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| Today is my birthday. Usually Jeff and I keep the adult birthdays low-key. This year I figured mine would really be low-key because Jeff left two days ago for Haiti and won't return until Saturday. Yesterday I went out with my mom and sister to do a little Christmas shopping and my mom treated me to an Olive Garden lunch.
Today I spent the day with a bunch of nothingness. I decided that my birthday and laundry day would not land on the same day. I let my preschooler watch Disney Pixar's Cars movie two times in a row this morning. I watched a little Bye Bye Birdie and ate some DQ for dinner. As an added bonus, Jeff finally called this afternoon to let us know he made it to Jacmel, Haiti safely and to wish me a happy birthday.
I've received about a billion messages on Facebook wishing me a happy birthday. I'm actually considering changing my birth date on there so I can have those warm fuzzies a couple of times a year. I think only 25% of the people would catch on. The rest just trust the dates Facebook gives them.
As icing on the cake, I'm going out tomorrow night with a group of girlfriends for Mexican food. This is the most birthday attention I've received in a long time. I'm starting to think that I should send Jeff out of the country more often in mid-November:)
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| This is an excerpt from an article that was in the Love INC of Starke County newsletter that Deb Wappel writes. The little girl in the article is my youngest sister's, Katrina's, daughter, Kaydence.
Hold Everything, Everybody!
by Deb Wappel, Director
My husband and I shared a meal at a restaurant with five-year-old Kaydence Nokes recently. When the server brought our food to the table, Larry and I kept talking a bit and began to eat. Suddenly Kaydence crossed her arms, then extended them like an umpire calling safe. She sternly said, "Hold everything, everybody!" With forks halfway to our mouths, Larry and I looked at her. She calmly said, "We did not pray." We were a little red in the faces when we replied, "Oops!" Kaydence decided she wanted to say the prayer. She so sincerely bowed her head and asked God to be with the people in Africa who didn't have enough food or money. She asked Him to help provide for them and to help her remember to take her billfold to church the next Sunday so she could give money to help.
Kaydence has a deep faith in God and an open and alert mind toward learning everything in His Word and His works. She has been raised in Victory Christian Church and her family, long-time members of that congregation. Victory is one of our faithful Love INC participating churches. Kaydence is sensitive to the needs of African people because her aunt and uncle, Jeff and Tammi Brown and family are missionaries to Kenya. Kaydence's grandparents, Don and Patti Nokes, and her Uncle Travis, visited Kenya and the mission site last year and brought home many pictures and stories. Kaydence obviously listened closely and took it all to heart. There is a lot to be learned from a child's trusting unpretentious faith that the Bible refers to in Matthew 18: "Verily, I say unto you, except you be converted and become as little children ye shall not enter into the kingdom of heaven."
Like the Biblical saying goes, "Out of the mouth of babes...." I was reminded by a child to pray first and always. Sometimes I get so busy I forget to pray. When things get stressful and I get behind and frustrated, then am I reminded to stop and pray. My days always go more smoothly and timely from the start when I remember to put everything on hold first thing in the mornings and begin with prayer. I have appreciated Kaydence's reminder many times since that evening in the restaurant.
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| You are probably wondering, "What the heck happened to Tammi?" I've been sucked back into the American culture. Furlough has been busy and everything except restful. Even without rest, there have been great times, just not relaxing or restful times.
We are still chugging along trying to bring our support level up to 100%. It is slow going. Everywhere we go we hear economy, economy, economy. And to some extent, I know that is true. But when I drive by Olive Garden or the University Park Mall, both parking lots are chock full of shoppers. So is the economy really affecting things, or have our priorities shifted? Since money is tighter people are pulling away from charitable giving in order to maintain their satellite dishes and Disney vacations.
In times of uncertainty in my life, I'm drawn to Psalm 40:1-3.
1 I waited patiently for the LORD;
he turned to me and heard my cry. 2 He lifted me out of the slimy pit,
out of the mud and mire;
he set my feet on a rock
and gave me a firm place to stand. 3 He put a new song in my mouth,
a hymn of praise to our God.
Many will see and fear
and put their trust in the LORD. The whole truth is that I don't wait so patiently. In my Thursday night Bible study, the teacher was talking about Abram and how God made a promise of an heir. Abram waited 25 years before God fulfilled that promise. I won't lie. I walked out of study that night asking God to not make me wait 25 years to return to Kenya. Thankfully, God is well aware that I'm no Abram. He said, "Go." Abram went without questions. But I said, "But why? And where? And for how long? And will we be safe? Will we miss out on major family events? When we return, will we be weird?" I'm more like Abram's wife, doubting and laughing. Or like Jonah, telling God that His plan is flawed and mine is more realistic. So I'm hoping when I'm 99 years old that I won't wake up one day pregnant. And when I'm at an coast, I'm going to be on the look out for ginormous fish that may swallow me up.
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| I have so much I should say, but my time right now is booked solid. In a nutshell, we are in the US and already on the road for our month long road trip through some southern states. I'm enjoying high speed internet. In honor of such a beautiful convenience I am finally posting the picture that I tried and tried to post in Nairobi, but continually failed to get to load. Enjoy the headline our newspaper in Kenya from January. Best headline ever!
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| We are a week and a half from our departure day. This week I have really felt the weight of what needs to be accomplished. Yesterday I buckled down and packed 6 totes. Only 4 more to go.... We are at the point where we are finding ourselves scheduling every little thing in as quick as possible. There is much room from breathing on some days.
Part of my anxiety and rush is wanting to finish the bulk of our packing and cleaning this week. On Saturday we are picking up our furlough replacement couple, the Mangels. Jeff and I have moved out of our bedroom and into Emily's room. She's staying in the boys' room. I wanted to get our room empty (of our junk) and cleaned so that the Mangels can move directly into our bedroom and start settling in the 10 days we live together.
I wanted to plan some time for our family to enjoy some fun things here before we left. That hasn't really worked out. Although, Saturday is Elliott's 9th birthday. We are all going (plus Miriam) on a game drive through Nairobi National Park and we'll have a picnic lunch there. That afternoon, we'll surprise Elliott with some cake and ice cream (Doh! Forgot to buy the ice cream...) and a few small gifts that we've bought for him. He isn't expecting anything because we are having a big cookout/pool party to celebrate his and Edison's birthdays right after we arrive in Indiana. Even so, I didn't want the day to pass with Jeff and I packing and cleaning. And I really wanted one last game drive. The Nairobi park isn't bad, it's a good day trip kind of thing. But it's not Maasai Mara, that's for sure.
I wanted to post a funny headline that I read a while back. Unfortunately my internet connection isn't so good today. I think it's the move from our room to Emily's. I'll try to get it another time.
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