Home Sweet Home!

My Dad and Snow in the Driveway

One of the loveliest things for me is spending time at home with my family. Last year I traded Christmas at home for Christmas in Germany and New Year’s in Paris…Definitly worth it…But I am so happy to be HOME! The other most splendid thing is that my whole family is here!!! Kita and Ian, Robbie and Stef, me and the folks.

This morning my dad and I went to clear the driveway of snow. It’s been extremely windy and there were three-foot drifts blocking the driveway this morning. Being snowed-in is one of the best parts of Christmas here, cause I get to spend the morning playing in the snow with my dad.

Two Good Newses

The first and greatest good news is that Ken and Grace Eze, my friends from Nigera, are okay. Ken said he thought the media blew it up a bit (like they usually do), but that could also be because violence is nothing new for Nigeria and so it’s not as out-of-the-ordinary for them. Either way, Praise God for the safety of their family!

The second and lesser (though still exciting for me) good news is that I went to my last post-op eye appointment two days ago and the doctor said I was testing somewhere in between 20/20 and 20/15! Slightly better than perfect! Joy!

I am officially discharged from their care with healthy happy eyes!

You can read my earlier posts on how I got lasik and the procedue itself if you want.

The Need for God

It’s a funny thing when the world becomes so small. It’s one thing to read on the news about attacks in Mumbai and another thing to know the city, having walked those streets and such. I do not personally know anyone in Mumbai, yet the impact of it still hits close to home. I am thankful that I was home a week before it happened.

At the moment, I am concerned for my friends in Jos. There were religious riots in Jos, Nigeria this past week. Hundreds were killed. Christians and Muslims. While in India we befriended a Nigerian couple from Jos. Actually, I had met Ken earlier at a Church planting conference where he showed me pictures of his two grown daughters and his wife. He came to Vizag to teach at the Training Conference in November. Grace, his wife, came with him.

She laughingly proclaimed in her sing-song accent, “I have had Ken many years, and I will have him the rest of my life, but I only have a few days with you precious women and so I will stay with you.” It was not a question. So Sally moved into Allyssa’s room to make way for Grace as she moved her things from the hotel to the house where we were staying with the Chiguluris.

And so it was that I came to share a bed with a woman from Jos for the next week. It was humbling to see her every morning on her knees at the side of the bed. “You do not need God like my people need God.” She said. “You are comfortable every day. But we pray to God to give us electricity. We pray to God to give us life.”

“I do not mean to be rude, but if your people had to endure what we do…I do not know if you would survive. Nigerians are a strong people.” Grace is a strong woman.

I know the fighting and riots and killings happened in Jos this past week. I do not know how Ken and Grace and their daughters are. Please pray for them. And Nigeria. And India.

It’s been a while

My, my, it’s been quite some time since I wrote. Time in India was wonderful as usual, but it seems I’ll have to catch up on that later since my computer starting fritzing out in India and I have trouble accessing my photos and all the video I took. But good news is I have an amazing brother (in-law) who is wicked smart when it comes to mac computers…He ordered the parts to fix everything and they should arrive on my doorstep today!

Ahhhh…being back in Seattle for three weeks straight has left me with some time for thinking. I’ve been reflecting on the past year, work with Vision Nationals, and how different life has become for me. It’s such a blessing to work with VN. I love working toward the thing I’m passionate about: church planting. It has made for an interesting year as my Seattle friendships went from hundreds to seven. *note: I previously named those who I’m still very connected to, but I’ve changed my mind since I don’t want to hurt any feelings. Also, I really love all my friends in this city and value their friendship regardless of how often I get to spend time with them.*

I am blessed to have all of you!