fun times in Central Asia!

Seriously - a night in shining aromor? In Central Asia?!
Be still my heart!

I am the really tiny person in the picture!

Bowling with friends for Gail's birthday! (it was a blast but a five year old almost out bowled me - oops!)


the hoddie girls!

Playing around with Emma!!!

Can you tell we have a good time together?!

Snowy Day!!

a view from (or rather through!) the bridge near my apartment.


umbrellas are useful in snow as well as rain!


This is an old door way in the ally behind my apartment.

Beautiful snow!!!!

My "red sea"

I am overcome, sucked under. I struggle, I kick and I fight but the fear rushes over me like the pounding ocean surf. The questions circle around and pounce again and again. “What will you do, who will hire you, where will you live, what will you drive, who will be there to know your heart…” Over and over … I feel like I can’t catch my breath. Save me … Please. . .
I share my fears with some of my closest friends. I sit with tears running down my face as I tell of the trap I am caught in. Relief comes with just speaking the words. Now some one else knows. These precious friends sit with me and remind me of where Dad has brought me from, how he has led me, the promises that he has already fulfilled. And then they pray.
Oh I am so like the Israelites standing on the side of the red sea. They saw God’s hand and how He worked to free them from the Egyptians. They saw how their sons were saved form the angel of Death. Faced with an army at their back they worried about what would happen to them. They so easily forgot that “I Am” was for them. I am so like the Israelites some days. I have seen God’s faithfulness. Over and over he has spoken and made clear the path I was to walk. How does it happen that I, like the Israelites, become overwhelmed and afraid and begin to doubt His plan.
Oh Father, as I stand on the edge of “my red sea”, help me to remember your faithfulness. You are the same God who brought me over here and held me when I cried from the longing to go home. You are the same God who gives patients in abundance when I don’t know how to reach a student. And you will be the one who walks with me on the journey back. May I keep my eyes on you; protect my heart from the doubts that rain down. Help me to see you and remember that you are good. Grow me thought this time to be more like you. I want to sit at you table and enjoy your presence. As I begin the journey back to what was once familiar but is no longer, remind me that I am your daughter and that you rejoice over me with singing. Let me not forget that you will be with me every step of this voyage back. I long to watch you move. May my eyes be opened to see You.

blankets and waiting

I have decided that I am going to be better about blogging! Well… at lest for this week. I am finding in my “old age” that writing helps me process the many swirling thoughts and feelings that flow thought my head. I am not sure that my bog is regularly checked but writing is more for me and my heart but if it happens to touch you or make you laugh that is a big bonus!
I have decided that I need to be reminded of the good things about winter. Here in central Asia, we have been in “winter’ since October. This has been as locals call a “soft winter”. I have to agree; it has not been nearly as cold as last year but it still has been so dreary and gray. As the moths drag by my mood seems to be affected by the cold and darkness. I need to be thankful but some days it is just about impossible to find ANY thing to be thankful for.
As I lay in my bed cocooned in blankets, I dwelt on the fact that I LOVE climbing in bed in the winter. Not only because of the warmth of the many blankets I have no many on my bed (4 at this moment!) but also because of the weight of the blankets. When I cuddle down under them, I FEEL safe! As I drift off to sleep, I am surrounded and protected. It is a great feeling, one that I never fully appreciated until I lived in a place where the weather inside my apartment necessitated extra blankets! I love being surrounded and enveloped by the safe warmth of my many blankets. As the weigh of the blankets press down and I drift off to sleep I feel comfort.
The problem is that I have to get up in the morning and leave my “safe place”. There are many days that my restless heart longs for that same comfort; I want to crawl back in bed and make the ugly world go away. I get busy and frantic and over whelmed and I forget… that comfort better than any blankets is offered in abundance. The God of the universe is Near! He carries our burdens and walks the path of life with us. Oh, how I need that comfort; this world can be such an ugly place and it bruises my heart some times. I need the Peace and comfort found only in His presence. So as I burrow down in my blankets tonight, I am going to use it as a reminder to take my cares and restlessness to the feet of the true comforter. And as I wait for Spring to arrive, I will be thankful for blankets and the nightly reminder of a God who cares!

100th day of school

The nice photo!


And the silly one!

Arn't they cute?!

We had a special 100's day snack. each child had 100 things in his/her snack!

I had the kids create a book and fill in the sentence "100 days ago I could not . . . But I CAN now!"
Here are some of the things they wrote (I fixed the spelling so it is readable!)
100 days a god I could not
play four square
look at books
go to school
speak English
write words
play with my friends
write in journals
write
read
share with friends
make a rabbit
tell about heavy and light things
dance
read letters
make snow flakes
know my friends
dance with my friends
cut paper
say the alphabet
know music
We have learned a lot in the first 100 days of school! Hopefully we will learn even more before the end of school!!!

Snowboarding!!!!!

I have this list of things I want to do; on my list is that before I leave Central Asia, I wanted to try to snowboard. Last week some of my wonderful friends took me with them to the mountains and I got to learn how to snowboard!!! It was not easy and it took me an hour and 45 minutes to make it down the mountian from the top of the first lift but by the end it was fun!!!




Here was the easy part of the mountain (close to the bottom).

Yeah I did it!!!

The mountains are so beautiful!

One more pose just because it was fun!

Can you see the smog on the left? That is down in the city where I live and that is the air I breath. yuck.

New Years, snow, and dishes!

New Years here is a bit crazy (no that not correct- it is really crazy). At midnight, everyone (and I really do mean everyone) goes out ans sets off fireworks. You can look in every direction and see the beautiful explosions. It sounds as if the city is under seige and it lasts for hours. The next day a haze of smoke hangs over the city.

My dad and I love to read Christmas stories. My favorite childrens christmas books is Why Christmas Trees Aren't Perfect. This tree reminded me of the tree in the story. If you have not read the book, you should!

Beautiful snow near my apartment.

My kitchen sink has not been working so I have started doing my dishes in the bath-tub! It really works quite well. I can do all my dishes at the same time and get a clean tub at the end!

Fun times in central Asia!

Christmas Decorations!

I had such fun decorating my flat for Christmas.

I put these sweet little trees on the top of my piano.

I had more ornamets than tree.

A nativity Central Asian style (knotice the yurt for the stable).

Can you tell I like nativites?!

My very own fireplace! How would Santa come if there were no Chimney?

Let it snow!

Daddy, my bows are just not as good as yours but I tried! It coved the cords well though.

Christmas day!

Ready for the snow!

Anna and her "big girl coat"!!!

YES new speakers!

We decided to see who was taller!

James when did you get so tall :)

Oh my!

Ha, ha!  I am STILL taller!!!! (but not for long)

(it may not look like it but I really am just a but taller)

Oh no, you are taller!

Ahhhh, you are taller than me too

Poor Sara, Anna is taller.

My C.A. family!  It was a wonderful place to spend Christmas.

The Christmas Story staring the Kindergarteners!

We studied the Christmas Story and to review I had the kids act it out!  We had very unique costumes  but with a little imagination and the heart of a child you can find yourself in the greatest story ever.

The angel appearing to Joseph.

The shepherds paying honor to the King.

Anna holding the baby as Mary and Joseph look on.

Simeon holding the baby.

A very funny king staying busy as he waits his turn.

The three kings on their way to see the baby.

The three kings giving their gifts to the king!

It was a most unusual retelling but one that show love and honor to the King of Kings.