Blessings #915 to 951

915. New trusses and a straight roof

916. Sandy’s sense of humor, even when it feels like the walls are closing in

917. Invites to dinner rather than another night eating out

918. Learning to endure attack and finding peace in not defending myself

919. Opportunities to practice small amounts of courage

920. Motivation to get moving

921. A four day weekend

922. New shingles on the roof and no more leaks in the rain

923. A friendly morning visit from the local moose

924. Breakfast with Bob

Blessings #890 to 914

890. Colby”s acceptance into graduate school

891. The beautiful combination of music with lyrics that expresses thoughts and emotions that mere words can’t

892. Learning to “make do” with less

893. Another Niños short term mission team

894. “You are my favorite teacher,” from a student.

895. A call from Mick with a special invitation for Sandy.

Blessings #865 to 889

865. Colby's last class schedule working out so he can graduate in the spring!

866. Calli's wonderful friend, Kristina, who helps lower Calli's stress level during finals and is a constant source of encouragement, comfort and all things good in a friend

867. Medical technology

868. Recovery from medical procedures

869. The ability and health to still play some sports (on a limited level) with my colleagues and students

Blessings #826 to 864

826. Being part of a baptism celebration

827. Conversations with former students who are now adults and hearing the ways they have matured

828. An invite to share fresh, out-of-the-oven, apple pie

829. A visit to Soap Lake after a five year absence

830. Discovering that there are certain common bonds (high school and faith) that will keep people friends forever, even if there is almost forty years between visits

831. Celebrating the life of a saint who has lived well and now sees Jesus face to face

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!