Order in chaos

To be honest...it is hard for me to be here in Lynden. Not because it is Lynden, it is a great town and community but because I have no idea what I am supposed to do here in Lynden. Every day I wake up wondering what I am going to do to fill the day. When we were in Jogjakarta every morning we had this buffet of breakfast foods to choose from, western, Chinese or Indonesian. The juices alone made for a beautiful visual and that was just the start of the day...

So..I have been reading, finishing my quilt, cleaning the house, disciplining the puppy, fixing supper and wondering. I read the other day that when we bring order into chaos we bring God's kingdom down here as it is in Heaven. It is as though what I do here affects heaven, could my making order out of the chaos of my house and garden bring glory to God? Could what I think is mundane really be sacred after all?

Is the buffet offered to me every morning though simple yet still really as profound and significant as any buffet given to anyone in anyplace? Could it be as simple as that?

From there to here

This was the first day we arrived in Papua. All scroggy from lack of sleep and in wonder at being in Sentani. Mijo and Nick were shorter and we had no idea what lay ahead of us. Zip a year later and we are not so much in wonder at being in Lynden but we have no idea what is ahead. We have some idea probable much more then we had that day in August.
To be honest I have no idea why I am still keeping a blog. The routine of being in Lynden can't really be of interest ...it isn't even interesting to me. I am in a bit of a funk which I can't seem to talk myself out of. Again, I know it is a transition but I can't imagine you are all interested in my ravings and mundane struggles. So unless I hear otherwise or feel otherwise...This should be it.

Mocha Mousse

Why oh why do we have another dog you may ask...Well, look at that face how could you say no :).

Part of being where you are is investing in the place where you live. We do not know our future but we know where we are at present and being present for this family is having a wee pup as part of the family. Here she is...a solid German short hair, a beautiful silky brown mocha mousse.

I have so much mulling in this old head of mine that I can't seem to find the words to express myself. Being here, not being there, and not knowing if going anywhere is part of the picture anymore. A restlessness picked up again and the intensity of wanting to do and be someone of significance. The boundaries of the future seem limited by being home and even getting this pup signifies a settling of sorts. This word settling is an anathema for me while being at the same time a word of peace. Settling can mean not wanting the better thing or like this pup winding down and finding a place to rest. A friend told me that I was too good to be here in the States...we are much better then a random teacher or a refinery worker she said. That phrase resonates with me because that is what we as MK's have been taught our whole life. Being out there is much better then being here. Really? Does God really have better deals in cross-cultural settings? Does He love you more and bless you better? It isn't truth, and because of that it does not set me free. Honestly it is harder to be here in the US then being in Papua, if harder makes something more significant. Teaching the random class at LC is much more intense, being in a refinery much more of a 'mission field'...does it then matter geography? I think it has much more to do with obedience.
Like Mocha, maybe our attitude is simply wanting to please our Owner and learning how to obey.

Moving in slo-mo

Scott and I went to Costco yesterday to fill the larder and I felt like I was moving under water. How many choices I have to make about bread, meat and yogurt anyway? We are 80% set up..or even more and though the house is getting together my mind hasn't quite found where it needs to settle. I wander the house trying to find the place that feels like home and it's still just our house. We are missing winzig our dog...she made it a home and when our cat came back yesterday from her stay she gained about 10 pounds and looks like a big huge marshmellow. I am not quite sure if she is our cat...We are trying to figure out how to be who we are here in Lynden. The shadows of our former selves echo in these walls but we all have gone through a change and there is a disconnect. We will figure it out sooner then later, it is just transition time.

315 10th street

So...we are in the house and it is about 60% set up thanks to the never ending strengh of my husband. If it was up to me...20% maybe. I am so tired and lethargic all I have done all day is sneak naps when Scott is not looking. It just isn't right to be sleeping while he works so tirelessly...but I could not help it on so many occasions. AND IT IS SO COLD here that makes me curl up in a ball all the more. It is the coldest spring here in I don't know how many years, driving up yesterday it was 53 degrees. Mijo is busy with her summer drama production of Alice in Wonderland...she is the Cheshire cat. Nick is putting the Xbox together of course. Scott will most likely go back to work next week and I will try and finish the last touches of the house. It seems like we never left, it is so surreal in the routine of life that has not deviated at all. Were we there? Are we here? A friend asked me if I wanted to be in Sentani...no, I just don't know where I want to be except sleeping :).

HUGE SIGH

We have arrived here in the US...we are here we are in one piece we are tired..oh so tired. I will write when we are home...or tomorrow or...when I am awake. We are back.

Travel would be great...

if we didn't have to travel. Getting there is wonderful...the process sheesh already. We are waiting in the Jakarta airport with good news and not so good news. Lots of money to pay for extra baggage...HATE THAT>>> BUT we can go straight to Seattle rather then stop in San Fran...this makes for 7 less hours of travel time, one less take off and landing and we get in Seattle at a normal time of 7:30 ish PM on the 16th. This is going to be one very long day, I think we leave Taipei before we arrive :). Can't wait to see you all....REALLY excited about not traveling for awhile.