 |
| Celebratin |
Wednesday, April 2, 2008
Celebrating One Year With Ellie
We have been together as a completed family for exactly one year today. It's hard to believe, but it's been a year with Eliana Joy Lin. We celebrated last night with everyone, but Sarah(did I mention that she'll be home in 5 days???). We ate Chinese food and watched "I Gotcha Day" videos. I LOVE gotcha days. It feels the same as a biological delivery to me...emotionally that is. One moment there's no baby, the next there is. Ellie was such a little peanut with a really bad haircut, but totally adorable. It was fun to watch her watching the video. We finished off the night with yummy cake. I must repeat what I've said many times before, I am one blessed woman. God has given me more than I knew to dream for. Blessed be the name of the Lord. Huge blessings to my travel group...they are the best. Love, js
London Part II
Well, here it is, almost 2 weeks later and I'm finally feeling like I can somewhat articulate my trip. It's pretty sad that it takes me 2 weeks to recover from a trip these days, but I gotta say that it was a busy 8 days there and super busy when I got home. Before I tell you about London I will answer the question that many of you have asked, "how did they do at home?". The truth is that they did great, but they missed me...a lot. I have to say that I love the fact that David and I have become such a team. It has taken many years to accomplish that, but the Lord has taught us to rely on one another and when one of us is missing we feel it. I love that the Lord takes the prayers of our hearts and accomplishes them almost without us knowing it and then one day we recognize what only He could do. That is what this trip showed both David and me. God has made a team out of two very independent people and that is miracle of no small proportion.
About my trip...Friday morning I got up and went down 6(yes that's SIX)flights of stairs for my traditional English breakfast which I very much enjoyed. After breakfast I climbed the stairs back to my room....only my room was not at the top of the stairs. I was in room 11 and the numbers at the top of the stairs were in the 20's. I was huffing and puffing and I swear I looked around like "is this a joke? How could this tiny hotel have two sets of stairs?" So, I crawled, I mean walked down the stairs only to find that yes, I had climbed the wrong stairs. Amazing. So, I hiked myself up the right stairs for the last time.(I wish I had taken some photos of those stairs, but I didn't) I checked out of the hotel, leaving my bags for Antonio to retrieve :-) Off I headed, by myself, to try to ride the tube and find the place to pick up my London pass. One thing about being in a city where everyone rides the tube and walks, they think walking blocks to a tube station is no big deal, so several times I would be told, "oh, just go to the such and such station and get on the tube, its right down there" and then I would walk and walk and walk and finally get there. Well, my first experience on the tube was like that. I walked a LOT and finally got where I needed to be, then I got back on the tube and made it back to my hotel which was a HUGE accomplishment. The best L25 I spent was on the taxi ride to my new hotel. There was no way I was going to struggle through the tube stations lugging my luggage again!
After getting settled in my new luxury hotel Sarah came to meet me for lunch. That evening we saw the Lord of the Rings musical for Sarah's birthday. It was the most amazing show! I'm not really a LOTR fan, but this show was so phenomenal. I highly recommend it. That night my friend, Leslie and her daughter Rebecca arrived around midnight.
On Saturday it was off to shop at Portobello Road. That is London's idea of a huge flea market. Huge amounts of booths, food and people. Truly a shoppers paradise. Big problem...I'm not really a shopper. I'm what you call a spender and since I didn't have any money to buy any stuff it was just a lot of walking for me. But, if you want to spend lots of money I would suggest a visit to Portobello. That afternoon it was more walking in a park near our hotel. By the end of that journey I was one tired pup. That night we celebrated Sarah's 21st birthday at a marvelous little Italian restaurant.
Sunday morning was wet and dreary and we attended a Spirit filled church service. It was so sweet and international and just what my weary soul needed. Sarah attends this church on a regular basis, but still we got lost. When we finally found the church God met me there in a very real way. It was just precious. After church I told Sarah I was so glad she persevered and didn't give up. I would have quit looking and missed the wonderful experience God gave us. There was a couple there who gave their testimony. The wife was in a wheelchair and she shared about her active life before the brain tumor. She talked about God's faithfulness through all the changes in her life. Her sweet husband shared about the struggles as the primary caregiver, but then he said "this is what I signed up for...better or worse, in sickness and in health". It made me weep then and brings me to tears as I remember it. I want to know God's goodness so well that I never question Him. The other sweet thing for me was all the Asians in the service. I just loved it. After church and lunch Leslie, Rebecca and I headed to the Imperial War Museum. Another spiritual experience for me. This was such a surprise to me. I LOVED this museum! It was all about the World Wars. A person could easily spend all day in the museum and I had about 3 hours. I visited the Children's Museum which was about the children that had to be evacuated from London during the World War II(like the characters in the Narnia movie). I was near tears from the beginning. It was amazing. After that I went to the Holocaust exhibit. I felt like I was on hallowed ground. Seriously. That night it was dinner at Wagamama's Chinese restaurant. Not my favorite, but hey, we had a bogo coupon so that's where we ate.
Monday had us visiting the London Zoo. Surprised? Not if you know me. My favorite was the butterfly display. Again, no big surprise there. The butterflies were amazing. I tried to get photos, but I doubt they turned out. It was really humid in there. That afternoon we visited Kensington Palace. They had a tribute to Princess Diana which was really neat. I took pictures there before I got caught. Actually, I had no idea that I wasn't supposed to take pictures there, but the little guy that told me to put my camera away clued me in. Apparently I have some "bootleg" photos. Lots of them.(They didn't catch me until the end of the tour.) That evening it was Westminster Abbey for Evensong(boring, sorry, but boring)and then off to see "Wicked". My second great show in London. It was amazing. We ate pizza at 11pm just for fun.
Tuesday was our day trip to the country. We visited Winsor Palace(sorry no photos-they made it clear at the beginning), the Roman Baths in Bath, and Stonehenge. It was a long day, but my favorite. I loved the countryside dotted with sheep, rolling hills and farm houses. It was beautiful. We arrived back to the hotel in time to meet Sarah for dinner at a local pub. I made the huge mistake of ordering a burger....mad cow disease anyone? The burger arrived at my table and after cutting it I smelled a really rotten smell. Seriously like rotten hamburger. I can still smell that smell. It was horrible. I told the waiter that I thought it was bad and next thing you know the manager shows up acting all offended b/c I didn't like the burger. I wasn't rude at all, I promise, I just wasn't going to eat it. He gave me a chicken sandwich to go, but I couldn't eat. The smell had totally ruined my appetite. Oh well...I was ready to go home anyway.
Wednesday found me on the train for Gatwick airport after a lovely chat with my cabbie. The airport was really crowded and so after a long wait to check my bags I headed to security. During this trip I realized again that I forget to enjoy the journey. All I want is to arrive at the destination. Once I'm where I'm supposed to be I am fine, but I am not able to relax until I get where I'm going. I'm thinking God might want to change this in me. I'm sure Sarah would. Well, as I am headed into security I'm getting toward the relaxed mind frame when suddenly there is some drama. They found my bootleg photos of Kensington Palace...just kidding. Actually they said I could only take one bag as my carry on INCLUDING MY PURSE. What? Who ever heard of a woman's purse counting as a carry on???? Well, I tried stuffing my purse in my carry on, but it made my bag too big to fit in the allowed space. The guy in security said I could go check the bag I intended to carry on. I said, "go back and wait in that long line again?" He said, "yes." I said, "You have to be kidding. I flew in here with these bags." He said, "well, you haven't flown out." I told him I would repack the bag. So I stopped right there and began to repack my bag.(At that moment I knew David would've been so proud of my ingenuity)After spending a little while repacking my bag they let me through without remeasuring it. God was gracious. Those Brits weren't. What a negative impression to leave on a tourist. I was happy to make it through with all my stuff and very thankful to be heading home.
Well, that is more than I'm sure you wanted to know, but there it is. My London trip. It was a great 8 days and I'm so thankful for the experience and to be with Sarah on her 21st birthday. As it stands today she will be home in just 5 days. Yay! Thanks for reading. May you find God wherever He has you. Love, js
About my trip...Friday morning I got up and went down 6(yes that's SIX)flights of stairs for my traditional English breakfast which I very much enjoyed. After breakfast I climbed the stairs back to my room....only my room was not at the top of the stairs. I was in room 11 and the numbers at the top of the stairs were in the 20's. I was huffing and puffing and I swear I looked around like "is this a joke? How could this tiny hotel have two sets of stairs?" So, I crawled, I mean walked down the stairs only to find that yes, I had climbed the wrong stairs. Amazing. So, I hiked myself up the right stairs for the last time.(I wish I had taken some photos of those stairs, but I didn't) I checked out of the hotel, leaving my bags for Antonio to retrieve :-) Off I headed, by myself, to try to ride the tube and find the place to pick up my London pass. One thing about being in a city where everyone rides the tube and walks, they think walking blocks to a tube station is no big deal, so several times I would be told, "oh, just go to the such and such station and get on the tube, its right down there" and then I would walk and walk and walk and finally get there. Well, my first experience on the tube was like that. I walked a LOT and finally got where I needed to be, then I got back on the tube and made it back to my hotel which was a HUGE accomplishment. The best L25 I spent was on the taxi ride to my new hotel. There was no way I was going to struggle through the tube stations lugging my luggage again!
After getting settled in my new luxury hotel Sarah came to meet me for lunch. That evening we saw the Lord of the Rings musical for Sarah's birthday. It was the most amazing show! I'm not really a LOTR fan, but this show was so phenomenal. I highly recommend it. That night my friend, Leslie and her daughter Rebecca arrived around midnight.
On Saturday it was off to shop at Portobello Road. That is London's idea of a huge flea market. Huge amounts of booths, food and people. Truly a shoppers paradise. Big problem...I'm not really a shopper. I'm what you call a spender and since I didn't have any money to buy any stuff it was just a lot of walking for me. But, if you want to spend lots of money I would suggest a visit to Portobello. That afternoon it was more walking in a park near our hotel. By the end of that journey I was one tired pup. That night we celebrated Sarah's 21st birthday at a marvelous little Italian restaurant.
Sunday morning was wet and dreary and we attended a Spirit filled church service. It was so sweet and international and just what my weary soul needed. Sarah attends this church on a regular basis, but still we got lost. When we finally found the church God met me there in a very real way. It was just precious. After church I told Sarah I was so glad she persevered and didn't give up. I would have quit looking and missed the wonderful experience God gave us. There was a couple there who gave their testimony. The wife was in a wheelchair and she shared about her active life before the brain tumor. She talked about God's faithfulness through all the changes in her life. Her sweet husband shared about the struggles as the primary caregiver, but then he said "this is what I signed up for...better or worse, in sickness and in health". It made me weep then and brings me to tears as I remember it. I want to know God's goodness so well that I never question Him. The other sweet thing for me was all the Asians in the service. I just loved it. After church and lunch Leslie, Rebecca and I headed to the Imperial War Museum. Another spiritual experience for me. This was such a surprise to me. I LOVED this museum! It was all about the World Wars. A person could easily spend all day in the museum and I had about 3 hours. I visited the Children's Museum which was about the children that had to be evacuated from London during the World War II(like the characters in the Narnia movie). I was near tears from the beginning. It was amazing. After that I went to the Holocaust exhibit. I felt like I was on hallowed ground. Seriously. That night it was dinner at Wagamama's Chinese restaurant. Not my favorite, but hey, we had a bogo coupon so that's where we ate.
Monday had us visiting the London Zoo. Surprised? Not if you know me. My favorite was the butterfly display. Again, no big surprise there. The butterflies were amazing. I tried to get photos, but I doubt they turned out. It was really humid in there. That afternoon we visited Kensington Palace. They had a tribute to Princess Diana which was really neat. I took pictures there before I got caught. Actually, I had no idea that I wasn't supposed to take pictures there, but the little guy that told me to put my camera away clued me in. Apparently I have some "bootleg" photos. Lots of them.(They didn't catch me until the end of the tour.) That evening it was Westminster Abbey for Evensong(boring, sorry, but boring)and then off to see "Wicked". My second great show in London. It was amazing. We ate pizza at 11pm just for fun.
Tuesday was our day trip to the country. We visited Winsor Palace(sorry no photos-they made it clear at the beginning), the Roman Baths in Bath, and Stonehenge. It was a long day, but my favorite. I loved the countryside dotted with sheep, rolling hills and farm houses. It was beautiful. We arrived back to the hotel in time to meet Sarah for dinner at a local pub. I made the huge mistake of ordering a burger....mad cow disease anyone? The burger arrived at my table and after cutting it I smelled a really rotten smell. Seriously like rotten hamburger. I can still smell that smell. It was horrible. I told the waiter that I thought it was bad and next thing you know the manager shows up acting all offended b/c I didn't like the burger. I wasn't rude at all, I promise, I just wasn't going to eat it. He gave me a chicken sandwich to go, but I couldn't eat. The smell had totally ruined my appetite. Oh well...I was ready to go home anyway.
Wednesday found me on the train for Gatwick airport after a lovely chat with my cabbie. The airport was really crowded and so after a long wait to check my bags I headed to security. During this trip I realized again that I forget to enjoy the journey. All I want is to arrive at the destination. Once I'm where I'm supposed to be I am fine, but I am not able to relax until I get where I'm going. I'm thinking God might want to change this in me. I'm sure Sarah would. Well, as I am headed into security I'm getting toward the relaxed mind frame when suddenly there is some drama. They found my bootleg photos of Kensington Palace...just kidding. Actually they said I could only take one bag as my carry on INCLUDING MY PURSE. What? Who ever heard of a woman's purse counting as a carry on???? Well, I tried stuffing my purse in my carry on, but it made my bag too big to fit in the allowed space. The guy in security said I could go check the bag I intended to carry on. I said, "go back and wait in that long line again?" He said, "yes." I said, "You have to be kidding. I flew in here with these bags." He said, "well, you haven't flown out." I told him I would repack the bag. So I stopped right there and began to repack my bag.(At that moment I knew David would've been so proud of my ingenuity)After spending a little while repacking my bag they let me through without remeasuring it. God was gracious. Those Brits weren't. What a negative impression to leave on a tourist. I was happy to make it through with all my stuff and very thankful to be heading home.
Well, that is more than I'm sure you wanted to know, but there it is. My London trip. It was a great 8 days and I'm so thankful for the experience and to be with Sarah on her 21st birthday. As it stands today she will be home in just 5 days. Yay! Thanks for reading. May you find God wherever He has you. Love, js
Thursday, March 20, 2008
Home Again Home Again Jiggity Ju
Well, I'm home. I had no internet access after my 1st night in London. I arrived home and my cold became much worse. Probably due to the fact that I walked a bazillion miles in London and had very little rest....but oh the memories. I will tell you all about it very soon. Love, Jackie Sue
Thursday, March 13, 2008
London It Is
Soooo, how's your mom?(just a random phrase we say at home sometimes to make ourselves laugh. Davie said it while on the phone to one of the boys we traveled in China with and it was hilarious b/c she sounded oh so grown up. anywho, that might just be one of those jokes that just doesn't translate)
I'M IN LONDON! Yay! I have internet access! Yay yay! I've been up for about a bazillion hours straight...no exaggeration. Ok, a little. I have fallen asleep on a plane and a train today, but not for very long either time. I cannot sleep on airplanes. It is not comfortable. It hurts my neck. None the less it was an uneventful flight which is always good. Get this, I did not talk to ONE SINGLE PERSON THE ENTIRE FLIGHT! Yes way. There weren't any friendly people near me. I guess that's because I booked seats with empty seats beside me. Go figure. I would suggest that if you enjoy chatting with total strangers on flights then put yourself in the middle of a couple of them. First lesson learned on my London trip so far.
I arrived at the Gatwick airport a little late,(well, not just me, the whole flight was late), so I missed my train(well, it wasn't my train, just a loaner)to Reading to reunite with my friends from 25 years back. I managed to call her from a pay phone using my credit card(wonder what that cost me!) and let her know that I would be an hour late. I got off the train and there she was. Sweet Val. It was just lovely(I sound so British don't I?) to see her again after all these years. She took me by the church where I performed with the Fellowship Singers all those years ago and then to her home for a wonderful visit with her sweet husband, Graham. I even got to see their boys, now grown men of course and I met their daughter in law and little Will, their grandson. It was a lovely 5 hour visit. Too short really, but it was the best we could do. Then Val put me on a train to meet Sarah. No one talks on the trains so I fell asleep off and on. Sarah met me at the Waterloo Station. She looks great and it was so good to see her. We began the journey to my hotel. Journey is the opperative word there. Keep in mind that I was lugging a 46lb suitcase behind me all the way and a smaller bag too. We needed to get from the train to the tube(subway for you non Brits)and we traveled much distance, stairs, escalators and even an elevator to get to where we needed to be. It was a very difficult journey. Did I mention that it was raining? Well, it was, which really mattered after our tube ride where we had to now walk the busy streets lugging before mentioned suitcases. Poor Sarah. I get so stressed if I don't know where I am or how to get to where I'm going. She wants to chat and I keep saying, "where do we go now" and all the while she knew right where she was going. Remember this is after little sleep.
When my hotel was in sight I sent her on her way b/c she had a "Jack the Ripper" walk/tour to go to. (Doesn't that sound fun??? "And here is where he killed his 3rd victim..."said in a lovely british accent...yuk!) So I walk up to my hotel and walk in, totally fatiqued from all the suitcase lugging and I kid you not, the young gal at the counter said, "Your room is no.11 at the top of the stairs." I said, "I have to climb stairs?" And she said, "yes" and I said, "how far?" and she said "just 3 flights"! OMGoodness!!!!!! I nearly died. I said, "you're kidding me" and she said "no, would you like some help?" and lo and behold Antonio came to my rescue. Just for the record, it was not 3 flights...but 3 floors of stairs. 5 FLIGHTS OF STAIRS and the last flight is like all curvy and really steep. By the time I got upstairs I was huffing and puffing and sweating like a pig. I think that qualifies for my workout for the day and as soon as I get my ATM card to work I'm gonna give Antonio a big tip and let him help me down the stairs with my bags tomorrow. Antonio is my bff in London now.
My room is nothing to write home about, so I won't, but the bathroom is tiny and the floor has a drain in the middle of it and the shower is connected to the rest of the bathroom and you can't turn around in it without hitting the shower curtain, ew! and I saw 2 hairs on the floor. YUCK! I HATE hair. But, the good news is that I am clean and I'm here and I'm going to go to bed momentarily because apparently Sarah is not coming back from her Jack the Ripper talk anytime soon. I'm winding down from the "Up Your Gas" pill I took earlier(thanks Cath) and so I think I can sleep now. I'm betting this is way more than even Brandi thought to hope for...so goodnight friends. Love, Jackie Sue
I'M IN LONDON! Yay! I have internet access! Yay yay! I've been up for about a bazillion hours straight...no exaggeration. Ok, a little. I have fallen asleep on a plane and a train today, but not for very long either time. I cannot sleep on airplanes. It is not comfortable. It hurts my neck. None the less it was an uneventful flight which is always good. Get this, I did not talk to ONE SINGLE PERSON THE ENTIRE FLIGHT! Yes way. There weren't any friendly people near me. I guess that's because I booked seats with empty seats beside me. Go figure. I would suggest that if you enjoy chatting with total strangers on flights then put yourself in the middle of a couple of them. First lesson learned on my London trip so far.
I arrived at the Gatwick airport a little late,(well, not just me, the whole flight was late), so I missed my train(well, it wasn't my train, just a loaner)to Reading to reunite with my friends from 25 years back. I managed to call her from a pay phone using my credit card(wonder what that cost me!) and let her know that I would be an hour late. I got off the train and there she was. Sweet Val. It was just lovely(I sound so British don't I?) to see her again after all these years. She took me by the church where I performed with the Fellowship Singers all those years ago and then to her home for a wonderful visit with her sweet husband, Graham. I even got to see their boys, now grown men of course and I met their daughter in law and little Will, their grandson. It was a lovely 5 hour visit. Too short really, but it was the best we could do. Then Val put me on a train to meet Sarah. No one talks on the trains so I fell asleep off and on. Sarah met me at the Waterloo Station. She looks great and it was so good to see her. We began the journey to my hotel. Journey is the opperative word there. Keep in mind that I was lugging a 46lb suitcase behind me all the way and a smaller bag too. We needed to get from the train to the tube(subway for you non Brits)and we traveled much distance, stairs, escalators and even an elevator to get to where we needed to be. It was a very difficult journey. Did I mention that it was raining? Well, it was, which really mattered after our tube ride where we had to now walk the busy streets lugging before mentioned suitcases. Poor Sarah. I get so stressed if I don't know where I am or how to get to where I'm going. She wants to chat and I keep saying, "where do we go now" and all the while she knew right where she was going. Remember this is after little sleep.
When my hotel was in sight I sent her on her way b/c she had a "Jack the Ripper" walk/tour to go to. (Doesn't that sound fun??? "And here is where he killed his 3rd victim..."said in a lovely british accent...yuk!) So I walk up to my hotel and walk in, totally fatiqued from all the suitcase lugging and I kid you not, the young gal at the counter said, "Your room is no.11 at the top of the stairs." I said, "I have to climb stairs?" And she said, "yes" and I said, "how far?" and she said "just 3 flights"! OMGoodness!!!!!! I nearly died. I said, "you're kidding me" and she said "no, would you like some help?" and lo and behold Antonio came to my rescue. Just for the record, it was not 3 flights...but 3 floors of stairs. 5 FLIGHTS OF STAIRS and the last flight is like all curvy and really steep. By the time I got upstairs I was huffing and puffing and sweating like a pig. I think that qualifies for my workout for the day and as soon as I get my ATM card to work I'm gonna give Antonio a big tip and let him help me down the stairs with my bags tomorrow. Antonio is my bff in London now.
My room is nothing to write home about, so I won't, but the bathroom is tiny and the floor has a drain in the middle of it and the shower is connected to the rest of the bathroom and you can't turn around in it without hitting the shower curtain, ew! and I saw 2 hairs on the floor. YUCK! I HATE hair. But, the good news is that I am clean and I'm here and I'm going to go to bed momentarily because apparently Sarah is not coming back from her Jack the Ripper talk anytime soon. I'm winding down from the "Up Your Gas" pill I took earlier(thanks Cath) and so I think I can sleep now. I'm betting this is way more than even Brandi thought to hope for...so goodnight friends. Love, Jackie Sue
Monday, March 10, 2008
Over the Pond
Hello blogger friends! It has been a very busy couple of weeks. Wait, didn't I say that in my last post? I think its a theme. I could change my blog name to "Too Busy to Post" or "Its a Busy Place Around Here, Who Has Time to Post?" or "We're All So Busy, What Are We Doing Reading Blogs?".
Well, I'm about to get on an airplane and hop on over that pond. I know I should be excited and I am in some ways. I am very excited to see Sarah and share London with her. I am grateful for the chance to celebrate her 21st birthday and maintain my perfect "never missed a birthday" record. I'm thrilled to get to spend time with my good friend, Leslie and her delightful daughter. I am very very excited about getting to visit the family David and I stayed with as newlyweds some 24+ years ago. But, with all these blessings there is this underlying fear that the enemy uses to steal my joy and as hard as I try to live in the truth and trust God with this trip, I find myself in the midst of worry. Last night after David and I spent some time together I found myself weeping and thinking, and then saying, that if I died on this trip I would miss him every single day until he joined me in Heaven. I am a blessed woman and I have every bit of the family I ever dreamed of and a husband I wouldn't trade for anything and it feels like such a risky thing to leave them and take an airplane to a far off foreign land (i know they speak the same language, but it requires my passport to visit, so its foreign). It feels sort of irresponsible to take unnecessary risks for a trip of fun. I know this isn't logical...I know my days are numbered by my trustworthy God...I know that I can give all that I love to Him again and trust Him to care for them better than I ever could. I know all these things in my head, but my heart is struggling to live what I believe. I can remember traveling some years ago by myself and praying to God and giving Him my loved ones over and over again. I remember flying home from a trip to Germany with my mom and praying for the chance to see David just one more time and when I finally landed thinking how I understood why people kiss the ground when they finally get where they are longing to be. I think I will be praying that same thing on this trip and as I wrestle with God about this trip I know He is calling me to take it. He has spoken to my heart that I need to go and to trust Him again with those I love. It will be hard for me to get on that plane and leave 5/6 of my family here. That is the deal though. I have to leave them to be able to minister to that precious 1/6 that is over there. None is more important than the other, but in this case I am called to the 1 over there. To share in her London experience. To love her and celebrate with her as she comes of age and becomes an official adult. No one could have asked for a better daughter. She is far better than I deserve and so I go to celebrate her and I trust my God to take care of the rest of my blessings here.
My trip to London is an act of faith. Who would've thought that? I had NO idea when I began to plan this trip that God would use it to bring my heart to a new level of faith in Him. I thought I was just going to see Sarah. I love that about God. He will take anything that we dialogue with Him about and use it to grow us. He has taught me to take my heart to Him with all its imperfections and to allow Him to work and change and make me into the image of His Son. Christ Himself left the security of Heaven for me. Surely I can leave my home for Him. Blessings to my readers, whoever you are....search for God in the midst of whatever you are going through...be open to all He has for you and walk in obedience to whatever He is calling you to. Take His hand and determine to enjoy the journey, but don't forget our enemy who loves to steal our joy in the process. He is a vicious foe, but greater is He that is in me than He that is in the world. I will let you know all about the fun I have with Sarah and all that God teaches me there. I'm excited! Love, Jackie Sue
Well, I'm about to get on an airplane and hop on over that pond. I know I should be excited and I am in some ways. I am very excited to see Sarah and share London with her. I am grateful for the chance to celebrate her 21st birthday and maintain my perfect "never missed a birthday" record. I'm thrilled to get to spend time with my good friend, Leslie and her delightful daughter. I am very very excited about getting to visit the family David and I stayed with as newlyweds some 24+ years ago. But, with all these blessings there is this underlying fear that the enemy uses to steal my joy and as hard as I try to live in the truth and trust God with this trip, I find myself in the midst of worry. Last night after David and I spent some time together I found myself weeping and thinking, and then saying, that if I died on this trip I would miss him every single day until he joined me in Heaven. I am a blessed woman and I have every bit of the family I ever dreamed of and a husband I wouldn't trade for anything and it feels like such a risky thing to leave them and take an airplane to a far off foreign land (i know they speak the same language, but it requires my passport to visit, so its foreign). It feels sort of irresponsible to take unnecessary risks for a trip of fun. I know this isn't logical...I know my days are numbered by my trustworthy God...I know that I can give all that I love to Him again and trust Him to care for them better than I ever could. I know all these things in my head, but my heart is struggling to live what I believe. I can remember traveling some years ago by myself and praying to God and giving Him my loved ones over and over again. I remember flying home from a trip to Germany with my mom and praying for the chance to see David just one more time and when I finally landed thinking how I understood why people kiss the ground when they finally get where they are longing to be. I think I will be praying that same thing on this trip and as I wrestle with God about this trip I know He is calling me to take it. He has spoken to my heart that I need to go and to trust Him again with those I love. It will be hard for me to get on that plane and leave 5/6 of my family here. That is the deal though. I have to leave them to be able to minister to that precious 1/6 that is over there. None is more important than the other, but in this case I am called to the 1 over there. To share in her London experience. To love her and celebrate with her as she comes of age and becomes an official adult. No one could have asked for a better daughter. She is far better than I deserve and so I go to celebrate her and I trust my God to take care of the rest of my blessings here.
My trip to London is an act of faith. Who would've thought that? I had NO idea when I began to plan this trip that God would use it to bring my heart to a new level of faith in Him. I thought I was just going to see Sarah. I love that about God. He will take anything that we dialogue with Him about and use it to grow us. He has taught me to take my heart to Him with all its imperfections and to allow Him to work and change and make me into the image of His Son. Christ Himself left the security of Heaven for me. Surely I can leave my home for Him. Blessings to my readers, whoever you are....search for God in the midst of whatever you are going through...be open to all He has for you and walk in obedience to whatever He is calling you to. Take His hand and determine to enjoy the journey, but don't forget our enemy who loves to steal our joy in the process. He is a vicious foe, but greater is He that is in me than He that is in the world. I will let you know all about the fun I have with Sarah and all that God teaches me there. I'm excited! Love, Jackie Sue
Thursday, February 21, 2008
Fun in February
Isn't that the catchiest title ever? Well, isn't it? Ok I jest. We've had a busy February what with Valentines Day and Chinese New Year and all. It's been quite busy and fun. These are the photos of all our happenings. Enjoy! love, jackie sue
 |
| February Fun 2008 |
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)