Today I was thinking about my oldest son Justin. . .

This is one proud Mom
Graduation 2002
University of Oregon

. . .and how much he has blessed my life. Last year, Justin and Lisa surprised my mom and me with an all expenses-paid trip to visit them and share Mother's Day. We enjoyed our days together immensely. These are just a few of the photos I snapped from our different adventures.

Here is Justin our tour guide through the redwoods. Lisa had prepared a delicious lunch for us which we thoroughly enjoyed under the canopy of enormous trees.


This was such a fun day full of laughter, yummy food, spectacular sights, and great conversations. Thank you Justin and Lisa!

You may be wondering what in the world this has to do with preparing for our move to Zambia. It has a lot to do with it. Leaving our son and daughter-in-law will be difficult as we love them deeply. Reflecting on my feelings about this is all part of what I need to do before I can step onto the plane.

Using God-given talent to bless others. . .

We are continually amazed at all the ways God is confirming His faithfulness to us as a family and to those we will serve.

Several months ago, I received a call from Cheryl Bartz, a wonderful lady in our church that I barely knew, although she was our church secretary. She offered to hold a garage sale at the church to sell our stuff and raise funds for the Zambia ministry. She told me it would be "fun" and that she really wanted to do this for us. For those of you who know me, I am not one to inconvenience people. Sometimes that is a terrific strength; other times it's one of my major weaknesses.

Because I believed her offer was sincere, I thanked her for her willingness to support us by organizing the sale. But it wasn't until I dropped by late Friday afternoon that I realized the magnitude of just how much this dear woman and her family had taken on to bless our ministry.

First of all, the sale was located in the parking lot on the south side of the Center, (one of our church buildings). The pavement is black, the temperatures in the 90's. Those of you in hotter climates, may be laughing right now. But most of us in Central Oregon melt when the temps rise much above 80.

I was overwhelmed with gratitude at what I saw. The parking lot was FULL of items donated for sale in addition to our own belongings. All had been organized. Cheryl was sunburned and dehydrated but was still going strong with a smile on her face. Our older children worked all day with her and thoroughly enjoyed it. Several other volunteers were working as well.

Actually, the whole Bartz family committed to this project. Cheryl's husband, Russ actually spent the night just to make sure nothing was stolen. Her little daughters, ages 4 and 10 months were there both days as well. To the Bartz family and all of the other hard -working volunteers, THANK YOU!

Thank you Jesus for showering us with the most wonderful friendships any family could have. Thank you for your provision in every area of our lives. You truly are AWESOME!

What consitutes a true "necessity?"

Today we took another major step toward moving our family to Zambia. We parted with many of our belongings that we once considered treasures or necessities or "must haves." I experienced two completely different emotions through the process of sorting through our things. One is that it feels wonderful to be "free" of stuff. The house will be much simpler to keep neat and tidy. But...it brings up feelings of sadness as well.

I remember buying each item we are now leaving behind. Or, in some instances, I remember when a precious treasure was presented to me by a loving friend or family member. To put these things in a box with price stickers attached feels disrespectful to my relationships as well as my own identity.

We've lived in our wonderful little city of Redmond for almost 18 years and it truly feels like "home" to me. We have an incredible life here surrounded by people who genuinely love our family. While this makes it especially hard to leave, it also provides the springboard to do so. Does this make sense?

So how's this for my very first post?

CHILD 2 CHILD 4 LEARNING

Thank you for considering a partnership with a child in Zambia. Below is a list of everything included in your monthly donation.

CONSUMABLES

1. Notebook (2 hole) for keeping history papers
2. Tablets for writing and math assignments (lose notebook paper doesn't exist here) Each child finishes at least three tablets a month.
3. Printed worksheets for math facts, map work, and history questions.
   (these are outrageously expensive)
4. Lunch: Children need proper nutrition to learn effectively.
5. Internet access: Although computers are not available to all Zambians, internet access at stations throughout the country is. I am teaching each child how to research and access world news using the internet. This will benefit them long after we are gone.
   

NIV Bible: this is a one-time gift for each child and the foundation of our ministry

All of the curriculum other than the Rosetta Stone English, we brought with us for our own children. As people come to visit, we will load them with more materials. We only have one copy of each book but with creative rotation, all the children can use them to complete their studies.

When your child partners with a Zambian child, your whole family benefits as your world extends beyond your home, community, and country.

Children available for sponsorship (for now anyway):

Prudence girl age 15
Jane girl age 14
Farai boy age 10