Living a Life of Love

Originally written about 3 years ago, I finally did some revisions and finished this off yesterday.

Living a Life of Love

Love is a kiss from heaven
When life falls apart
and the Savior is there to pick up the pieces

Love is a hug that cures the pain
The healing embrace
that can only come from the Fathers arms

Love is the calming knowlege
that He is always here
His presence is not dependant on my goodness

Love is trusting His plan
His enabling grace
helps me to chose his way as I take each step

Love is accepting His strength
He gives it to me
because I know I can't do it all on my own

Love is surrender to Him
Chosing His will
though it means I give up my desires and plans

Love is touching the unlovely
Feeling His pain for them,
seeing through His eyes those who are in despair

Love is speaking His words
Seeing Him restore
others lives as He has already restored mine

Love is His sweet refreshing
At the end of each day
when I've emptied myself for Him He fills me again.

Chocolate Factory

Last week I got to go to a very cool place, Boehms chocolate factory in Issaquah. It is so cool, not only because of the melt in your mouth goodness they produce but also because of the amazing authentic swiss architecture and the cool collections that accumulated as a result of Julius Boehms amazing and diverse intrests.

*Because of internet issues, I haven't been able to post for a couple weeks, thus the multiple posts in one day now.

Cool spider

Another one of God's amazing creatures! I found this guy while picking raspberries. Isn't the pattern on its back so cool?

Hooray for a nice bathroom floor!

I am so thankful to my roomies for putting up with the mini remodel that has put their bathroom in disarray for way too long. Chris Longsine offered to finish off the tile for me and was I ever thrilled with the offer. He did an incredible job with the intricate design I had worked out, having to make adjustments for the amount of tile I had. When it was all said and done it turned out beautifully! Hooray! Here's pics, the top is more accurate on the colors:

Sweet Surrender

Found this on a sales ticket that I used to fill out while working at ABC... so at least 6 years ago. Still rings true in my life though. Maybe it will bless you today too.

Why do I fight His embrace?
Why do I run from His grace?
Do I really think I can hide from His love?

He wants to give me security
I run toward independence...
and wonder why I'm so scared

He wants to give me His pure love
I chose the desires of my flesh...
then ask why I feel so alone

He wants to be my strength
I strive to do it on my own...
then wonder why my plans fail

He reaches out in love
but again and again I run
I run from His grace
I run from His will
But ahhh...sweet surrender
Sweet surrender

Garage sale find

I love going garage sale-ing (this may be news to some of you who know how much I detest shopping) and I love finding little or not so little treasures.

The garage sale we went to in Goldbar didn't seem to have much when you looked from the road, but as we pulled in, this table grabbed my eye. It was a great deal, not one to pass up. and though it was heavy Genny and I managed to manuver it into the back of my car for the ride down the mountain. I love the marble top and the wrought iron. and it goes perfectly with the new foyer floor!

Finished Entryway!

Oh, the bliss of a job well done! Thanks to Chris and Brian!

Is there a flaw in this logic?

So I was sitting at the pick up window at a fast food restaurant today and noticed a sign stuck to the window which said

brail and picture
menues available

Wait a minute. I just drove through the drive through, ordered my food and was at the pick up window when I read the sign. Does anyone else see the irony? I laughed out loud. It made my day.

ROCK STAR!

So the last month I've been volunteering at the YMCA teen night. It is a lot of fun working with kids, just hanging out and having a good time. Each night we have had a theme. The first time was Napoleon Dynamite night. I showed up as a complete geek and everyone looked at me funny because they had never met me and didn't know if I was pretending or not. The second night was sports. Tonight it is rock star night. after working for an hour, Liz and I finally managed to dig something rock star like out of my closet. Here's the pic.

Furry friends

Well, the racoon finally showed himself... it turns out he wasn't shy at all, just wanted to appear on the scene in style. The first night he showed up we could see his little head poking up from under the porch steps... he evaluated the danger of the strange-looking animals behind the glass and decided the cat food was worth the risk. He kept a wary eye on us at first, but soon was quite ok with us hovering around the glass a foot away from him. He even started posing for the cameras!

Since that first night he has come back a few times (though we stopped putting the cat food out). We will usually be watching a movie and he will come right up to the glass and beg (lying on his tummy and using the ol' puppy dog eye trick) or dance (if Amanda goes to the glass he comes right up to her and goes on his hind legs) or just watch us and wonder what strange creatures live in the funny box behind the glass.

Sun! Glorious sun!

The last four days have been blissful, filled with the warm glow of the summery sunshine. Ahh, how wonderful it is to not be freezing all day long. I have taken every opportunity to be in the great outdoors: playing, gardening, driving, going to the zoo. I can understand why some ancient cultures worshiped the sun, it makes everything seem brighter and happier and glorious. Well, it was fun while it lasted. Now that I have 24 little seedlings out in the garden it looks like we are back to lows in the 30's. Sigh.

Wildlife spotting.

Well, I've seen the raccoon tail a few times here, but he's always to fast for me to get his picture. This time I was watching a movie and happened to look out on the deck and notice that the animal eating the catfood wasn't a cat! or a racoon for that matter...

This little guy completely ignored me as I took pictures through the glass door. He didn't even flinch when I tapped on the glass and told him to go away. Finally I opened the door and shooed him off.

Typical washington weather

There is an old saying...if you don't like the weather in washington state...wait 15 minutes. Today was a very accurate example of where that comes from. I literally saw radient sun, rain, hail, thunder and a blizzard all in one afternoon!

The Reptile Zoo

My birthday was full this year. I had to work all day and had a dance practice that evening. So I wasnt' sure what to do. But then Fisher (age 4) had a brilliant idea! Why don't we go to Nannys house in Monroe...and what else is there fun to do in Monroe?...the Reptile Zoo! I have actually never been there before (amazing considering how long I have been a nanny) and really enjoyed myself. I think I had more fun than the boys! Our favorites were the giant turtles, chameleon, and the orange iguana. Our least favorites were the giant cockroaches and spiders. We also watched some people hold the devenomized black mamba, though the boys were not nearly brave enough for that!

Cultural diversity

Well, it may seem that I get the most cultural education from my experience oversees, my time working amongst different tribes in Kenya, etc. But last week I took the boys to a playground twice (I love nannying by the way) and heard Russian, Affrikaans, Indian and Japanese being spoken as the mothers chided their kids and engaged in casual conversation. I just can't get past the irony! It is a small world!

Culture shock

"Culture shock". It's a term used to describe the feeling of disorientation a person feels when they go from one culture to a very different one. It really is a "shock" in many ways. One that never seems to go away no matter how many times I cross the atlantic. I mean how can you just slip easily from one world to another. From conspicuous to invisible, from hot to cold (I can't believe it snowed again this morning, I was hoping for spring) from dusty to clean, from dry to wet. Yesterday I had the wierdest sense that my worlds were not too distant. A couple times I almost inserted into conversations about the "next door neighbor" who is next to my parents in Kenya or "when I get back to the house" 12,000 miles away. I stopped myself and realized the delusion. I think it's normal though. It's just culture shock.

Catching up

I havn't written in awhile as I get settled here Stateside. I still have to borrow my roomates computer to get online so it does hinder me from doing "non-essentials" online. But since it is 1 am I don't think I am bothering anyone. Sometimes being here seems like I never left. Same friends, similar activities, same house, and now I will be going back to my old job. But there are times when it really hits me how long I've been gone. There's alot in me that's changed, the way I see things has changed some. Some of my friends have changed quite a bit (all for the better, of course) My roommates have changed - now I'm the oldest in the house. I'm glad things change. Stagnancy should never be an option in the Kingdom of God

Last night in Kisumu

Last night was my final night in Kisumu. We attended the final prayer meeting of the week of prayer and fasting as a family. It was a good time of worship together. Throughout the week Jon has appointed himself as the microphone coordinator for the night, getting it out of the stand when Dad would come to tell everyone to transition prayer stations and putting it back when he was done. Last night Dad picked up the guitar to lead and realized the stand wasn't there. So he asked Jon to hold the mic while he led the singing. I have never seen Jons smile so big. It split his face. He looked like he had been asked to hold the kings jewels. He was so proud of his job.

After the prayer we came home and had a fun party in my honor. We played a rythm game and did a "how well do you know Cheri?" quiz - by the end we all knew alot more than when we started. Here are some fun pics.

Preparing to travel

Well, my bags have been packed for a couple days now, I have a party here tonight. I'm getting ready phisically, mentally and emotionally for the big flight. To prepare my funny bone I came across some of these, thought you might enjoy them as well.

www.scaruffi.com/travel/jokes.html
http://www.comedy-zone.net/jokes/laugh/transport/trans003.htm

But it wasn't my fault!

Driving in Kisumu town is crazy. I usually try to avoid down town if possible, but had some important pre-travel shopping to do. The rule is just keep your eyes open and looking everywhere at all times. But even following the rules doesn't always help. Today as I was coming out of the bank parking lot onto a side street I looked twice, but could not have anticipated the motorcycle that came tearing off the main street just as I had pulled out. I did stop and he could have swerved around me. But he panicked and hit his brakes. The 100cc bike couldn't handle the brake on a hill with the large momma and her toddler on the back. It skidded. landing about 6 feet from my car. Naturally I called out my concern and was relieved to see the fat (I mean well-endowed) lady and her toddler walk away, shaken but uninjured. The driver didn't respond when I asked if he needed help. In the states I would have helped him get his bike off the road (it looked fine except it's mirror had been ripped off) and been on my way.... its not like I hit him. But here there is the always the mob factor. There were of course about 20 witnesses to the scene - mostly young men who spend their days sitting on the low wall wishing someone would come by and make them a millionaire. And they started egging the driver (in swahili) about fleecing the mzungu. As soon as I sensed the mob spirit I got out of there... unfortunately the main road was uphill and busy and the driver caught up to me and did all he could to stop me from getting away (like standing by my window so I couldn't see the traffic I was trying to merge into, grabbing the keys from the ignition, opening the door.) Stephanie, who was with me tried to help by putting the car in gear, getting it into neutral instead...(don't ever try to help the driver drive) Anyway, God is good and provided an opening in the oncoming traffic just as I was able to fend off the driver.

I am really looking forward to traffic that consists of cars, trucks and the occasional motorcycle. The bodas and tuktuks and pikkis, goats, chickens, cows, and pedestrians are driving me crazy!

Packing up

Wow, everything is moving so slow and yet so fast. I have handed over most of what I have been doing here so I have lots of time at home to pack up and make decisions. I can hardly believe in a week and a half I will be sleeping in my Monroe home again. I can't wait to see all my friends I left behind... I would have loved to see a little snow too, but it sounds like the only percipitation is the wet kind now. It has been so dry here that I wouldn't mind seeing some rain as well : )

TICKET!

I have bought a ticket! Yes, I finally did. I am set to leave Nairobi on the 17th of January. I want to spend a couple days on the east coast so I don't have an arrival time yet. I'll keep you all posted. I am facing the departure with bittersweet emotions. I am so looking forward to seeing everyone again, but have formed some good friendships here. I am feeling good about the timing, though. I was afraid I wouldn't get to say goodby to Moses (one of my dancers and a very good friend) because he is in Mombassa and was going to return after I had left! But he got an earlier ticket. I will be here for the first week of school, so I will get to say goodby to all my students. And maybe if I'm really lucky there may still be some snow on the ground when I land in Seattle.

2009

It is a brand new year. Not unscarred by troubles, but I am deeply reminded of how little my problems are from the perspective of eternity. My word for this year? TRUST. I also hope it will be a year of Training and have already experienced Testing. (notice a pattern here) We hearalded the new year with a great new years eve service at the Church. There were some testimonies, prayer for the nation, the world, and families, and alot of worship and dance. At the stroke of midnight we entered the new year with the chant "Yes Lord, Yes Lord, Yes, Yes Lord." As the moment came there was a varied response. There were many young people who went wild and started running around in circles, alot of cheers of jubilation, along with shouts of worship and praise. And then there were a few, of which I was one, who became very quiet and felt the presence of the Lord. I don't know what this year holds, but I know One who stands outside of time and who has always been faithful and will continue to be faithful in 2009!