My other brother's wedding

After time on the Oregon coast and Memorial Day in Portland, my parents picked me up on their way to Seattle. What was going on was that a really old friend from Austria who came to the states to go to bible college was marrying an American girl, and my Dad was performing the ceremony. Philipp was 2 days old when he and his mom left the hospital and came to stay with us until his dad could get off work (a few days later) and take them home. For a while, he was the only other kid at church next to me and the other MK's. We played countless games of Robin Hood in the woods, built a tree fort in his backyard with his Dad, ran through the streets of Villach to escape the masked monsters every December 5th, and of course there was the time senior year when he came faithfully to every dance practice and consented to be my partner at my ball. He's basically my 3rd brother, and it was a privilige to watch him get married to beautiful Chantelle last Sunday. Philipp, here's to you!

The Coast

The second church I got to speak at about my missions adventure was in Newport, OR, which is directly on the coast. I can't even begin to tell you how fun it was to see the Pacific again, not that it's anywhere near warm enough to even dunk a toe in that far north. Mom froze.

The family we stayed with, the Rogers, were super friendly and had a beautiful, huge, self-maintained garden surrounding their property. It was gorgeous for wandering and doing devotions in. My parents and I shared about our respective ministries in two different house groups, at a Saturday night dinner, and Sunday morning - I in the youth group and Dad in the main service. One of the house groups generously peppered me with all kinds of questions and really wanted to get to know me. I'm always amazed at how blessed I feel when I leave groups or churches!

On Memorial Monday the 25th, my parents went south while I drove back to Portland to see a few more old friends. We had a barbeque in which Anna and Karissa proceeded to get marshmellows in their hair (even though you can't really tell in the pictures). Three of us women were former Austrian MK's, and two had lived in Austria for at least a year. I was super impressed with all the patient husbands who still participated fully in all our reminiscing conversations.

Sold my heart for $3

The sun was beating down quite warmly for a May afternoon in the Northwest, and the kids I was babysitting were having a blast running around outside in their bare feet. The twins, Ben and Ellie, had split in opposite directions with Ben setting up his apple stand out front and Ellie making daisy chains in the back. 6-year-old Karissa was trying to touch the ceiling on the porch swing while her younger sister Anna, the one I most needed to keep my eye on, was peddling back and forth with all the speed of a 4-year-old cheetah.

Because of the intensity with which I had to focus on Anna's trek up and down the sidewalk, I hadn't really paid much attention to Ben's sign, not even when he roped Karissa into helping it. So when I heard their sweet, clear voices echo across the street, my heart almost melted: "Apples! 50 cents. Help our missionary!"

Rounding the stand, I found the sign that Ben had written: "By apples. Money for Germiny." (Picture to follow.) I can guarantee in my upcoming year of support raising, no $3 are ever going to be sweeter than the 3 they raised that day. I think I'm leaving my heart in Portland....

Coolness of God

I actually may have made a new contact with someone I sat next to on the plane. We were both reading our Bibles, and she happened to note we were even both in 1 Chronicles. That started us off on a conversation. She and her husband are church planters in Orange County, CA, and I'm an aspiring missionary, and before we landed, she asked me to send them all my information. Very awesome, God!

Painting Word Pictures

When I landed at the Boise airport last Friday, Gene and Lilas Cooper and Eunice Guerrant were there to greet me with smiling faces and a warm meal. My time at Treasure Valley Baptist Church in Ontario, Oregon, was truly wonderful. What a blessing to meet a generation of faithful believers who have been giving to my parents' ministry for nearly 30 years!

On Saturday, I shared my testimony at a Women's Luncheon besides enjoying the most delicious salads west of the Mississippi. They were very attentive and even played along with my quiz game. Sunday the whole Sunday school hour was mine. My "lesson" was about the 3 Major Life Lessons I'd learned along my journey to becoming a missionary. The pastor jumped right in and quizzed everyone afterwards, which was fun. Then in church, I had 15 minuted to give a brief Introduction on my ministry and give an appeal for partners, both in prayer and in giving.

The surprising element in both of those presentations was that I wasn't able to rely at all on the powerpoint presentations I'd created or the video I'd managed to swipe off of WorldVenture. No computer/projector/set-up whatsoever. But I like what Pastor Chuck said: "She's going to paint some word pictures for us today."

You can all imagine what the potluck was like at a small-town, almost country church: creamy enchiladas, cheezy casseroles, freshly baked buns that practially slid down your throat, not to mention the rich lemon pie with my ever-favorite Cool Whip! There was a short Q&A session, and after that, I rolled back to the Coopers. Once we had recovered from our food comas, we were back at church for a very meaningful prayer time that was extremely encouraging to me, and I didn't even know any of the names I prayed for!

I want so badly to be able to post pictures. I hope tomorrow to locate a Target or Walmart and perhaps buy a new digital camera.

Today, Gene and Lilas drove me back to the Boise airport where I caught my flight to Portland (with a layover in Salt Lake City in the opposite direction - go figure). Tomorrow I pick up a WorldVenture car and have lunch and dinner with some old friends. Thanks for all your prayers so far!

Oregon trip

Tomorrow will come bright and early as my wonderful friend, Sarah, takes me to the aiport at 5:30 am. I'm off to Oregon for 2 weeks where I'll share at two churches and hopefully be reunited with a slew of old friends and MK cousins from my past. This first weekend, I'm speaking at a Women's Luncheon on Saturday and in the morning church service on Sunday in a small town church waaaaay out in Eastern Oregon, closer to Boise, Idaho, than any other city. The following weekend, I'll practically be in the Pacific Ocean on the other side of this great state in Newport, where my parents and I will share the podium and misisonary booth in the lobby.

I appreciat any and ALL of your prayers for
- safety in travel
- calmness of nerves as I speak
- good connections and renewal of old relationships
- God's glory to be evident in the misisons work I share and in me
- open ears and hearts
- my contentment in Christ no matter the outcome

Check out my Missions Blog for further updates on that side of things.

Miss Custard...?

"Can I go to the bathroom, please?"

Most common phrase I hear when subbing. I take that back. Usually there's no "please."