1 Week

It's hard to imagine that in 7 days and 12 hours we will be in a plane over the Eastern US on our way to London and then ultimately to Mumbai. How do you pack for a 5 month visit? There are so many things I could take, but do we really need it all? The question is what do we need. The true answer is that outside of God we don't need anything. Sure, material things are great and all, but generally not necessary. So, I am trying to strike the balance between packing simply and packing in anticipation of a thousand different scenarios. I guess that's the mom in me. The biggest question for me is what do we bring for Josiah? I know that Jeneson and I can do without many things and can survive/thrive with very little and Lydia is only 3 months old, so outside of me and my breasts and a few toys what else does she need. Like I mentioned before, I am trying to gather some preschool curriculum materials and art supplies. That along with some familiar toys is going to take up one suitcase (good thing we are allowed 6 checked bags). I really need to start writing down some of the many lists that I have going in my head of things we need to do before the plane takes off.

CHRISTmas

What a peaceful Christmas morning. After a good night's sleep, I nursed our daughter in the peaceful silence of 5:30am and laid her back in her bed before reading the story of Jesus' birth. As I mentioned in my last post, we attended Christmas Eve service at church last night and I heard a beautiful song for the first time, Labor of Love by Andrew Peterson. (Link to a youtube video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gYjYi4tYvXu ) I cannot imagine how Mary was feeling that first year. Here was a teenage girl about to be married who suddenly finds herself pregnant. Then she has to travel to Bethlehem with her new husband while very pregnant. To top it all off, she goes into labor in a town she is unfamiliar with and her mother is not there with her (or any other relatives), no birth attendant or midwife. Does she know what to do? And what about the Jesus finally does arrive, will she get the hang of breast feeding? Who besides her husband can she lean and rely upon. (Hint: GOD) What a perfect set up for somebody to learn how to fully rely on GOD. If only we could have that same complete and total trust in and reliance upon GOD.

Josiah got to do something special for Jesus' birthday this morning, he ate cake for breakfast!! This is the kids who we usually don't let have refined sugar in this manner as he has enough energy already without exponentially increasing it. He was a little crazy today, but not too bad.

We topped the day off with a visit to my folks house and spent some time with them along with my sister and bro-in-law. It's crazy to think that we won't be seeing them for the next six months, at least not in person. This is the family that I would see on at least a monthly basis and talk with at least on a weekly basis. Thank God for technology and the information age; we got my Dad a webcam for Christmas and plan to Skype (if you've never heard of it, check it out at www.skype.com) each other on a regular basis. My head is starting to spin thinking of some of the changes that will be happening the next six months, so time to go pray and sleep.

CHRISTmas Eve

It's Christmas Eve, we just returned from a lovely Christmas Eve service at church, watched a Christmas video and put both munchkins to bed. It is amazing that it is 9:30pm and both the kids are asleep and Jeneson and I are both awake. Usually by this time at least one of us is asleep on the couch. Jeneson and I have never been much into gift giving and even more so once we had kids. We want the focus for the season to be on the miraculous birth of Jesus Christ, not on getting presents. Josiah does not even know who Santa is as we are teaching him that Christmas is a celebration of Jesus' birth. How do you try to explain this to the rest of the world? Right now since Josiah is so young we just kind of brush off the 'what is Santa bringing you for Christmas?' question. Do we respond that we don't do the Santa thing or what?

Only 2 more weeks until we leave for India. With the weather lately, we have definitely been praying for good weather on Jan 7th. We have also been busy getting together with friends and family for one more time before we leave. I have been ambitious in trying to get some sort of preschool curriculum ready for Josiah for India. I am suspecting that we won't have much structure to our days, so I am trying to figure out some sort of routine for him. I found a great theme-based preschool curriculum book at the local teacher store and have spent the last 4 days, cutting out little objects, making copies, getting things laminated and making a list of craft supplies to try to get before leaving. This book is great with lots of detailed ideas and seeing as I am not all that imaginative I need the details. Now I just need to go over this stuff with the expert in the family, my sister the preschool/kindergarten teacher.

3 weeks and counting

Well, three weeks from now we will all be in India, pleasantly warm India. I have to say that I am looking forward to the warmer weather. After going through several snow storms and below zero windchills, 80 degree temps and warm breezes look awfully inviting. So,what does one do in the the last several weeks before leaving the country for 5 months? How about: caring for 2 children, rushing around to get an infant her passport, get an error on her birth certificate corrected, get a visa or two (for both Lydia & Jeneson), change banks, get wills and powers of attorney drawn up, try to donate a truck to charity, getting Lydia to finally take a bottle and try her out on formula, work on potty training a 2 year old, make multiple internal lists of what to pack for each of us, try to get together with many friends for a final time before we leave, explain to a 2 year old that we will soon be flying.... OK, I have to stop now because anxiety is starting to set in. In short, run around, lots of thinking and worrying.
That has been my struggle - worry. I am, by nature a planner and list maker and like to know not only what the next step will be, but also what the next 5 steps are. I am constantly reminding myself what Matthew 6:34 states: "Therefore do not be anxious about tomorrow, for tomorrow will be anxious for itself. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble." As always, God is right. I have plenty to worry about and be anxious about today, I don't need to weigh myself down with more details than necessary.
On a lighter note, things have been getting better with Lydia. She is no longer having 3 hour long crying sessions and is sleeping and eating well. Praise God! I was even able to get our Christmas letters/cards out today, so hopefully they will reach their intended addresses before Christmas.

World News

We are so American-centric here in the United States. The recent news coverage of the attacks in Mumbai just exemplified this notion. We don't have cable, therefore don't get CNN, FOX News, or the millions of other news channels, however, we were visiting my parents during those days. The Mumbai attacks were being constantly covered. My theory is that the reason for this is the targeting of Americans and Britons by the attackers. Where was the recent coverage on the regular (ABC, NBC, CBS) networks on the recent deaths of more than 400 people during clashes between Christians and Muslims after local elections in Jos, Nigeria? What about the cholera outbreak in Zimbabwe that has claimed over 500 lives? The mismanagement by Mugabe with astronomical inflation and almost half of the country needing emergency food aid is essentially not covered in the news. The only way I keep updated about international issues such as these (outside the internet) is BBC news on either the radio or PBS.

Our American-centricity starts out early. Our schools do a dismal job of teaching world history (the world includes more that the US and Europe) and geography (I dare you to find Nigeria or Zimbabwe on the map). I was not always so up on international news. I think having a husband who was born in India, helped to open my eyes. I realized that there is a bigger world outside of the United States and that I really know very little about it's history. I challenge everybody reading this blog to make a concerted effort to at least read some world news headlines from the internet everyday in order to broaden your 'world view.'