Okay, back to furlough. We had a lovely couple of days in Raleigh with my Grandma Turner. Jackson absolutely loved her little dog, Buster. I believe that Buster counts as Jackson's great-uncle, as he is Grandma's baby, making him my uncle. But no one in the family seems to agree with me on that one (especially my dad, who doesn't seem to want to consider a dog his "brother"). Jackson and Buster were about the same size so they played well together.
That Friday we drove down to the Myrtle Beach area. We love getting to spend time with our friends at the Grand Strand church. On Saturday night we got to visit with one of the small groups and Russ preached Sunday morning. We enjoyed some AWESOME Mexican food with our hosts, Chuck and Barbara, and then headed back to Raleigh. The next day we spent a little more time with Grandma and then flew back to Kansas City.
When we set our furlough schedule, I tend to think in terms of what is possible and not what may or may not be a good idea. As it was, I felt like I edited the "possible" but I think that next time we'll do even less and try to spread it out more. This leg of the trip we covered around 3500 miles in about a week. That was way too much. Fortunately we had vacation coming up.
Well, I guess we have been gone awhile when our teammates have to chase bats out of our house before we return! Our son now proudly displays two teeth (bottom front), and we both have the tired faces to prove it. We are still dealing with the heat and the time change, so please keep us in your thoughts...
Well, we're back in Brazil. As many people have kindly pointed out, I barely blogged while we were stateside. But now we're home and getting this blog up-to-date is on my to-do list. It may take some time, though, because Jackson is infinitely more mobile than when we left and we're frantically babyproofing of our apartment. To tide you over, I thought I'd share these pictures with you. We had them taken at Portrait Innovations our first week of furlough when Jackson was almost seven months old. (I highly recommend Portrait Innovations!) Now he's almost nine months and it's amazing how much he's changed in the past two months.
I can't believe I didn't update from Winnipeg. We had a wonderful time with my family. My younger brother and my sister and her husband came to town, as well as all my grandparents. Jackson had a great time getting to know the family. It was also such a blessing to get to see my extended family again--all the people at the church in Winnipeg who are my surrogate aunts, uncles, cousins and grandparents.
Monday, we left Winnipeg and headed down to Kansas City. It's amazing how different it is to travel with a baby! In the past, the trip to KC would have taken us one day. With Jackson, we spread it out into an easy two days. Then yesterday morning we got up early and flew to Raleigh, NC. We're staying with my Grandma Turner for a couple of days and then are headed to the Myrtle Beach area.
We all seem to be holding up okay. Jackson still doesn't like long days in the car. I think that he doesn't understand why he can get out of his carseat on the plane but he can't in the car. He's so mobile now that being confined is torturous for him. We make sure to give him lots of opportunities to work his wiggles out when we stop. Thankfully we don't have too many more long driving days ahead of us--just a lot of short ones!
We said goodbye to the 90-year-old great-grandfather today, as he left for Ontario. The American great-grandmother left earlier this morning. I (Russell) was one of those lucky people that grew up with one of my great-grandparents, and to see my son playing with six of eight was very special. We are thankful to everyone, including our team, who let us come and share Jackson with all of his family. We still have a week in Winnipeg as the leaves turn yellow, then it is back to America for the final month of travel. Patience to all who wait for our visit. We are having so much fun.
This is just a quick update while JT sleeps in. We got in Tuesday after a long day of flying. Jackson did so well. He got waaay more sleep than I did on the plane!
In OKC we got to: go to Target, go to church at Mayfair (Jackson's first time going to class!), go to Bunco with the girls, enjoy many meals with friends, get family pictures done and sleep a bunch recovering from the trip. And JT started crawling full force.
Then yesterday we drove up to Stillwater where R's mom works. She showed off the grandbaby and we ate at Hideaway Pizza and did a little clearance shopping at Old Navy.
Then we drove up to Blackwell, R's hometown. We all went out to the Kay County Free Fair. Jackson loved looking at the animals and we ran into lots of people we knew. I had an Indian taco and a funnel cake which made me happy, though today I wish maybe I had only had ONE fried item.
Today we'll hang out at "Grandma's house" (weird to call it that!) and tomorrow we'll go to church here in Bwell before heading on the big journey north.
I'm going nuts trying to get ready for furlough. Russ and I were pretty good at packing our stuff up and heading out the door. Now we've got an additional person to worry about, a person who likes to take up our time during the day to keep us from getting stuff done and who, just this week, has decided that he doesn't like sleeping that much. Oh and he's got a cold. But we'll get it done and get on the plane on Monday whether our suitcases are full or not. (Anyway, aren't we supposed to leave for furlough with empty bags so we have room to fill them up?)
Several people have asked if we'll be coming their way or not, so I thought I'd post a rough schedule for everyone. I hate making our schedule because no matter what I have to leave people and places out. But we only have six weeks of furlough and two weeks of vacation and I love you all but we need our vacation time!
And this is a rough schedule--there are some travel and personal days I'm leaving out.
So maybe we'll be near you, maybe not. We really would love to see as many people as we can but we're also trying to be aware of our limitations with the little guy. Drop us a line if you want to try to meet up!
Today we took Ceara back to her parents. We had a fun couple of days with her but it was nice to take her back. Having two under two was a bit much for me, especially the diaper part.
Today we did a little more of our pre-furlough shopping. Loaded up on coffee (to take with us) and dog food (to leave for Samson).
Today we got hit by a 20-foot sign that flew off the back of a truck. Thankfully Russ was paying attention and managed to swerve, avoiding us getting totally clobbered by it. It did take out one of our mirrors and left a big scratch on the side of the car. I was not paying attention and it hit the side right beside me. It definitely shook me up a little. But then we laughed and laughed at the absurdity of it.
Today I keep trying to finish my lesson for the women's class on Sunday and it just doesn't seem to be happening. Maybe I should do that instead of blogging!
Jackson has a new friend! Last night Travis and Alicia's new baby BOY, Calen Xavier, was born. We're taking care of Ceara while they're in the hospital so today we took her up to meet her new brother. She wasn't quite sure what to think at first but soon she was fascinated by him.
Now there are six kids on the team; four of them born within the past year or so. It's a whole new world!
Today Jackson is six months old. He's changed so much; it's hard to remember back to when he was this kid:
I remember wondering in those first couple of weeks how I was going to make it to six months. Six months was a far-off oasis--the promise of rest and a simpler life where I wouldn't constantly be worried about keeping this fragile newborn alive. Sometimes when things were tough, I divided the year into chunks: "We've made it one month--we just have to do that eleven more times and he'll be a year old!"
And now we're halfway there and I wonder where the time has gone. I now know that I'm always going to worry about him, only now instead of jaundice and his developing immune system I worry about all the ways he can get hurt interacting with the world around him. (He's not crawling yet but between scooting backward and running around in his walker, he finds all kinds of trouble to get into!) But the worry feels different now. When I take a minute to sit back and reflect on God's faithfulness to us, I am reminded that he's in good hands. Jackson's survival is not exclusively up to us. That's a big load off.
It's a good thing, too, because as we're discovering who JT is, it's become obvious that we're going to have our hands full.
Speaking of full hands, he just woke up. The Sunday rush has begun. But I had to say, "HAPPY POINT FIVE, JT!"
Leandro is a pretty cool guy. Today he became even cooler.
Because he did this:
Leandro has several relatives that are members of our church and he's been connected with us for a while through one of our small groups. A couple of months ago, he decided he needed to start studying the Bible so Travis started studying with him. Then while the gang from Auburn was here he was at the church constantly, hanging out with them and helping out any way he could, even though he speaks very little English and they spoke no Portuguese. It gave us all a chance to get to know him better. Last week he called Travis and told him he was ready to be baptized. Today the church gathered at the beach to watch him put on Christ.
It's a big decision for anyone. For a guy like Leandro, it's huge. He knows what the world offers. He knows what he's giving up. He doesn't have the support of his immediate family (his mom is a Jehovah's Witness). I ask you to thank God for helping Leandro make this decision. Please join us in prayer for his new life as a Christian. Pray that he can be strong in his faith and that we will be the Christian family he needs.
For the past couple of months I've been battling a skin problem. I've made several trips to the dermatalogist to try to figure it out. I've been given different creams to try that have made it go away for a little bit but it always comes back. Last week I did allergy testing but it didn't reveal the source of the problem. So, it's back to experimentation.
This time, though, there's a difference. Instead of just a cream, I have some strict orders: no harsh soaps or chemicals and no makeup. Yup, that's right--no makeup. FOR TWO WEEKS!!
Some of you read that and shrugged. No big deal. But others of you probably winced.
I'm definitely in the second camp. I like to believe I wear "just enough" makeup--enough to roughly cover my flaws and call attention to the good parts. My makeup routine takes all of three minutes. When rushed, I will just throw on some eye makeup and lipstick and run out the door. If I'm dressing up, I might spend a whole five minutes on my face.
But I rarely leave the house completely bare.
So the next couple of weeks are going to be an interesting challenge for me. I will be showing the world 100% unfiltered Val. It's no big deal in my day-to-day life--hanging out at home with JT or meeting with teammates. But then I think about the big things--like our big Open House next Sunday--and I start to squirm.
I don't think of myself as a vain person but the fact that I'm so uncomfortable is making me even more uncomfortable. And I'm taking my discomfort as a sign that I need to do a little self-examination. Why am I so concerned with what everyone else will see? Why do I feel the need to cover my flaws and draw attention to the parts I think are good? Why does what's on the outside matter?
I haven't yet answered these questions. If I figure it out, I'll likely share it with you. (Unless it's intensely personal and then I might not.)
In other news, in one month from today we will be in Oklahoma. I am definitely ready for furlough.
Our invasion of Boca do Rio (the new neighborhood) continues! Yesterday was another free lunch and almost 100 people showed up! Today we sent out teams to survey the neighborhood. They asked people about their religious affiliation and, more importantly, what a church can do to best minister to this neighborhood. Travis has been preaching a series on the lessons we can learn from the book of Joshua and the church is excited to "conquer" our new neighborhood in God's name. So, for example, this week's survey was like sending spies out. Next week we'll spend time reflecting as a church on the time we spent in prayer and fasting. Everything is gearing up to our big grand opening of the new building in two weeks. Keep us in your prayers as we seek God's will for us in this new neighborhood.
The "kids" go home tomorrow. It has been great having them here. They have brought so much life to everything and I've been so proud of them for connecting with their students in so many ways.
Those connections were evident last night. A couple of weeks ago at one of the weekly parties, a couple of the students came up to me and said they wanted to plan a surprise goodbye party for them. They said they'd handle all the planning--we just had to show up and bring a little food. It was an offer we couldn't refuse. We left the party in the hands of the students and they did a great job. When we showed up yesterday, the building was decorated, there was a table full of food and there was a whole evening of activities planned. First on the agenda was getting a little revenge for all the games the Auburn crew had made their students play. They painted their faces, made them sing the Brazilian anthem and gave them quizzes about Brazil. After that there were speeches and performances. It was a lot of fun and an excellent testament to how they touched the lives of so many people here.
The playdate the other day seems to have worked! Jackson is getting the hang of playing with other kids. Just look as he demonstrates what he's learned from the "big kids" on poor Samuel.
Team life has changed a lot in the past year. We've seen the birth of three babies and one more is due to show up in the next month. Once Travis and Alicia's new one is born, we'll have five kids under the age of two. We've decided to start getting the little ones together to play on a semi-regular basis.
Today we took advantage of our new building. English classes were going on downstairs, the men were having their leadership meeting in the office and we met in the kid's classroom. (That still left rooms empty!) It's so nice to have so much USABLE space!
We read books, sang songs, had dance time and did our best to keep the kids from killing each other. Jackson was a little overwhelmed but I figure he needs to get the hang of being around other kids before we go on furlough. (Can I just say that I'm looking forward to visiting churches with nurseries?)
Speaking of, our tickets are now set. We'll be leaving Salvador on September 8 and returning November 11. The countdown has begun!
Just a little while ago Jackson and I were lying on the bed and I was singing to help him slow down enough to fall asleep. One of the songs was When the Night Is Falling. If you don't know it, the lyrics are:
When the night is falling and the day is done I can hear You calling, "Come!" I will come while you sing over me.
When the night surrounds me, all my dreams undone I can hear You calling, "Come!" I will come while you sing over me.
When the night would hide my way I will listen until I hear you say,
"How I love you, child! I love you! How I love you, child! I love you! How I love you!"
When this life is over and the race is run I will hear You calling, "Come!" I will come while you sing over me.
Jackson was lying beside me quietly, watching me sing. When I got to the chorus (the "how I love you" part) he decided he was tired of just lying there and rolled over. He looked up and gave me the biggest grin. My heart swelled (cheesy old expression but there's no other way to describe it!) and as I looked at my son and sang those words I swear I got a glimpse of just how much God loves us.
I love neighborhood papers. When I was in my early teens, I had a job delivering our free neighborhood paper, The Lance, as well as a huge stack of flyers. (For the record, delivering a free paper doesn't pay very well!) I enjoyed reading The Lance because I could usually find the name of someone I knew in each issue. It made me feel connected and important.
When I worked at Mayfair Church of Christ, the church received The Oklahoma City Friday. Its target audience was "affluent Oklahoma City" and was mostly about the neighborhoods surrounding the church. It was always an entertaining read--full of details of debutante balls and the weddings of the rich and semi-famous. My favorite Friday activity was reading the police blotter which helped call attention to serious local crime issues like kids ringing the doorbell and running away, cars parked in the wrong place and the occasional band of gypsies.
We've started getting a new local paper called Nosso Bairro that covers our neighborhood of Pituba. It's always full of interesting facts about the neighborhood and the latest goings-on. Now I know what is probably going to be built where the old clube was, where the mini-favela is and that we really will be getting an Outback Steakhouse in a few months.
One of my favorite columns is written by a guy from São Paulo. He is able to reflect on Pituba and Salvador from an outsider's perspective. He talks about a lot of stuff that's unique to Bahia that we had already noticed.
His column this month was really interesting. He pointed out the number of holidays we've had since the beginning of the year. A holiday on a Tuesday means Monday will be off. A holiday on Thursday means Friday will be off. A holiday on a Wednesday means that Monday and Tuesday, or maybe Thursday and Friday, or possible all of those days, will be off. A holiday on the weekend means Friday is off and maybe Monday, too. And that doesn't even include recovery days, the days AFTER the holiday that you need to take off to get over your hangover or at least to travel back to town. As a result, there are a lot of days here that are useless for getting anything done. How many? According to this guy's count, of the 181 days from Jan. 1 to June 30, 68 of them have been weekends, long weekends or holidays.
SIXTY-EIGHT!!! That's more than 1/3! No wonder it takes forever to get stuff done here!
(I feel like I need to point out that our team policy doesn't give us all these days off. And we certainly don't get Sundays off!)
I don't really have a profound point to all this. I just found it interesting and wanted to share. So I'll cover up for my lousy conclusion by throwing in a video of playtime with JT.
We are church-planting missionaries in Salvador, Brazil. Our son Jackson (aka JT) was born in February 2008. Val does 95% of the blogging but every so often Russ shows up.
Our last name is pronounced "kwerry", in case you were wondering, but no one gets it right.
