Home Again

Heidi and I are home again. The trip to Africa was incredibly valuable and we are glad that we went. We will put up a couple posts about the trip soon.

So far so good in Senegal

Heidi and I made it safe to Senegal. Things are going well and we are really glad we came. Today we will visit the village and wear our new outfits. Thanks for your prayers.

Quick update catch-up

My culinary desires have changed quite a bit since becoming prego and one of the things that I used to love is coffee. While I don't really care for it much these days, every so often a little taste hits the spot. So here I am enjoying a baby-sized cup of joe. I love that little cup! Too bad I have since broken it. :(

Some pictures over the 4th of July weekend during a stop for lunch at Mom and Dad's on the way up to Fergus Falls. I was about 16 weeks in this picture. I will note that when we arrived in Fergus, Sally's friend Wendy said hello by exclaiming, "wow, Heidi, you really ARE quite pregnant, aren't you!?" Huh. Thanks Wendy. :)
Our first tri-generational pic! Grandma, momma, and baby
Tim and I have been trying to squeeze in some fun dates this summer before our limitless freedom to go out is hindered by baby. No that we actually go out that much, but anyway, we are actually making an effort to do so these days. Tim planned this one, dinner at Conga (delicious latin tasties!), a walk in St. Anthony, a movie with friends (Iron Man - excellant) and ice cream at Izzy's (gotta love the Izzy scoop). All told, a wonderful evening! We got mango margaritas, but don't worry, mine was virgin! So tasty.

Team Chase!
My papa on the 4th of July, looking stylin' and going to be a grandpa!
It would seem that I got my mother's coloring, huh?

It's time for Tim to post about football

The football preseason has begun. I do not plan to watch any preseason games, but I am getting excited for the Broncos first regular season game in exactly a month. First, I must lament the loss of three of my favorite Broncos. Mike Bell, an undrafted rookie running back who played fantastic two seasons ago, was released last month. I liked the way he played and put the team first. He signed with the Houston Texans and I wish him the best. Rod Smith, the best undrafted wide receiver ever to play in the NFL, hung up his cleats and embraced retirement last month. He was the personification of a professional and showed a generation how to play football right. Finally, John Lynch, a safety who was always good for a borderline legal hit once a game, realized that he would not play as much this year and asked for his release from the team. If he cannot find another team that will promise to let him start, he will likely retire and take a job in sports broadcasting. He has been a model citizen during his career and I hope he enjoys his life after sports. I give these three players a mile high salute.

Some time in October, the Jets will be sporting a 1-3 record, Favre will have 2 touchdown passes and 6 interceptions, and he will be lying on his back after his 6th sack of the game. The New York fans will be booing him and, like Will Arnett’s character on Arrested Development, he will say “I have made a HUGE mistake.” In the meantime, the Packers will have a 1-3 record, Aaron Rodgers will have just thrown his 3rd interception against a division rival, and Packer fans everywhere are smashing beer bottles against their foreheads. The Packers coach and general manager will look at each other and say, “We have made a HUGE mistake.” That’s good drama.

I love Heidi more than I love football.

Keeping busy!

It seems that just when you think things are slowing down a bit, new things come along with full force. We've got family visiting, friends visiting and 2 new roomates, so Tim and I have stayed busy! With taking the house off the market, we are busy doing some looking, and a lot of praying, for great new tenants. And the Lord reminds us of His faithful in that endeavor often. We are also preparing for a visit to see our ministry team in Senegal, which is SO exciting. We are so blessed to have this opportunity to survey the land and to catch a greater vision of God's personal calling on our lives to minister the Gospel among the Wolof.

We will be gone the last 2 weeks of August and covet your prayers. We acknowledge that we are headed into enemy domain, where the great deceiver has been hard at work for many years establishing his authority. But we also know that we go in God's will, under His covering, with His authority, and with the blessing of His annointing. So pray for us in these coming weeks. That God would prepare us for what we will see and experience, that our spiritual eyes would be opened, and that we would get a representative taste of the spiritual environment where we are moving our family.

That sounds a bit heavy, I know! But as we grow closer to departure, we are both excited and sobered to what we are walking into in this new phase of ministry. God has Kingdom plans for the Wolof and we are thrilled to be a part of them!!!