DC Energy

I never just get out and walk.  Part of that is because of Ktown, and the other is because…well, I just don’t.  This morning I did.  I decided to walk a few blocks Southwest of my hotel, and I ran across the White House.  Wow.  I walked around the entire compound, and when I was directly between the South Lawn and the Washington Monument, I felt it.  There is something special about that place.  I was the only person standing there.  There was a security guard behind me.  He did not say anything, although I felt like I should not have been there.

I have already realized that I did not give myself enough time in this city, which means that I am going to have to come back.  Looking forward to my adventurous day today, and also looking forward to my walk tomorrow.

snowy update…

After waiting in the airport many hours, all the flights leaving K*bul were cancelled. So Mr. E returned last night to the house just in time for dinner. He always has such good timing! He’s re-booked all of his flights and hotels…which cost a little, but not a lot…and he’s going to try to get on the bird and fly to DC again today.

Please continue to pray for his travels…for the beautiful snow in K*bul…and for his interview on Jan. 26th.

quick prayer request

Mr. E is currently on his way to the airport to fly to DC for his interview. And, its been snowing for about 8 hours now in K*bul. The airport runway is closed and the flight is currently delayed. Please pray for his safe travels, and for his interview on the 26th!

Basketball Update

In just over the course of 2 weeks we have been able to raise over 10,000 for the basketball court. Thank you for generous donations and prayers.

ISK Basketball

I have not had the opportunity to write in a few months, but I want to let you know what I have been working on.  I hope that many of the attachments included in this blog can be seen.  I have never attempted to load a PDF on the blog before.  I hope all of you are having a wonderful 2012, and we continue to pr*y for blessings over your lives.

Letter

Project List

How You Can Give

alabama – the north meets the south

Having a northerner in the South.  It was so rewarding to share our visit to McKenzie with our friends from K*bul.  Each one of them has such a beautiful story to share about how they came to know that they were called to teach in K*bul.  And each one of them has different traditions in their family.  What was really fun was having a Northerner in McKenzie walking down Stringfellow Road going to visit the new pigs that were roaming in the neighbors yard.   We also spent many mornings grazing through the garden looking for eggplant, tomatoes, okra and cucumbers.  But, the best was spending time together at the dinner table.  Our poor northern friend had never had such delicacies as fried okra, shrimp boils, and real southern home cooking.  It was so fun to share our most tasty things in life with her.  Our other friends were from Texas and Georgia, so they fit right in.  One night was especially exciting because we got to have second supper.

Second supper is the supper that you eat after first supper.  Not too often do we get to enjoy second supper.  But, one night we sat down to eat delicious tomatoes, peas, and cornbread.  Then Maw Maw whipped up a fabulous dessert.  Then our Uncle came in the house with a big pot of shrimp boil.  Oh goodness was it good!

What was really a treat was getting to help lead the service at Sweet Home B*pt*st Ch*rch on Sunday morning.  It’s really amazing to me to meet people who have been pr*ying for us for 2 years just because Maw Maw and Paw Paw have asked them to.  We got to meet so many lovely people who are so happy to hear our stories about life in K*bul.  It was even better to share a potluck lunch with them.  Now our northern friend had never been to a potluck lunch before.  Apparently, they call them ‘take aways or bring ins’ where she’s from.  Weird…it’s a potluck plain and simple.  But this was the potluck to beat all potlucks.  Homemade this, homemade that…one lady is famous for her fried pies and she only brings about 30 of them to the potluck so you better get them before you get your main meal.  Then someone else remembered that I liked Blue Bell Ice cream and had 3 gallons on the table.  Ack!!  How did she remember that!? There were fresh vegetables, pot roast, fried chicken (homemade now…not just picked up from the Sam’s Club or Dodge’s Gas Station), cooked vegetables from people’s gardens, ham, macaroni and cheese…you name it, they had it.  It was amazing.

Even though McKenzie has great people, great food, and a beautiful spirit, the best part of McKenzie is spending time with Maw Maw and Paw Paw.  We love them so much and really the people we think about the most while we’re away are our grandparents, all 5 of them.   We love you Mimi, Maw Maw, Paw Paw, Maw Maw Earnest, and Aunt Nita.

we visited the pigs down the road

uncle vent’s shrimp boil!! delicious!

had to make a stop at the McKenzie Mall

Maw Maw…love her

playing mexican train dominoes

heidi, me, and allie at maw maw and paw paw’s house!

seventh stop – sweet home alabama

Sweet Home Alabama.  Even though neither of us grew up in Alabama, we have found a sweet home in Alabama that we can’t help but love visiting.  We love it so much that we talk about going to see Maw Maw and Paw Paw in McKenzie, Alabama all the time.  We talk about it so much that we convinced 3 of our dearest friends from K*bul to come and visit it with us.  We warned them.  You’ll go down there and have the time of you life and realize that 5 days had passed and that you hadn’t really done anything but play cards, eat Maw Maw’s amazing cooking, and visit the garden.  Besides the Wednesday night pr*yer meeting at the ch*rch and the Sunday morning service that we helped lead, all we did was play cards, eat Maw Maw’s amazing cooking and visit the garden.  It was my idea of heaven.

I love being outside in the garden.   A garden has been one of the hardest things for me to give up while living in the place of my calling.  It is soooo hard not to see the grass and smell the flowers.  It’s even harder not to be able to put my hands in the ground and grow something.  As Maw Maw says, “You have to give it permission to grow.”   We love visiting Maw Maw and Paw Paw because they remind us of the finer things that life has to offer…good family, great food, and simple days spent talking to the flowers, the vegetables, and the Lord.

alabama the beautiful!

hydrangeas – they reminded me of the ones used in our wedding bouquets

I think Maw Maw said that she had this plant for 20 years. Gorgeous!

Over next door we found this!

And on the way back to the house we found him!

sixth stop – louisiana

Anniversary in New Orleans.  We went to New Orleans not because we wanted another state to stop in for the summer tour, but to spend a few days together and celebrate our 2^nd anniversary.  I was pretty excited about this anniversary.  So, I did what everyone should do…I finally changed my name on my driver’s license and Social Security Number.  I know…pretty exciting stuff, but in reality we got married on July 18^th 2009 and left the country on August 14^th 2009 and its just been a whirlwind ever since.  I felt like this summer was the first time that I actually got to sit and rest and settle my thoughts about being married, living overseas, and getting older.  So I thought with our second anniversary coming up, it was time to change my name on some legal documents.  Now, if I can only sit still long enough to get my passport changed…then I’ll really seal the deal with Mr. E.

New Orleans was a fun getaway from it all.  We found great food and long walks through the French Quarter to be our cup of tea.  Even though it rained several days while we were there, we were still able to see a lot of the crescent city.   And most importantly, Mr. E was able to eat beignets and drink coffee at Café du Monde.  Yum…

green light means go…I love a city where you can walk!

fifth stop – mississippi

Back to Mississippi.  Got to love the feeling of coming home.  Even though we didn’t celebrate with anything special, the 4^th of July is always an exciting time.  I am sad to admit that I enjoyed the Olive Branch fireworks display from the parking lot of Wal-mart.  Mr. E was with some friends and I thought that I would just be prouctive and do some mundane, but necessary shopping at the supply giant.  As I pulled into the parking lot I heard the first bomb…oh I mean firework.  But, really that’s what a bomb sounds like.  As I slowly walked toward the group of about 30 employees standing at the entrance enjoying their moments of freedom, I couldn’t help but think how odd it is that the sound of celebration for our country’s freedom is the same sound that destroys and enslaves other countries.  How odd that the sounds of our Independence day celebration sound similar to the most depressing of days in other countries.

Even though we try not to admit to you very often, we do hear bombs in K*bul.  We do hear rockets.  We do hear gunshots.  We do, but you don’t have to worry, because we are taught ‘to worry about nothing.’  And I don’t worry about it.  I pr*y for safety.  I pr*ay for a time when the people hear do not have to live in fear of their safety.  I pr*r for G*d to bless my work even as I can admit that I am ready to leave.  But, I wasn’t talking about K*bul, I was talking about fireworks in the parking lot of Wal-mart.

Oh the 4^th of July.  It’s such a great time of the year.  I remember going to Riverfront Park in Nashville and listening to the Symphony play during the 4^th of July fireworks show.  I loved going there with my family.  Later in my life I had the joy of spending the 4^th of July at Lake Junaluska with the parade, flea market, singers concert, bar-b-que lunch, and fireworks show over the bridge.  Even though it was always a work day for us in the youth m*nistry, it still felt like a different, special day.

But, now in my life I am standing in the Wal-mart parking lot pausing my errand schedule for a few moments just to listen and enjoy the celebration of our freedom.  Seriously, I almost broke out into gushy tears.  I really had to hold them back.  And the only real reason why I held them back was because I didn’t want to explain to the 30 or so emplyees why I was having an emotionial breakdown in their parking lot over the fireworks.  So I pulled it together and went in to shop and celebrate America in the most American of all places.  Wal-Mart.

welcome back!

happy 4th of July

fourth stop – texas

Off to Texas.  Dallas has become a home away from home because for the past two summers I’ve taken a 2 week class at SMU.  This next summer will be my last level of the program and I am so thankful that I have taken the time to go through the Orff Certification Process.  It truly has taught me how to teach music to young children.  It has helped me realize my love of learning and teaching.  It has given me hands on techniques to use in the class room and has given me a support group of other music teachers that I can share ideas with.  It really can’t imagine going through my first years of teaching music without all the fabulous friends that I’ve made at SMU.

While in Texas we enjoy the best food.  One place in particular was a gluten free resturant that I found.  It was like a typical restaurant except that EVERYTHING on the menu was gluten free.  Even the 10 varieties of cakes for desert.  And I’m not talking about the normal, fall apart taste weird gluten free cakes.  I’m talking about moist, 3 layers of goodness, knock your socks off cakes.  If you can eat anything you like, its hard to image a world where you can’t eat what you’d like.  I’ve grown used to the idea that I can’t just walk into any resturant and order anything off of the menu.  And, its ok.  I get it.  But, to be able to sit down and order anything on the menu, plus dessert….oh my goodness.  For a brief time in my life, I felt normal again.  And then they brought me cake. 

Mr. E loves our 2 weeks in Texas.  He says that it’s the best 2 weeks of his year.  He gets to take me to day camp everyday, and then he gets to just lay around and watch the College World Series on ESPN all day long.  Poor guy.

Sorry there are no pictures from Texas except the sign.  Being in school all day everyday while we’re there really cuts into our sight-seeing, picture-taking trips.

welcome to texas