Happy Halloween

Tim and Julia had a great night Trick or Treating in our neighborhood. Tim went as an old time Gangster and walked around with his friend, Chet. Julia was a cowgirl and walked (or rather, ran) around the neighborhood with her friend, Emma.

Don't ya love Tim's beard? This is all the neighborhood kids who walked in the parade. It was a fun night and nice to be outside!

Karen

just some thoughts

First the good news. I spoke with my oncologists office and the x-ray looks fine...she said "no cancer" and she did see what she called a "spur." I've had heel spurs before and the pain is similar. I'm just relieved that she didn't see cancer. hurray!

We have decided to go to Michigan this weekend. Mike will be attending the MSU vs. UM football game on Saturday afternoon. It will be a VERY quick trip. We won't be leaving Ohio until 5pm on Friday; we are staying with Tom and Linda on Friday night. Saturday we will drive to East Lansing where I will spend the day with Nick and hopefully Kaitlyn will come over. Tim is excited to see his friend, Collin. Julia is hoping she can see Anastasia. We will have to leave EL by 10am on Sunday. I haven't been back to MI since June.

So, today is Halloween. It is a beautiful day in Cincinnati. A perfect fall day...mid 60's, mostly sunny, a breeze blowing. It will be our nicest Trick-or-Treating night in many years. I did find out that although they have a Halloween Party in Julia's class, they do not dress up. I did not even realize this until this morning when I noticed that nothing was sent home regarding the appropriate costumes. When we got to school, the counselor was outside greeting kids and I asked her if they dress up at Wilson. She told me no. Julia did take her costume in her backpack, but I did mention to her that they might not dress up. She really enjoyed the Donley tradition of the Halloween Parade. Tonight at 5pm, our neighborhood is having a Halloween Parade that ends up at another neighbor's house where we will eat hot dogs, and other goodies. Should be fun. Julia is a cowgirl and Tim is a gangster.

Last night Mike and I went to an event with the President one of the Mercy Hospitals. They had bought a table for this leadership event. I was excited because it was a night out with Mike and we got to dress up! ha! The other cool thing was Lou Holtz was the featured speaker. I've always admired him....mainly because Regis Philbin spoke so highly of him. =-) The walk away message was 1. Always do the right thing. 2. Do your best. and 3. Be kind to others. He talked about a positive attitude and how we should build each other up and not tear each other down. I really had a wonderful evening.

I still miss Haiti and the kids at 3A's. I am trying not to lose the "high" that I experienced when I returned. I long to go there again.

Karen

doctor appointment

Just had another appointment with my Oncologist, Dr. Ruehlman. I have been having pain in my left hip for a couple weeks. I think it's just arthritis, but he wanted to do an x-ray. Sitting on kid sized chairs last week and sleeping on a foam mattress seemed to make it hurt worse by the end of the week.

I have been thinking a lot about the word HOPE! There is so much we HOPE for in life and we are nothing without HOPE. I HOPE that cancer doesn't return; the children at Three Angels in Haiti HOPE for a forever family; Kait and Nick have HOPE that God will bless them with their future spouses; Mike HOPES his job will slow down and he can not work as many hours; Tim has HOPE that the Simpson's Show will never end; Julia has a HOPE of going back to Russia one day and seeing her biological mom. Romans 8:25 But if we hope for what we do not yet have, we wait for it patiently."

Karen

more on haiti

Haiti from the air

Hey everyone, it's Kaitlyn with a me update. Well, I definitely got thrown right back into my busy school routine, with an exam and other assignments this week. Every day has been kind of hard. Tuesday morning I was sitting in a lecture and just got totally overwhelmed, thinking there is no way I will be able to get everything done that is left to do this semester. It's scary when I look ahead and see all that's coming up.. so I'm trying to take it one week at a time and not think about everything at once.
Amidst the busy routine, I'm still trying to process my experience in Haiti. This might sound weird, but something I prayed before I went last week was that God would break my heart for the country. I wanted my eyes, my ears, my heart, and my mind to be opened so that I could really see and understand the sad situations I would see there. I don't really know if that happened, I mean it didn't really happen in the way I thought it would. Some of the time I even felt closed off a little bit. I feel like in August I experienced more compassion and emotion towards the children and the things I was seeing. Which is weird, since this time I really wanted to feel and experience with my heart.
God did bring experiences of heartbreaking situations last week. On Tuesday, we visited Mother Theresa's orphanage and hospital. I will never forget the images of the hospital and the feeling I had while I was there. There were rooms with rows of cribs with sick, skinny children, many of them crying. Right when we got to the hospital, I started feeling really sick, so I went to sit in a rocking chair that was right next to the bathroom. That's when a little boy came walking down the hallway, sobbing, and I held my arms out to him and said "veni" (come) and he came to me. His wristband told me his name was Joovenky, and he was 2 1/2 years old. I don't know what sickness he has, but he was really skinny and fragile looking. I spent the whole time with him, mostly sitting with him because I didn't feel good enough to stand. It's interesting that this was the time I started feeling so bad.. in a sense, I got to identify just a tiny bit with these suffering kids. I know when I feel normal, I forget how yucky it feels to be sick, so in a way it was good that I felt bad while I was there. When we had to leave, Joovenky started sobbing again:( It was hard to go.

Naitine

On Wednesday, we experienced another heartbreaking situation. I was sitting outside, and there was a little girl amongst the kids who was crying really hard. I found out from the nanny that her name was Naitine, and she was new and crying because her mom had just left. Naitine let me hold her for a little while, and she fell asleep for awhile. When she woke up, she got right off my lap, and just stood in the courtyard sobbing. She wouldn't let anyone come near her, she was inconsolable. It was so hard to see this firsthand, a little girl left at an orphanage and separated from her mommy because she couldn't take care of her. Naitine's hair had an orange tint to it from malnutrition. By that afternoon, she was doing better, but the next day her mom came to visit. When she had to leave again, Naitine threw a fit of crying and screaming, not wanting anyone to come near her or comfort her. It was heartwrenching. Please pray for Naitine! Pray that she would experience God's comfort, peace, and love in this time where she just wants her mommy. Pray that if she is available for adoption, that God would lead a family to adopt her and restore the love and attachment she had with her mom.

A Special Trip for Kait and Mom

I'm not sure where to begin sharing my experience in Haiti. I do know that it has changed me in a powerful way. I feel filled with the Holy Spirit and blessed by my experience. I am thankful to have a husband who supports me and also a sister-in-law and brother-in-law who were willing to come down and help out while I was gone.

I thought I would start by sharing photos of Kait and I at various times throughout the week. (disclaimer: I didn't always wear my fish dress)

Kait and I at South Beach in Miami. We spent a couple hours at the beach.
On the bus from Port Au Prince Airport to the Orphanage.

Kait had to sit on my lap for this TapTap ride. It was very hot.

Kait and I at New Hope Orphanage. Kait's new friend Marie C..... something took this photo. The little girl Kaitlyn is holding is named Gigi. This orphanage was in a beautiful location up in the mountains. You could see the Caribbean Sea and the beach.

We are on the balcony of New Hope Orphanage.

Yes, I'm "glowing" with perspiration. Kaitlyn isn't. Could have been a hot flash!

Leaving Port Au Prince. It was a great trip!

unpacking haiti

Wow. We are back from Haiti. I don't really know where to begin writing about the week I just experienced. It's overwhelming to come back, and I feel like there's so much to "unpack" from my time there. Being back in the United States now, it's weird to think that yesterday morning I was in Haiti. They feel like two completely different worlds. To go from the poorest country in the western hemisphere back to the US.. it's just hard to wrap my mind around. Because it's the same world, the same human race, but it's so different. The life I know here is not anything like the life Haitians know. I'm sitting in my own bedroom, in a nice house, on my computer, with wireless internet, using electricity that will not shut off, drinking clean water that I could have in abundance, with a full stomach, my own car sitting outside, 7 months from earning a college degree. I did laundry today with a washer and dryer, and I took a hot shower. If I got sick tonight, I could go to the hospital that is 5 minutes away and know I would be taken care of. All I have to do is lock my front door at night to feel safe, and if anything happens I can call the police and know they will come. All of these things, and I'm sure there are more, they are just part of the life and world that I know. If I were an average Haitian, none of the things I listed would be part of my world. So, yeah.. I guess my point is that it's hard to assimilate the two places in my mind, to go from being here to being there for a week and now here again. To be in two places that are so drastically different yet the same - the same world created by God, with people created in the image of the same Father. It's craziness. So yeah, those are the thoughts about the world that Haiti conjures up and I'm trying to process in my mind..

Anyway, moving onto my actual experience there! It was so great to go back to Three Angels and see the kids again! I liked the "second time" experience, because I got there and I recognized almost all the faces and remembered a lot of names. I knew generally what to expect around there and felt comfortable. The kids are all so awesome and fun.. they just bring me joy:) Jonathan remembered me! Right when we got there on Saturday, he was sitting outside, and he saw me and got a big smile on his face and went to me. Then, every time I went up to the nursery, he would see me and get that big smile and crawl right to me. It was so encouraging to see how happy he is now! In August, I didn't see him smile until the third day with him, and in general he was discontent. Last week, I saw him smile and laugh countless times, and he crawls around and plays on his own. Wow, I need to remember how good God is.. when I left Haiti last time Jonathan didn't have a family.. and now, he gets to meet his mom and dad in a few weeks!! Yay! I also spent a good amount of time with Monthania (her nickname is Matu) and just fell in love with that little girl. She has the best smile! I enjoyed using the Creole I've been learning. I don't know a ton, but enough to communicate a little with the kids, which was really cool. I think it's such a great language and I can't wait till the day I'm fluent in it!

I definitely have more to write about, but I'm exhausted, so this will have to be a "to be continued.." Goodnight!

Monthania all ready for preschool!

I love this picture of Jonathan! Look how happy he is!

Hello from Nick

Hello everybody! I thought I would do a quick update on whats happening with me. I decided to go on the Campus Crusade for Christ Fall Retreat this weekend. I leave tomorrow (Friday) and come back Sunday. I think it will be a lot of fun. I almost didn't go but I am glad I chose to go. I will have my phone and I think there's service there so feel free to call.

Tonight there were a BUNCH of tornadoes in the area. Twice everyone from Akers had to go into the basement. People were NOT happy...but what can you do? I heard a rumor that a tornado hit Wilson Hall...but I don't think thats true. I am still up now (1:45am) because supposedly another tornado is coming and I need to be up to evacuate my floor. CRAAAAAAAAAZY!!!

I had a midterm today in my teaching class. It went pretty well. It wasn't excellent but definitely wasn't bad. I got a paper back today for my class called Europe and the World and I got a 4.0! I was really happy. I didn't think it was that good, but I guess it was!

Praise God - Kaitlyn is Feeling Better

I received the following e-mail from Karen this morning. As you can see Kaitlyn is feeling better. Praise God and thanks to all of you who said prayers for her. I was worried about her getting some sort of stomach virus or infection in a third world country. But God is great and answered our prayers.

Hi Mike:First of all, Kaitlyn is feeling better. Yesterday her stomach was still queasy so she didn't eat much, but this morning she took a Cliff bar downstairs because she felt like eating. Hurray! I am so glad she feels better. Thanks for praying.I will not be able to post on the blog any more because Gail, who brought her laptop, left this morning. The computer at the Methodist House is very slow (it took me 25 min. to get the screen up to write this email). Last night the internet was down, so I could not write. It is hard to get computer time, too! ha! Yesterday we spent the day at the orphanage with the kids. It was fun. Nothing very exciting to report. Today we go to the orphanage at 8am and then to the Baptist Mission at 11am. Should be a good day. I'm looking forward to seeing Alixson this morning. Well, there is a line for this computer and I need to go! I love all of you and miss you very much!!!Love,Karen

Quick post from down south

I wanted to let you know that Kait was running a temp and vomited twice in the night. She is still sleeping. We are thinking it is something she ate. No one else is sick, but her stomach is sensitive. Please say an extra prayer that she feels better today. She loves being at the orphanage with those kids and they love her, too!

Well, I can hear the rooster saying "cockadoodledoo." That starts at 4am. Luckily the fans in our room are so loud that you can only hear them when the generator shuts off and the fans are not working. ha! The weather is hot, but not as hot as I remember. Yes, I sweat but it seems like you can always find shade or a breeze to get cooler. I am loving the "Haiti Showers"....meaning COLD! It really does feel good. Oh, and one more thing.,..we ate GOAT for dinner last night Apparently it is a delicacy in Haiti and the "owner" of the Methodist MIssion HOuse got back last night and it is her favorite. (Kait did not eat dinner last night.. a few people were worried that the goat made her sick.)

Julia, I pray that you don't have that BAD dream again. I miss you so much and I can hardly wait to see you on Saturday. I love you!!!!! Tim....I miss you too. I hope you are having a great week. I love you! Mike...thanks for the great comment. I miss you and I love you. Linda, thanks for being "mom" for the week. It means so much to me and I don't worry at all!!! Tom, thanks for being the supporter of all this! Nick??? I love you, too. Where is your post? I love all you guys!!!

Love, Karen
ps who know the next time I will be on the computer. I'm using Gail's laptop and she is not here. But, I will try to post tonight to let you know about Kait!

Hello From Haiti

Hello!

First of all, it wasw great to hear how fun your Saturday was. The walk sounds so cool and the Railway Museum sounds neat, too! Tim, I'm so proud of your football game; I am sorry I missed it but glad that Aunt Linda and Uncle Tom could see you. Julia, it sounds like you did very well on the walk. Mike, I miss you very much! Nick...please post and say hi. How was your Panera dinner Saturday night?>?

On to our adventures., WOW! Kait and I don't know where to begin. We went to an ?English church on Sunday that the Livesay family attends. We had an hour long of real good worship and the serman was a Creole man speaking. All in English,. Then we got a tour of the grou;nds. They run an American school on their property. Very nice and impressive. We spent the afternoon at the orphanage holding babies. That is what I pictured myself doing and I've done a lot it. Kait has made a lot of new friends, All the kids love her so much. Jonathan gives her breaks so she can hold and spend time with other kids.

Monday we did projects in the morning, I cleaned/scrubbed the bathroom upstairs from top to bottom. Some other ladies cleaned the employee hallway and back room. /wow! Honestly, it didn't even look clean when we were done. Kait spent time at the school on the grounds. They put her in a first grade class. They were 9 years old. The classroom were very small each with aproximately 30 students. It was a small building separated by partitions. The girls in the class loved having kait in there.

I have made a new friend (don't worry Mike....he's only 2 and already adopted). His name is Alixson and he is so precious. He won't let me put him down (much like kait was as a bby) and just holds onto me and lays his head on my right shoulder. The first day I was up there, I was holding him and he started singing "eieio." So I sang The Farmer in the Dell to him and he knew all the right places to insert the words. Alixson cries whenever I leave, He just clings on to me. Michelle (the trip leader) said that his parents were here last week and he had a hard time when they left,. I asked her if I look like his mom,...she said aside from the fact that she has long hair, yes, there are similarities,

Kait hasn't felt well today. Stomach issues with waves that come and go,. She has not eaten much. Please say a prayer that she feels better tomorrow. She was happy to see her friend, the nanny Lourdes-mula (Lood-mia). She was so happy to see Kait. They have spent time talking in French to each other and she helps Kait learn Creole. Kait is so good at communicating to the people. She knows enough and it helps., She can remember all the kids names, too!

This morning we went to Mother Theresa Hospital and Orphanage. The first floor had three rooms lined with cribs (small) with sick babies. These babies are not orphans. Just sick. One woman on the trip said it was like walking into a World Vision commercial. We could hold any of the babies. Some were extremely skinny. We were there for a short time and then a bell rang,. Visiting hours were over for the parents. The parents are not allowed to stay with their children and only allowed to visit one time a week. When they are there, they sit on the concrete floor and hold their children. The babies cried when they had to leave. So sad, but a good sign that they are so attached to their parents. I held many sick babies there. Upstairs are the sick orphans. We were told many have aids or are handicapped. The ones upstairs were mostly the handicapped children. I sat with a boy around 7 who was crippled (legs and arms) and I was told blind, too. I held his hand and imitated his noises and he began to smile. Pretty soon he grabbed my hand and banged his chest with it and made louder noises (like Nando). I was so happy when he laughed. When it was time for me to leave, I could see him reaching out to find my hand again,. I ended our time there holding a baby boy who was a year old but the size of a 4 mo old. He fell asleep in my arms and then I was able to feed him his cereal before we had to leave. Kait made friends with a boy around 4 that cried when she had to leave. He was dressed in pink shorts and t-shirt. He cried when Kait had to leave to load the Tap-tap. Oh yeah, we travel by tap-tap.....a large one with cushioned seats. Sometimes if the hill is too steep, some people have to get off and walk up the hill. Today, we had 22 people in the back. Some standing and some on laps. Good thing no one got sick.

We spent the afternoon in the baby room. Alixson saw me walk in and cried for me immediately. Kait held many babies. Jonathon isn't as posessive of her this time. He is so happy and all the mission ladies think he's adorable. Colleen....if you are reading this, I can't wait for you to meet your son. He is precious. Even cuter than his pictures.

Tomorrow is an orphanage day. We are hoping to do some painting in the morning. The men folk in this group have been working on the medical clinic.

We love you all and thanks for your prayers. We can feel them. Sorry for the typos....I'm not used to this laptop,.

Love,
Karen/'Mom

Hello from Dad

I received an e-mail from Karen yesterday. Here it is:

Kait and I made it to Port Au Prince. We are having an awesome time. We got to the orphanage around 10 and held babies and played with the kids until noon. Then we got to the Methodist Mission house in time to get settled in and eat lunch. In the afternoon, we had the choice of going back to the orphanage or stay here and rest. We opted to go back and play with kids. It was a lot of fun. Jonathan is so adorable! Our day has been a long one. It feels like we've been here for longer than 12 hours. I still love Haiti! Well, the shower is free and Ibetter get in. I love you and miss all of you very much! Love,Karen

I have not heard anything today from Karen and Kaitlyn. I'll keep everyone posted as I get e-mails: Karen said she would probably not be able to talk on the phone and internet will be spotty, so I'm not worried. Their focus is on serving the kids and the orphanage, not communicating with us.

We've had a fun weekend. Linda and Tom have come down from Michigan to help for the week. They have been an incredible help - I am so blessed to have them here. We had a fun day on Saturday. We walked three miles in the Bridges Walk - a walk to promote diversity in downtown Cincinnati. Mercy (the hospital I work for) sponsored the event. The walk was really cool as it crossed the bridge over to Kentucky and then went through some neighborhoods in Ky, winding down to the river and then across the bridge back to Cincinnati. Prior to the walk, Gretchen Aberg (our Group Fitness Manager at the Anderson HealthPlex) led an aerobic warm-up to music. She brought Tim and Julia on stage with her. You should have seen the smile on Julia's face. She did great and Tim was a typical male as he struggled with the dance moves. It was a beautiful day and everybody did well on the walk. Julia was a real trooper - I only had to give her two short piggy back rides. After the walk we went to the Underground Railroad Museum which was free for those who walked in the race. It was very cool. Then we went to Barnes and Noble for a couple of hours and Linda bought the kids books. After that we came home, then went to Tim's game. Tim's game went great. The Raiders won 14-6. Tim had his best game. He had two tackles and forced a fumble. Tim said Mr. Lachner (his coach) told him he was proud of him and he would probably start on defense for the last game. He played some offense two, but played mostly defense. He was so pumped up after the game.

We were so tired from our day on Saturday that we just went to church,ate lunch and then relaxed on the back porch all day.

Well, that's our weekend report. Sorry I don't have more on Karen and Kaitlyn.

Love,

Dad

The Missionaries are On Their Way

Karen left this morning for Haiti. I drove her to the airport at 4:45am. She is very excited. Karen called around 10:30am and has landed and her and Kaitlyn are off spending the day in Miami Beach before they head to Haiti tomorrow. (I keep telling Karen to make sure she catches the flight to Haiti - no fair spending her mission on the beach of Miami all week.)

I'm very proud of Kaitlyn and Karen for doing this. They both have such love, care, concern and passion for orphans. I can think of no better way to carry out God's work then to care for orphans.

I had a fun morning with Tim and Julia. They are doing well. They are looking so forward to Aunt Linda and Uncle Tom being here for the week. I am so thankful to have them. I would not have been able to effectively juggle work and taking care of the kids. I'm so blessed that Tom and Linda are coming to help.

Well, I need to get back to work. I'm at my favorite place - Panara. It's my daily "oasis" from work.

Love,

Dad (Mike)

Update from East Lansing

I decided it was time to post an update from East Lansing. It has been a long time! Things are going well here. Today the high is 50 which is really nice. On Monday it was 90. I am loving the cooler weather. I woke up this morning and I was so tired!! I almost didn't go to class! HAHA! It would have been the first time I "skipped" class. But I decided to be a good student and go...even though sleep would probably have done me better than the information given in class. But I don't want to get into that habit.

School is going pretty good. Certain classes I am doing better in than others. I had a Geography test yesterday...which was difficult. I had a German midterm last week...that I thought went really bad...but I ended up getting over a 100%. I was very happy with that.

The RA job is fun. I enjoy it. I dreamed about having this job last year and I wanted it soooo bad. It is almost like a dream now that I have it. Sometimes I am like, "Woah I actually am an RA! That is soo sweet."

Personal/spiritual life is going good. I have a lot of things I am just trusting God on. At church on Sunday the message was on how a man is what he thinks. "As a man thinketh in his heart, so is he." Proverbs 23:7. If you believe something in your heart, it can happen. You are what you think about. We were encouraged to make a list of the 10 things we want most in life. I did this. I wrote the top 10 things I most desire in life. "Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask for in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours" Mark 11:24. I pray over the list every day, and believe I will receive the things I desire. Of course, everything is in Gods timing and will be worked out according to his purpose. However, the word says if we delight ourselves in him and seek him in everything, he will give us the desires of our heart. Don't be afraid to tell god your desires, and believe you will receive them.

There are a lot of things I am seeking and wanting in life, but I am waiting on God. I am praying for them, and believing for them, and waiting for God to move. There are many walls that stand in front of me and mountains that seem hard to climb, but God will carry me through them. A lot of times we try to rush through life and achieve everything right away. We need to trust God and wait for him. This is from a song by Jason Upton:

I will wait for you, Jesus
You're the sun in my horizon
All my hopes in you, Jesus
I can see you now arising
(repeat)

There's a wall that stands in front of me
That I know I just can't climb
And like an eagle you will carry me
Its just a matter of your time

I will wait for you, Jesus
You're the sun in my horizon
All my hopes in you, Jesus
I can see you now arising

Evil armies all around me
Another wall gets in my way
But I believe the word you promised me
So I will wait another day

I will wait for you, Jesus
You're the sun in my horizon
All my hopes in you, Jesus
I can see you now arising
(repeat)

I will wait for you
Oh I will wait for you
Oh the doubt may try to come in
The disillusions may try to come in

I believe oh Lord (x3)
In the word that you promised (x3)
I believe it will not end
I believe it will not go

I will wait for you, Jesus
You're the sun in my horizon
All my hopes in you, Jesus
I can see you now arising

Julia's Gems

Julia had some great lines this weekend. I thought I would share them with you:

On Friday, Karen and I were telling Julia that we were going to go on a date on Saturday to celebrate our 24th Wedding anniversary. Julia complained, "Oh you guys go on dates all the time." I replied, "What are you talking about, we haven't been on a date since we got to Cincinnati." Julia responded, "Well, you had all that time before Kaitlyn was born to go on dates."

On Friday, we were good naturedly trying to urge Julia to tell us she loved us (she still has trouble with this, which we understand). Timmy was there and we told her that Timmy says he loves us. Julia replied, "Well, that's easy for him. He's biologic to you."

On Saturday, Julia and I went on a four mile bike ride in the 90 degree heat. At the end of the bike ride, we were both tired. Julia says, "That was a good workout." I replied, "Yes, that was a great workout." Julia responded, "Good thing. You really needed it."

She sure keeps us laughing.

Love, hugs and kisses,

Dad (Mike)

An Afternoon at the River

It was a very hot day in Cincinnati yesterday. We drove to the Little Miami River (about 3 miles from our house). Mike and I took our folding chairs and placed them in the river. Tim and Julia had a blast!

Mike "chillin'" in the River. It wasn't very deep where we placed our chairs...literally in the middle of the river. Mike had taken Julia and Tim there once in August and they talked me into joining them. I am sure glad I did. It was a nice way to keep cool.

This is about as deep as it gets. Tim enjoyed floating in the current of the river.

Julia wading in. She also loved it. She didn't put her head in all the way, but still needed a shower afterwards to get off any possible river contaminants. ha!

Tim's swim trunks got "fat" as he played in the river.

And a video of our time at the river. We stayed about two hours.

Life in Cincinnati

This has been a pretty good week for me. The best part is that I feel like I have made a friend down here. Her name is Ranette. She lives on the street behind our house. We have met for lunch two times now. Ranette is also a breast cancer survivor. She has three children ranging in age from 10-15. She is a Christian, too. She is just a nice person and when we have lunch, it is non-stop talking. Ranette has asked me to be in her women's bible study. It is women in our neighborhood who also attend Crossroads Church. I feel so blessed to have met her. We will begin our Bible study the Tuesday evening that I return from Haiti. I am also looking forward to meeting and getting to know the other women in the group.

Tim and Julia have each had good weeks. Yesterday, I took Julia Subway for lunch and sat with her while she ate. I got to meet her new friend, Camryn. It was a lot of fun. I took Tim Subway the week before, but he wouldn't let me sit with him and his friends while he ate. ha!

We are looking forward to the weekend. The only "plans" we have are Tim's football game on Saturday afternoon. Hopefully they will get a win under their belts. Mike and I may finally get a chance to celebrate our 24th anniversary on Saturday night.

I find myself really looking forward to church this weekend. For the last four weeks, the topic has been called "Love and Sex." I have never heard such honest discussions on this topic in my life. It is about God's love for us and how it relates to why we shouldn't have sex outside of marriage, and other stuff. Each week they have had video of people from our church talking about their personal experiences and how God has used this in their life. It has been amazing to me to see their honesty on this topic. I think that is WHY I like this church so much. People are "real" and not faking it. They are not afraid to be honest and talk about "real" life issues. Okay, I didn't mean to get preachy or anything.

Enjoy the weekend!
Love,
Karen

PS Mike, Kait and Nick.....let's hear from you now!

A Fun Family Weekend

It was a great weekend. Kait and Nick got here about 7:30 Friday night. The Pork Chops and Asparagus were great. Kait and I enjoyed the White Zin, too! This photo was taken in Kentucky overlooking the Ohio River with downtown Cincinnati in the background. We were trying to find a restaurant on the river to eat, but they all had a two hour wait. So many Cub fans were milling around. GO CUBS! They had just beat the Reds to clinch the division.
Kaitlyn and Nick enjoying Tim's football game on Saturday afternoon. Tim's team lost...again, but it was a beautiful day. It was our turn to pick up trash in the stadium after the game, and K&N were a big help.

Here Tim is getting ready to go to his game. His friend, Chet, is with him. Chet is in Tim's class and lives on the street behind us. He is a nice kid. His family goes to the same church as ours, so that is cool.

And, here is another family photo from Saturday night. We ended up going to Smokey Bones to eat....but it was a nice drive around downtown Cinci. On Sunday we all went to church and out to eat at Panera. Yum. I guess my "hint" worked.

Kaitlyn and I are getting excited about our trip to Haiti. We leave on Friday, Oct. 12. We will spend that night in Miami and catch a 7am flight to Port Au Prince on Saturday morning. It will be nice to spend a week with Kait and seeing her passion for Haiti firsthand. I can't wait to meet Jonathan, the little boy she fell in love with while she was down there in August. We are so excited that Jonathon will be adopted by a wonderful family in Rochelle, IL. He will have his forever family in a community that has embraced Haitian children. Kait is excited that she can see and hear about him as he grows up.

It was so great to be a "whole" family for the weekend, and sad when they left. I don't know when I will see Nick again. There is a chance we will go to East Lansing for the Nov. 3 MSU vs UM football game. I know we will all be together in Florida for Thanksgiving. YAY!

Please say a prayer for Connie, my dad's wife, and her family. Connie's older brother, Dean, died on Saturday. Dean's life had many challenges, but he was loved by his mom, dad, two sisters, and younger brother. I never got to meet Dean, but know how much Connie loved him. Connie, I'm praying for you and your entire family during this difficult time.

Well, I'm off to change the laundry over and then take Mike's car to get cleaned...inside and out. I was returning a large coffee container yesterday after our concession stand fundraiser, and it spilled all over the backseat. Tim asked me if Dad was mad at me about this, and I said "No. He needed his car cleaned so he was happy."

Love,

Karen