Happy Thanksgiving!

I (Tim) as a kid remember being at Thanksgiving dinner and someone recommending that we all share something for which we are thankful. That is a nice idea, but with the food smelling really good and getting cold in front of me, I always wished we could have done that after we ate. Since we have a blog, I am going to share what I am thankful for this year.

I am thankful for my Sweet Baboo, the Heidster. She is my favorite and I love her a lot. Soon we will get to enjoy our first offspring and that will be great. I am blessed, indeed.

Peapods

I finally made it into Peapods today to exchange something. What an amazing store! I was overwhelmed by it incredible-ness. Definitely going back there. With Christmas coming up, if you have to buy gifts for children, you'll have to check it out on Snelling and St. Clair. Happy shopping!

Barnabas Team

Bethlehem Baptist has missionary support teams for the missionaries they send out and after hearing about it first hand from our teammates, Tim and I thought it was a pretty sweet idea, so we "copied" them and started one of our own about a year ago. Our Barnabas Team is a group of people from different areas of our life that get together once a month to pray for us and for our ministry. It has been a blessing to be a part of it while we are still in the States, but I imagine it will be even more vital to our well-being once we are in Senegal. We like to think of our team as our inner-circle of support, those at home holding the ropes for us.

We also had the privilege of visiting Joe and Cara's Barnabas Team about 2 weeks ago and joining with their friends to pray for them as well as give and eye-witness update on how they are doing. It was a great encouragement to us to see how much this group of believers has personally taken on the ministry of our team through Joe and Cara. The depth of their concern for our friends and for the Wolof people was tremendous. It re-affirmed to us that we can't be successful in this endeavor without the prayer support of the body of Christ.

If you have any questions about our barnabas team or would like to visit one of our prayer times, please let us know!

Christmas came early this year

Heidi is nesting. I guess pregnant women do that. She actually has been nesting for a while now. On Sunday she decided that it was time to buy a Christmas tree and decorate the house for Christmas. So, we bought a tree at Target and put it up while listening to Christmas music. It looks good but I usually don’t start the Christmas season until after Thanksgiving. I am not one to argue with a pregnant woman, so I will wish you all a very early Merry Christmas.

On Thursday night I watched the Broncos play the Browns with Brian and Nic. It was not that great of a game until the 4th quarter. At that point, the Broncos were down 23-13 and only had one healthy running back (a fullback) on the field. Jay Cutler connected with Eddie Royal, a rookie receiver, for a 93 yard catch and run and the momentum changed back to the Broncos. From that point on, Cutler put the team on his back and carried them to victory. The final score was 34-30 in the Broncos favor and hope for the season was restored. Or the game was simply a stay of execution. I’m not sure which it will end up being, but it was nice to see the Broncos finally win a game.

Halloween Fun

I don't really like Halloween as a holiday, but it's fun to dress up and get free Chipotle. Here's a few shots from Friday nightIndiana Jer

Santa (Linsey)

Turbine I and Turbine II

Tim's costume as "Mullet Man" with uncomfortably short shorts...wow, need I say more?

Baby and I went as a bowling ball. Easy and comfy!

Hope you had a great Halloween! We waiting in line at Chipotle for about an hour for our free burritos, but it was totally worth it.

Broncos = Wildebeests

Watching the Denver Broncos on Monday night reminded me of a nature show I saw a while back with Heidi’s family. In the nature show, helpless Wildebeests wandered through Africa trying to find food and survive the various predators they encountered. The scene that stands out was when the poor creatures came up to the river for a drink and one by one were snatched and eaten by crocodiles. We were yelling at the TV for the poor dumb wildebeests to stay away but they kept just approaching the water until all the crocs were busy eating and the rest of the herd could safely get a drink. It was agony to witness the Broncos defense helplessly watch running backs go past them and receivers catch the ball with almost no fear of being tackled. To compound the misery, two of our best defensive players, the Bailey brothers, got hurt, one for the rest of the season and one for a month. The defense could not get a break because the offense lost three fumbles and Cutler tossed two interceptions. Cutler, our starting QB, hurt his hand on the first play of the game. Ramsey, the backup QB, went in for four plays and, on the fourth play, fumbled away the football after getting hit and is out for the rest of the year with an injured elbow. To ensure complete misery, the special teams were anything but special, letting Welker run for a 50 yard put return, setting up a Patriots touchdown. The Broncos are still 4-3 and lead the division but I have no hope for the season. The worst defense in the NFL, combined with a turnover prone offense does not give a fan much confidence. At least the Broncos were getting beat by the Patriots and not eaten by crocodiles. The way the season is now going, that is a possibility.

Japamberly says "Sianara USA!"

My good friend Amberly is a missionary in Japan, thus the nickname Japamberly (which a few of us all claim was our original idea, but don't be fooled, it was MINE, all mine!). She recently headed back over there for another couple years, but before she left, we had a little fun in Mankato being quite silly.

Trying on ridiculouly uncomfortable, but incredibly cute shoes and posing like a big pregnant dork.

I love, love, love cute shoes, but my feet love comfort. So I like to try them on at the store, but never buy them. I really like it when Tim takes me to DSW and sits there with his bribe of a frappaccino and let's me model cute shoes for him. I never buy them, which he appreciates, but he is still working on finding the fun of watching me take great joy in trying them on and asking him what he thinks. He hates it, but I love it that he indulges me. At least I buy him a treat!

Here's Am driving around Mankato. Go, Am, go!

Before watching the movie Super Size Me, I never wanted to eat at McDonalds, other my my short affair with the place in high school, that is. But ever since watching SSM, I LOVE McDonalds! It is a guilty pleasure that I don't often give in to though, which is obviously very good. Since being pregnant, though, the cravings are much stronger. I have only been a couple times, and am greatful to Am for indulging! Mmmmm...

Well rested in Seattle

Heidi and I were in Seattle last weekend to visit a church that wants to support us. We met the pastor of Philadelphia Church last April at our church's denominational gathering and he invited us out. It was a good trip and we enjoyed meeting people and seeing Seattle. In my humble opinion, Seattle is the most beautiful city in America. Strangely enough, much of our time was spend hanging out with five people from Long Island, NY, who flew in to be the cooks for the weekend. They were amazingly fun. The most bizarre occurance was getting invited to a wedding reception by a family in the church but not having a chance to change clothes first. So, there I was, wearing shorts and a knock off Senegalese soccer jersey and Heidi was wearing a baseball cap. It was great fun and great food, too. We will post pictures from the trip soon.

Some of our new friends from Long Island.

Heidi and her new best friend, Stan!

Our wedding crasher attire.

More committed than ever.

I (Tim) intended to blog more about our trip to Senegal but have not. The short summary of the trip is that it was incredibly valuable and we are glad that we went. Aside from the Lord revealing some things to us, the most important thing we learned was that we are absolutely supposed to be there. Our calling to Senegal and the Wolof people was solidified in concrete and we have no doubts that God called us there and, despite the frustrating delays, has a plan to get us there well. We love our team and cannot wait to do ministry with them. We are more committed than ever and hope to be in Senegal next spring.

We are blessed in many ways, but one of them is that now we have a full house. On Saturday we moved into the downstairs unit of our duplex and, as of tomorrow, there will be four women living upstairs. They are Christian gals and Heidi and I like them a lot. Another woman will live downstairs with us for a couple months as she prepares for overseas ministry herself. We are happy that the Lord blessed us with good tenants.

Last Sunday was the worst possible football weekend for me. First, the Vikings lost. At least they played a decent game (until they made stupid mistakes at the end) and lost to one of the best teams in the NFL. Second, my fantasy football team lost because I did not know that Carson Palmer was injured. I was playing Robbie, whose team was also 3-0. Now my team is 3-1. Third, and worst of all, my Broncos lost to one of the most inept teams in the NFL. The offense turned over the ball four times and the defense showed that they not only give up lots of passing yards but also running yards. At least Zach was happy that the Chiefs finally won one. Now they can finish 1-15. Now that would be awesome.

Tim comments on Television shows

Television has become a wasteland. Reality television either brings out the worst in humanity for everyone to see or tugs on our heartstrings. Sitcoms are now mostly just attractive people cracking sex jokes to laugh tracks. (See Two and a Half Men and How I Met Your Mother. Also, I hate laugh tracks.) I cannot even begin to communicate how much I hate prime time game shows. (The contempt and disgust I hold toward Deal or No Deal knows no bounds. It glorifies greed and the objectification of women. It makes me sick.) Dramas are often trying to one up the others pushing the envelope of what you can show on Network Television. Fortunately in all the unoriginality and garbage there are a few shows that entertain me.

LOST and The Office are the best shows on TV. Nothing else comes close. Last season I started watching three shows that I was sure would be cancelled but somehow where not. Of course, that means they will be cancelled this season.

First we have Chuck. It is about a nerdy but likeable guy who gets all of the United States’ secrets downloaded into his brain. He is forced to go on with life as normal while two secret agents watch out for him and sometimes take him on missions. The show has a playful tone and the action is comic bookish in nature. I like the memorable characters and the geek inside jokes. Sadly I get most of them.

Next up is the Terminator: Sarah Conner Chronicles. This show picks up with the characters after the events of Terminator 2 and answers the question of why Skynet does not just keep sending back Terminators after one fails. (The answer is that they do keep sending them back.) This show is darker in tone and relies much more on action sequences than Chuck. There is a real danger to the characters since aside from Sarah and John Conner, no character is safe from death. Unfortunately, ratings are low and the Fox Network loves to cancel shows (see Firefly), so it will probably not last the season.

The third show is Life. I consider it the best of the three. It follows a cop, Charlie Crews, who comes back to the force after spending 12 years in prison for a crime he did not commit. Each episode he and his partner solve a different murder while Crews tries to figure out the conspiracy that led to his imprisonment. The acting and writing is great and I love the way Crews and Reese work together despite their personal issues.

Heidi and I almost never see a TV show on our actual TV. We almost always watch them on their network website or www.hulu.com. Feel free to comment on these or other shows worth watching.

Lucky Broncos and the new I-35W bridge

The Denver Broncos got a huge break on Sunday, then took a huge gamble, and got a huge win. It was awesome. With less than 2 minutes to play, down by a touchdown, and one yard to go into the end zone, Cutler, the Broncos Quarterback, fumbled the football and a Chargers player recovered it. Everyone thought the game was over and the Broncos had lost, but the ref screwed up and gave the Broncos the ball back. Two plays later, Cutler hit Eddie Royal, a rookie receiver in the back of the end zone for 6 points. Most coaches would call for the extra point to tie the game and head into overtime. Not Mike Shanahan. He called for the two point conversion and the exact same play that just got the touchdown. A moment later Mile High Stadium erupted into cheers and the Broncos got the 1 point victory. I only got the see the end of the game, but it was amazing.

This morning I (Tim) drove across the new I-35W bridge on my way to work. Thirteen and a half months ago the bridge collapsed and 13 people died. The new bridge was finished three months ahead of schedule and it looks great. I drove across that bridge every day to and from work and had been on the bridge less than an hour before it fell last August. Life is fragile and we never know what will happen. I am glad to have the bridge back and a much shorter drive to and from work.

Weekend update

So it has been raining a lot lately and it makes me want to go camping. Not that camping is that fun in the rain, but apparently rain makes me want to be outside. It may be b/c Tim and I recently got a great deal on raincoats at REI and I have been carrying it with me in the hope that I will get stuck in a downpour and get to wear it. Well, this weekend, I got my chance! We had planned to hit up the Mpls Farmers Market on Saturday morning and go hikin later on. Lucky for me, it was raining all day! We donned our raincoats and headed out. It was great! We got a bit wet during the hike, but it was still fun and we got to break in our new gear. Sunday was a full day with church, our Barnabas Team meeting and an open house for a friend. Oh and a date night on Friday which ended at Peter and Julie's house. It was a full weekend, but lots of fun!

Processing

For those of you who are wondering if we are ever going to share more about our vision trip...it's coming! We promise. Most of you have probably heard the standard, it was hard, but good. We do have more to share, much more!, but I think we are still processing everything. God did so much in our hearts in that short two weeks and we are overflowing with thankfulness to God! We feel very different than we did a month ago, in a good way. Our vision for ministry has been clarified, our desire to get there has increased, and our passion for the Wolof has intensified. God has been faithful to us in the past week as we pray through what we experienced in Senegal. He is speaking to us and we are listening, making changes, and seeking His face. We cannot express how excited we are for this endeavor. But we are also more realistic now in what it will require of us once we get there, so we are patient as we seek God for preparation. Again, I thank you for your prayers and we do look forward to sharing more stories with you as opportunity allows.

A picture of our whole team

Senegal Pictures

Well, still no luck recovering our pictures from the camera. So sad! We will keep trying, but it doesn't seem too promising at this point. The day our team went to the village, we took some team pictures of everyone in our colorful clothes. These aren't of the whole team, but you can see us in our booboo and haftan! I'm in the booboo, Tim's in the haftan.

Here we are with Joe and Cara

The women from our team.
Cara in back, Deb and I in middle and Iris in front. Great ladies!

One night in Dakar, we went to a touristy area and had dinner on a point overlooking the ocean. This is the western-most point of Africa. We were as close to home as we an get and still be in Senegal. It was breathtakingly beautiful!

Right in front of restaurant.

Hopefully more pictures to come.....hopefully.

back to blogging

I know that everyone is very excited about seeing pictures from Senegal....but I am at a loss. Sadly, all the pics I took found there way into a folder on my new memory card and I don't know how to access them. If anyone has any knowledge or tips for this, please let me know! Until then, we wait.

But here are some pictures of the weekend right before we left. A little reunion with my college roomies! Here is us posing with Sierra's lovely bags at Max's pirate birthday party.
Love those bags.

Two pregnant chics at a baby shower.

Bump battles

Mandy having a Mike's Hard Lemonade. Tasty.

(she didn't really drink it, don't worry.)
Hopefully Senegal photos coming soon.....

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!!!