Almost halfway to done update

Greetings!  Ingrid at the keyboard.

At the end of the week we will be at the halfway point of our stay here in Montana, at the beautiful Potter's Field Ranch.

Over all, things here have been great!  There have been no injuries or major illnesses. We are in a cabin instead of a tent, (whew!), a private Porto-potty instead of an out-house, a qualified and talented kitchen staff instead of whatever I am thawing out of Trader Joe's freezer section.  Each one of us has his or her own difficulties with the daily routine.  Raoul is frustrated by little to no phone reception, I miss my own washer and dryer, Eric misses his favorite foods, Francesca misses having a little more privacy, Nathan misses his friends, Benji misses our old house, as he calls it.

But all those things are nothing compared to the heaps of blessings.  Raoul has spent so much time focused on the Lord and in the Word, this is such a unique opportunity for any father of five.  It is better than the seminary that he never had!  It is also forcing him to overcome his writer's block, since everyday they have a devotion to read and write.  So what used to be torture is now almost automatic.

I am STILL homeschooling.  But soon everyone will be done.  This year is a testimony to how little boys are active, how important a teacher is, and how kids cannot work on auto-pilot.  I have never been good at finding the middle ground and this year I really struggled to parent and school according to my convictions.  There was not enough time, and I never figured out a better plan, a little like a high jumper that keeps trying with a pole that is just too short.  This is one of those moments in life where I wish God would speak to me by writing on the wall, so could have a clear and decisive answer to my dilemma. But, enough of that.

Eric is doing great, many thanks for all the prayers.  He is more and more social with all the people here.  He is even introducing himself to the guests that are here on a regular basis for a weekend break or longer retreat.  I love to use my "mommy ears" and secretly listen to him talk to new acquaintances about what we/he is doing.  He has become quite a pool (balls not water) shark and had an opportunity to target shoot recently.  This is something he is really good at and it is a welcomed relief from the struggle of school.

Francesca is blessed beyond measure by all the female interns.  She is enjoying a one on one Bible study with Michelle, a returning intern, now on staff.  She has learned how to make those cute little flowers on toenail polish, that requires a fine touch which I admire.  She is trying to keep in touch with her friends at home. "Bumping" and texting them with her ipod.

Hannah is done with her school.  She is writing letters, (pencil and paper kind!) trying to ease her homesickness.  She hasn't been able to tell us what she is missing, just homesick.  She has new friends too, and enjoys going for an explore in the nearby woods, picking wild raspberries, finding rocks, and bringing me flowers.  One of the interns said that Hannah should be a musician because she feels everything so deeply.  So I am praying for a violin teacher in Entebbe.

Nathan and Benji are having fun, all the time basically.  They are on a permanent explore in the area.  Nathan found a frog in the creek, Benji found the snake on the lawn.  Not having a TV readily available has forced the boys to enjoy things like skipping stones, balancing on walkways, finding sticks to use as guns and swords, and all sorts of good old kid fun.  They fall into bed tired, and a little dirtier than I'd like.

Our time here has helped us change gears and to start thinking of ourselves as a missionary family, moving into a new stage of life.  I think everyone's expectations have been loosened up and what was once unknown (being at Potter's Field) is now known and it didn't kill us.  Hopefully this will encourage the kids for the next step of moving to Uganda.  They have met and know all the interns, who will be there when we arrive in Oct/Nov.  God is so detailed and so intimately concerned with His children, that He has prepared friendships and friends for my kids for that hard time when we hit the red Ugandan soil.  What a loving God we serve!

Until next time, Ingrid