Merry (belated) Christmas

First, MERRY CHRISTMAS! I hope you all had a blessed time with your families and friends. We have enjoyed being in Tennessee with our families. We've spent the last few days visiting relatives, exchanging gifts and EATING! Remarkably, I haven't gained any weight (yet!). We got to see my sister's photos from Timbuktu as well as from the trip she took to Thailand last February. She is moving to Thailand this February and we are so excited for her! She'll be doing mission work there for a year, maybe two. Anyway, enjoy the final few days of this year. Here's to much happiness and love to all of us in 2007!

What's in the cards...

Thanks to everyone who sent us Christmas cards! We are so bad about sending out cards ourselves. I know it takes effort to get those cards written and mailed...many, many thanks! We leave tomorrow for the 13 hour trekk to see our families. More postings to come over the holidays. Stay warm!

Prayers for a friend

A friend of ours from the community theatre, Mick was in a bad car wreck this week (this photo of Mick is from the Catholic Schools website...he is their development director) . His daughter graduated this month from a university in Arizona. He was driving her car back home. The car rolled several times and left the interstate just outside of Albuquerque (not sure the cause but they've ruled out weather and alcohol). He is in ICU now. He has serious neck and head injuries. They took him off the ventilator yesterday but they suspect he'll be in ICU in New Mexico for a month. His wife and kids just arrived in New Mexico only yesterday evening (the wreck was Monday afternoon) because of airline delays. Anyway, they just need lots of prayers and his wife has sent back regular updates. She has said she believes prayer is responsible for the progress he's made so far. He is wiggling his toes and fingers so they think his spinal cord is ok. Mick just directed a show at the theatre in November and was scheduled to play Morrie in "Tuesdays with Morrie" in March. Beyond being talented as an actor and director, he's just one of the nicest guys around.

This is a reminder of how dangerous the roads are, especially this time of year. We will be driving the next two days, as will thousands of others. Please pray for safe travels for everyone.

Little Buddy's Gone Bad

Who would imagine...?

At our 9:45AM church service yesterday, we had a live nativity scene with music to go with it. Our worship team sang a song. And I sang "Who Would Imagine a King" from the Preacher's Wife soundtrack. I sang it last year in our GYM worship service but it seemed more meaningful with Mary, Joseph and the baby Jesus nearby. Check out the words to the song:

Mommies and daddys always believe
That their little angels are special indeed
And you could grow up to be anything
But who would imagine a king
A shepherd or teacher is what you could be
Or maybe a fisherman out on the sea
Or maybe a carpenter building things
But who would imagine a king
It was so clear when the wise men arrived
And the angels were singing your name
That the world would be different cause you were alive
That's why heaven stood still to proclaim
One day an angel said quietly
That soon he would bring something special to me
And of all of the wonderful gifts he could bring
Who would imagine, who could imagine
Who would imagine a king

Congrats to our dear friends!

Just want to say major congrats to our dear friends from church, Misty and Joel for moving forward with adoption! I know they will be awesome parents! We are so happy to share in their joy as they find the special baby God has for them! Please keep them in your prayers as they begin this exciting journey! You can learn about their adoption experiences by checking out their blog:
desireofourheart.blogspot.com

Hand update

Brad's hand is doing better. He says it doesn't hurt. He went to great lengths last night to take a digital photo. I assume he will post it on here soon. I have not been feeling well since yesterday. It may have been something I ate. Who knows?!?! I had to leave work and go home and lay down for about 3 hours yesterday afternoon. Just pray that I'll feel better this weekend. I've got a massive headache today...which is too bad because I'm going out with my girls from work for dinner and our gift exchange tonight. It should be a blast as we are going to one of my favorite restaurants...I hope I feel up to eating something good!

Franken-Hand

Last night, I was changing clothes and Brad was in the kitchen making jambalaya. I hear him shout and then calmly say, "I think I need to go to the emergency room." I was fearful he had cut off a finger or something so I just didn't ask. I said, "Ok." He took an old dish towel and wrapped his hand and applied pressure. We turned off the stove, put the food away and hopped in the car. We went to the emergency room, which was packed with people, including a woman in handcuffs. It was clear that he wasn't going to get treatment for quite some time. Then, I recommended checking out urgent care. We called and they were open for 30 more minutes and it was close to the ER. We drove over there and walked right into a room. Turns out Brad sliced into his palm with the lid from a can of beans. It was deep and long enough to warrant 9-10 stitches. But not before they stuck these needles all in his palm to numb him. I think that was the worst part for him, worse even than when the cut happened. He's all stitched up now and wrapped up. He can't use his left hand much until the stitches come out in 8 or 9 days. The doc let me look at the stitches before they bandaged him up. I told Brad it looked like Franken-hand! I just talked to him and he says he hasn't had any pain. We doped him up on 4 ibuprofen last night and he slept well. As if this weren't enough...he's also had a head cold. Poor baby! Do we need a vacation or what?!?!

The Weed Has Landed!

Got word yesterday that Weed made it back to Richmond from Timbuktu! I'm sure she'll have some wild stories to tell. But for now, she's resting up. I finished grades for one of my classes today and hope to finish the other one tomorrow at the latest. One down, one to go! BTW, Thurston and Lovey are from Gilligan's Island...remember?!?! The Howells?!?! Nick at Nite, anyone?!?!

We're getting excited about Christmas. We can see the light at the end of the tunnel. We leave for K-town next Friday. Yay!! Hope you all are having a great week!

Lovey and Thurston

Here's a snapshot of Brad and I playing Lovey and Thurston in the church children's pageant yesterday. It was a lot of fun! Everyone was quite enamored with Brad's makeshift ascot.

You know you're from Kingsport if...

You think the name of the city's largest employer is The Eastman, as in: "Where does he work?" "He works at The Eastman." And "the" pronounced "thuh."

You think S&M and Dope are departments at Eastman. (They were.)

You give directions based on landmarks that no longer exist, but your directions never confuse any other Kingsporter: "From Brooks Circle turn left at Big K, then go past the Garden Basket..."

You haven't pronounced the name Dobyns-Bennett in years, preferring D-B instead.

You call a tractor-trailer a Mason-Dixon truck.

You can negotiate a traffic circle without using your horn or your brakes.

You make snide comments about Johnson City, but eat out there at least once a week.

You think the rest of the world knows what a Pal's hot dog is.

You make an emergency run to Food City for bread and milk at the first forecast of snow.

And park in the fire lane.

Your last 10 vacations were to Myrtle Beach.

When people ask what school you went to, they don't mean UT, Clemson or ETSU, they mean D-B, Lynn View, Ketron or Sullivan (or if you are younger, D-B, South, North or Central.)

You have never been to a NASCAR race, but have a 3 on your truck.

You have never eaten ham that wasn't fried and country.

You refer to Stone Drive as the Golden Mile. Or the Super.

You can get anywhere in the Tri-Cities, but you don't know the Numbers of any roads.

You call them the Old Johnson City Highway, the New Johnson City Highway, the Super Highway, the John B. Dennis, the Interstate.

Your summer weekend wardrobe consists of a drawer full of Fun Fest T-shirts in assorted colors and designs.

All of them too tight. (In fall and winter it's all orange all the time.)

You still can't pronounce Weyerhaeuser, preferring to call it the old Mead plant. Likewise for Quebecor, which you refer to as the old Kingsport Press.

You know who Bobby Dodd was but don't know who John B. Dennis or Ross N. Robinson were.

Your office closes early the day of the Science Hill football game.

When introduced to another Kingsport native, you spend the first five minutes of the conversation trying to figure out how you are connected. "What year did you graduate from D-B? Don't you have a brother who used to date...? I think your uncle used to cut my hair. Do you go to First Broad Street or First Presbyterian?"

You think the whole world drinks sweet tea.

You moved away after high school and have lived in another city twice as long as you lived here, but when someone asks where you're from, you don't hesitate: "Kingsport, Tennessee!"

Ice, ice baby

I slipped and fell on some black ice yesterday morning walking into work. I had been SOOOO good about watching my step. I fell and hurt (of all things) the top of my left foot. I hobbled around a bit yesterday but it didn't hurt *that* bad. Then, I woke up in the middle of the night and could barely move my toes because of the pain. I hoped into the bathroom, popped some pain meds and went back to bed. By this morning, it was much, much better. I guess I hurt it more than I thought. At least it's not my ankle! I have it thoroughly wrapped up today and I'm wearing more sensible shoes. Don't forget to check out my previous post with an update from my sister, Weedy. Have a great weekend!

Latest from Weed

"Thank you all again for your continued prayers! Here in Timbuktu, prayers sure do go a long way! Today, Roberto took us on a boat ride down the Niger River. We were also joined by Rita (another Brazilian missionary here) as well as our new friends Lorraine and Ellie. It was a beautiful day to slowly float to the village where we would give away hundreds of cassettes. As soon as we reached shore, Roberto led the way to the Mayor's office to meet him and ask his permission to give out cassettes. He was out, so we met with the Secretary General and he warmly welcomed us. He was very kind. Also, there was a lady there who was not feeling well. Roberto asked them if we could pray for her and Terri led that prayer time.

Then, we split up in 2 groups and began to cover the area giving out these "gifts". Almost everyone is very glad to hear that you have a gift to give them. In fact, sometimes they seem a little surprised. We gave them to almost every adult that we passed. However, we accrued quite a following of children! They were precious! There were just so many! After we had given away all of our tapes, we headed back to the boat to start our journey back.

After photos and more photos, we boarded the boat and hit the water! We stopped for lunch on the bank. Telma, Roberto's wife, fixed us a lovely lunch of french bread, laughing cow cheese, and some kind of fried steak. It was very nice of her to put together and it was tastey too!

We made it back just fine with a few minutes to catch our breath before dinner. Just another day in Timbuktu!!! We are having an awesome time! The Lord continues to show us how desperately the Songhai need to know a life in Jesus Christ! God is already hearing and responding to our prayers and we continue to seek Him constantly. He continues to always amaze us with things that we'd never believe He'd do, even if we were told! (Habakkuk 1:5)

Tomorrow, is another day of prayerwalking, lunch at Rita's house, and any other door the Lord opens for us! We continue to remain very flexible! :) Pray for more divine appointments and especially that these cassettes plant seeds of the Gospel in the hearts of the Songhai.

Thank you so much for your prayers for the Songhai people, the missionaries already working here, as well as for our team. We have felt every prayer that has been lifted up on our behalf! Please continue to remember the needs here as you pray!"

What a gas!

I've long contended that God won't allow me to get pregnant because I laugh at fart jokes and mothers shouldn't laugh at fart jokes. Of course, if the standards for motherhood were that high, I suppose humans would already be extinct. Anyway, I can't pass up the chance to share this crazy fart-filled story with you. It made me laugh and I hope it makes you chuckle at least:

Flatulence forces plane to land
Tue Dec 5, 9:07 PM ET

It is considered polite to light a match after passing gas. Not while on a plane.

An American Airlines flight was forced to make an emergency landing Monday morning after a passenger lit a match to disguise the scent of flatulence, authorities said.

The Dallas-bound flight was diverted to Nashville after several passengers reported smelling burning sulfur from the matches, said Lynne Lowrance, spokeswoman for the Nashville International Airport Authority. All 99 passengers and five crew members were taken off and screened while the plane was searched and luggage was screened.

The FBI questioned a passenger who admitted she struck the matches in an attempt to conceal a "body odor," Lowrance said. She had an unspecified medical condition, authorities said.

"It's humorous in a way but you feel sorry for the individual, as well," she said. "It's unusual that someone would go to those measures to cover it up."

The flight took off again, but the woman was not allowed back on the plane. The woman, who was not identified, was not charged in the incident.

Timbuktu prayer requests and verses

In case you missed the latest update on the songhai blog, here's an excerpt from what was posted Monday:

They (the team, which includes Weedy) left the following prayer requests:

-Pray for continued physical health and safety.
-Pray specifically in the name of Jesus that He has already won the victory over spiritual warfare. It's intensely real here!

They will also continue to prayerwalk and distribute cassettes throughout the day tomorrow.
They also wanted to share a couple of verses with you that have become their "team verses." They pray through these verses each day and hope you will do the same!

Proverbs 21:1--The king's heart is in the hand of the LORD; he directs it like a watercourse wherever he pleases.
Habakkuk 1:5--Look at the nations and watch--and be utterly amazed. For I am going to do something in your days that you would not believe, even if you were told.

Digging Out

We're finally digging out of the snow (about 6 inches where we are). Brad is gone to Florida this week for some training (poor baby!). I wish I could say I've had time to enjoy some alone time...but I've been very busy. The kitties had about 20 minutes to sit with me on the bed last night before bedtime.

Weedy is doing great in Timbuktu. Please continue to pray for the health and safety of her and her group. They are handing out cassettes with testimony from a former Muslim who is now a Christian. They are hoping this will be a powerful message. They have had a chance to meet with the man who will become the imam of the mosque in Timbuktu. They had lunch with him today (yes, even the women!! God is clearly at work!!). They have also had some rides into the Sahara on camels. A cool front came through and it was only in the 90's!

Weedy Update

Got this news today from one of Weed's best buds, Courtney:

I received word last night that the entire team made it safely to Bamako, Mali (capital of Mali). It was about 1am, and they had just arrived to the guest house where they would be staying at for the night. I thought they would be exhausted, but they were all laughing and having a great time together! They said they were amazed at how smooth the trip has been thus far, and they had no problems at all catching their flights and nothing was delayed! They have one full day in Bamako, and on Saturday will be catching their flight to Timbuktu, Mali where they will be for the remainder of their trip.

Also, there is a blog you can continue to check for updates: http://prayforthesonghai.blogspot.com They will post directly to the blog if they are able, but more than likely they will send updates to me and I will post them. This is because they don't know for sure when and how long they will have internet capabilities and/or a cell phone signal. When they arrive in Timbuktu, communication will probably be even more limited. It is Timbuktu after all! :)

Please continue to pray for this team as they make their way to Timbuktu!

3AM Blues

There's something about 3AM. We were all snug and cozy in our bed at the Bed and Breakfast last night when I awoke just before 3AM and couldn't go back to sleep. Maybe because I knew Brad had to get up in about an hour...maybe because I was excited about the weather...maybe because I was trying to calculate whether Weedy had landed in Paris. Who knows! After Brad left, I read my book and eventually got back to sleep. I felt like someone hit me over the head with a club when my alarm went off at 6:40AM. The silver lining of the day was getting hot french toast, fresh fruit and coffee brought to my room. The B&B did lose power for about an hour...thankfully, five minutes before I left for work, it kicked back on and I blow dryed my hair. I had packed up the blow dryer to take it to work. I haven't been outside since this morning...apparently it's quite bad. I hope to sleep much better tonight while a blanket of snow falls outside. We'll see!

Brad and I found out today that we were both cast in Cinderella. He will be a townsperson. I will be playing the Queen. The guy playing the king is the owner of a local improv club and he's hilarious. So, it should be fun. But the most fun will come from being in a play with Brad!!

Something's afoot at the Circle K

Weird weather here. It's nearly 70 degrees. But there's a meteorlogical monster just to our west. Some weather peeps are calling for a foot of snow, starting tonight and going into tomorrow. Oh, and with today's warm weather, tornados are a possibility this afternoon. WOW! Brad and I are going to spend the night downtown so we can be ready to go to work Thursday. They usually don't do much in the way of scraping our streets out in the boonies where we live.

Many, many happy wishes to Weed as she heads out today. She flies to Paris tonight (now I'm totally jealous!). Then on to Mali from Paris. I just know she will have a great time and lives will be changed as a result of her work there. Thanks for all the prayers for her. I'll let you know when I hear that she has arrived safely in Mali.

Please continue to pray for Brad and I as we ponder our next move. There are so many exciting possibilities for expanding our family. We want to walk through whatever door God opens for us.

I bless the rains down in Africa...

Please pray my sister, Weed as she leaves tomorrow for a mission trip to Timbuktu. I'm so excited for her. Pray for her safety and her ministry. She will be doing prayer walks through villages. I think it's wonderful that she has this opportunity (I want to go to Africa!). So, here's a little Toto in honor of her trip:

I hear the drums echoing tonight
But she hears only whispers of some quiet conversation
She's coming in twelve-thirty flight
Her moonlit wings reflect the stars that guide me towards
salvation
I stopped an old man along the way
Hoping to find some old forgotten words or ancient melodies
He turned to me as if to say: "Hurry boy, it's waiting there for
you"

[Chorus:]
It's gonna take a lot to drag me away from you
There's nothing that a hundred men or more could ever do
I bless the rains down in Africa
Gonna take some time to do the things we never had

The wild dogs cry out in the night
As they grow restless longing for some solitary company
I know that I must do what's right
Sure as Kilimanjaro rises like Olympus above the Serengeti
I seek to cure what's deep inside, frightened of this thing that
I've become