Thursday Thirteen, Spring Concert and an unexpected mission trip

So I'll start with my favorite 13 things that begin with D:

1. dandelions...I know, I know, they are a weed but I still think they're a cute, free flower!!

2. dancing

3. drive in movies

4. doughnuts

5. daydreams

6. dreamcatchers...I don't believe in them, but they are really beautiful

7. dance dance revolution

8. dates...the ones I occasionally get to go on with my husband...lol...not the ones you eat!

9. dawn

10. debate

11. devotion

12. Drumline...I love that movie

13. Dee Dee (my sister in law)


There you have it.

Tonight was Isaiah's spring concert-he's in choir. It was a combined choir, orchestra and band concert. I must tell you-listening to those 4, 5 and 6 grade kids play the strings made me laugh so hard on the inside. It made me laugh because I remembered back to when I played the violin in school and we'd have the concerts. I always thought we did very professional, high quality work. Listening tonight---to kids who I am sure practised long and hard and are certainly no different than I was in school...I see that we were probably neither professional or high quality...lol. What was so sweet is that while many of the parents withheld giggles with cheesy grins and shoulder shakes....a young girl about the age of 4 just danced and danced in the aisles and clapped like she was watching and hearing an amazing show. Really put things in perspective. Beauty is totally in the eye of the beholder.

You may or may not have followed the tornado that has devastated Kansas. Well our church was asked by Samaritan's Purse to bring a relief team down to help counsel the families as they are able to see their homes and retrieve personal affects and also help with the clean up. When I got the e-mail yesterday I automatically knew that Marlon needed to go. It was just instinctive. The three things they asked for in the email were: ability to drive fork lift, experience as machine operator and able to do counseling. Marlon is able to do all of those things. So we prayed for doors to open quickly if he was to go and they did. Financially-he only needs to provide gas money and eating on the way there and back. A church and Samaritan's Purse are providing a church to sleep at and food. His committments here were more than accommodating knowing what he would be doing while gone. I released him to go. He worries about leaving me and the kids. I always remind him-he shouldn't. While I am grateful that he does--that he takes leaving us seriously...we are not a higher calling than responding to God's will.
First of all, he is going for me too. If I could go, I'd be gone in a minute. Work would never let me go right now. Second of all, the privelege of being a missionary family is that we can be a part of short term missions on a moment's notice. When God tells you to go--you don't worry about who's picking the kids up....who's carpooling with who...I truly believe those details will get worked out. We have amazing support in family and friends and I never doubt for a moment that God will allow those things to be worked out. Lastly, if he wasn't meant to go--doors would close and it would be clear to us.

So please pray for us all as Marlon is going to be gone from this Sat. until the 19th. Pray for the safety of the team that's going, for the people in Kansas that have lost all, that the team is able to effectively and in God's name help them start to piece back together their lives and finally, that we here are safe and problem free while he is gone.

Thanks!