5 Years and Proud of it!

PJ's eager to announce that he is five now. He likes that he can do things now that he's five that he couldn't do before...like reach the light switch to the bathroom. To the left is another big 5 year old thing he can do...he can eat a grown up hamburger...well, at least he tried! While at the beach we ate at the Great American Rib Company (can you believe they have a restuarant like this here????). Anyway, PJ set his heart on this monster burger and ended up not eating it due to some spice factor in the meat. He enjoyed the fries immensely though!




















I often tell PJ and Emmy that they are two peas in a pod. They are the best of friends. They enjoy being animals and crawling around like dogs or cats or whinnying like horses. When listening in on their play I am always amused, especially by Emmy Mills' narration of whatever it is they are doing. I swear, she will be a writer one day...I hope she remembers me when she's making the big bucks! =) On our recent trip to the beach with the Mills family, we hardly saw PJ. He and Emmy were always off on some adventure, no doubt. We did manage to get them to play about 3 minutes of soccer on the beach and then they were tired. Not good news for our sprouting football players! We will be saying "goodbye" the the Mills family in exactly one week. We are sad. We will lose our playmates and our friends for seven months and then once they return we will be heading off for our furlough...oh, sadness indeed, but this is life as a missionary! PJ has asked me on ocassion why people can't just stay here. It's hard, please pray for us as we make this transition. Pray that it would be a neat time for PJ to grow as he will have to branch out and meet new friends.
PJ loves it when we have guests staying with us. We love it too, as I have said in the post about Adele. But, I really, selfishly, love it all the more when I see how much my kids are growing to love hosting people and learning about people from different parts of the world...this time from Atlanta, GA. PJ quickly took to the team but he especially took to Mandy (pictured with PJ). Mandy and her husband Brian are in seminary and desire to serve God overseas. Please pray with us that Thailand would be that field of service (!). Anyway, as I was saying, PJ LOVED Mandy. One morning early on in their stay with us the team was getting ready to do their team devotions. I saw PJ running thru the house and then I saw in his hand his children's Bible and he sat down next to Mandy and proceeded to open his Bible to study God's Word with them. Mandy patiently showed PJ where they were in the Bible and explained what they were reading and talking about. They then had some time in quiet prayer and PJ sat thru the whole time. I was so proud of him, but more so I praised God in my heart that He is drawing PJ to Himself and showing HImself to PJ thru each and every person that comes thru our door (if they're a Christian). I thank God for the Body of Christ. I have heard many a sermon preached on the Body of Christ and I have often taken it for granted as we have had family around so much but being on the other side of the world, you begin to see it a little differently. You begin to see that though we're not "blood" relatives, we really are "blood" relatives if we are worshipping Christ...we are all bought with His blood and it connects us to one another in such a beautiful way. When teams come (or individuals) and stay with us, I rejoice that God has given us opportunity to rely on each other. I can be a sister to someone whose sister is a world away, I can be an auntie to a child whose auntie is on the other side of the world. And, those who labor here, whether one week or four years are sisters and aunties, uncles, cousins to us and our children...and that, as a mom, is priceless! So, thanks to all of you short termers (and long termers) who have loved on us and our children. You have no idea what a ministry it is to missionary families...so keep it up!