Ready or not here we go!

This is my last post in Spain! We are on to our next assignment - Cyprus! It will be where we call home. I am excited to start this new phase. I am a bit sad too... Some of it is the things we didn't get to do. Mostly though it is that we have been here just long enough for it to begin to feel like home ... familiar. I don't know what Charis is going to do without her "Mercadona snack" (a local grocery store she loves) and her Nana. We will miss the amazing city of Granada with all its history to see. We will miss the sweet people we have met! Tonight we had a car that actually worked so our little family went up to the mountains and watched our last sunset. It was spectacular! The best part was watching Charis run free. She kept saying "this is our place". I didn't realize how city living has been hard for her too as she sobbed when we left "I don't want to go bye bye...I want to stay in the mountains". Even my sleep deprived Gabriel was giggling as I sat him on the ground. I am writing in a hurry as we are about to leave so will sign off.

city night

Unjudged baby strollers late into the evening

Tapas

happy children's laughter from the neighborhood courtyard

cars zooming by

honking to open the car port

dogs parking

footsteps of a passerby

distant music

Water dripping from flowers on balconies

street lights

cool breezes after a blistering day

"One of my favorite things"

6 Months of Sweetness

Last week Gabriel turned 6 months. Gabriel was our gift in the midst of lots of change and hecticness. Through it all he has learned to go with the flow. He is a happy baby and usually is ready to laugh and smile if you make eye contact with him. Sometimes I see him staring at someone just waiting for them to look up and smile. I have especially noticed this with his daddy...almost as if he is looking for his approval already. Charis and he can get going laughing together - one of my new favorite things in life. He squeals in delight when he sees her. When he turned 6 months he got to sit on grass for the first time. It was funny to watch him. He usually smiles and laughs about everything but he had the most puzzled look on his face. He would look at us and then stare at the grass.

He is more active than Charis was at this point. He has been scooting and rolling all around since 4 1/2 months, but now he is doing an army crawl. This week he got even faster and loves his new found freedom. Squealing and laughing as he finds he can go to a different room. If we have barriers around him he attempts to get by or over them. He seems to be attracted to any wheels he sees. Otherwise He goes for the most gross or dangerous object around - shoes, wires, sister’s favorite toys. Yesterday he pulled 5 glass bowls on top of himself. By God's mercy he was okay and nothing broke. Today I was watching to see if he was going to repeat his mistake. Charis couldn't handle it and pulled him away as far as she could and then begged "mama please move him!"

Everything goes in his mouth...especially his fingers. And it seems he is trading in a paci for his fingers.

In the Shadows of the Alhambra...

I sit in my parents non air conditioned row house. The ceiling fan above desperately trying to cool the 95 degree heat that seeps in. I feel like my emotions and brain are still trying to catch up with where my body is living. Joshua and I have always wanted to serve the Lord overseas. Although we had trouble narrowing our passion for different places in the world, the last 3 years we thought it was going to be Italy. We learned about Italy, prayed for Italy and attempted to raise the support required. Last fall after a focused time of prayer by many asking God to get us there, Joshua and I found ourselves asking "What do you want, Lord?".

One chilly December evening as Charis played carefree at a park, Joshua and I held each other and cried once again surrendering everything to God - going to Italy or even overseas at all. I had no idea the whirlwind that would follow. On Christmas day, God led us to talk to my parents about fitting in the organization they are with. Before the end of the year as an answer to a specific prayer, we had the confirmation we needed to move forward! This was followed by meetings with our pastors and elders, joining a different organization, building a storage shed at Joshua's parents, packing up our home of 7 years, and by FAITH with the money raised... flying off to SPAIN!?!

So here we are - temporarily in Spain and trying to take it all in before our next assignment. God has answered yet another cry of our heart: to be "goers" in the Great Commission. Our main purpose in Spain is for Joshua to strengthen his Spanish for communicating within the organization we joined. I am trying to figure out living overseas as an adult, wife and mother. I find myself inadequate and in need of God's grace, mercy and strength more than ever. Praise God that He offers them to us freely!