Adieu

Trust in the LORD and do good. Then you will live safely in the land and prosper. 4 Take delight in the LORD, and he will give you your heart's desires… Commit everything you do to the LORD. Trust him, and he will help you… Be still in the presence of the LORD, and wait patiently for him to act. Ps 37:3-7

Abe has been enjoying all the new "toys" around the house... boxes and strings, trunks and buckles. We'll take the two hour plane flight to the other side of the country (a the city a couple hours from our village area) on Thursday at 10 am.

These have been good days of adieus ("adios"es) and reflection. Our English service fellowship here has given us a wonderful send off, with a fellowship & prayer time on Friday night (along with a group viewing of the Beijing opening ceremonies). Tonight, our colleagues here will do their part. We're going to miss all these people!

We look on these past months in the city with gratitude in our hearts for God's provision, and for this special season of adjusting to some old things... like driving on the left side of the road... and some new things, like being parents of a 10 month old in a new land. I almost always drive on the left side of the road (that, of course, is the right side) now, and I have almost lost the habit of turning on the windshield wipers when reaching for the turning signals (opposite on these cars). It has been a good time for us to grow as a family, develop in our language abilities, and learn more of the national culture which has such a strong influence also on the Lono. There are definitely a few other things we will miss... the nearby beach for weekend walks, the botanical gardens where we could run without dodging cows, cars, or water buffalo, the availability of tortillas, cheese, and an a sundry of fruits and vegetables, and the world's best neighbor who was always happy to watch Abe when we needed (a baby monitor taken to her apartment would mean we could go out occasionally while Abe slept). Ida has made our packing SO much easier (thank you for praying for this!) and it looks like we'll actually get full nights' sleep before we leave.

We're looking forward to the challenges ahead, knowing that our God is good, wise, and powerful. Pray for peace and joy in the stressful time of transition in the next few weeks, and for the seeds we've left with our local friends here to bear much fruit.

Please continue to pray for complete healing for grandma Burke. She is almost finished with her first round or radiation, and doing so well. We were glad to hear the good report that the cancer is not in her liver or other organs. Pray for wisdom in working with doctors and deciding about treatment.