A brave day...

Well...I was feeling frumpy. Bad hair days do that to you, ya know? My national friend told me I could trust her hairdresser...and I trust her...so I took the leap. I thought I was getting some highlights but walked away with a WHOLE NEW color. At first it was a shock, but I knew there was no going back. My hair could not take the chemicals...but now...I think I like it. If I ever looked like my mother in my own eyes...it's now.

Mom, remember that picture of you with your bowling league? Your hair was longer than mine, but a similar (maybe more auburn) color. That's what I thought of when I looked in the mirror.

For Fall Fun Festival, the King will be Charlie Brown and I will be the Little Red-haired Girl. How's that? A perfect fit.

A update...

Well, our two year anniversary of living over here came and went, but not without something interesting.

On Thursday (the 14th) we were privileged to work alongside a team of doctors and nurses who volunteer their time to go all over the world giving free clinics for those who can't afford to see a doctor and teaching health education. Because we have been connected to a couple of villages, we were able to be a liaison for them.

I have pictures, but they are with the King. He traveled on with the Medical team to another city to be of help however he can and he has the camera.

We've been to villages on more than one occasion and it is always completely humbling to see the total lack that these people live in. Lack of basically every convenience...including running water and electricity in many places. In some places it's not that these things are not available to them, but that they are not affordable. They live in the mountains and use ever spare inch of land to grow crops to which they live off of, much less sell for profit.

The lack of nutrition in them all and especially the kids is heartbreaking, but when they look up at you with their rotten teeth smiling out...well, there is nothing you wouldn't do to help them. The problem is...they are a proud people, too. The first clinic found people wandering up to see what are the foreigners were doing and wandering off again...not believing that it really was a FREE Clinic. Eventually, once someone who had been seen and treated by a doctor and in many cases given free medicine went back home and spread the word, people came.

Being a person who loves children, I had a hard time at first making friends with little ones. I'm just TOO foreign. Smiling at them and trying out my language with them. Honestly, if I were in their shoes...I might be scared, too. Imagine this blond (fake) haired person, with eyes they've NEVER seen before smiling at them and talking to them in their language (sort of). It's kind of funny to think about.

I started out taking their pictures and then showing them their own picture on the camera. They loved that at first, but then when there was no longer a wall between us...they became skittish again. Sidenote: Even the older people (80+) would giggle and laugh when they saw themselves on the camera. Many of them have grown up in that village and never left it.

But I persevered and resorted to bribery with stickers. I found a window that I could lean out of and play peek-a-boo out of. Eventually it worked. All the kids were tiny and if they were 10 years old...looked about 5. Once they realized I could be trusted, they brought every kid in the village that they could to get stickers from me. If I noticed a child standing on the outskirts I called them in to get their stickers. The last little boy that I noticed was chubby...the only one I'd seen. His friends were telling me he was "something." I didn't know the word...so I asked the meaning as I watched his eyes drop to the ground in shame and the definition I got was "fat." My response was, "He's not fat, he's handsome!" I'll tell you there are tears in my eyes now as I think about the look he gave me when he realized what I said. I hope I didn't embarrass him, but I can't stand cruel kids. But even if I did embarrass him, I think he forgave me...just by the look I saw in his eyes.

Moments like that make all the struggle to get language WORTH EVERY BIT.

A few things I've been wanting to say...

1. SUBWAY was just as delicious the second time. :)



2. I am having a grand time with the Prince at home. He's a hugger and I've gotten so many. He's taller than me, but not quite as tall as his dad. I'd say 5'8 or 9". He plays the piano ALL the time and I'm going to try and get a video of it for you. We have him signed up for lessons at school and since he boards, he also gets access to a practice room. I asked him if he was like his father in that it's therapeutic to play sometimes. He says yes.



3. I haven't heard the Princess laugh so much in at least a month. He's so funny and keeps us in stitches...but get the King and Prince together and it's a regular Vaudeville show! It's been a good visit even if it is coming to a close. We'll see him again at Thanksgiving. Keep praying for him as he adjusts. Even though at school he is busy, he's been homesick. It's a big adjustment for us all, but we're doing well.



4. Back in the summer, The King and I went to a marriage conference and I promised some posts related to it and have not gotten around to it. One thing that was really wonderful was that the people hosting it brought all kinds of goodies from the states to us. Every day when we came in there was a gift in each of our seats. One day it was a Christian Comedian DVD and ranch dressing, another day it was a book on marriage and chocolate(!). I can't remember them all, but when date night came around they gave us a BOX of goodies to enhance a romantic evening.



This Michael O'Brien CD ("Something About Us") was included and I have fallen in love with it. I love smooth jazz music and although it isn't all jazzy, it's great. The words are wonderful and sweet...and even sensual. But more than that is the story behind it.Click here http://www.michaelo.org/something-about-us/heidi-and-michael-testimony/ to read about a wonderful story of redemption from pornography and mental illness. The King and I have truly enjoyed this music.

And buy the CD for your Sweet One as a gift. Then sit and listen to it together.

Then as if that was not enough he made a sequel, if you will, that is loves songs to the Father ("Be Still My Soul").

Man, I love it. Nothing fancy, just open adoration in simple tunes: some new, some old. Both Cd's are played often on my MP3.

There's more to share about the conference but I can never seem to get to it all these days. I won't keep this post going, but when I do post, I'll refer to this one when I do.

A funny and a happy...

We thought this was funny.

Many times when things are translated from English into the national language...they lose something in the translation. But this is funny to us for more than one reason. When we first moved over here corn was everywhere...it still is. These people eat corn on anything even in a fried pie. They drink corn juice. I don't know what it is supposed to do for you that makes them eat and drink it so much but they think we're weird because we DON'T.

Anyway. We have since discovered that corn on pizza is not too bad with the right combination.

Before I tell you the main reason for this post, let me tell you that the name of the city we live in rhymes with "O."

...now to tell you that God loves me...How do I know? because He answered one small desire of my heart...

Sing it with me...

"Jesus loves me this I know...He put a SUBWAY in the city of 'O'"

Yep, you read that right! My favorite SUBWAY sandwich shop has opened up in our city. We went when it was 4 days old and I'm having to MAKE MYSELF not go again for at least a week! LOL.

It is a 25 minute bus ride from our house. From door to door. We get on the bus right in front of our apartments and get off the bus RIGHT in front of SUBWAY.

Hallelujah! Pass the mustard!

I awoke to the sweetest sounds...

The Prince has a school holiday. We get to have him home for about 10 days. WooHoo!

He was supposed to get home about midnight last night, but it turned into 3AM. THAT situation makes a momma pray. Although, we had a friend sitting with him until he could get on the bus for his last leg home which was a 4 hour ride (for some reason that makes me want to sing the Gilligan's Island song...), I still was a little anxious for him. Once he left the security of our friend, we would not be able to talk to him until he showed up at our door...or contacted us. As 3 o'clock rolled around and just when I was beginning to wonder...he showed up at our door smiling! The first words out of his mouth were, "You stayed up!" Of course we did, we have been so excited to see him.

The Princess was so excited she did two days worth of school work in one so that she could have the first day off to be with him. She almost couldn't sleep last night. We were going to let her stay up and wait on him until we discovered the delay, but when he came in and after hugging mom and dad...he went and gently woke her up. Those are the moments to treasure. When she finally was able to pull herself around and she realized WHO was waking her up...she threw her arms around his neck! Precious. He climbed up into her bed and laid down beside her. I figured when he got tired he'd go to hid bed...but I kept hearing their little voices talking to each other for a few more minutes.

This morning we discovered that he slept right beside her. That was good for her heart. She has missed her brother. But the sounds that I awoke to were piano sounds. My house has been so quiet since he left. It has taken some real serious adjusting to. The Prince sat down at the piano (using the soft pedal) and played a beautiful song by Jim Brickman from start to finish. Wow. Can he have learned that in only 6 weeks? When he played to his hearts' content, he began to sing...

Oh, sweet sounds.

The Princess sings all the time and I try to stop what I'm doing and savor it because there is coming a day when those sounds will be absent from my house. These are my blessings in this season of life. And oh how thankful I am for them.