March 28, 2006

• We have safely arrived in South Carolina after several weeks of travel.
  Our bodies are weary but our hearts are full of the comfort that we
  received along the way.

  Our first stop was Orlando, Florida ... Disney World. I admit it was a
  difficult thing for me to do after such a short time had passed since
  Dustin's death but it was definitely what Kayli needed. As a tribute to
  Dustin, we rode all the crazy, twirly, twisty roller coasters/ rides that we knew he
  would have loved and we laughed as we imagined together how he would have whooped
  and hollered on them all.

  From Orlando, we headed to Summerdale, Alabama where we were blessed to
  visit with Dustin's girlfriend, with the church and with some special
  friends, Billy and Louise,
  who ministered to us with the knowledge of what it is like to lose a
  child. Their daughter was lost just shortly after giving birth almost
  six years ago. We arrived on their daughter's birthday so we celebrated
  Dustin and Allison's life, mourned their loss and shared memories of
  the joys they brought to our lives. Being there was a precious gift.

  From Alabama, we were off  to Arkansas to visit the church in
  Bryant and with our special adopted family, the Lunsfords, who have
  also experienced the loss of not one but two sons. We spent a
  few days taking care of some of Dustin's business affairs but had the
  blessing of sharing some wonderful fellowship with those we loved there
  as well. We had a singing night, shared Dustin's memorial slide-show
  with the church, received lots of hugs and blessings, spent an evening
  with the families of Dustin's best friends and ate at Ruby Tuesday in Dustin's honor (that's where he worked for 4 years).

  Our next stop was Granbury, Texas. The Granbury church has been an
  unbelievable gift from God to us. They are our sponsoring congregation
  for our mission work in Tartu but they are much more than that. They
  are our family.
  I cannot even begin to describe the amazing ways they have cared for us
  and how they continue to minister to us in our hurt and loss. They fed
  us, housed us, loved on us, prayed over us, counseled us, gifted us and
  held on to us. For these great blessings, we are very grateful.

  While we were in Granbury, we took a quick trip to Lubbock, made a
  presentation on Estonia at SIBI (Sunset International Bible Institute),
  visited with special friends there and got to have some more family
  time with our daughter Lacey, her husband Justin and those precious
  grandbabies; Andrea, Lexi and Jenna. I am so thankful I got to give
  those little sweeties one last hug before having to head back this way.
  Sure was hard to say good-bye though.

  So ... now we are back in South Carolina, attempting to stuff in as
  much family time with Amber, Courtney and their families as possible,
  tie-up the loose ends of Dustin's business, get Jared ready to return
  to the Ukraine on April 2nd and get ourselves ready to return to
  Estonia.

  Our plan is to return to Estonia on April 10th. We are looking forward
  to getting back to the work God has for us there, ministering to the
  hearts of the Estonians that we love so well, and to get our life back
  to normal, whatever that means for us now.

  A few years ago I was diagnosed with a muscle disorder that for me,
  physically, meant that I had a new normal. It meant my normal day would
  be filled with pain. Over the years, I've learned to live with that
  pain ... some days it's worse than others. I don't like it or enjoy it
  but I've learned to live with it. At times, I've even been able to feel
  grateful for the pain. It's helped me to slow down, take stock and soak up the
  richness of His gifts. It's helped me to realize how
  blessed I am and it's helped me to be more understanding and
  compassionate of others who are in pain.

  Today, I have a new heart
  pain. What was normal before January 15th, is no longer normal ... I
  have a new normal. Now, my normal day is filled with reminders that I
  have lost something precious and every day seems to be filled with
  tears ... some days are worse than others. I don't like it or enjoy it
  but I'm learning to live with it. At times, I'm even able to be
  grateful for the pain. It is helping me to slow down, take stock and soak up the
  richness of His gifts. It's helping me to realize how
  blessed I am and it's helping me to be more understanding and
  compassionate of others who are in pain.

  For
  He has sent me to bind up the broken hearted ... to comfort all who
  mourn ...
  to bestow on them a crown of beauty instead of ashes,
  the oil
  of gladness instead of mourning and a garment of praise instead of
  despair.  Isaiah 61: 1-3

  God is binding up our broken hearts, comforting us as we mourn and giving us cause to praise Him at every turn.

  Thank you all for your prayers and your care.

  We love you!

  • 11:09 pm
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