NTM

Right… 17 hours in a confined space with an energetic one year old.  Chances we’ll land in Manila more dead than alive?  Excellent.  But we’re doing our best to plan ahead to make the best of it.  As always, we’re thankful that the Lord listens to our prayers, even if it’s about a plane ride.

Here are a few of  the clever tips we’ve gleaned from our research.  (Obvious things aren’t listed, just some of the fun ones.)  Maybe they’ll be useful to you traveling parents or just amusing to others.  If you have any other pointers… please let us know!

ENTERTAINMENT:

• box of bandaids – kids love to peel the paper off and stick them to themselves & you.
• stickers – same idea
• magazines to rip up
• koosh ball
• box of kleenex
• battery-operated handheld fan to blow tissues around (I wonder if we’ll regret this one?)
• collapsable hairbrush – apparently a big hit
• ice cube on the fold down tray
• homemade DVD with short clips of child, parents & loved ones talking to baby, reading a favorite book, etc. plus pets & things.  Mostly shots including the kid though, as they love to look at themselves.
• play-doh (again, something we might regret)
• little toys from the dollar store – bring out a new one every hour

MISC:

• wrap each item in wrapping paper, this prolongs the activity
• buy a large pack of earplugs and hand them out to the passengers around you, explaining that you’ll do your best to keep baby quiet, but in case he acts up, these might come in handy.  Those with a sense of humor will warm up to you and those without will hopefully appreciate that you’re considering them and doing your best.

So that’s a few of the ideas we’ve found.  Hopefully they’ll keep the little man busy.  It should be an adventure for us all!

I love to plan ahead. I should’ve been a Girl Scout as my motto is also, "Be Prepared". This is a good thing, but sometimes it can backfire.

Like a few months ago when I convinced Caleb it would be a smart idea to purchase a 24-can pack of creamed corn from the warehouse store. We never eat creamed corn, but I figured it would be great for our church’s monthly missionary potluck meetings. My recipe calls for 4 cans of creamed corn, multiply that by 6 months before we leave, and there you go! All used up and we’ll save some money buying bulk.

Well, plans don’t always go as planned. Shortly after stocking up, the meetings changed and you no longer had to bring a dish! What were we going to do with all this creamed corn? Caleb thinks we should throw a creamed corn party, but I don’t think anyone would come.

Why do I tell you this story? I just think it is a lighthearted example of what the Lord has been teaching me lately. The future is uncertain in so many ways. Being a planner is a good thing, but I need to always remember Who holds the future. Whether it’s about creamed corn or moving to the Philippines, God is the only thing you can fully count on!

Tears flowed and one last hugs were given as we said goodbye a year ago to friends made at the Missionary Training Center.  We thought we’d never see these people again.  After all, it’s not as if we’ll run into each other next week at the grocery store!  Our graduating class was about to scatter across the globe working in some of the most remote tribal locations in the world… when would we ever see each other again?  I told the Lord my heart was broken, and asked Him to ease the pain.

He did.  He lifted my head and put the bounce back in my step.  But He didn’t stop there. 

Much to our surprise, He’s worked out for over 10 of our friends to visit us here in California!  Most all the way from the midwest.  Wow!  What an encouraging time we’ve had being with them, sharing our common struggles and common victories.   In addition, we look forward to seeing several more good friends before we leave in August.

Thank you God, you are so kind.

  I feel a little silly sharing this prayer request with you, but maybe some of you have felt the same way. 

Here’s how it is: I am very task oriented.  At the end of the day, when I can crawl into bed knowing that I checked lots of things off my To-Do list, I’m a happy camper.  If not, I’ll generally lay awake thinking of all that needs to be done. 

This is especially true if what needs to be done is housework.  I hate a messy, dirty house.  Although I give tons of grace, understanding, and, "What are you talking about…the place looks great!" to others when they feel their house is messy, I do not extend the same courtesy to myself.  In fact, "Failure" would be the name for how I feel.  Silly right?  

Well, having a baby, getting ready to move overseas, raising support and everything else has thrown a wrench into my tidy little home.  Things are generally a mess now.  Any symbalance of order disappears quickly with boxes lining our living room floor waiting to be packed for the Philippines.  As fast as we can pack up boxes and get them out the door, more arrive with cast iron cookware, snake bit kits or other random things purchased for life overseas.  I have officially given up my neat as a pin ideal.  Things aren’t as tidy as they used to be, but we do still refuse to name the dust bunnies.  Otherwise we might feel bad when they’re eventually, "put to sleep".

So what is my prayer request?  The Lord has used this upset to show me that my happiness should not be in a clean floor.  A big revelation?  It shouldn’t be, but for me it was.  My worth is in Him, not my accomplishments.  Hard work is good, but He needs to be first.  Please pray for me as I am juggling more balls than ever before.  I want to honor Him with a happy and content heart.  Thanks!

In school we had a class that taught us practical things, like how to cut hair.  Although Caleb let me cut his hair, I chickened out when it was my turn in the chair.  "He can learn once we are in the Philippines," I thought.  "Then if he messes up, no one I know will see it."

Well, when our hairstylist friend offered to give Caleb a private lesson, I knew my time had come.  Hack job or not, it would be better to do it now with an experienced hand nearby to do any damage control. 

So how did it turn out?  Caleb did great!  There were a few nervous moments when everyone behind me stopped laughing and talking.  When I asked what was going on, much to my discomfort they replied, "It’s okay.  You have a lot of hair." 

In the end, my fears were totally unfounded as Caleb did a fine job.  Thank you Jennifer for your help and good job Caleb!