Rattins living Coram Deo

Grapes getting old before you can eat them all? Got the munchies but trying to eat healthier? FREEZE your grapes! Really, it's delicious! I pop them all off the stems into a tupperware and just freeze them. My 2 year old was quite shocked when she asked for a grape and it was "crunchy and cold" - she refused to eat it! ;-P But I think they're delicious! (One snack I definitely won't be having in Uganda, so I'll enjoy it for now!)

There's a young lady that I may have blogged about previously, but I wanted to remind you of her blog. She is in Uganda and has adopted and fostered countless children. She wrote recently about a a 23 year old with "disabilities" (looks like cerebral palsy perhaps) who was never loved, never held, never cherished, and passed away shortly after this missionary met her. This could have been my Gracie, but for the love and grace of God to entrust her to us. This missionary wrote a post that is so well written, I'd like to share a quote with you: " In an effort to be real, I want to tell you. Adoption is wonderful and beautiful and the greatest blessing I have ever experienced. Adoption is also HARD and painful. Adoption of older children is a beautiful picture of redemption. It is the GOSPEL in my living room. And some times, it just stinks. As a parent, it stinks to not know when your daughter took her first steps or what her first word was or what she looked...

Here's a neat article that paints a verbal picture of Gulu, Uganda: "On My Way to Work" http://matadornetwork.com/abroad/on-my-way-to-work-gulu-uganda/

Our first week back at home after 2.5 weeks on the road has been filled with adventures! Reminding us that we are who we are! Rattins, prone to sin, and prone to adventures! BOTH cars broke down on the same day, just miles after returning from over 3000 miles on the road - Praise God that #1 - the cars broke down AFTER our safe return and #2 - Gracie now rides the bus to school! Our building's fire alarm apparently went off multiple times in our absence. It went off at 9:30pm on one of our first nights back. We woke the kids up and went outside because the hallway near us seemed a little smoky. It was a false alarm. The kids were too sleepy and cold to be impressed with the fire truck and firemen. Josh went to his elder's meeting last night and the building fire alarm went off again just as Ana fell out of bed and Gracie was crying for unknown reasons (maybe not wanting the knee immobilizer on her leg while she slept? I would cry too probably!). I decided to ignore the fi...

October is Pastor Appreciation Month - don't forget to show your appreciation to your pastors, elders, and lay leaders this month! They pour themselves out for the church for the Glory of God, but some recognition from the church body will only serve to encourage them on in their work! http://www.parsonage.org/cam/

(Isn't Gracie ADORABLE with a missing top tooth?!) Josh sent me to a Biblical Counseling conference, keeping ALL the kids for me while I attended! What a husband! He camped out at his grandma’s in Illinois and great-grandma got to spend some quality time with Noah – what a blessing for all of us! I drove each day an hour and a half to the conference and we jumped through some hoops to make sure that Noah had enough milk. (Great-grandma with 6 week old Noah) The rest of the week we were able to meet with two churches and several individuals about our missionary endeavors and support-raising. The girls loved spending time with family, playing outside in a YARD, and taking family walks. By the weekend, we got busy preparing for our cousin’s wedding which was a delightful event. Ana literally danced the night away, fascinated by the wooden dance floor on the grass in the backyard under an elegant tent. She did not stop running/dancing/hopping around the dance floor for two ho...

It was a great privilege to have a family reunion in Pennsylvania over the weekend! We were able to take a break from support raising to spend a few cherished days with my family. The kids had a blast, the weather was beautiful, we used our museum passport pass at yet another museum (best $55 ever spent!!). Here are the dads (including my dad) with the grandkids! Beautiful bunch of kids, no? :) A special surprise blessing happened as we realized that our future ACTION colleagues in Uganda were on the road from Oregon to Pennsylvania. Our paths crossed at a rest stop in Ohio and we got a chance to meet each others' families! What a blessing and an encouragement as both families raise support to meet up with each other on the field in Uganda! If you'd like to read more about this amazing family, go to their website at www.actioninternational.org/rieger . Now we're in IL visiting Josh's extended family - another great blessing as Josh's grandparents get to spend tim...

Our journey continues with time for learning and exploration for the kids scheduled in. Gracie is getting her therapies in this week through science and children's museums! What a fun way to get in her weight-bearing, her sitting, her right hand activities, her fine coordination of left hand, etc. And of course, Ana enjoys the museums just as much! Noah is a good sport with all these adventures - such a calm consolable baby (and a GOOD eater!). He's been a joy and continues to be a little doll! Ana can't quite figure out how to stay in bed while sleeping at night - as long as she sleeps, I guess any position is okay! (yes, she's fast asleep!)