The ebb and flow of our emotions...

This morning DA and I were reflecting on the emotional highs and lows we daily seem to go through. We are less than a month away from leaving the land we know and the people we love. With this comes surges of intense excitement, deep sorrow, unnerving anticipation for the things to come, and quiet satisfaction with where God has us.

In the midst of all this I am reminded of at least two things. First, that all the great lives that have been lived were lived in the context of extreme hardship and sacrifice coupled with great joy and satisfaction in God. I am convinced that to flee the former is also to deny the later. The second thing that I am reminded of is that the very God who holds our life in his hand is the same God who never changes, he will be 'the stability of your times' (Is 33:6). What a comforting thing to rest in. Although this world and our lives are in constant motion and in a constant series of hellos and goodbyes . One thing remains the same, the very God that loves us and gave his life for us will never leave us or forsake us, and will supply everything we need to finish the task he has put our hands to.

In all the joy, sorrow, hardship, and sacrifice. I know that in the end we will be able to say with countless others... 'It was worth it'.

St. Patty what?

“I am a servant of Christ to a foreign nation for the unspeakable glory of life everlasting which is in Jesus Christ our Lord.” – Patrick

HT: MD

How will we look on your fridge?

Valentine's Day, Botanical Gardens, and Snow!

The month of February flew by!  And w/ the coming of March we are much closer to being done w/ training.  3 weeks left!  Then back to Silverton and Lubbock for time w/ family.  

We've been pretty busy w/ class, but otherwise lead a fairly dull life.  Not to say that we're not having fun or are dying of boredom, there's just not much to tell you.  We really sit in class all day....there's not much else to tell you.  

We have had some highlights.  Valentine's Day brings a tradition around 8-10 years old.  My Dad has, for the past 8-10 years (I honestly can't remember when it started, he might comment and correct me!), sent me flowers on Valentine's Day.  I wasn't going to be super sad if he missed this year, considering we're across the country right now, but I have to admit I was going to be a little disappointed.  However, there was no need to, b/c Dad sent me flowers!  Here's a picture.

The next weekend, Logan and I went to the Lewis Ginter Botanical Gardens.  Although it was a bit too cold outside and too early for lush, beautiful gardens, they had a great conservatory, complete w/ an orchid room.  I love these flowers.  Maybe our future home will provide a better climate to grow these...I have no idea, that's a question for Logan, the horticulturist of the family.  We got to see lots of varieties of orchids, and then on the other side of the conservatory there was a room that had tulips and other early spring flowers.  The last of the botanical garden pictures is that room.

On Sunday, it started snowing around 1:30 in the afternoon.  It snowed and snowed and snowed!  I don't think it really stopped until Monday around lunch.  Regardless, it is Wednesday, the sun has shown for two full days, and there's still a lot of snow left around.  This isn't the greatest picture, but you can get the idea and be jealous or sorry for us, depending upon how you feel about snow.  It was fun to watch the kids (and adults) play Sunday night as it just kept coming down.  I prefer a book and a cup of tea while warm inside the house.....

We are doing well.  The current sessions in training deal w/ security, so its been an interesting week, but also helpful.  We have class all day for the rest of this week, including Saturday.  I will try and be better about posting, however, there's just not a whole lot to tell you.  And as a disclaimer, I still don't know the best/easiest way to post pictures, and this blog design is kind of frustrating at times, but at least we're posting (words and pictures!), right??  

Hope you are all doing well!  And now I'm off to lunch......

Love, 

da

That One Great Truth.

[On the cross] Jesus drank eternal justice so that we might have the cup of the Father’s joy.

- Timothy Keller, The Prodigal God

Drank eternal justice because God is holy and all wrong must be rightly punished. Not that Jesus had anything wrong about him, but his people do. He gave his life in this way so that his children might have the cup of the Father's joy.

True lasting joy is found by men and women only because of the truth of the Gospel. The best place to be in the world is clinging to the cross on which Jesus died.

LRH

Book Love and Slight Update

Here is an article that I read today that seemed to help justify my (our) love for books.

In other news, we are doing well at "school." The weather has been absolutely fantastic. Some classes are really enjoyable and helpful for the direction that we are headed in, and some classes are just simply helping us express what we believe, and why we believe it. (You can take that sentence how you want to. I'm only trying to be positive.)

We live in a world where I don't have to cook, we don't have much of a house to keep clean (we live in a dorm), and there's no job to come home from and therefore talk about. We eat meals in a cafeteria, often with six other people at our table. We are in class from 8-3 (usually) Monday-Friday, and usually have the weekends off. We worship together in small groups on Sunday morning, which is similar to how we did small groups in our home church. Life is different, but not necessarily better or worse. Just different. New place to live, new things to learn, new people to get to know, but life goes on. And we'll pick up in 2 months and move somewhere else, where we'll start all over again. But life will inevitable keep going on. Just as it is going on for you (our 4 readers) wherever you may be.

love,

dh

Promised Pictures

Well, I am not completely happy w/ the way these are arranged. But here are the pics, nonetheless.
Top Left: Hayden and Callie, our friends we visited while traveling, live in Dayton, TN, the famous location of the Scopes Trial. (This blog only allows 5 pics, so no picture of the courthouse right now.)
Top Right and Middle Pics: Me and Logan and Hayden and Callie at a Mongolian BBQ place in Chattanooga.
Bottom Pictures: All I can say is, "Don't be too hasty." You have to be a LOTR fan to get it.

Love,
daryl-ann

Lost fans...

If you want to know a little about the training camp we are staying at, you will have needed to watch the hit T.V. show LOST. Someone pointed out that the training camp is eerily familiar to the Dharma living quarters, and I whole heartily agree.

Here is another.

LRH

We made it, and....

We made it!  We're here!  We're out of the car!

As you read in Logan's previous post, we are here at our temporary home.  I am a bit overwhelmed right now, looking at the schedule and not really knowing what all is about to be asked of us here at training.  I think the days will be full, to say the least.  But we're closer to that goal we've set and desired--getting overseas--and so these next months will be worth it.  

But there is a little tug at my heart for home.  It isn't that I'm homesick.  I have come to learn that home is where you are at the time, especially since Logan and I have lived in 4 locations (not counting this one) since we have been married, which isn't quite 2 years.  And I also know that Logan and I are building our own home, no matter where we are.  And on top of that, even if we were to go back to the Lbk, eventually most of our friends would move away, and so even that home would be different.  And most of our extended family is scattered about Texas, and even the country.  So it isn't as if we could go back and be immersed in the middle of all of our family members again.

But as we sat in the cafeteria at dinner, with three other couples who all knew each other from their orientation, I not only felt like the nerdy kid who never fit really in, but also I longed for our dear friends "back home."  So this is really just to say "thank you" to all of those "back home" who have loved us and cared for us.  To our small group members and friends at church who have prayed for us and continue to pray for us, thank you.  To our friends who have cooked dinner for us or taken us out to eat, helped us move furniture (taken furniture off our hands), offered to help in any way possible as we moved, thank you.  To our friends who have showered us with hugs, cards, letters, and encouragement, thank you.  To our friends who put up w/ our strange personalities, thank you.  

I am thankful for the people that God has put in our life.  I know that there will continue to be good friendships made, but to those who have been with us thus far, you are loved deeply and appreciated.   I miss you already.  

--DH

We have arrived...

I am pleased to announce to everyone that Daryl-Ann and I have arrived in Richmond, Virginia, our temporary home away from home away from home away from... you get the idea.

We had a great trip. Thankfully the car did not break down or Daryl-Ann get sick and puke her guts out. Not to mention the Red Roof Inn that we stayed a night in had somewhat clean sheets!

We stayed two nights with Hayden and Callie Lavo in Dayton, TN , which was awesome! They seriously live in a cabin in the woods. I felt like we were on vacation.

Richmond is cold, slightly wet, and still beautiful. I felt as close to a hobbit wandering through the Shire as I probably ever will (although I am still hopeful). All that to say, we are having a good time. We are overwhelmed by all the stuff we will be doing over the next few months, and making friends can be a challenge for these Heinrichs, but none the less we are grateful to God for his leading us here. Keep us in your prayers.

LRH

Pictures coming soon...