Preparing for the madness

Okay, the title is a little bit of an exaggeration, but in less than a week we will regret poor use of free time and underutilization of time together over the summer. That's right, the fall semester begins next week. And not just any semester- our last semester (if anyone has ever been the spouse of a seminary student, you realize that getting through truly is a joint effort - hence the "our"). Along with classes, stacks of books, and assignments that keep Luke up until all hours of the night (which he's getting used to as he's stayed up watching the olympics every night for the past two weeks), the new semester brings new work schedules and other commitments.

Luke just started a new job coaching at a cheerleading gym. Since the kids are in school all day, practices run late afternoon-evening. He won't be getting home quite as late as he did when working at Starbucks, but it still basically kills our opportunity to enjoy dinner together four of the seven days of the week. Not to say I don't have my own changes and commitments on the horizon. Starting next Tuesday, I'll be taking the Perspectives class, a missions-oriented course on the world Christian movement. Additionally, FCA at the local high school should kick in on Thursday nights soon, and a new college semester means additional flyers, newsletters and other pieces will need to be created for Kappa Phi. Between committees, the deacon's board, youth activities and services based on African time, church rounds out our list of activities that will surely leave us longing for the less-intense days of summer.

We did take the opportunity to get a little time together - enjoying God's creation - this past weekend. Canoeing down the Brazos River on Saturday in beautiful 85-degree weather (NOT common in Dallas in August), followed by Chinese takeout and a movie, and a relaxing day together on Sunday ending with grilling out in a nearby park, was a great way to do what we could to try to memorize each other's features so as not to forget what the other looks like when our schedules have us all over the metroplex but never in the same place at the same time.

On another note (I realize this is getting kind of random), we are praying and preparing for a potential trip to Zambia in March with SIM, and are continuing through the steps for full-time missions with the organization.

Which gets to the scary part. We came to Dallas so Luke could attend seminary and we could move to Africa. We had created a 'list' of necessary steps in order to enter into full-time missions. 1. Graduate seminary (coming in December); 2. pay off all debt (done in June); 3. Find an organization and go through the application process (in progress); and 4. Get assignment and raise support.

All of a sudden this Africa thing is becoming real!!!

Once a distant thought, it is now a plan-evoking reality. So not only are we starting another semester... it's our last semester... meaning it is only a matter of time before our lives turn from our daily commitments and routines to fundraising, packing, and preparing for God's great adventure for us halfway around the world...

Our Summer Letter

If you didn't get our most recent update letter, here it is! Click on the image for a larger, easier-to-read version.

(If you want to receive future support letters via mail or e-mail, please let us know)

Just some thoughts on the Olympics...

So, my dad has been a sports journalist for basically an eternity now, but since he prefers to work in the small market newspapers, he doesn't get to travel to the Olympics....though many people have been asking me about that lately. He does, however, have many friends who do travel over there, and he's pretty well informed about what's going on. He wrote on his blog a week or two ago about how China was trying to control what the world-wide media says and does during the Olympics. I'll let you go to his blog yourself....and enjoy what you read. He's a much better writer than I am.

On another note, since the opening ceremonies on Friday night and all their extravagance, I have been completely plastered to my television set. I only get NBC, and that comes in and out depending on the location of the rabbit ears on our set, but they cover the headline sports, which for the Olympics that's really all I care about. And being a former gymnast, swimmer, and diver, these past few days have been intense. Men's and women's qualifying in gymnastics, the men's finals last night with the US taking a surprising bronze (much better than that sixth place I and many others predicted), the synchronized diving domination by the Chinese, and the gills of the US swim team have all kept my eyes glued to the small 19" screen. Perhaps the greatest two moments of the Olympics so far have been the US men getting third in gymnastics last night (behind China and Japan, surprise, surprise) and Jason Lezak coming from behind and touching out France for the gold in the 400 Free Relay on Sunday night. Being the child of my father, I love to yell at the television and tell the athletes how I feel about the performance. However, as Tiffany goes to bed at about 8:30 or 9:00, I had to hold it in, as both of these spectacular events took place after 10:00. So instead I just pumped my fists in the air and pretended to yell.

Next up on my agenda: watch the US women's gymnastics team do what it does best...crumble under Olympic pressure. We got a taste of it the other day when Alicia Sacramone decided to tumble completely off the floor, Nastia Liukin took a seat as she dismounted from bars, and Chelsie Memmel looked like she just didn't want to hang onto the bar anymore. I'm starting to have flashbacks of the 92 games when Kim Zmeskel and company were slated to dominate and all they did was drop the ball. But we'll see.

The Video of My Sermon, Part the Last

Finally...part 5. Much shorter than the others, but the way the video divided itself, this is what I was left with.



Part 5 of 5

The Video of My Sermon, Part 4

Here's part 4...I realize now that you'll have to start at the bottom and work your way up. Sorry. You could go from the top down and treat my sermon like you're watching "Memento."



Part 4 of 5