...I'm back

No diarrhea

No accidents

No lost interns

No mosquito bites

25 special needs children in and out of my arms

612 foam stickers from Dollartree bedecking said children, yours truly, and concrete floors 

3 hour church services with 15 hymns

I'm back from Haiti.

You Make Beautiful Things

National Geographic Photo of the Day

Kendi Everyday

Source Unknown

Brooks Family

You make beautiful things...out of the dust. You make beautiful things...out of us.

Suiting Up

Therefore, take up the full armor of God, 

so that you will be able to resist in the evil day, 

and having done everything, to stand firm. 

Ephesians 6:13 NASB

There are days...

God of our life, there are days when the burdens we carry chafe our shoulders and weigh us down; when the skies gray and threatening; when our lives have no music in them, and our souls have lost courage. On such days, flood the path with light, we beseech Thee; turn our eyes to where the skies are full of promise; tune our hearts to brave music; give us the sense of comradeship with heroes and saints of every age; and so quicken our spirits that we may be able to encourage the souls of all who journey with us on the road of life, to Thy honor and glory, we pray. Amen. 


St. Augustine, third century Christian leader

Check out a four minute radio program on this prayer here.

Traipsing

For quite some time the "frolic and traipse" spirit of this blog has succumbed to "contemplation and bemused melancholy." The frolicking may have abated, but here is some evidence of recent traipsing.


1.) Weekly hikes in the Santa Susanna mountains with my intrepid co-workers and friends
2.) Weddings. 'Tis the season.
3.) More hikes and time spent with dear local friends.
4.) My brother's high school graduation.
5.) My frolicky siblings.
6.) Visiting Central Coast friends. (Okay, I cheated. This picture is from November, but I did just dash up there last week.)
7.) Visiting family in Louisiana. The continual transition from lawn to air conditioning reminded me of jumping from hot tub to pool.
8.) Okay, my brother graduated. I already mentioned that. Did I mention that my sister flew from Texas and we were able to visit with dear friends who happen to be former high school teachers?
Middle.) I hardly feel that this picture requires an explanation since it is so obviously documenting a spontaneous evening venture into Dollartree in individual quest of the strangest item. E-pig/sheep. B-gigantor sunglasses with shifty eyes papered on the lens. Me-orange marmalade scented air freshener in a mini-jar. It was a narrow victory.


Next week I'll be traipsing off to Haiti to co-lead a team of ten interns in disability ministry. This is part of my new job as the coordinator of the internship program. Please keep us in your prayers June 29-July 8.