on my mind

A few things have been on my mind lately, and it often comes down to grace received by our friends and family. So I got to blog about it… otherwise I think it, and I’m grateful, and then people never know.

Darrel, Trina’s neighbor, and a great friend of Trina and myself, sends us cards, with gifts, and I don’t know how or when he came up with the idea to mail stuff off to Burundi Africa, but Darrel, we get all your notes, with all the trimmings, and we are grateful for you, and how you love us. (I’ve tried mailing one item from Burundi, and I’ve had zero success)

Jason, whose my George RR Martin amigo, I read Princess and the Goblin, I loved it, and I’m reading everything you sent me. Thanks huge for the Sour Patch Kids (they say things taste better when your camping, when you’re in Africa, some food/snacks that I’d almost never eat from the states tastes amazing! But I actually love sour patch kids) you and the rest of the mars hill gang have been amazing.

Lori, Dave, Paul, Bryn, and Danny and I know I’m forgetting some others at frontline. Always asking ways you can pray for us, always looking for ways you can help Burundi, and us, you amaze me with your faithfulness and grace.

Aunt Mary, she sends birthday, cards, and cards for any holiday, and somehow she figured out how to send things to Burundi. I got the current rundown of everything going on in Mary’s clan.

My fam, I love your support, and grace, and you’re coming out to visit, and Jesse and Jill you both have been great encouragers, and thanks for the clothes, and goodies you sent out. My staunchest and most chasely supporters.

I should also mention Jeremy and Andy, who call my cell via skype. Again, Jer must have experimented one day. It’s the clearest connection I’ve yet talked on in all of Africa, let alone Burundi. Much clearer in fact then talking with someone in Burundi on my cell.

Newcomb fam, you guys are crazy awesome. I honestly don’t have the time or dilligence to write here all you’ve done for us (though flemming and dorris as well had a anniversary card sent out… crazy, I don’t know how they do it). I want to merely talk about the last time I was incredibly thankful for Ken. I was super sick and didn’t at all feel like being vertical. Tossing and turning on my bed in a sweaty, snotty, nauseous moment I remembered trina saying: “Seth in case you get sick, this drawer has most of the medicines that we’ll need.” Convinced I wasn’t hallucinating, I ran two the bathroom which had the drawer, but it was too much vertical activity. I veered off to the right of the drawer over to the porcelain thrown for an intimate and painful rendezvous. That finished, I crawled to the drawer that I hoped had my solutions. My memory was correct. I opened the heavy drawer to find it packed with what seemed like hundreds if not thousands of various medications. I was bummed, I thought: “how will I ever find what I need? I wish these were all labeled.” Sickness was churning in my stomach, and I grabbed the closest bag to me, I found it to be labeled: “strong antibiotics.” I set it back down, encouraged that it was labeled, I picked up another bag: “night, cold medication.” I realized all the bags were labeled (some had notes with info concerning the contents) and the drawer was completely organized. It could only mean one thing: Ken Newcomb had been here. A feeling of encouragement arose in me followed closely be intense, stomach pains, and sickness: I doubled back to the porcelain throne: business as usual. But I felt a lot better that I was going to find what I was looking for… with not too much effort (I only wish I had thought of it days earlier). Thanks to Ken. Now every time I pass by that drawer, I think of Ken, fondly as I imagine him somewhere in Oregon, completely organized.

Of course the Good Shep family, with Rakel being our main liaison as to how everyone is doing… as well as Kevin Holzer whom we will always have a special place in our heart for.

As always, there are so many people worth thanking that have been continued blessings in our life, but these are the ones on my mind lately.