The Brevity of Life

Just a normal day in January. Looking over Facebook before going to bed. Wait, I can't believe this...it can't be true... I learned last night before I went to bed (and before I cried tons) that a pastor we knew while we were in Uruguay was killed in a terrible motorcycle accident, leaving a young widow and 6 children. I am so sad. You never know what a day will bring forth. My prayer is that his death will bring glory to our God!

I Remember Mom...

You know how some smells, sights just take you back... Well, I went back to Sundays at home this morning. I have hardly ever prepared a pork roast (put it in the crockpot), but Mom did somewhat regularly. Browning that roast this morning made me think of my mom and how she always did such a wonderful job feeding us! She's a great example of a homekeeper~I want to be like Mom! What makes you think of your mom? *Btw, my mom is still alive~praise the LORD!

Second Day in a Row...wow!

Today is kind of a lazy day~nice! DS3 gets to go to a friend's basketball game and then sledding...fun! Because of this and the fact that all children except DS1 and DD2 haven't gone sledding, DH and I are taking little one sledding this afternoon. She is so excited! It doesn't look like I will be getting a job as caregiver after all, after looking at all the paperwork and the contract and all. I have peace about this decision, as my husband is very wise and walks carefully through life. That is why I wanted him to look at all that paperwork! DD1 and DS2 are still away at a tourney in Minnesota, having a great time in spite of ill health (both of them). Have a great day in the Lord! (help me, people, I can't put pics in between my paragraphs...not that there are two :) )

New Stuff

I was encouraged to write again as 1) it has been a long, long time and 2) I started reading a friend's blog again after a long time and it encouraged me to write. We have now been back in the U.S. for almost 9 months~wow! During that time we (barely) survived a 3-month separation from our husband and dad, due to work training. I am looking into a new job as a caregiver. I'm looking forward to it! The kids are thriving in their Christian school; in fact, the two older ones are on a basketball/cheer trip right now! As time and distance separate me more and more from South America, I find that I still miss it very much. I hope to update this blog more often...sorry if you've checked in countless times to no avail :)

Second Lieutenant Matthew J. Sanders

Good grief!!!!! It has been months since I've updated this blog...you must have thought I've dropped off the edge of the earth. Actually, I almost have :). It has been busy, busy since we moved back to the U.S. and lots has happened for sure! Matt was sworn in as a Chaplain Candidate on June 20, Father's Day. It was a special day as our 8 yo son, Aaron, was also baptized that day! Matt's brother, retired Army Major Mark, was able to come and be Matt's commissioning officer. It was wayyyy cool. So, now we're waiting for Matt to be attached to a Reserve unit. That will be exciting for him. He is studying hard, hoping to finish his MDiv by next December. He has already completed one class this summer, Hebrews, and he finished with FLYING COLORS!

Developments

It's been a while again. We're enjoying being home, but I have to say that I miss Uruguay too. DH hasn't really heard about his commission; it takes a while they say. He's busy looking for a job, not an easy thing these days. God has provided us with a nice minivan and DS1 has a job already. DD1 wants to get her driver's permit soon. The Lord has provided for the kids to attend the Christian school here, for which we are very thankful! My parents leave the day after tomorrow for their next mission field, but I sure will miss them! My husband starts classes on May 17; I'm sure he's looking forward to it. I need to start back to school (to finish this school year) on Wednesday~yikes!

and...Time to say Hello!

It was a long trip. But God brought us safely to our country again. Our trip started out a week ago when we left Salto, Uruguay. That was a sad day, when we said good-bye to so many dear friends. Then, we spent happy days with friends in Montevideo. We love the Parnells! God, bless them always... Then, on Tuesday afternoon we headed to the aeropuerto de Carrasco to check in our, ahem, 28 checked bags. We didn't get too many weird looks, but I did see a girl behind us counting them :). We had no problems checking in. At around 9, we got onto the plane. and sat. and sat some more. worked several sudoku puzzles. We taxied. Then, the pilot told us there were technical difficulties, so we would not be leaving that night. Swell. We had to "re-enter" Uruguay, and get our 28 bags back. Fun, fun. We didn't want to have to transport all that luggage again, so a couple of our "peeps" stayed with the luggage all.night.long while the rest of us got to go to a hotel. The next day, all over again! But God really was in control of our trip! Pretty much the rest of the trip went off w/o a hitch! God allowed our family of 7 to travel STANDBY from Montevideo, Uruguay to...somewhere in the Midwest! It was nothing short of a miracle and I'm very thankful for my friend, C*, who made it humanly possible. Thank YOU, God! Here on this end, my parents and a friend were at the airport to receive us. I would say that I am definitely experiencing some "culture shock". I know, that's shocking for those of you who have never lived out of the US, but it is definitely so. For example, everything is so neat and tidy. The stores are open 24/7. There is SO MUCH food! People are a little...um..*heavier :) We are looking forward to getting used to being home!