Thank you to all of you who have been praying for the situation with our son's visa in the Ukraine. Jared and his team received their passports/visas, with their 6 month registration, on Saturday. We're thankful they'll get to stay and continue their work in Kremenchuk.

We're also thankful because it means that he will be able to come visit us in Estonia as planned. We are expecting him this Friday, the 18th ... he'll be here for two weeks. It's been a year since we've seen him so we're all so excited.

Please pray for his safety as he travels.

I remember my mom often saying, 'the hurried-er I go, the behind-er I get'. I think I'm beginning to understand what she meant! Seems like my list keeps getting longer and as soon as I manage to mark something off, I need to add at least two more things to it. I struggle to balance my priorities; to be the wife and mom I should be, to be the teacher and mentor I should be, to take care of all the urgent things, as well as the important things, and to 'be still' before the Father so I can soak in His presence and experience His peace. I am far from being the 'Proverbial' woman let alone being the ideal missionary woman but I am definitely in constant motion.

We've had a great couple of weeks. We've seen a wonderful increase in attendance in our ladies class and it seems that God is blessing the young women's 'Far Above Rubies' class, as well. Our FAR lessons have been focusing on virtue and inner beauty. This past week we got to spend a little time talking about letting our inner beauty show in our countenance and making the most of what God has made uniquely ours. It seemed only natural to indulge in a little pampering ... a facial and some play time with make-up. It's just fun to do 'girlie' things every now and then.

Girlie time ... that's exactly what I was blessed with just a couple of weekends ago. Deb, Alice and I got to take a special time of retreat in Tallinn.  This time was a special honoring for women who are serving on cross-cultural mission fields and those who sponsored it made us feel absolutely honored. There were 50 women there from 9 different countries. We enjoyed pampering, studying, praising, fellowshipping, and laughing together. Only those who have experienced life on the mission field could fully appreciate the joy we felt at bringing home little treats like ranch dressing mix, those little Almond Joy/Baby Ruth candy bars, Hershey's Kisses (with Caramel - yum!) and brown sugar. We played that gift exchange game that is always so popular around the holidays. This time, though, the prizes were of the utmost importance and there was some serious stealing happening when bags containing Lucky Charms, Pop-Tarts, cake mixes, macaroni/ cheese and Bisquick were opened for all to see. One of the bags even contained a 'Pilates' DVD. Of course, I told those ladies that those exercise videos are absolutely useless .. I have watched them several times and so far they haven't done me ANY good. 

Made me think of the scripture that says ...

Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says. Anyone who listens to the word but does not do what it says is like a man who looks at his face in a mirror and, after looking at himself, goes away and immediately forgets what he looks like. But the man who looks intently into the perfect law that gives freedom, and continues to do this, not forgetting what he has heard, but doing it -- he will be blessed in what he does.       James 1:22-25

God's law is perfect and His blessings are bountiful for those who are doers of the Word! I pray I can be a better 'doer' of the Word. I pray that He will continue to give me guidance in the things that I do ... as I strive to be all that He asks me to be ... to fulfill the roles He has for me to fill ... and to 'be still' in His presence.

May He bless you with the same.

This is what we do for fun when we get together as a church .... don't you wish you had been here?

We are finally getting settled back into our little abode. Still trying to unpack our mess from our trip to the States amidst all the goings on but had to re-pack a suitcase tonight. I'm heading out to Tallinn tomorrow. Deb, Alice (Deb's mom) and I are going to a ladies retreat for a couple of days. We are looking forward to getting filled up so we can come back and minister to all our sweet people here. Please pray for our families who we are leaving unattended for much longer than usual. They are feeling abandoned and I'm not sure what kind of trouble they might get into while I'm away ~ smile ~

Your prayers are so appreciated for our daughter, Amber, who you all know had to evacuate Lousiana with an 18-hour-old baby when Hurricane Rita hit. She was away from her home, while Joel stayed and worked the rescue efforts, for around 3 weeks. Courtney says that Amber is finally back into her home ... she had some water damage but it was not as severe as many encountered and the electricity is finally back on in the city. She says that fresh food is still hard to come by,  meat and vegetables are not plentiful, but they are doing good. Thank you again for your prayers on her behalf.

Your prayers are also needed for both of our sons. Dustin, has been assigned to a special "Command Security Force" but still is scheduled to leave for Iraq around December 2. Jared, who is in the Ukraine, is facing some visa / registration difficulties ... de ja vu ... and may have to leave the Ukraine and his ministry there. They have less than 20 days to get everything cleared up or they will have to vacate. Of course, he and his team are praying that God will intervene and allow them to stay.

Until we meet again ... God Bless and have a great week.

We arrived safely in Estonia on Friday afternoon. We were greeted by our smiling friends, Debbie and Jaime Banks and Clint, Joey and Becky Hale. What a treat!

We had a wonderful time with family and friends on this short trip to the States. We managed to stuff an amazing amount of hugs, kisses and fellowship into a very, very short time. We are so thankful for the time we had to see our son, our girls, our grandbabies, Brandi's sister/husband, Brandi's folks and to share in some wonderful fellowship with those in Granbury who support us from so far away. {Crystal, Andrea and Kristi ... I wish I could have seen you too ... I miss you bunches}.

Now we are back in Estonia ... back to the chilly weather, back home in our little apt., back in our own beds and back to our busy life here. We are still trying to recover from the schedule we kept while in the States and from the jetlag caused by the trip home. Our bodies are indeed weary but our hearts are full!

We stayed Friday night in Tallinn and headed back to Tartu on Saturday. We were followed only a few hours by the 'Character for Kids' team who are now here teaching a seminar in the University. We enjoyed meeting with them on Sunday and chatting over lunch about the possibilities of ministry through this program in Tartu.

Sunday morning also brought a sweet reunion with our precious church. Though we were only gone a short time, they deemed it 'too long' and welcomed us back with open arms and warm hugs. Our friend, Oksana B., said a few weeks ago how nice it is to be able to go across the world and back and always have someone waiting for you. I hadn't realized the magnitude of that statement until I stood in the foyer of our little church on Sunday. God is good!

So ... in-between our naps over the last few days ... Brandi has taught and preached, attended the CFK seminar and started up bible studies again. I've gone about catching up on laundry, paying some bills, teaching the teens and ladies class, and fellowshiping with some of my favorite people over a big pot of chili.

Sometimes I wonder whether we are successful in our work here in Tartu or not. Sometimes those 'obvious' signs of success are not there and the lack of them makes me feel discouraged. Sometimes I worry that those looking on will not think we are getting the job done or making it worth the sacrifices they've made to send us here. Sometimes I begin to doubt my usefulness and I wonder how God could trust such imperfect tools with such an awesome task.

Then ... He gives me hugs and laughter from those He brings across my path ... little gifts to show me how much He loves me. And, in His Sovereignty, He reminds me that He is God, that He is the Owner of the Vineyard, that He is The Lord of the Harvest, that His ways are not my ways and that He has often used 'rusty' tools to achieve mighty and amazing things ... not because the tools are great but because HE IS GREAT!

Indeed He IS!

On our way out the door to the airport -- will arrive in Estonia on Friday afternoon at 4:25 p.m. Can't wait to see you all ... love you, pj

Friday ~ 7:50 P.M.

Hi All -- we've been moving like crazy since I wrote last.

It was a great time with Lacey and her sweet family. Lacey, Kayli, and I had a great 'girl' day on Monday ... we enjoyed a yummy lunch at an 'all you can eat' Chinese restaurant (I was good, honest), had pedicures (Kayli got a manicure), went shopping in the all the 'fun' shops we never seem to have the time to go to; the scrapbook store, the craft store, the quilt store ... and of course, stopped by Sonic on our way home. =0). That night, the coffee we told her we were having with her friends, turned out to be a surprise baby shower for her. It was fun to be in on the surprise and to enjoy fellowshiping with all those who came to honor her and her new little one.

It was very hard to say good-bye the next morning. Lexi cried so hard when we left. She just kept saying "I wanted you to stay longer". Even our little Jenna kept saying 'Grammy, no go'. This Grammy's heart sure broke as we drove off, knowing it would be so long before we see them all again. Kayli and I had a good cry all the way out of Lubbock and a little more when we found out that Lexi cried off and on all day long after we left. Saying 'good-bye' is so hard but we do feel greatly blessed to have had the time we did to share with each other.

Early Wednesday morning, we were on a plane to Denver. Our trip was uneventful, the way we like them, and we were hugging our son, Dustin by lunchtime. Our time here has been great. We are staying with Brandi's sister, Kathy, and her new husband, David. Kathy has been spoiling us as she has gone to so much trouble to fix lots of our favorite foods. Yesterday morning was my turn for surprises ... Kathy got me up and out of the house. We drove for about an hour to Boulder, Colorado to a 'spa'. We spent the morning being pampered ... it was like an ocean oasis. We were served fancy water, sat in the sauna, had a massage (it was called a 'full body de-stress' which I guess I appeared to need .. smile), enjoyed all kinds of other pampering and left feeling very de-stressed. After we did that, we had lunch together and did some shopping. David, Brandi, Dustin and Kayli met us there, along with Brandi's folks who drove in from Oklahoma to visit us while we are here.

Today, we went to Colorado Springs to visit the base where Dustin lives and works, then drove up into the mountains to enjoy some scenery. The mountains are so beautiful .. the Aspen trees are beginning to turn yellow and the peaks of the mountains are dusted with snow. Eight Kendall family members in one car for a whole day can be very entertaining. We've really enjoyed our time together. Once again, it seems like it's just not been enough. Hard to believe it's already time to leave.

We'll be flying back to Granbury tomorrow morning. Brandi will be preaching on Sunday and sharing our love and vision for the work in Tartu. We'll meet with the mission's committee on Sunday afternoon and discuss what direction we'll be going in once we return.

Kayli will be going to Six Flags with Karen and her friends from work on Monday while Brandi and I do some last minute errands and shopping. Then it will be time to pull everything together for our trip home.

I'm not sure if I'll have much more time on the Internet after we leave here, but it won't be long before we are on our way back to Estonia. Can't wait to give all of you in Tallinn and Tartu big hugs ...we've missed you so much.

We love you ... please pray for our safety back to Granbury tomorrow and for our safe return to Estonia. Your continued prayers for our family are also appreciated.

God Bless!

Just a quick note to let you know we are doing good. Sorry I haven't gotten a chance to write ... haven't had much access to the internet so I've been feeling lost without it.

We've had a wonderful week with Courtney, Amber and the kiddos. Enjoyed a couple of afternoons by the pool and a trip to the zoo on Friday with everyone. We did a lot of hugging and kissing on the grand kids and cried a lot too when we had to say good-bye. It's hard to accept that it will be another 9 months before we see them again but we are thankful that God gave us this time with them. We've been blessed!

We headed to Lubbock yesterday afternoon to visit with Lacey and her family. The girls were so sweet when we got here. Jenna has been my buddy since we arrived ... we've all played and snuggled so Grammy's heart is feeling pretty special right now.

We went to church with Lacey this morning. Enjoyed the singing. Saw someone we didn't expect to see. One of our teammates from Russia, Paul Toth, and his family were standing in the foyer. What a surprise! They had just arrived this week and will be attending the SIBI (Sunset International Bible Institute) this semester in a program called 'Minister Renewal'. I think we can all use some renewal every now and then. Anyway, it was good to see them and visit with them ... their kids are so big! The last time we saw them, their oldest, was only a baby. Now they have 4 ... two boys and two girls. It's amazing how God seems to orchestrate things.

This afternoon, Lacey and I went to visit our friend, LaHonda and her daughter, Mindy. We've known LaHonda and their family for about 18+ years ... our kids were little together. Mindy, who is Lacey's age (22 yrs. old), has been very ill. She has been diagnosed with a rare form of Muscular Sclerosis and has been experiencing some severe reactions to the medication she's been taking. The drs. don't really understand what has gone wrong but it appears there is some nerve damage to her heart. We are fervently praying that God will reveal answers that will move her toward healing of her condition. I know they would appreciate your prayers as well.

After our visit with LaHonda and Mindy, Lacey and I ran some errands, enjoyed a cup of yummy coffee at Starbuck's (White Chocolate Mocha Latte for me) and perused some books at the bookstore. That was fun for me since they were ALL written in ENGLISH! cool, huh?

Tonight we've had the pleasure of fellowshipping with Lacey and Justin's teammates to New Zealand ... singing and lots of good eats.

Tomorrow Lacey, Kayli and I have a girl's day planned ... pedicures and shopping, then coffee with some of Lacey's girlfriends tomorrow night.

Tuesday we head back to Dallas and then catch our flight to Denver to see Dustin on Wednesday morning. Please pray for our safety and for Courtney's safety as she flies back to South Carolina tomorrow.

We love you all in Estonia  ... are missing you so much! Clint, thanks again for taking care of things for us. We sure appreciate you. Can't wait to see you all again ... just over a week now.

God Bless

We have arrived safely in Texas yesterday afternoon. We left Tallinn about 30 minutes late and had a tight schedule with security and all. Walked right from the last checkpoint on to the plane in Frankfurt. They hadn't given us seat assignments in Tallinn so we got the last 3 seats on the plane. Kayli and I got to sit together but Brandi had to sit quite a ways away. He was too far from us for us to visit. He said he read a couple of books and vegged. Occasionally I'd see him with his head phones on enjoying some relaxing music and a little shut eye. Other than that, the flight was fine ...hit some weather and had some heavy turbulence a few times but landed in Dallas in sunshine and 102F weather (41C). Pretty hot for us adopted Estonians!!

We enjoyed worshipping with Granbury last night ... so good to see everyone and get big hugs around our necks from so many ... then we went out to eat at Golden Corral with a few from church. Had our fill from the huge salad bar and Kayli got to have the steak she had been craving so she was pretty happy. Today we've been running errands and taking care of some business. It was kind of fun to go to Wal-mart again  ... funny huh?.

Joel has been in Lake Charles doing rescue and he says that Amber and the kids can't come back to town yet. It's still a mess and apparently still without water and electricity. So ... Courtney flew into Shreveport, Louisiana this morning, Amber and her mother-in-law picked her up at the airport and now they are headed to US instead of us going there. The couple we are staying with are being so gracious to let them stay there with us so we can have some Grammy/Mommy time until Amber can go back home. Amber's mother-in-law, Gretta, has friends in Dallas so she'll be staying there.

Amber evacuated without a lot of needed items so we'll do some shopping and try to get them all settled for their time away from home. Our hostess has a swimming pool so we are planning on enjoying some 'family time' there ... smile. I'm sure that Amber will be feeling better as soon as she is able to relax a little and have some much needed 'mothering'. Courtney and I both plan on taking care of that.

We love you all in Estonia ... missing you but excited about sharing how things are going in Tartu with the church here.

God Bless ... and stay focused on Him. We can't wait to see you again.

Today has been a busy day ...

Kayli was invited to join Marje's 7th grade "Handicraft" class each Thursday at the school she teaches. Today was Kayli's 3rd week to attend. They are making a nightgown in the class ... she has learned how to measure, how to make her own pattern (that was a new experience for me as well), and how to cut out her fabric.  The young girls in her class have begun to warm up to her and she seems to be really enjoying herself.

Tonight we had our 3rd "Far Above Rubies" class with the young women. This evening we talked about Proverbs 31:11 ... "her husband has full confidence in her" ... because of how she behaves .. what she says and does. We focused our study on Ephesians 4:29  ... "let no unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, only what is good for building others up, according to their needs". We talked about how our words should be like gifts to each other (like Silver Boxes with a bow on top ... Frances Littauer) and had fun making our own little silver boxes as reminders of that principle. While they were adding their own little touches to their 'presents' they laughed and sang together. That was a gift to my heart. These girls have become so special to me and I'm really going to miss them in the next couple of weeks.

So much is going on right now...

We'll be heading back to the States in just a couple of days. Dustin's Army unit will be deployed to Iraq in a few weeks and we are making a quick trip back to see him off. We leave on Sunday morning from Tallinn and are due in on Sunday afternoon in Dallas.

The impending hurricane that is headed for the Texas and Louisiana coast may direct the plans that we have made to see our other kids while there. Courtney and baby Tyler have airline tickets from South Carolina to Louisiana to help Amber with her new baby. She is due in on Monday. Our plans were to arrive in Dallas on Sunday, go to Louisiana on Tuesday, spend a couple of days with Amber's crew and Courtney/Tyler, drive to Lubbock from there to see Lacey and her crew, then fly to Denver to see Dustin. Brandi's sister lives there and his folks are planning on meeting us there as well. We'll be back in Granbury by the 8th of October .. Brandi will preach on the 9th. A couple of days to shop for much needed clothes/shoes for Kaylibug and then back to Tartu. Phew!! Just planning this trip has pooped me out.

Of course, the direction and damage of the hurricane will determine how closely we can stick to that schedule. Right now, Amber and her little ones are in northern Louisiana with family of friends awaiting updates on the path that Hurricane Rita is taking. We are watching to see how wide the sweep of the storm will be. We are not even sure at this point whether we'll be able to land in Dallas on Sunday or whether Courtney will be able to fly into Lafayette on Monday.

Right now, our prayer is that God will slow Hurricane Rita down considerably to reduce the impact on the people in its wake. We pray God will put his protective arms around our friends and family who could be hurt by this storm. Of course, we also hope that God will find a way for us to see all of our kids/grandkids while we are home. We pray for God's peace in knowing He is in control and that His ways are perfect. We covet your prayers as well.

When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and when you pass through the rivers, they will not sweep over you. When you walk through the fire, you will not be burned; the flames will not set you ablaze.    Isa 43:2