Happy 21st, Kevin!

This week we celebrated Kevin's 21st birthday! He was home between work in Seattle and a badminton tournament trip and we had a fun evening celebrating his birthday. On his real birthday he'll be in Orlando, Florida playing a tournament, so we decided to celebrate a bit early. Chimichangas and black bottom cupcakes were fun to make for his special day. We laughed a lot. We simply enjoyed being together as a family and celebrating this milestone.

We are so proud of Kevin and the young man he has become over the last years. He is incredibly passionate about what God is doing, fiercely loyal, and amazingly tough. In the last year he has lived in three houses in two countries, competed in some amazing badminton tournaments including his first international tournament, gained varied work experience, and made 3 round trips between Manitoba and Washington. It really has been quite a year!

I am continually amazed that this is really our son, and am so proud of him. Happy Birthday, Kevin!

Normal

Normal rarely happens, and when it does, it is usually at an unexpected time. I expected the last couple of weeks to be normal. And they have been in many ways. We've done school and Garry has been working. But that's about where our normal ends.

Spokane has experienced one of the biggest power outages in the past 20 years. We are thankful that our house is in an area that has not been affected, but everyday life has had to adjust. We've been playing host to some people who have no power. School has been closed so Garry has been working from home and helping others repair a roof and dispose of a huge tree in their yard. Kaleb has been sick and now I caught his cold.

We also found out last week that we needed to get our insurance and drivers' licenses changed as soon as possible, and that has been a bit of a challenge. Garry has figured out insurance while taking my written and driving test have been a bit of stress to me.

Kevin is working in Seattle and doing a lot of badminton. He's competing in his third tournament in as many weeks, and will play 3 more tournaments in the next 3 weeks. He is enjoying the journey, but it is busy for him.

Kaleb is doing his best to take advantage of sunshine this week to ride his bike and be outside. His friends have been out of school due to the power outages, and that has been good for him.

Yes, "normal" is somewhat elusive. Or maybe normal is this, being present in the moment and waiting expectantly for the next opportunity and change.

Unexpected travels

Thursday morning I had no idea I was going anywhere. Friday noon found Kaleb and I on an airplane bound for Manitoba. Saturday I was sitting in Winnipeg with family, watching Kevin play a badminton tournament. The following week was full of unexpected blessings as Kaleb and I visited family and friends. Thursday morning I was up early to say goodbye to Kevin and Kaleb as they headed to Washington in Kevin's car. Saturday I flew home. Sunday Kevin left for Seattle and Vancouver, and Monday Garry headed out for North Carolina. Today Garry should be home and next Sunday Kevin will be back for the day.

This coming and going has been unexpected and fun and sometimes challenging. I loved getting back to Manitoba and sharing stories of what God has done in the year we've been in Spokane. I loved seeing friends and hearing what God is doing in their lives and how things are unfolding for them. It was amazing how Kaleb was able to connect with so many people in a week, and I saw the blessing that was to him. Kevin had a chance to connect with a lot of people and they are excited about his next step as he moves toward school next semester: his sad goodbyes were a thrill as I pondered the connections he's made in Manitoba.

Garry sounds like he has had a good week in North Carolina, attending a safety summit. It has been a great opportunity to connect with a  lot of people in mission aviation, hearing what is going on in different organizations and discussing challenges and joys. I'm very much looking forward to hearing more of what happened when he gets home later today!

This coming week is Missions Conference at Moody Bible Institute, Spokane. This is the first time we've been here for this, so it will be fun to see how it all works. We anticipate some opportunities to connect with students and build into their lives and passion for God and ministry in mission aviation. 

These weeks of travel and connecting have been an unexpected blessing of refreshment and encouragement. And now i am thankful for the coming weeks which look like they will include some normal routine, some building into the everyday things that God is calling us to in this season of life and ministry.