We had a wonderful August, in spite of Aug 1st being a day of sad goodbyes. Our GE team and Miss Stephenie left eeeeearly that day, and we took a few days to recover and try to remember how to cook for just 6 people every meal. It was a strange kind of culture shock that most definitely affected the girls more than anyone. They had gotten so used to having a dozen play-mates around at any given moment... this was an adjustment! But they have gotten really good and just playing together again, so that is good.
Much of the last 4 weeks has revolved around Steven and Grace's wedding! Most of Steven's family arrived on the 11th, and then the fun REALLY began! We had a bridal shower for Grace here, picked up more family and friends with a few more trips to Tuxtla, took them sight-seeing a few places, and worked on general wedding plans until the big day finally arrived on the 21st. There was a last-minute location change due to the incredible volume of rain we've had for many weeks now. At the time, this was a stressful decision! Poor Grace handled it so calmly though I'm sure she was in tears on the inside. In the end though, it turns out that (surprise!) God was in control all along. The day turned out unbelievably beautiful. The sun even came out just before Grace walked down the aisle! It really couldn't have been any more perfect. Once again I was reminded of how compassionate God is, to care about even the little details that concern us. Here are some of the amazing photos, shot by our new friend (and incredible photographer) Kelsey. All of Steven's family left the day after the wedding, which was rather sad. They are so precious, we did not want them to go!
A couple days after the Curry clan left, so did Amy! THAT was a sad day. Amy Cook has been an extreme blessing to us over the last 4 months, but we are excited to see how God is directing her into full-time missions. She has such a sincere servant's heart... we know she will be a major asset wherever she ends up. We are just trying to not be selfish and pray that it's here with us. ;)
Now for my favorite part of the August happenings... we have a launched a Christmas orphanage program! I am SO excited about this and have been wanting to do it for years. Finally, the year has arrived! You can read the long version here on my blog. The short version is that we want to give you the opportunity to easily invest in these precious children. They are in desperate need of school supplies, quality toys, and a number of other things. Because of importation and transportation issues, we are not making this a used toy/supply drive. But you can sponsor a gift for the kids, and then I will attach your (or your church, or your sunday school class, or your family, etc) picture to the gift so the kids can connect with who it came from. I am SO excited about this project and the potential blessing to these 18 children. Details are on my blog, and you can always contact we with questions!
The last few days of August were eaten up with trip preparations for our upcoming weeks in the US. Nathan made a new video for presentations, and I've been doing (seemingly) endless laundry. Nathan has been helping Steve Haag prepare the needed documents for his FM3 visa. We are hoping to begin the process of getting our FM3 visas approved once we return from the US. We leave on Friday (Sep 3rd) and will be traveling for 10 days before we stop in Colorado for a few weeks. We would so appreciate your prayers for sane parents, happy children, and safe driving as we cover those 3,000+ miles. I am still doing my daily photo-blog, so you can follow our adventures there if you are interested.
Julie for the Terrells