Finding Faith in the Battle

On Wednesday, Dec 10 th I had an appointment with my midwife. I was exactly 38 weeks, and growing more anxious to deliver by the day (reference the last entry!). She informed me I had a "favorable cervix" (do you say 'Thank you' to that?) and asked me about my birth plan. Whoops. I had filled it out, noting all my preferences: yes to the whirlpool bath, birthing ball, walking around as much as possible, and no to pain meds . But I had forgotten it at home. No problem, she said. Bring it next week, or if you go into labor, bring it to the hospital. Fast-forward to the next day, Dec 11 th . I woke up at 5am, and Chad asked about the contractions. What contractions? Oh, I just have a feeling today's the day, he says. Whatever. I finally fell back asleep. At 8:55am I had a very strange sensation...cramping and pain, and it went on and on for over 2 1/2 minutes. Not so much fun, but then nothing else. I got ready for the day, ate breakfast, and kept having very irregu...

This is my third pregnancy. You'd think I would have my facts straight by now. But I developed this theory when I was pregnant with Ethan, called the fallacy of pregnancy, and it's creeping back into my mind. Someday I may be a famous expert on the topic and you'll see me doing interviews on the talk-show circuit, so remember that you read it here first! The fallacy of pregnancy is simply this: at some point near the end of a pregnancy, the woman becomes convinced that life will be easier once the baby's born. It's what gets us through labor, really. I find myself thinking I'll finally sleep better. I won't be so uncomfortable. I'll be back to "normal". And yet, what's easier about feeding a hungry baby every 2-3 hours? And my right leg may not go numb when sleeping, but is that better than being woken up every few hours? I hear they do that to prisoners-of-war to break their spirits, and I believe it! My back may not be as stressed, but it...

Well, there were times we thought it would never come, but here we are. The typical NW rain is coming down outside, and we're on the farm in Salem. We drove out of Yakima on Sunday, only an hour later than we planned. The crates are packed and in the care of dear friends who will take responsibility for loading them on a truck down to Texas where they'll wait until we have Malawian work permits. We managed to fit almost everything in, though we later discovered a couple things we forgot about (the kids' time-out bench...maybe baby Isaac will be angelic and not need one!? the air mattress for camping trips...I guess we'll just have to really rough it!). And the vacuum cleaner had to stay, but all in all it was a success. There are a couple lessons we learned that we thought we'd pass on, just in case you ever find yourself packing crates! Diapers make GREAT padding and stuffing items. Buy at least one bag of the more expensive Huggies or Pampers...everything smells b...

Miriam loves checking things off the list and that is what we have been doing for--ever! But the shopping, packing and crating are nearing an end. My Dad comes Monday to help me build the two crates (87x87x45 each). We hope to pack them by Thursday next week. We calculated and planed exactly what must or should go with us, but in the end it feels a little random: Two kids' bikes -check; Anya and Ethan will be so happy to see them next October. One washer, one dryer, one refrigerator-check; appliances make life so much easier. I thank God for placing our family where both pluming and electricity are available. That reminds me, a lawnmower -check; I bought one of those push mowers (no gas or oil required). It's better on the environment, better on the budget, easier to fit in the crate, but a little harder to use--hope I don't come to regret that decision. 20 boxes of books -check; now this might seem a little excessive, but a teaching missionary's tools are his books: Ol...

In some ways I know that every time we put the kids to bed, we're one day closer to being in Malawi. But most of the time, I just feel like we're in an endless doggy-paddle contest, with no end in sight. One of the ways we're dealing with that is by packing a few boxes each day (thus the 25 boxes piled up in every corner, threatening to entirely take over our only living space in this apartment!) The other way we're coping is by trying to be more intentional about enjoying the small things that life in the US offers...the things that will soon be only memories. Fall is a great time for that, since there is no fall in Africa! So 2 weeks ago we spent the day hand-pressing our own apple cider from apples we picked from the trees. I'm quite sure nothing in this world tastes better, and as proof, the 4 gallons we brought home are gone already. Today we braved the wild world of the Pumpkin Patch/Corn Maze and enjoyed home-made pumpkin donuts and more hand-pressed cider ou...

I just received my official Portland Marathon Finisher Certificate today with my time of four hours, eleven minutes, and ten seconds. I never knew how meaningful training and running a marathon would be. In many ways it was a spiritual experience, conquering doubt with determination, exhaustion with endurance, and pain with patience. Running a marathon has been a long time dream of mine, as Miriam calls it, “one of my top bucket list items.” I thank God for my health and the opportunity to run it. So, let me share a quote that I have found meaningful during these last few months about the race of life: “Let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us. Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the founder and finisher of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. Consider him who endured such opposition from sinful men,...