He will Lead us!

Hello All,
We are back in our home here in Michigan.  It is good to be here, but seems surreal.  It feels at times like we are moving through a picture.  Everyday tasks are being done but with a sense of mechanics.  It has been wonderful to catch up with old friends and get the house ready to live in.  We have moved most of our things from the garage back into the house, but all is far from settled!  It is taking longer it seems to unpack than it took to get boxed up to leave!  That is probably not the case, but it sure feels like it.  The renters that were here did a great job at taking care of the house, but there are just those things that need some TLC.  And, when they occur at all the same time, it is a bit overwhelming.  So, we are taking it one day at a time and it is good.

We traveled home from Arizona and were able to catch up with an old friend of Jim's from high school.  It was fun to see him.  Here is a picture from his front yard:

So great to see these lovely ladies!  Aunt Georgia, Me and Mom

Timothy and Sallie attended summer camp for 6 days and had a blast!  They always have a great time at Springhill camp.

During that time, Trevor and I were able to get a bit more done to get him ready to leave for Houghton.  It was comical shopping at Target for the "stuff" he needed!  These big stores know exactly what is on the packing list that the colleges send out.  They have everything shelved in one large area.  All the other moms and kids were shopping, going up and down the aisles looking for the "stuff."  One mom and her daughter were even having a "discussion" on whether or not she was even going to go to school!  You just had to laugh!
We got the "stuff" that he needed, and dropped him off at Michigan Tech last week end.  They had orientation all this past week and start classes Tues.  He has been changing his schedule a bit and trying to get the books he needs, but I think it is all going well.  I told him that if I didn't hear from him at least once a week with a minimum of 3 sentences that I would post baby pictures of him on Face Book!  Hope he realizes that I am serious!

 Sunset from the Mackinaw Bridge as Jim and I returned to our house

We sure miss him already, but I know he is glad to be on his own.

Jim and I celebrated our 28th anniversary this past week.  It is amazing to think that 28 years have gone by.  I thought only old people were married that long!  Wait, I guess that makes us ........!

Jim and I on our wedding day

We still are moving in and unpacking things.  I have a very large stack (that is still growing) of stuff for a garage sale.  Not sure when or where that is going to happen but it sure needs to.  It is amazing how we accumulate so much stuff over the years!  As we were pulling boxes of Trevor's things from the attic and he got up to about 20 he was a bit overwhelmed and decided to commit to being a minimalist!  Not sure that will happen as he likes to collect old things - especially books.  But, we are getting through it and will soon be ready to "live" again. 

We acquired another horse this week!  He is very cute and will be a project for Sallie.  He is a nice addition to our little farm!

Hank and Meeko

We were talking with some friends last night about how God leads us to where He needs us.  In our case, we were not exactly sure how we would fit into life in Kijabe where all the missionaries are doctors or educators.  But, He quickly showed us that His plans are wiser than ours!  He didn't need us to make any of His plans come about, but He put us there for a time to grow our faith and trust in Him.

We are so grateful to God for helping us through this transition.  As we continue to settle back into life here, we are waiting to see what He has in store for us.  Not sure what that will look like, but it is comforting to know that He wants the best for us and we just need to follow where He is leading.

In His Hands,
Jullie T

Home again?

Hello All,
We are back stateside!  We had a few adventures and mishaps along the way, but we arrived back safely and with most of our "stuff" intact.  Since we've been home, we have suffered from jet lag, had a family reunion (weekend long), shopped till we replaced some of our clothes that were "holy," flown to Arizona, visited the Grand Canyon and suffered from another bought of jet lag!  Arizona is another 3 hours further than Michigan and, after just 5 days trying to recuperate (up at 3:30 in the morning!), we had to do it again.  We go back to Michigan on Monday so hopefully, going the other way will set us up right for the eastern time zone!  Here are some of the good-byes being said:

Us with the engineering team in Kijabe

 Jim and John and I being honored with a celebration

Timothy saying good-bye to LP

Many of my Kijabe and missionary friends will understand this, but I feel a certain amount of loss and sadness and disappointment when living here.  The loss and sadness come from the separation from friends and our life in Kijabe.  The disappointment comes from looking at life around me and seeing the abundance and the lack of understanding about the abundance.  It is hard to explain.  I constantly see in my mind's eye the people that I know in and around Kijabe that need school fees, shoes, shelter, clean water.  I think about what my Kenyan friends would think about life here if they just saw the roads and the houses as you drive!  And the mountains of stores where you can buy anything at all!  They surely would think that life is golden here, but we know it is not.  There is just as much (and maybe more) darkness, as people are separated from God.  When you are in need, you tend to turn to God for daily help.  When we have so much and don't "need" we think we can do it on our own.  I get stuck in this trap constantly.  It is so great to be able to go to Him with all of our failings!

Rom 5:17
17 For if, by the trespass of the one man, death reigned through that one man, how much more will those who receive God's abundant provision of grace and of the gift of righteousness reign in life through the one man, Jesus Christ. 

NIV

I was standing at a large grocery store the other day in front of the bananas and a wave of emotion came over me and I started crying.  I realized that these were not Kampala bananas!  I told my sister in law about this "break-down" and she said, "what was wrong with the bananas?"  It was very funny.  I am sure some people at that store thought there was something seriously wrong with the bananas after seeing me stand there crying in front of them!

My mother lives in Arizona and we have flown here on all of those sky miles to visit for a week.  It was such a breeze flying with just one small bag per person and just one flight at only 3 1/2 hours!  It was like getting in a car and ending up at your destination with no hassle!  Here are a few pictures:

 The grand canyon

The grand canyon is an amazing sight!  It surely reminds us of God's power!

We will travel back to Michigan this week and actually drive up to our house.  It will feel surreal I am sure getting settled back in for a time.  If you are close by and would like to help us move some furniture for a few hours, we will be gathering from 1-3ish on the 7th. 

Not sure that this will feel like home as we have moved about 21 times in the past 28 years!  But, as we put it on band tour a year ago - "We are not home yet" and will not be until we meet our Lord.  No matter where we are here on this earth, we are foreigners, living a life for His sake!

Not sure how much more blogging I will do as people don't want to hear about life in a small town in Michigan!  But, I am sure I will write occasionally as I enjoy it.  Sitting down on Saturdays with a cup of chai and writing about our week has been one of the things that has grounded me and kept me thinking. 

Please pray for us as we travel, get settled, get Timothy and Sallie to camp and get Trevor ready for college.

In His Hands,
Jullie T

Woodpecker in Arizona