Vacation

We just returned from a week-long vacation in Warm Springs/Pine Mountain, Georgia. I will be writing more about our vacation in the days to come. However, I wanted to let everybody know that we had a restful vacation in the mountains and had the opportunity to visit some places and people that have been very important in our lives.
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The photo here was taken from one of FDR's favorite picnic spots, Dowdel's Knob.

More on our vacation later this week.

Blessings,
Marc

The Up Side of Garage Sales

Ok, I admit it. I was feeling pretty grumpy last night when I wrote my last entry. However, as is usually the case, God provided an opportunity for us to see the good in what we are having to do.

After supper last night we got a visit from Billy and Ada Wisanen, dear sweet friends of ours from church, who wanted to look through some of the furniture that we had for sale. One of the things that we have been forced to sell is a table that belonged to my Nana and that I have had in my house since college. I didn't really want to let this table go, and had hoped that it could saty in my family, but that was not possible. However, God sent Billy and Ada at just the right time. They were looking for a table and I was able to send Nana's table, along with some books that I bought as a present for Kellye, home with them. It was nice for us to find a home for these items. However, my attitude toward garage sales changed when Billy told me, "every time I sit in the room and look at these things I will think about and pray for you guys."

Wow! What a blessing it is to be able to share the treasured things of your life with other people and know that these items will not just bring pleasure to others, but they will be a reminder to others of our lives and our work. To be honest, most days we do not consider missionary service to be a sacrifice. We have "counted the cost" and God has placed in us a burning desire to serve Him overseas. And, part of that is whittling our life down to 14 suitcases. How nice it is to be able to share our lives with the people here and know that as we go and serve that we will be remembered and prayed for.

The ironic note: we are finally getting the rain we need (it has been raining for 12 hours now) and our sale for today has been washed out.

Blessings,
Marc

Garage Sale Purgatory

Is there anything worse than watching strangers paw through your things and offering you a quarter for something you saved for months in order to buy? Welcome to Garage Sale Purgatory!!!!!

Blech!

After what feels like years in preperation, the house is on the market. Rotten wood has been replaced. Walls have been painted. New carpet has been laid and now our worldly posessions are being sold for a fraction of their monitary and sentimental value. Ain't the life of a missionary grand?

But seriously. In a few months I will be writing about the cold days, eating borsht, and walking two miles in the snow (uphill both ways) to get to the metro station. Ain't the life of a missionary grand?

No, but really now. We are getting excited about all that God has planned for us. And, we know that He has a special someone picked out to buy the house...someone who will love it like we have and we hope it will be a blessing to them.

Tuesday was a fun day, we drove to Orlando to spend the day at Wet 'n Wild with the kiddos. After a day of fun in the sun we drove over to the Disney resorts to spend the evening with Robert and Elaine Rierson and their two boys. They are IMB Missionaries who will serve in Hungary and go throug their orientation with us in August. And, even though they root for the totally wrong team, they are from the great state of Oklahoma, so we like them even better. (Boomer Sooner!)

June is going to be another busy month for us. In addition to selling the house and the huge list of IMB things we need to get taken care of, we are taking an eight day vacation to Warm Springs and Pine Mountain, GA. That is a very special place for us because in addition to being a place where we can physically relax, it is a place of spiritual renewal as well. We hope to visit the church in Warm Springs where I served as the Youth Minister for a year early in our marriage and to see some of the dear people who supported us during that time.

Well, the list of things that I have to do today is not getting any shorter the longer I sit here and write, so I will be off.

Blessings to all,
Marc