My Bubbling Teapot

Thank you, John, for... ...lifting my heart when I need a smile. ...blessing my life with love. ...sharing dreams with me. ...understanding my heart. ...making me feel valuable and cared for. ...taking time to listen to me. ...being a great dad to your children. And that is why I love you. Today I want to wish you a HAPPY 37th BIRTHDAY!!!

I have always found teaching Sunday School to be a stretching experience for me. I can expect to spend a significant amount of time in commentaries, reading related articles, studying the Bible and such. But nothing prepares you for teaching SS in a foreign language. First of all, to begin study, minimum, I will need: My English Bible (to read what I'm actually trying to teach) My Polish Bible (to check to see how to say things in Polish) My notebook (to jot down all my thoughts and ideas) My "Experiencing God's Peace" book that we are studying (Thank the Lord it's in English) My English-Polish dictionary volume (to look up many unfamiliar words) My Polish-English dictionary volume (to double-check to make sure the meaning is right) Whew! All that before I can even begin. Did you ever realize that "Church" vocabulary is completely different than everyday vocabulary? Well, it is. There are many times just going to church is discouraging when you see how ...

Today my husband told me I need to take the afternoon off. Knowing there wouldn't be any privacy at home, he shooed me out the door telling me to go spend some time in a quiet place. Is that awesome or what? I thought about going to Piano Pizza and sitting by their fireplace, but somehow I wasn't sure what people would say if I came in toting a laptop computer, a Bible, a journal, and the book The Jesus I Never Knew. I know that would have brought a lot of stares. Not being in the mood for Polish stares, I opted for the teacher's room at GTE (Gateway to English), knowing that there wouldn't be much activity at our English school in the early afternoon. What bliss!!! Reading a whole chapter without interuptions...being able to think about whatever I want...not seeing the 101 things at home that haven't got done yet today...catching up on emailing and writer's workshops...I feel blessed and pampered today. (I must say, my husband seems to be winning all contests ...

I hate Christmas vacations because: Bits of wrapping paper, boxes, and gifts lay around all week. Crumbs from all-day snacking find their way to chairs, carpets, counters, etc. Everyone is in everyone else's way, trying to figure out new games, read new books, put together new puzzles. There is still the usual cooking, cleaning, and laundry all week long and sometimes it doesn't seem like a break at all for mom. Tempers seem shorter than normal. But there is more that I love about Christmas vacation: Cozy evenings reading with candles flickering on top of the piano. Putting together a puzzle every year (at least a 1000 piece one) Yummy brunches made every morning by prearranged volunteers. Lots of cookies and candy to make us all fat. Going to the zoo and going out for supper (this has become a yearly tradition. Kinda strange, but it's something we do together every year.) Taking time for playing games together. Christmas music floating around all of us all week. Going ic...

We all want to wish you a very Blessed Christmas and a Happy New Year!!! John, Laura, Conrad (14), Austin (12), Derek (9), and Allison (7)

...is at it again!!! He whisked me off yesterday for a romantic overnight stay at an American hotel in Warsaw for my birthday. We had been there about three years ago and had enjoyed it so much that he even requested the same room. It was a wonderful, welcome break from the everyday life of being mom, wife, teacher. Here is my one and only picture to prove it. This is our complimentary room service breakfast that they brought us this morning... The Works!!! While I'm sharing pictures, I want to share some pictures from the team's Christmas program that we put on Saturday night. We invited all our English students, plus our friends totally about 70 people. Pretty amazing. The children preformed a very meaningful Christmas play "From the Scribe's view" interspersed with singing. The team helped with some songs and we had time for the audience to help sing Christmas carols (Polish and English) as well. Truely, it was a lovely evening from the candle-lined window sill...

Today we celebrated Derek's 9th birthday. It brought back many memories...the many prayers that ascended before his conception...hours of walking the airport runway in South Boston, VA during labor...the joy of seeing such a beautiful child...seeing the delight in our other boys' faces at having a new baby brother. Derek is our giving child. He is never happier than when he is making other people happy. Many notes, drawings, and cards are tucked away in my "keepsakes" folder, ultimate treasures. He delights in surprising others by doing their work for them. He spreads sunshine whereever he goes. Today he worked ahead in all his school work just so he could have the day off. He had made a list for me before I went to America, listing in great detail what he wanted for his birthday. Does Derek look happy with his gift? He ordered cheesestuffed pizza, chips, pop, and chocolate eclairs He worked all afternoon helping to create his erector remote control truck. Does he lo...

As some of you already know, I made an unexpected flying trip to be at my sister Judy's wedding this past week. My Dad had some free miles that he used to purchase my ticket only a little more than a week before the wedding. We decided to try to surprise everyone. But the trip wasn't without it's problems. When I got to Warsaw the first morning, my flight to London was cancelled because of the fog. (Warsaw can handle piles of snow, but not fog). The next day I went back to Warsaw and began my delayed trip. When I got to Vancouver that evening and my one hour flight to Portland was cancelled. (Vancouver can handle dense fog, but not snow!!!) Five out of six of my flights were either delayed or cancelled!!! I arrived in Portland a day and a half after I was planning. I had lots of stories to tell. Here are a few excerpts I wrote home while there: "Well, the story doesn't end yet...I don't have a way to call you so I thought you would probably check email first th...

In Poland, we never celebrate Thanksgiving on the actual day. It isn't a national holiday, so of course, we all have to do our normal jobs on the day. It seems a little weird, but I think we've adjusted. We invited all our English students for a traditional Thanksgiving meal on Friday night. I made the pumpkin pies. The first two turned out glossy and moist. The next two looked drier, but absolutely beautiful. Hmm! I thought. Must be because I cut down on the cream in the second two. As I was cutting them, by mistake a sliver came off in my hand. I popped it in my mouth. Ugghhh! Something was wrong. No sugar!!!! I had forgotten to add the sugar. Well, since the first two were beautiful, we cut them in small pieces and served them. They got raves. But the next day, Saturday, we opened our home to the team for our yearly Turkey dinner. Everything was delicious as usual, and we all felt stuffed. But the pumpkin pies???? Have you ever tasted them without sugar??? All the spices, bu...

Yesterday, one year ago, would have been the funeral for my five nieces and nephews. Some of my reflections: One year ago...rudely awakened at 6 am with the awful news...God miraculously providing more than $5000 so our family could fly to the funeral...the LONG trip and the overwhelming emotions at finally being with my family...the struggle of knowing that God is a God of love...wondering what good could come from this tragedy...the stark imbedded picture in my mind of a yawning grave in a new cemetery and five little caskets...observing the grace of God being poured out in abundance in the lives of my brother and his wife...waiting for new news of Jeff's recovery...the huge void of our first family reunion...the many tears that have continued to course down our cheeks...was it only one year ago???!!! And some comments from my sisters: "...it's been kinda a week of remembering." --Gina" ...I ran to Chewelah to get the flowers Carolyn had requested for thegraves...

Can it be? One year ago that my five precious nieces and nephews were taken so suddenly in the automobile accident. My sister put it so beautifully. Read it here . I sent the words of this card to my brother and sister-in-law. The Lord has loved you through all your yesterdays... He loves you now... And He will love you through all your tomorrows. I heard a pastor recently say,"With God timing is more important than time." I have found so often his timing is perfect.Roy Lessin"The Lord appeared to us in the past and said, "I have loved you with aneverlasting love." Jer. 31:3 Thank you, God, for holding us as we remember again.

Yesterday, on all Saints' Day, most of the people in the country of Poland visited the graveyards. Every family grave must be cleaned, decorated with fresh wreaths, and candles lit to help the deceased on their road to Heaven. People travel many kilometers to visit the cemetery where your family is buried. Droves of people line the road on the way to the graveyard. Families gather to pay their respects to their relatives. The sit on the benches by the graves and visit, pray, or just think. My one friend told me that she doesn't have any family that has died so they put candles on soldiers' graves. Some people might visit 20 graves. But, outside the cemetery, it is more like a carnival. Candles for sale of every shape and size, mums by the truckload, wreaths, balloons, food, and cotton candy. Cotton candy? In front of a graveyard? Seems completely out-of-place to me. But I do know that every year my children love if we buy a little of the sickenly sweet stuff. To my family,...

I met him four years ago. This quiet, shrunken, grizzly man appeared at our door to tune our piano. Silently, he worked for several hours. He didn't talk more than he had to, but neither did we since we could hardly communicate in Polish. This morning, he appeared again. Same man, same enormous glasses dangling by a string, same bags of interesting instruments to clean our piano and same slippers that he changed into at the door and shuffled to the living room. Today he was here four hours. Again, he silently began his work. "Prosze, Pani!" he said one time and motioned me to the keyboard. There littered under the keys were layers of dust as well as a few treasures that had managed to squeeze between the keys. "Wiedzisz (you see)???" he said as he gravely shook his head. "How many years ago did I work on this piano? Six or seven?" I assured him that it had only been four. "Too long!" he continued. "You must have it cleaned every year!...

I am beginning to feel more like myself. It feels like I'm finally finding my place here in Poland after being gone for two and one half months. That's a long time to be away from home. It's long enough to feel a disconnect with what was happening here. When I returned, it was hard to know what to do first...where I belonged...what events to talk about...how to enter into conversations about the summer... After all, when you are gone you just miss out on some things. That's life! My heart warmed when my Polish friends contacted me the first week we were home. I remember one friend coming to visit me and saying, "It's so good to sit in Laura's house again. We missed you." And "this candle smells so familiar. It reminds me of the times I spent in Laura's house." Yes, those comments made me feel that I will never quite be deleted from my friends' memory, that I do have a place in their hearts. It was comforting to realize that I had frie...

My heart goes out in deep sympathy to the families of the five children that were killed in the village of Nickel Mine. I know what it is to grieve for five children and I think that a situation such as this would be especially painful and tramautic. Is there healing? How can one imagine the trauma and fear of the remaining children of this Amish school? I can't imagine the road they must walk through this valley of grief. I read that the teacher of this school said, "Me and the children need each other." So true! It is being together, facing the future together that they will begin to find healing. It brought back starkly the deep grief that my brother and his wife faced (Can it be???!!!) now almost one year ago. When we visited them this summer, there were so many emotions for me to face once again. It was important for me to see them going on with their life, seeing them laughing and talking , crying with them again, and taking time to go see the five small gravestones...

I was just thinking today about what I would ever do without the help of my children. They wash and dry my dishes...they hang up and fold most of my laundry...they sweep my floors...run countless errands...yes, they are the biggest help to me. They can never know how much I appreciate it. Why, just today, I discovered in the afternoon (that is completely another story!!!) that I was going to have supper guests. After my moment of panic, I set about organizing. With some of their help, the floors were swept, the cabbage grated, the laundry folded, the bars baked, the table set, and the living room presentable when the guests walked in the door. What a blessing!!! Five years ago I could have never gotten that accomplished!!! Thanks, children! I don't tell you enough how much I appreciate you. And I'll try to remember it even when the clean clothes are in piles on my bedroom floor, the dishtowels are strewn over the floor, and I stub my toe on the sweeper that hasn't been put...

My dearest of husbands left yesterday to spend the week touring Poland with "Hope Singers 2006", a group of 25 singers directed by Lloyd Kauffman. They are giving programs in many different evangelical churches throughout the country. I heard them on Friday night for the first time and totally enjoyed their program. Why is it that it isn't until your husband leaves you for a few days that you realize how much you love him, miss him, and can't function without him. I mean the house seems to echo his absence!!! And I can't understand. I mean, my children hardly ever get sick. I can count on one hand the times they have been seriously ill in the last five years. Well, early yesterday morning soon before John left, Derek started throwing up. He was so sick all day. All I got done was rubbing his back, reading to him, making him more comfortable, and trying to get him to drink. My!!! What a day. And, of course, John was nowhere around. It was one of the longest days of...

Yes, we're home...nearly a week now, in fact...but our stuff from our some of our suitcases still lies in stacks around us...the laundry from the trip is still drying on the lines...demands on our time are great...corn just harvested...tomatoes rotting in tubs...many unpredictables...school to be started...a choir to care about...legal matters to pursue...so just breathe a little prayer for us right now...and we're still so tired from jetlag...discouragement threatens...hoping to survive this month...

Not long ago, John asked me, “Is there anything you would like to do yet before we go back to Poland?” I thought for a little and said, “You know it would be so lovely if just you and I could spend a little time together alone.” Our trip has been wonderful in every way, although privacy is limited. Our family lives in a small apartment with room dividers, so snores can easily be heard from our sons’ rooms. After hours, John and I whisper and turn lights our early so we don’t disturb the children. So, maybe that is why I was thinking of a nice little getaway for just the two of us. We had been talking about our anniversary that is coming up soon on August 4. We had decided together that we would just go out for a nice dinner and enjoy the evening together. I continually talked about the restaurants that might be possibilities for our evening date. And then later, we were going to take a family trip for two nights close to Astoria. This, we had decided, would be how we would celebrate. B...

I have a question for you. I have been pondering this all month. Do missionaries get spoiled when they come on furlough? I was just reading the verse in Matthew where Jesus said that “to be first in the kingdom of God, you must be last and a servant to all.” That spoke to me. When I come to America, I feel so much like I’m the one being served all the time. When we set our feet on American soil, it’s like putting your feet up in a recliner for two months. I’ve noticed that everyone is at your beck and call. I have a bad habit of saying things without thinking, like, “Oh, wouldn’t I love to have this,” or “Wouldn’t this be something useful,” or “We can’t get this in Poland” or “Wow! I forgot that I missed malted milk balls” when I’m shopping with my family and friends and next thing I know these things are mysteriously appearing on our door step. I probably have a better collection of CD’s, books, peanut butter, chocolate chips, bubble bath, and Bath and Body Works lotion in Poland tha...