Saturday, June 27, 2009

Tension

We are home. At this point, we are processing much. The best I can offer you are some examples of contrasting emotions we have and continue to experience:

We were sad to leave the crew and I nearly melted down after fighting off nausea the duration of both flights (Atlanta to Miami and then Miami to Port-au-Prince).

BUT we were so excited to see our friends Troy and Tara, and Paige, and the little people!

We were overwhelmed by a visit to the Missionaries of Charity ministry which was filled to overflowing with children suffering greatly from illness and starvation. Amazing and greatly needed work being done there.

BUT I was so struck by the work of Beth McHoul and Heartline ministry as I watched the women's class where boobs were being whipped out everywhere by moms who've learned the importance of breastfeeding and now have firm, even plump little brown-eyed babies! Amazing and greatly needed work being done there!

We enjoyed every minute of our time with the Livesay Crew and love laughing, crying, and praying (while laughing and crying) with them. So refreshing.

BUT it was hard to leave and I miss them so much already.

We were glad to be reunited with our crew who were quite successfully spoiled by their grandparents.

BUT like many of you, we were devastated by the news that we have lost a wonderful friend, Tyrone, and will miss him so much.

And tomorrow, I am anxious to spend time with one of my favorite couples.

BUT I am heartbroken that they will leave from here to move far to the Midwest and I will miss them so much, too.

ugh. In a book I've been reading lately titled "The Beautiful Mess" the author talks about the clashing of this fallen world and the Kingdom of God. He refers to it as beautiful tension. Like two weather fronts coming together in a frightening but awesome display of thunder and lightning. The beauty is in all of these relationships and what each of them means and has meant to us. The tension comes in the distance, the separation, the ending of a life on this earth.

Yeah, we are still processing.

Wednesday, June 17, 2009

Done and Done

Believe it or not the final segment in the saga of Tim and Amie's dating life has been posted. And not a moment too soon.

We head out tomorrow for Atlanta and then Haiti. We will arrive back from Port-au-Prince the day before our 15th Wedding Anniversary. I don't know if we'll be able to con a date night out of the grandparents since they will be weary to the bone by that time but we'll see what we can work out.

Regardless, I have really enjoyed sharing our story with all of you. Remembering where you come from and how God has faithfully brought you through is good for the soul! And despite how disgustingly mushy it is...I must say that it makes me fall for my man all over again. Thanks for reading!!

See you all in 10 days, if I don't manage an update while we are away.

Monday, June 15, 2009

Peeps on Parade

Photos below but first, here's an update on life with the Crew.

    Last week was full of fun and visits from friends. We got to hang with Jena -back from Uganda. Yeah! We also, put her to work kid-sitting at the doctor's office while Tim and I picked up our anti-Malaria meds.

    We got to catch up with our friend Heather (formerly known at Faith as "Cammie") and meet her beau, Eric. We had long and mutually encouraging conversations. Well, the mutual part is a bit of an assumption. =) Eric made quite an impression! Especially when he let Justus dive head first out of his lap to the floor. We will certainly never forget you Eric. We'll think of you often while working through our son's developmental delays. Only kidding!

    Speaking of Justus ---these past two weeks have been HUGE for him (besides the head injury, ha!). First, he is a walking maniac. Second, he is officially a member of the Sexton family. We received his final decree of adoption on Thursday. AND lastly, he is a whopping 1 year old today. To see how this love lump entered the scene, read here and here and here.

    And finally, I am packing like a wild woman. We will leave on Thursday for Atlanta where our parents will become contestants on a new reality show called "Extreme Grandparenting." Not really, but they will think they are on Survivor by the end of the week. Tim and I will fly out on Friday to spend six days with our favorite missionaries in Haiti! If you don't know much about them -read their blog here and you will soon see why we love them so.

As you can see, it's been a busy couple of weeks and will continue to be a busy few weeks. Pray for patience in the midst of chaos, for safety while traveling, and for grandkids to go easy on their elders. Here are the photos as promised:


Heather, Eric, and the crew!

(notice Eric is NOT holding the baby-we ain't stupid. ;-))

An awesome couple!!! Aside from the fact that they make us feel really old.

A big box for a big one year old.

What could it be guys?

No matter. It all ends up in the same place.

psst...another post has been added to the brain dump. Click here to check it out.

Wednesday, June 10, 2009

Getting Paid

I never dreamed that I could get paid to blog. Nor would I have imagined that the currency of choice would be chocolate but...true to her word, Mrs. Sarah came through with the goods. Yummy! I'm thinking of having a t-shirt made that says "Will blog for food!" I'm not too proud.

To show my gratitude and lest anyone think that I would milk the situation for more than my fair share of chocolatey goodness, I am adding another post to the story. Almost done!

ps. We have had computer issues for a week or so, which is partly to blame for the lack of activity on this blog. But I have lots of fun stuff to share and hope to get it updated soon.

Tuesday, June 2, 2009

Sweet Motivation

Well, I started out last year with the goal of writing "Tim and Amie's Love Story" and finishing it by our anniversary. June 25th marks our anniversary AND my being exactly one year over deadline. oops. Truth be told, I may never have finished the story if not for a certain level of bribery offered in the comments of the previous post. Sarah McNeil has dangled a carrot in front of my face...a CHOCOLATE carrot, that is. And like a faithful mule, I am plodding along after it. =)

A new post has been added to the story at Amie's Literary Brain Dump and the last (or last couple) of posts are well on the way. It'll be finished by our anniversary this year for sure.

Thanks for the sweet nudge, Sarah!

If you're new to the brain dump site and haven't read the previous entries, click here to start at the beginning and then click "previous posts" and read from the bottom post up.