut it up to add in for the carnivores.

Wednesday, August 22

Soup, salad & breadsticks

Vegetable and Corn Chowder (Serves 4)

1 Tbsp vegetable oil
1 red onion, diced
1 red bell pepper, halved, seeded, and diced
3 garlic cloves
1 3/4 cups diced potatoes
2 Tbsp all-purpose flour
2 1/2 cups milk
1 1/4 cups Fresh Vegetable broth
1/2 cup broccoli flowerets
3 cups canned corn kernels, drained
3/4 cup grated colby cheese
salt & pepper
1 tbsp chopped fresh cilantro, to garnish

Heat the vegetable oil in a large pan. Add the onion, bell pepper, garlic, and potato and saute over low heat, stirring frequently, for 2-3 minutes. Stir in the flour and cook, stirring for 30 seconds. Gradually stir in the milk and broth. Add the brocolli and corn kernels. Bring the mixture to a boil, stirring constantly, then reduce the heat and simmer for about 20 minutes, or until all the vegetables are tender. Add 1/2 cup of the cheese and stir until it melts. Season and spoon the chowder into a warm soup tureen. Garnish with the remaining cheese and the chopped cilantro and serve.

Tip: For the meat loves, I have warmed diced ham that they can throw into the soup as an addition.

Thursday, August 23

Rice, Apple BBQ Pork, ramen noodle salad, green veggie

 Apple BBQ Pork

21 oz can apple pie filling
40 oz pork tenderloin (approximate size)
1 bottle BBQ sauce
1 large onion, chopped

 Put apple pie filling in the bottom of your crockpot. Place the pork tenderloin on top. Sprinkle the chopped onion over the top and put the bbq sauce on top of that. Cook on low for 6 to 8 hours. Before serving, take the pork out of the crockpot and let it cool enough for handling, then shred the meat and put it back in the sauce. Serve with rice. Leftovers would be great on a sandwich the next day. Makes approximately 12 servings.
Number of Servings: 12

Ramen Noodle Salad

Cabbage (bag of coleslaw)
2 bags ramen noodles, crushed in bag
1 small bag almonds
2 Tbsp sesame seeds
1/2 stick butter/margarine

Dressing:
1/2 c. cooking oil
1/2 c. sugar
1/4 c. vinegar
1 Tbsp soy sauce

Friday, August 24

Ethiopian or Thai take out! Yum!

30/10

Sunday I'll be 30 weeks pregnant. I had an appointment today & I'm measuring right on, which I was shocked about! I'm usually measuring big by now as I tend to grow some big babies! Maybe this one will be "teeny tiny" - like 7-8lbs. My glucose test came back fine and I only gained 2lbs in the last 4 weeks, which again I was shocked about! I tend to gain more towards the 30-40lb mark when pregnant instead of the 25-35 they suggest. I was already at my 20lb mark 4 weeks ago, so I was glad to hear I'm only at 22lbs at almost 30 weeks. Whew. I can still eat ice cream every once in a while. :)

I've been having braxton hicks for several weeks now, but more consistantly the last week. They'll come every few minutes for up to an hour, and several times a day, but my doc doesn't seem concerned since my babies tend to stay put longer than needed. If they're consistent for more than 2 hours I have to call. Not worried though.

My sis is 37 weeks & is READY to meet this babe. Any day now, and I can't wait to meet my new niece!

Other random updates - Marc is currently on his way to the airport to pick up Kerri who will be home for over a week! CANNOT WAIT!!!!!

And our international student, Jun, moved in Monday. So far, he seems outgoing, friendly, responsibly, reliable, engaging with us & the kids...pretty much awesome. I think we're going to have a good year.

Cancer sucks

Another heavy heart. This time for a few friends fighting cancer. Tomorrow, my friend Bret has his stem cell transplant (see the hoechemo blog on my blog list). Some college friends, Molly & Kendrick just had a feeding tube put down their 4 year old daughters nose/throat in preparation for more chemo, a stem cell harvest & eventual stem cell transplant (see the izzystory blog on my blog list).

Praying for both of them & their families. Would love it if you joined in praying!

Heavy

My heart has been burdened since SERVE has ended. Throughout the week, various issues came to light with different students that were there: A student had recently been raped, there were siblings living with a relative after their dad died & their mom wasn't in a healthy place to take care of them, a few kids who were in foster care - more parental deaths involved there, many kids who weren't sure what they believed about Jesus and their own salvation, spiritual apathy, and I'm pretty positive there were several students dealing with sexual sin.

Leading up the the trip, I found myself praying for those students who were carrying heavy loads - especially sexual sin- and I'm not sure why. I felt led to. I felt determined to. And then Wednesday night, our speaker invited kids up to nail their sins to the cross.

Now, to be honest, I have issues with this exercise/practice. I fear that kids will understand confession and repentance only in the context of a more emotional, dimly lit room on a youth group trip when they are physically exhausted and naturally more emotional. I fear that kids won't engage in daily repentance because of this. I fear that we're setting them up for unhealthy expectations of future trips they may go on. I fear the unintended consequenes of this experience will have a more negative effect on the kids than intended.

BUT, I also believe the Lord can work through those experiences. I believe that sometimes kids (well, people of all ages) hold on to their sin so tightly that they sometimes need a more intentional push into laying it in Jesus lap. I believe that the Lord can offer forgiveness, healing and restoration when there is a genuine moment of confession and repentence.

And I am convinced that some of the kids that I watched eagerly moving up front to write their sins & nailing them to the cross were set free from sexual sin. I believe that my prayers were answered for at least one.

I am now praying for this freedom and forgiveness they have experienced to remain with them - for the lies of the enemy to not cause them to doubt the work the LORD has done in their lives. I'm praying for them to have reminders of God's grace and promises for them. I'm praying that they will be encouraged and continually pointed towards the cross.

Praise GOD for his mercy is never-ending and his faithfulness is evident all around us.

Fall Planning

With our Plan B trip (instead of Colorado) and SERVE now completed, I have a lot to be thankful for, and a lot to look forward to! I'm starting to think fall already, and one of my main items on my to-do list is get meals planned for Sept/Oct. I have a TON of recipes to go from, but I'd love to hear any that you guys have as a go-to meal!

SERVE 2012 - Day 1 & 2

Our SERVE groups arrived yesterday afternoon - 65 students & leaders from Minnesota, Michigan & Ontario, Cananda. So far, the host team has observed that this is a very willing & ready group. There is always someone around if you say, "hey, can anyone give me a hand?" or "is someone willing to...". They're great listeners & they're starting to interact with our speaker, Ryan, a bit more when he's asking for some interaction. We've had two times of worship & small groups, which have already gone splendidly. Some of the leaders have already mentioned some pretty heavy things that students are coming from - please pray for these students. If you would stereotype the typical CRC high school student, most of them would fit the mold. Dig a little deeper & we're seeing some of the fears, desires, brokenness and apathy of these students.

Please pray for us tomorrow (Monday) on the work sites for our first day!

SERVE

A week from now SERVE will be in full swing! Want to help? We've still got spaces to fill to help with the kitchen/food, help with some basic cleaning, setting up and cleaning up. Let me know if you're willing to help in any way! :)

"When the Dream Never Dies"

When The Dream Never Dies

(Michael Omartian & Stormie Omartian)

Deep in my heart was an ember of longing

Kept warm by the flame of desire

A dream held in secret I yearned to hold openly

Fanned by my hope into fire

It burned to such heat I could touch it no more

So I put it away and then closed up the door

Forever extinguishing all that would keep it alive

But the dream never died

The Lord has done this for me

He has looked on me kindly

He has heard all my cries

He has given me back what I laid at His feet

It must be God

When the dream never dies

Isn't it just like the Lord to invite me

To put all my dreams in His hands

Forever releasing the grip that once held them

Forever surrending my plans

And then when He's certain it's not born of men

He calls for the fire to rekindle again

And He asks me to know in my heart

What's not seen with my eyes

So the dream never dies

The Lord has done this for me

He has looked on me kindly

He has heard all my cries

He has given me back what I laid at his feet

It must be God

When the dream never dies

It must be God

When the dream never dies

 

 

---

Self-Denial

The true gospel is a call to self-denial. It is not a call to self-fulfillment. —John MacArthur

Matthew 16: ²⁴ Then Jesus said to his disciples, “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me. ²⁵ For whoever wants to save their life^[f] will lose it, but whoever loses their life for me will find it. ²⁶ What good will it be for someone to gain the whole world, yet forfeit their soul? Or what can anyone give in exchange for their soul? ²⁷ For the Son of Man is going to come in his Father’s glory with his angels, and then he will reward each person according to what they have done. 

As much as I rant about the 'age of entitlement' that I see so rampant in our culture, I'm as guilty of it as the next person. I want to live out this Scripture - I want to deny myself, take up my cross and follow Christ - but I fail every single day. I am selfish. I put my own needs and desires before that of others - including my family. Deep down, though I hate to admit it, I sometime think I 'deserve' something. I think after taking care of my kids, cooking, cleaning (well, sometimes cleaning), working, etc I 'deserve' some 'me' time. I think that after being so budget conscious for years I 'deserve' to buy something nice for myself. I think that after the financial struggles we've encountered, we 'deserve' a break - some miracle to happen that wipes out our debt.


Deserve has become a 4-letter word to me. I deserve hell, plain & simple. That's it. I've earned nothing, and all that I am and all that I have is because of God's grace alone. I have started to cringe when I hear the word deserve, because I know it's so far off from what Scripture tells us. I've decided to try and never use the word again (except in the deep places of my heart when I secretly think I really do deserve something).


Instead of "I DESERVE" being the mantra of our time and culture, what if we get rid of the DE and make it an attitude of "I SERVE"? What would happen? What if I did this in my family, my ministry, my community? What if my attitude was transformed so much by the power of the Spirit in me that I could truly deny myself and SERVE Christ with all that I am? 


This can only come from daily surrender to Christ through prayer. Praying for a heart that is surrendered to Christ and a willingness to serve those around me this week.

I knew it!

I knew we were having a girl! We have had our boy name since Isaac was born and  have NO idea what to name another girl, so it had to be a girl! :)

Baby is looking good and I'm in second trimester bliss. We are blessed.

Jubilee

A few weeks ago, I saw a sight I never want to see again. It was something that I saw merely because of the brokenness of this world and the sin that entered way back in the garden. It was heart-wrenching, yet at the same time a demonstration of immense strength and faith that Jesus has poured out onto his people.

What was this tear-inducing sight? A strong and God-fearing father carrying his baby girls tiny casket out from her memorial service.

Some of you have followed along with my friend Brittany (Sprinkles & Wrinkles) as she has blogged through her experiences of the last few years. She and her husband endured a miscarriage last summer and earlier this month had to bury their daughter who was born into Jesus arms the beginning of May.

I've known Brittany since her senior year in high school, and TJ since they started dating. I sang in their wedding. I have watched their dating relationship blossom into marriage and then into beginning their family with a healthy little boy a few years ago. Brittany has always had a gift with words...her blog demonstrates her witty and articulate gift of expression. I am so grateful to her for sharing her and TJ's journey over these last few years. It's amazing that when I met Brittany, I was one of the youth pastors at Sunshine and she was in high school. I'm pretty sure her faith and life have done more for me in my own walk than I could've ever done for her. I truly mean that.

At the memorial service, TJ & Brittany had little cards out that people could write encouraging words and more particularly, how Jubilee has made an impact on their lives and heart. It was an easy thing for me to write.

The point in time beginning with Brittany's 20 week ultra sound when they discovered that Jubliee was sick until now has been the strongest I think my prayer life has ever been. Jubilee's little life has had me on my knees more than ever. Prior to Jubliee, my prayer life was so-so. I prayed somewhat regularly, though I longed for a deeper passion for prayer and a belief in it's power. I had grown a bit apathetic and weary.
Along came Jubliee. How can you know of a dear friend going through something so unfathomable and NOT pray with a passion and sincere pleading of your heart?

I Chronicles

 ²⁰ They were helped in fighting them, and God delivered the Hagrites and all their allies into their hands, because they cried out to him during the battle. He answered their prayers, because they trusted in him.

I remember one night seeing Brittany's sister post something like, "Praying for my sister". I panicked. I thought Brittany was in labor or something was happening. I texted her immediately & told her I was praying and asked if things were okay. She was fine, sitting at home with her dear hubby. She did ask me to pray for her to be able to sleep well that night, as her nights had been a bit rough. I prayed. Oh, how I prayed. I think I almost needed an answer to that prayer as much as she did. Guess what? The next day she texted to let me know that she had slept better than she had in months. Whoa. The Lord was listening as he always does, but what an answer, what an example of the power of prayer, what a lesson in intercession.

Genesis 25:21
Isaac prayed to the LORD on behalf of his wife, because she was childless. The LORD answered his prayer, and his wife Rebekah became pregnant.

Then came our trip to the Dominican Republic. The Lord has certainly placed the theme of prayer so evidently in front of me that I cannot deny it.  With each ministry leader that we met and learned from, we saw their emphasis on prayer in their lives and work. I felt the need to ask almost every single one of them, "How can we be praying for you?". I felt helpless to do anything else meaningful, but I had a new found passion for prayer, and that was something I knew I could do, and something I knew would have an effect!

 James 5:16
Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective.

That's how it felt with Brittany, TJ & Jubliee. I was helpless. I wanted so badly, as I'm sure everyone did, to intervene; to offer some easy button for them to push- for a miracle. And when you can do nothing, when you are completely helpless to do anything in the physical realm, you can always pray.

Friends, there is power in prayer. Prayer changes things. I believe this with a passion, and you can trust that when I tell you I'm praying for you, I really am. Truly. I love this example from 2 Kings 20:

20 In those days Hezekiah became ill and was at the point of death. The prophet Isaiah son of Amoz went to him and said, “This is what the Lord says: Put your house in order, because you are going to die; you will not recover.”

² Hezekiah turned his face to the wall and prayed to the Lord, ³ “Remember, Lord, how I have walked before you faithfully and with wholehearted devotion and have done what is good in your eyes.” And Hezekiah wept bitterly.

⁴ Before Isaiah had left the middle court, the word of the Lord came to him: ⁵ “Go back and tell Hezekiah, the ruler of my people, ‘This is what the Lord, the God of your father David, says: I have heard your prayer and seen your tears; I will heal you. On the third day from now you will go up to the temple of the Lord. ⁶ I will add fifteen years to your life. And I will deliver you and this city from the hand of the king of Assyria. I will defend this city for my sake and for the sake of my servant David.’”

While there was intense heart-ache and grief watching Brittany & TJ walk this road, there is joy- joy in knowing that the Lord has indeed heard the prayers of his people and brought full and complete healing to Jubliee. There is no better place that she could be than in the arms of Jesus. And little Jubilee has impacted my faith and life, and I am so grateful. While I hope to never see another father have to carry his child's casket, or a mother have to carry a child she knows will not breath the air of this world, I know that God is faithful through it all. He is good. He is Sovereign. He is faithful and loving. He is a God who listens to our prayers and moves in response to them. Thank you, Lord Jesus.

I'm not creative.

All of my blog posts should just be titled "updates". That's about what my blogging consists of. I'm not the most creative or witty person, and I actually hate writing. I often wonder why I even bother! Anyhow, this is another 'update' post. :)

HOPE: We had our Ken O Sha evaluation last week with Hope. She certainly qualifies, which is great! KOS has a modified summer schedule where they take three weeks off, two weeks on. Unfortunately, last Friday started their 3 weeks off, so we have to wait until mid-June to begin with her. Her weekly routine will include an hour long in home speech therapy session and an hour and a half long playdate at KOS. The two women who came to evaluate Hope were just smitten by her & said she's a smart cookie, so they don't expect it will take long for her to catch on. It will throw a little curve into our weekly routine, which is a bit chaotic to start with, but it'll be good.

QUIMBY is SOLD. I don't know how it's taken me so long to post something about it. Oh goodness. I have such a mixture of emotions about it: gratitude for the numerous people who have helped us through the process - both of fixing it up & selling it; immense joy at the relief of being done; amazing humility at the amount of debt that has been forgiven (talk about a tangible example of the gospel...sins forgiven, debt payed, etc); frustration at the way things had to go; fear about adding one more bill to our stack that is too high to reach each month to pay off the 7k we still owe; wondering if I should regret that we bought it or that we ever moved into the parsonage; thinking back on the memories of coming home on our wedding night to our home, bringing Isaac home from the hospital, meeting and ministering to neighbors, doing endless projects to make it truly ours, and so many more; thinking back on the pain and feelings of violation when it was trashed and we had to dump thousands of dollars and our weekends for 6 months to fix it; failure that we couldn't make it work/afford another option...

I don't feel a 'huge relief' like I thought I would. Perhaps because we now have monthly payments that still tie me to it. I do feel like a significant chapter in our lives has been finished, however. I feel a sense of moving on, moving forward. The Lord has certainly used this to teach me innumerable lessons. I honestly think that if I enjoyed writing and was decent at it, I could write a book of all that Jesus has shown me through this 4 year ordeal. Maybe someday I'll write more about it. Or make Marc...he's the English major in the family!

PARSONAGE: Kerri moved out almost 2 weeks ago. It's weird. It's kind of amazing to live with one of your best friends AND your family. It's still amazing to live with my family, but I miss her being present. :) It's going to be another transition this weekend as Young moves out. It will be just our family of 4 (5) in this big ole' place! We'll be moving bedrooms around this summer in preparation for baby and hopefully just
re-organizing and de-cluttering. I'm reclaiming space, people, and not to fill it up with more junk.

We've placed an ad with Calvin Seminary to see if there is anyone out there who might want to live in the lower level. We could use the extra cash, but more than that, we want to use this huge house for more than ourselves. It's bigger than we need or want. GRCHS has already contacted us about a student for next year, but we are thinking a break might be nice, especially since Marc's job is dealing with international students all day long. We'll see what God has in store for us and this house!

BABY: Um, yup, baby is growing! I am 18 weeks and have my Ultra Sound scheduled for Monday, June 11th in the afternoon. Yes, we will be telling people what it is this time! I have no feelings either way of the gender, though I think I'll be more shocked if it's a boy. We have a boy name picked already, so I'm sure it will be a girl :) I'm still dealing with some heartburn and headaches, but I am so grateful to have relatively uneventful pregnancies. I have too many friends and family with losses, infertility, horrible pregnancy symptoms, and other complications that I don't take my feeling well lightly. I truly am grateful and count it all God's grace and hope that I can bless others when they are dealing with all the tough aspects of TTC/pregnancy.

Isaac is SOOOO excited about this baby. :)

Updates (Hope, Quimby, etc)

Lots going on in the Driesenga household lately!

Hope: We had our Early On evaluation this morning at 10. A very nice young woman, Janine came over & sat on the floor to play with Hope and talk with me as she observed. She had Hope do a few simple tasks, like take blocks out of a tub and put them into a cup, color, stack a few blocks, point out animals in a book, throw a ball and a few others. We talked about where she's at with her motor skills, emotions, speech, understanding/comprehension.

It was quick - only took 30 minutes. The end result? A referral to the school district for weekly home visits rather than monthly home visits from Early On. That means a few more weeks of waiting while all the paper work goes from them to Ken-O-Sha, then another evaluation and we'll find out that day if she qualifies. When I asked Janine about her chances of qualifying, she said she wouldn't refer her if she didn't think she would. She's quite confident.

Hope is currently about 1.5 months behind in motor skills, which isn't too much of a concern especially because some of those skills have been developing in the last few weeks (using a fork/spoon, take a few steps backwards, etc). Her comprehension and emotional expression are right where they should be. Her speech - well - that's a different story. Hope is 19.5 months old. She is communicating at the level of an 8.5 month old. Almost a year behind. Janine really wants Hope to get started as soon as possible so that gap doesn't increase.

So a little more waiting and then hopefully starting up with some home visits with a speech therapist!

Quimby: We were supposed to close on Thursday at 4pm. This is after over a 2 month delay because of some paperwork the buyer had to resubmit. Then, it got changed to 'probably Friday'. Now, it's 'hopefully Monday'. If it doesn't happen on Monday, it's a dead deal. Monday is our deadline. Our short sale approval has been extended 2 times already (again, due to buyer delays) and this is the 'drop dead deadline' where they will not approve another extension. So we'll see what happens on Monday.

I'm really at peace whatever happens. We have prayed and prayed and prayed. We have talked with family and others whom we trust to get opinions. We have evaluated all options (moving back into Quimby, renting it out again, torch the place...okay, maybe we haven't talked about that one, but I can't say I haven't prayed for it!) and we feel like following the short sale and possibly foreclosure path is the only options for us. It sucks. It's humbling and kind of embarrassing. But in the end, my identity is not wrapped up in our credit score or how much money we have or don't have to throw at the situation. My identity is in Christ, and we think and hope we are following what he has asked us to do, as backwards as it may seem. Trusting we are really tuned in and doing the right thing, but it's hard.

Parsonage: Three weeks from today Kerri will be moving into her apartment in Nashville, Tennessee. She's moved out before, but it's been about 5 minutes away. It's going to be very different to not have her around at all. We're sister -in - laws, but we're also dear friends. I truly enjoy living with her and will miss her tremendously. I know Isaac and Hope will too. Then, about 2-3 weeks after Kerri moves, Young will be heading home to Korea for the summer and then probably to New York next fall. He has lived with us for 2 1/2 years and is a part of our family, too. While I know both Kerri & Young will come back over holidays and vacations, it's going to be quite a transition for us to have them both gone within a few weeks of each other.

Preschool: Why is figuring out preschool such a hard decision? I do not feel a peace about either option we have for Isaac right now. I had to turn in the enrollment form today, and did it, but still don't feel good about it. In the back of my mind I wonder if my lack of peace is going to translate into a new option that we don't know exists yet - maybe we'll be moving for a job for Marc? Maybe he'll get a job closer to GR where we'll get free preschool? No idea. Maybe I'm just supposed to bite the bullet & make a choice and be content with it. I'm just so used to feeling a peace about decisions that when I don't, I can't help but obsess about it and wonder why.

Summer: I'm wrapping up my early Sunday mornings this week and have about 4 more Sunday evenings before my Sundays are completely free for about 3 months! I LOVE my ministry, but I also truly value having Sundays that are a bit more like a true sabbath. I'm looking forward to the Colorado Trip and SERVE and we're figuring out a week for our family to go camping this summer, too. Also searching for a summer job for Marc. Any suggestions for him?

So that's what's happening around here lately!