Overcoming Jet Lag and a New Niece!

I do not know how to overcome jet lag very well. Or perhaps it's that I don't actively plan how to overcome jet lag on my return trip home. Both Nate and I did very well overcoming jet lag on our way TO Israel. Not so much on the way back, though. Some may say it's harder to adjust from East to West. The truth is that we planned how we were going to deal with it going West to East and stuck to the plan; on the way back we just didn't care as much.

On the Mount of Beatitudes

I have many posts and pictures I want to share with you, but it will take me a little bit to get it posted here. Much happened in our hearts and minds while we were there. And I am anticipating this Passion Week being especially special since it is so recent in my memory, songs about Gethsemane or the Garden or the Tomb --- I was there!

Our new niece!

A day before we returned, we gained a new niece! We were able to see her shortly after arriving back to the US, pictured here at 3 days old.












tm

To Travel the Land

We are finally here. In some ways it seems very foreign--we can't speak the language, read danger signs, or follow paths very well. But in other ways, it is very similar--the wildlife, the weather, the crops, the coffee, the people. It has been amazing so far and I continue to unlearn and relearn stories I grew up hearing, I look forward to more adventure. tm

A Journey

We are preparing for journey unlike any other I've been on. We have been physically preparing for several weeks, mentally preparing for several months, and spiritually preparing for several months. Though we have been preparing, I still feel unprepared and overtired. Perhaps it was the morning.

I changed a wall clock ahead (to Daylight Saving Time) and it promptly fell off the wall, sending a glass-based lamp and a large potted plant to the ground with it. The lamp and clock survived; the plant didn't fare so well. The plant is now in an empty milk jug.


The toilet overflowed. 'Nuff said.

Nate had to induce vomiting after drinking a glass of soapy water. He seems none the worse. :)

I'm sure these won't be the last things to get thrown in our way.

But God is good and it is almost time. Homework is done, clean sheets are on the bed for when we return, and the towels that were used to clean up the bathroom are washed, dried, and put away.
Onward and upward, pressing on, trusting.
tm

Christmas Project: Teacher Caddy

Here is another gift project for this year's Christmas. One of my sisters is a first-grade teacher. I drew her name for Christmas and she mentioned wanting a teacher's caddy (and then conveniently forgot about it, making it quite the surprise when she opened her gift!). She loved it!

Ready to paint

There's a compartment for paper or a binder underneath the caddy

The final coat

All of the drying pieces, ready to be assembled.

The final product, complete with removable little compartment dividers

Nate's sister, also a teacher, said she hopes we get her name next year. :)

tm

The Best Team Captain Eva...

My sister, Becca, was asked by her church's young adult ministry to write a blog entry for today. With her permission, I have reposted her blog below. You can see the original here.

the best team captain eva…

“Had it not been the Lord who was on our side….” (Psalm 124:2)

When I was a kid, I always knew who the cool people were. They were the most popular. I so wanted to be on their side. Their side was always winning. Whether it was in the game of kickball we were playing or the marker that was used to color a picture. It was the winning side.

But this side was so tricky. It only took a wrong look or word to cause me to be back on what was deemed the ‘wrong side’. That was one of the scariest places to be. It is so crazy to think that these simple playground rules can still be applied to our own world of which side to be on.

But now as adults, its more of a choice of looking at following the crowd or being on the side that does what is right – God’s side.

Recently I quit a job that was causing me a lot of stress and pain. I struggled for months about leaving. I worried how my boss would react.

Would I ever find another job?

Would my departure affect my resume?

Could I find work using my degree?

I had no idea what I was going to do. All I knew was that the Lord was going to provide. I needed to call upon Him. He was my help. Had it not been the Lord who was on my side I would have been in despair. Had it not been the Lord on my side I would have been swept away by the anger of others.

Do you make it through the day with the help of the Lord?

Had it not been for the Lord who was on my side, I would have hit that car.
Had it not been for the Lord who was on my side, I would have slipped on the ice.
Had it not been for the Lord who was on my side, I would have spoken in anger.
Had it not been for the Lord who was on my side, I would not have gotten that interview.
Had it not been for the Lord who was on my side….

He sustained me through the tough time and showed me comfort while I waited upon Him. He fulfilled my need of a job. My thanksgiving still rings true. The only side I want to be on is the Lord's! My “help is in the name of the Lord, who made heaven and earth.” (Psalm 124:8)
-Becca Boyle, Connect Flock Leader





 


tm

Christmas Project: Cradle Rockers

The gift for nieces C & K was a fun one - a cradle/rocker. It turned out great!

 

Add a blanket and pillow....

...and a niece and a baby doll!

tm

Christmas Project: Ornaments

We made several Christmas gifts this year. One of the fun and simple ones we made was very cheap because we had all of the supplies on hand, save the ribbon - oak log from camp, wood burner, lacquer, and saw.

Wood burning the design

Letting the ornaments dry after spraying the lacquer

Tie a red ribbon and it's ready for the tree!

Merry Christmas!

tm