Little Celebrations

We're about to head back to the US for our first HMA (Home Ministry Assignment).  We'll be gone 3 months which on one hand seems like a really long time to be away.  Too long!  And on another hand, it seems way too short.  Too short!  So, we'll trust the Lord with our alloted time, believing He'll provide for all that we'll leave behind for such a long time, and that He'll enable us to get all done that must be done in such a short time.

Before we go, we have to fill out lots of paperwork with MTW, assessing our first term here: things we've learned, what was good/bad/hard, growth areas.... So, I've been thinking about things the Lord has taught me in our 3 years here, and it would take multiple entries to begin to cover it.  Maybe during our time in the US I'll have time to articulate it. Until then, this is what's been on my mind:

One thing we've all learned is to appreciate life's small pleasures.  Lately, I've given thanks for:

• Visine (sour cherries) turning red on the trees in the yard. 
  
• Sunrises and sunsets.  We've seen more of the latter lately as sunrise is around 5am. Though with Michael at Basic Training, both Ed and I have been up in the wee hours praying for him. He'll be done on July 11!!
  
• Fresh fruit and veggies at the market. The smell of fresh produce is one of my favorites!
  
• New finds at the grocery store.  Yesterday, Abi and I were at Metro stocking up after the Vision Trip.  To our great delight we found tortillas!! Until now, I've been making them. We also found CapriSun's. Abi was happy about that.
  
• A quiet morning and a pleasant evening on the new deck.  Ed and Daniel and Darin worked tirelessly for a week to finish a deck that was perfect for the Vision Trip.  We had nearly every meal and 1/2 of the meetings at our home, so it was a HUGE blessing.  It's a perfect spot for enjoying early morning sunshine and for watching the late afternoon light dance on the wheat fields in the distance.
• Fans.  It's hot in Romania now (into the 90s in the heat of the day), and with no AC, it can be pretty toasty warm.  A few properly placed fans make a difference.
• Friendship.  The Lord has blessed us with wonderful friends here and the thought of not seeing them for 3 months really makes me sad. I think that's a good thing.  I think one of the worst parts about being away during the fall is missing the main harvest of fruit and veggies.  In Sept. we have plums and in Oct. come the apples, pears, and grapes.  Our trees and vines are loaded this year.  Hearing us express our disappointment, we've had dear friends who have already said they would help can things for us (jam, compote, and applesauce).  Angela even said she'd make me a batch of zacusca, our favorite fall treat (a puree of roasted eggplant, red peppers and onions).
• Reunions.  Katy will be coming home from camp after 10 days today. She was a leader again.  Daniel will come home Monday.  We've enjoyed Abi, but will be so glad to have all 3 home again. And we can't wait to have time with everyone before K and M head off to school.
• Confidence that the Lord is our great provider, even giving grace to prepare us for what lies ahead.  The idea of coming back to Romania with only 1/2 our kids creates a knot in my stomach and lump in my throat every time I think of it.  I've often quoted Elisabeth Elliot to myself, "God doesn't give imagining grace. He gives sufficient grace at our time of need."  I believe that is true. However, I've been thinking lately as my heart has ached over imagining what it will be like to return in November without Katy or Michael, that while we don't yet have the grace we'll need to experience that loss, maybe God does give preparing grace.  So, while we don't need grace to imagine it (or as Ed says "to borrow trouble"), or live in that experience today,  we do need grace to prepare us.  We trust that just as God has been faithful in preparing us for all we've been through til now, He'll be faithful to prepare us for what lies ahead, and give sufficient grace for it at the proper time.
• Water. Over the last 3 months we've had several incidents of several days with no water. Several unannounced days.  That makes life interesting. This morning was one of those such days.

One of the best parts of this deck project was the time Ed and Daniel had together building it. Daniel learned a lot and worked joyfully helping Ed build, dig, pour concrete.... Abi decorated the walk with seashells from our trip to Palm Coast this spring.  And I can envision flower beds lining the deck and flower boxes hanging over the edge next year.  With the rest of the walls painted yellow to match the house, it will be lovely!

Another small pleasure is our freshly painted bedroom that matches the 

big pleasure we take in the quilt Edda made for us!

Vision trip group with our Romanian friends at a picnic in the mountains. 

Our friend and neighbor Traian brought over rhubarb from his garden a few weeks ago.  We thought Opa would be impressed with the size of those stalks!  I used Oma's recipe and made a really good rhubarb cake.

Our kids with Bekah and Carly, prospective Kingstone Academy teachers for next year. Another thing for which we give thanks!

The Vision trip group (part of them) enjoying the shade of the deck for meetings.

Katy helped dish up ice cream to go on the freshly picked blueberries (in the bowl on the table) that we bought from some gypsies one afternoon.  This was part of one of the many meals served from the barn for the Vision Trip.