Blessings #798 to 825

798. People asking for applications for the short term mission trip to Niños de Mexico - many who want to go back!

799. Debbie and Ray's willingness to drive my mom to appointments.

800. Sorting through pictures of my vacation this summer with Colby - amazing memories that I will cherish the rest of my life.

801. Students expressing their disappointment when I told them that I would not be going on the Seattle trip this year.

802. Still being able to unload and stack bails of hay

Blessings #761 to 798

761. A Gifts of Hope Fair Trade day in the park with Sandy. Even when the weather is uncooperative and the sales are slow, doing this with Sandy always seems worthwhile!

762. After striking out with borrowing one (despite the generous efforts of many friends), finding the perfect backpack for my trip at Bimart for way less than I thought I would need to pay!

763. The first sight of Colby's smiling face in Dulles airport, after his Jamaica mission trip

764. Having experience with infections and knowing when there is a problem

765. Helpful people at Washington DC urgent care and the George Washington University emergency

766. Uber

Answered Prayer

A woman who is having health problems, prays to God for healing. Within a few days her symptoms begin to improve and she begins feeling better. When she recovers and returns to good health, she says, “God has answered my prayer.”

A married couple is facing some financial difficulties and are struggling to pay their bills. A big reason is that the husband has been unemployed and the wife’s part-time job is not enough. They pray for work and better income so they can pay the bills. When the husband lands a job that has a sufficient income, the couple responds, “Our prayers to God have been answered.”

A family goes on vacation for the holidays. It is winter and there is an accumulation of snow and ice from winter storms. They pray for God to give them safe travels. When they return home safely, they proclaim, “God answered our prayers.”

A young married couple, trying to start a family, prays to God for a child. They pray that God would allow them to have a healthy baby to love and raise to begin their family together. After their healthy baby is born, they excitedly tell friends and family, “This baby is the answer to our prayers.”

19 Days - Lessons

On this 19 day journey I have learned much. Some has been purely informational, but much of it has been experiential. Some are slightly profound, some seem like things I should have known before, some are useful, and some... I will let you decide!

• Not all London airports are actually in London or even very close to London
• Uber beats taxis, and it's not even close
• Europe knows how to do public transportation... The U.S. doesn't
• London shuts down early, except for the pubs
• Standing where history was made, and seeing the real things of history, makes history seem much more significant
• Big cities all have this in common - lots of people in too small of spaces
• Big cities are stressful, no matter what country you are in
• The English and the French still have issues
• I never get tired of waterfalls and Iceland has a lot of waterfalls
• Colby can get stressed
• I can get stressed
• Most of the time Colby and I recover from stress quickly and we can actually help each other recover

19 Days - History

It is becoming apparent to me that this trip is mostly about history. Each place has a different history to tell, but it is all history nonetheless. In Washington DC it is, of course, all about United States History. There are memorials to the great men that shaped our nation. There are memorials to the men who fought and died to preserve what our founding fathers began. There is art that has shaped our country's culture. There are tributes to science, to government, and much, much more. Many times in DC Colby said, "I feel like we are walking by so much history that we don't even know!" The history oozes from every crack and crevice in this place from the preserved Bill of Rights, Declaration of Independence and the Constitution to the meticulously placed tombstones in Arlington National Cemetery.

19 Days - George Washington Hospital

We are off to an incredible start, in many ways. All the stuff about looking at every anticipated bump in the road as part of the adventure... well... we already have a pretty good adventure going. After a full day of walking (about 11 miles according to Colby's phone), his foot was not looking good. Redness was creeping up his ankle, which is never a good sign, so we decided an urgent care visit was warranted. 

Our insurance told us where to go, only to find out, after a taxi ride there, that the urgent care didn't like our insurance. They advised us to go to an emergency room. With the pain increasing in Colby's foot, the security at the urgent care called for another taxi...twice. If you are traveling in a large city, forget about taxis (a lesson learned) and instead set up an uber account. Finding out that no taxi wanted our fare, Colby downloaded the Uber apps, set up an account, and had a car in front of us in less than ten minutes. And the cost was cheaper than a taxi! Thank you. Uber!

19 Days - Departure

Nineteen days! This will be the longest I have ever been away from Sandy. As I sit in the plane starting the first leg of this trip, it all feels very odd, especially in light of so many other firsts that will be wrapped up in these nineteen days. My first time to Washington D.C., my first time to Europe, my first time to meet my cousin Marinus, my first time staying in the homes of strangers in another country. It all is very strange. I'm sure there are some unexpected firsts, as well, and lurking in the nineteen days will be twists and turns that will shape this adventure in surprising ways.

Two from Nineteen

Last winter, while visiting family in California, Colby and I went for a walk to kill some time, enjoy the sunshine and to talk. Most of our conversation revolved around his latest idea to do more traveling - not a surprising topic of conversation for anyone who knows my son. This time the plan was not just a January Term trip abroad, like he had done before, this was for a full semester of study at Maastricht University in the Netherlands. As parents tend to do, and like Sandy and I had done before, we met this new idea, initially, with many reservations, questions, and doubts. 

Blessings #736 to #760

736. A visit from Jim and Gail.

737. Observing Calli's senior pictures photo shoots and realizing that my little girl is not so little anymore!

738. Building endurance for running - going a little farther, a little faster with a little less pain!

739. A break in the heat and actually getting a little chilly at night.

740. The chance to comfort, listen to, and pray for friends.

741. Hearing the frequent conversations between Calli and Laura, her friend in Spain - Calli helping Laura with English and Laura helping Calli with Spanish.

742. Listening to Colby and Calli talk about Spanish and using Spanish. Who would have thought that we would have two Spanish speaking children?

Questions

Sometimes I wonder what Jesus would be like if he were to come to earth today as a human. I know his basic character would be the same as it was over 2000 years ago (and still is today), but how would it look in the world we live in today? Where would he live anyway? Would he be more likely to live in America or Syria? Would Jesus choose a country of wealth, prosperity, and power, or would he choose a desperate country in turmoil? If Jesus were born in Mexico, would he come to the United States legally? How would he cross the border? Would he bother becoming a U. S. citizen? Would he want to come to the United States at all?