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Preparing For Your Homestudy
Dear friends, who are in many ways our family here in Montana, had their first Homestudy visit yesterday. In fielding their anxious preparatory questions beforehand, and celebrating with them on the phone afterwards, I kind of relived our own Homestudy experience from a year ago. A Homestudy is a comprehensive report compiled by a local,…
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Ode to a Vitamix
Oh Vitamix, how I adore and covet thee. Truly, you are sovereign over all other kitchen appliances. I have a serious case of blender envy. All the cool kids have a Vitamix blender. Even Handsome Husband’s Grandpapa has one. Would it be terribly inappropriate for me to ask him to will it to me? Too forward?…
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Itinerary
Forgive my brevity, but I just finished applying for four international visas and my brain is absolute mush. Our flights are booked, we’re headed to China! March 26th. 16 days… not that I’m counting, or anything. After a quick puddle-jump to Seattle, we board our 12 hour international flight to Beijing. Please pray for our…
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Staging Your Home To Sell
In the midst of all our heading-to-China-to-bring-home-our-son excitement, we’re also getting a house ready to put on the market. Weary of being long-distance landlords, we’re finally selling our property in Oregon. My colleagues there report that the market has made a nice come-back since our exodus a year and a half ago, and we are…
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Though She Be But Little
Our first-born’s birthday isn’t until mid-April, but once we return from China it will be right around the corner. Since I’m an admitted Over-The-Top-Birthday-Party-Planner, I figured it was time to officially get my party ducks in a row. We’ve had a theme in mind for her for over a year: our typical extravaganza of a…
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Travel Approval
I will praise you, O Lord, with my whole heart; I will tell of all Your marvelous works. I will be glad and rejoice in You; I will sing praise to Your name, O Most High. Psalms 9:1-2 We just got our Travel Approval, our official invitation to head to China and pick up our…
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Jumping to Assumptions
In high-school, my loud, liberal best-friend proudly displayed a large button on her Jansport backpack, which plainly read, “EXAMINE YOUR ASSUMPTIONS.” Isn’t that just the best? After all, I’m still talking about it, a few eighteen years later. My parents went a more direct route, repeatedly admonishing me to, “Never assume… it makes an a** out…
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Verklempt
Call me Linda Richman*, but every time we turn around these days there seems to be more great news. Today has been no exception. I’m verklempt. Just as we were beginning to catch our breath from all the excitement of our Give1Save1 feature, Show Hope grant and receipt of our Article 5, we got word…
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Give1Save1 Recap
I hate asking for money. Hate it. Growing up, we didn’t have an abundance of it, but my parents would never be caught asking for more. When I joined a women’s team on a service project to Burkina-Faso, West Africa, I physically recoiled when the leader informed us that we were required to fundraise support…
