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USPS

Tuesday, June 17th, 2008

I’m heading out right now to send two important envelopes during lunch. One is my application for my new passport (goodbye old passport, I’m going to miss you!) and the other is our official applications for our trip to South Africa. Oh boy!

It’s been an interesting day, but I’m confident the Lord is bigger than any of my niggling worries.

South Africa!

Monday, June 2nd, 2008


(This is South Africa’s national flower, the King Protea or Giant Protea )

Well, holy smokes! We’re heading to South Africa. If someone had come up to us a year ago, I never would have thought this was possible. We’ve got the time off cleared by our managers and, more importantly, we’ve got a strong calling from God to go.

Here are some details about the trip as we know them:
We are heading to Durban, South Africa (east side of the country on the coast)
We will be working with an organization called Ithemba Lethu
We will be there for about 9 or 10 days.
Our trip is in early December.

Once we know more, we’ll post more! Please pray for us that we’ll have a supernatural ability to reach the children in the program and effectively communicate Christ’s love. Also, we’re praying that the Lord will bless us with His wisdom in how we interact as a team and as a couple, that we would be a team that works together well and that each of our gifts and talents would be used in the best way possible. May God be glorified in our lives!

We’re back!

Monday, May 12th, 2008

We’ve safely returned to Seattle.  We were able to make it back in time from our flight yesterday to sail into church and then head home for a nap before Brenda’s birthday party. Jonathan has taken photos from everything, which I’m sure he’ll post soonish.

Here are some highlights:
Dining at the Mondovi Inn and having beer cheddar soup, complete with popcorn (why?). It was a good laugh though.
We were also able to spend a few days relaxing at a slower pace.
We got to meet Chara in person! (To be fair, Chara, you did give a pretty nice kick when prompted during your visit here for our wedding) It was really wonderful to spend time with Zach and Amy too. Sometimes I wish we had houses all over the U.S. so we could have fun nights and games with our friends as much as we wanted. I guess that would also require our own plane or helicopter. Hm.
We were able to spend a great amount of time with my family. I hadn’t seen many of them in 14 years and Jonathan had never met them, so it was really special to be there for the memorial service and to just see each other.
I got to wear flip flops. I love flip flops but I don’t like having cold feet. This means I don’t wear flip flops often around here, but I ALWAYS pack them if I’m going anywhere that may offer the slightest opportunity to put them on my feet!

Mooshy

Wednesday, May 7th, 2008

We’re heading out in the morning and as I wait for my little MP3 player to load some favorites, Jonathan has been playing piano and I’m thinking of the last time we (the family) all got together. It’s sort of sad, isn’t it, that sometimes the only things that bring us together in such a radical way are funerals or weddings? We all want to be there for each other, don’t we? I can’t imagine what it would be like if I didn’t call my sister pretty much anytime I thought about something she might like or my brother when I think of something funny I just have to share. Where’s the line? When does family get to be too big and we’re not really that close anymore? I’m not sure I want to know. I certainly have friends with whom I feel close like a sister and family members that seem like strangers. In some ways I envy Jonathan this weekend. He’ll get to ask all the questions to which I should already know the answer and it won’t be awkward; it will be caring. That’s just the sort of guy he is. I’m really glad for that.

Is it weird that I’m sort of looking forward to the memorial service for Aunt Mernie? She lived a long, wonderful, full life. She had adventures. She loved BIG. She hugged so hard she cracked ribs. That’s how I want to live. I’m excited to sit in the old Central Lutheran Church, where my grandma was baptized and confirmed and grew and lived and sing the hymns we both sang growing up. Yes I will cry, but they’ll be tears of thankfulness. I’m not sure if that happens much to other people, but sometimes I’m so struck by the beauty of something or how full my heart is that I just cry. I’ll cry if we sing “In the Garden” and I’ll cry if we sing “How Great Thou Art” and I’ll really cry if we sing some others, but I’d rather cry than not. I’m ever grateful for a family who taught me to sing-sing while washing the dishes, sing while folding the laundry or weeding the vegetable garden or mowing or just about anything. Sing because it’s in your soul. Sing because life is too beautiful to have anything but a song.

And now I sound like my sister (love you, Rache) and there’s only room for one contemplative heart in this great big amazing family of mine. (By the way, I’m totally amazed by you and proud of all you’re doing right now, Rachel.)

Heading to Wisco

Tuesday, May 6th, 2008

On Thursday morning, Jonathan and I are heading out with my parents to the airport where we will board a plane headed for the midwest! We’ll be in Wisconsin for a quick trip to visit the family. Sadly, the reason for our trip is a memorial service for my grandma’s last surviving sibling. It will be bittersweet to say good-bye to Aunt Mernie and introduce them to Jonathan and show him around the farm at the same time. We’ll post more upon our return!

Happy Birthday!

Friday, April 18th, 2008

Happy, Happy Birthday to Christi! (Christi was my roommate until January, when I moved out for Jonathan, the world’s most permanent roommate….heehee.) Christi, we are very happy to have been able to celebrate your birthday with you last night! It was a photo scavenger hunt and we’ll post photos of that on flickr (www.flickr.com/photos/jmcphers) soon. Until then, here are some of my favorite photos from one of my favorite weekends of all time:

JUMP!!
JUMP! (Michael, Christi, Kelly and Jonathan)

Michael, what’s going on here?

Not sure what's happening in this one...

Boo for long lines at Tim Horton’s (we really needed to use the bathroom at this point)

long lines for the bathroom=long wait for the guys!

Christi and Michael waiting for the fireworks to begin

Michael and Christi waiting for the fireworks to begin

I’m so thankful that we’re friends and for the wonderful times we had living together! Happy Birthday! May this year be filled with amazing sweet times!

Happy Anniversary!

Monday, March 10th, 2008

andrew-amanda-jonathan-kelly.jpgOur friends A & A are celebrating one year of marriage! WHOO! We were fortunate enough to have the opportunity to travel to Pensacola, FL for their beautiful wedding last year. It was also the first time Jonathan and Kelly traveled by plane together. Sweet memories. Here we are at the blessed event. May you have many happy years together!

Finally!

Tuesday, February 5th, 2008

I have now completed uploadingphotos to flickr of the honeymoon. Jonathan’s photos are generally more artistic and pretty, but I like to get them up and going…feel free to check them out http://www.flickr.com/photos/keskesen/

 More about actual married life (the house, guests, etc) soon!
~Kelly