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I’m tired of lying on the couch all day. I’m tired of having no energy. I’m tired of throwing up. Sorry for the lack of posts. I’ve been sick.
Surprise!
I don’t usually make new year’s resolutions. I think they are silly. However, this year I did make one—to adopt a baby boy. Well, I’m here to inform you that the process has begun. We’ve filled out the paperwork, and our home study has been approved. What does this mean? It means that we are now “on call”. Our son could arrive at any time. It could be tomorrow. It could be a few months from now.
We are very excited . . . and terrified.
And the Oscar Goes to . . .
Al Gore??? This man’s hypocrisy astounds me. Even more bewildering is the fact that millions of Americans buy into his rubbish. Truly, I am at a loss for words.
Ice Rainbow
Click here to see a colorful phenomenon. I had never heard of this before, but I like it.
The Lives of Animals
Although we have no animals, we like them—even with their different “personalities”. The following made me laugh:
Excerpts from a Dog’s Daily Diary:
8:00am Dog food! My favorite thing!
9:30am A car ride! My favorite thing!
9:40am walk in the park! My favorite thing!
10:30am Got rubbed and petted! My favorite thing!
12:00pm Lunch! My favorite thing!
1:00pm Played in the yard! My favorite thing!
3:00pm Wagged my tail! My favorite thing!
5:00pm Milk bones! My favorite thing!
7:00pm Got to play ball! My favorite thing!
8:00pm Wow! Watched TV with my master! My favorite thing!
11:00pm Sleeping on the bed! My favorite thing!
Excerpts from a Cat’s Daily Diary:
Day 683 of my captivity: My captors continue to taunt me with bizarre dangling objects. They dine lavishly on fresh meat, while the other inmates and myself are fed hash or some sort of dry nuggets. Although I make my contempt for the rations perfectly clear, I nevertheless must eat something in order to keep up my strength. The only thing that keeps me going is my dream of escape. In an attempt to disgust them, I once again vomit on the floor. Today I decapitated a mouse and dropped its headless body at their feet. I had hoped this act would strike fear into their hearts, since it clearly demonstrates what I am capable of. However, they merely made condescending comments about what a “good little hunter” I am. The audacity! There was some sort of assembly of their accomplices tonight. I was placed in solitary confinement for the duration of the event. However, I could hear the noises and smell the food. I overheard that my confinement was due to the power of “allergies.” I must learn what this means, and how to use it to my advantage. Today I was almost successful in an attempt to assassinate one of my tormentors by weaving around his feet as he was walking. I must try this again tomorrow — but at the top of the stairs. I am convinced that the other prisoners here are flunkies and snitches. The dog receives special privileges. He is regularly released –and seems to be more than willing to return. He is obviously retarded! The bird must be an informant. I observe him communicating with the guards regularly. I am certain that he reports my every move. The captors have arranged protective custody for him in an elevated cell, so he is safe … for now.
Julian Beever
If you have never heard of this guy, have a look here. His work is incredible! Check it out. My favorite is Batman and Robin.
God Is So Good
In May of last year, when I left my previous job in order to pursue mission work, I also gave up my very good health insurance. I was able to get temporary insurance until I left for Croatia in August, but when I attempted to get full insurance upon my return, I was denied due to a mild kidney ailment for which I have never needed treatment. But, insurance companies (kind as they are) look for any reason possible to deny someone coverage. So, I’ve been out of luck and under this heavy burden. During the past several months we have offered up many prayers that I would not be involved in a serious accident or have any sort of terrible illness diagnosed; for if something were to happen—well, it would be bad.
To make a long story short, my Valentine’s Day has been blessed with confirmation that I was accepted by my husband’s group policy (from work) with no riders or anything. We thank God for protecting me and providing above and beyond what we even asked for in this regard. He is so good, and He has lifted this burden from our shoulders. Praise be to Him!
Weird Search
Why would someone searching for a blue eyed hexed boy baby be directed to my blog? I hope this is not foreshadowing about one of our children.
Weird.
Overdue
Recently it occurred to me that blogging has sort of been forgotten in the busyness and uncertainty of the past month. Sometimes life just seems to get in the way of blogging. (Fancy that!) So, basically there has been little web activity going on here since before Christmas. In light of the dry spell, I thought it might be good to whip up a little update on what has been happening around here.
Perhaps the biggest news (and what has been the greatest challenge to us) is that just before Christmas we hit some rather sizeable “bumps” in our road to ministry in Croatia. We didn’t do anything wrong, and we are convinced that we were heading in the direction God had for us, even if it was only to test our faith in Him. The circumstances were out of our control, and we have been learning much in the aftermath of some difficult weeks. “Faithful is He who has called you, who also will do it” has been running through my mind almost daily as we do some serious thinking and rearranging. We are now contemplating a videography ministry (as opposed to church planting), through which we can serve our mission board, churches here in the States, Christian citizens of several countries, and missionaries around the world as we create quality field videos, deputation and furlough presentations, and audio/visual material for nationals to use in ministry. Without the bumps we’ve experienced we may never have thought about this needed (and greatly desired by our mission board for a long time) ministry. It is hard to go through trials, especially when you believe you are doing the right thing (and when you’ve invested lots of time and a good bit of money as well); but God, in His infinite wisdom, sometimes changes His children’s paths—for His glory and their good. We do still plan to live in Croatia; however, we will most likely be closer to the capital than to the cities in which we hoped to plant churches. Although we have not made a final decision on which ministry we will pursue, we are excited about the possibilities for videography, and we will probably still be close enough to help Pastor Vladimir with evangelism and special projects.
Rearranging mission work plans can be stressful, so we are incredibly thankful for the stability that God has blessed us with in other areas of life. We both have new jobs that we enjoy (no more car sales!!!), and we are no longer on 100% commission. What a blessing! Being on commission tested our faith and trust in God like it hadn’t been tested before, and we are thankful for having gone through those months. But we are glad that is over (at least until we are on mission support). There is still a long road ahead, but we are thrilled to be on it and hope to be moving a little bit faster soon.
Forgotten and Funny
Believe it or not, I actually forgot about my blog this week. However, I did not forget to check my e-mail, which is good, as my aunt sent me a classic. Enjoy!
A major research institution has recently announced the discovery of the heaviest element yet known to science. The new element has been named “Governmentium.” Governmentium has 1 neutron, 12 assistant neutrons, 75 deputy neutrons, and 11 assistant deputy neutrons, giving it an atomic mass of 312. These particles are held together by forces called Morons, which are surrounded by vast quantities of Lepton-like particles called peons. Since Governmentium has no electrons, it is inert. However, it can be detected, as it impedes every reaction with which it comes into contact. A minute amount of Governmentium causes 1 reaction to take over 4 days to complete, when it would normally take less than a second. GOVERNMENTIUM has a normal 1/2-life of 4 years; it does not decay, but instead undergoes a reorganization in which a portion of the assistant neutrons and deputy neutrons exchange places. In fact, Governmentium’s mass will actually increase over time, since each reorganization will cause more morons to become Neutrons, forming isodopes. This characteristic of moron-promotion leads some scientists to believe that Governmentium is formed whenever morons reach a certain quantity in concentration. This hypothetical quantity is referred to as “Critical Morass!” When catalyzed with money, Governmentium becomes Administratium–an element which radiates just as much energy, since it has 1/2 as many peons but twice as many morons.
