Coffee in Kansas!

Today is my birthday!  I hit the "double nickles"!  What better way to celebrate than to get on a Mega Bus and head for Kansas!  We get on the bus at 11pm tonight and arrive in Kansas City at 9 tomorrow morning!  Woohoo!

Noah Franz at his graduation

Jared is going with us and we will drop him off at his future room mate's house in Peola, KS where we will get to meet the Franz family!  Talk about an answer to prayer!  One of the hardest things for me when I think about moving to Germany is the thought of leaving my kids. Although my "baby" is 6'4", I keep thinking about him being a Freshman in college and having no home to come to over holidays and breaks. (Don't worry, we will bring him to Germany as often as we can!)  I kept worrying and praying about this...waking up in the middle of the night wondering if we're doing the right thing.  One of the things I keep trying to remember is that God takes care of my children just as much as He takes care of me.  And He's done it again!  He knows what this mother's heart needs.  He has provided a family that is basically inviting Jared into their lives while he is at John Brown University!  Jared and Noah met at a scholarship event at JBU and really hit it off.  They decided to be room mates and since then, Jared has traveled down to Kansas and met the whole family.  I am so excited and blessed to meet them tomorrow and have lunch and maybe even have a cup of coffee with them! I do know that it will be the start of a precious relationship! God is SO gracious to me!



While we are in Kansas, we will be seeing cousins and an aunt and uncle (my dad's only living sibling) that we haven't seen since before Jared was born.  We will then head to Pierceville, Kansas where we will be speaking at a church and seeing long-time supporters, Don and Marge Lear.  I'll tell you, you have never been to a true "Sunday-go-to meetin'" church dinner until you experience one in Pierceville!  I am looking forward to coffee in Pierceville!

We will also be able to see an aunt and cousins on my mom's side and some of Jim's cousins!  Each of these relationships make me smile.  We are so blessed!

Emily and a precious girl in Bangladesh

Now for some extremely exciting news.  Emily was offered an interim job to teach Kindergarten at Grace Christian School in Bangladesh!  She is SO excited.  She has had a passion and love for the Bengali people ever since she went there the first time about 5 years ago.  She will leave August 1 and will teach through the end of the year, coming to Germany for Christmas with us.  At that point there may be the possibility of returning to Bangladesh for a 2 year stent.  We are very excited for her.  Who knows, maybe some day I will end up having coffee in Bangladesh!




Well, I better go pack!