Many Reasons to Celebrate!

Among the many reasons we're here this summer (to have a baby, to be with family and friends, to share what God has done in Ulan-Ude, to visit churches and supporters, to raise more financial and prayer partners, to rest), we also really want to take time this summer to PRAY and evaluate the past four years- to reflect on how God has been at work and to have wisdom in knowing how God would like us to continue in ministry as we return to Siberia in October.

Leif took a morning this week and decided that he wanted to start by celebrating all that God has done in our first term in Ulan Ude. He looked up all of the verses in the Bible that pertain to celebrations, and he discovered many different reasons to praise God. Leif then made a HUGE list of different ways He'd seen God at work all around us, following the model of the list he'd made of reasons to celebrate from the Bible verses. It really was astounding and wonderful to reflect on these together, and to say "Wow! Praise you, God, for your work!!"



Anneka was laughing a split second before this picture was taken and right when I snapped, her mood suddenly changed. She must be two.



I feel like there's so much more time to see people here and to get things done... and so much less time spent on cooking, cleaning, dishes, etc (even though we've had a lot of people over. It's so NOT stressful here!). I'm really enjoying this, especially as I know I'll be really tired with a newborn very shortly. We've been taking advantage of each day, seeing or having people over almost daily and getting good time as a family, going on walks. Today Anneka and I visited Leif while he played basketball. Here we are on the old middle school track that I used to run on when I was twelve. It hasn't changed a bit!



On Thursday, I got together with my friend, Rachel and her mom and daugthers and my mom. Our moms have been really good friends for a long time, and Rachel and I are good friends, and now we have daughters the same age. How fun! Here, Anneka was pushing her little friend in the stroller on the walk home.

Off to have dinner with my Grandpa and Grandma!