Spinach is back. Enter at your own risk.

[Spinach]

*Disclaimer---this post could be long, bloggy, disjointed, and maybe even a little hyper. I'm back and have lots to tell!!!

I went to the country north of us for 6 days for English camp meeting. It had been since October that we were all together for singing, praying, testifying, and preaching in English. Needless to say, we were all ready!

I spent 2 days washing laundry, packing, and cleaning. I went to a national Pastor's house and asked him to take care of my animals while I was gone. On Wed morning, we loaded the van and hit the road. I turned on the Ann of Green Gables audiobook and the ride was quite pleasant. We had no trouble, as usual, at the border, and I was very pleased that traffic in the big city wasn't bad enough to induce a panic attack.

When we arrived, everyone was already there. There were many hugs. We unloaded our things in the rooms we had been given and prepared for evening meeting.

The meetings were just beautiful. The youth played on their mandolins and violins, along with the piano, and we all sang. You have to understand something---only 2 people out of the 50 or so Americans that we have (that includes all the youngin's) sing off key. Everyone else has so much talent. I think we nearly sang the roof off. The music was glorious!

We had 2-3 preachers preach at each meeting. Psalm 23 was preached 3 times (differently each time). We laughed, we cried, we worshiped.

Aside from the wonderful church meetings, we also had a great time of fellowshipping around the table (we are Baptists, afterall). The food was great, though most of it had MSG, so I couldn't partake. Cry for me, ok? Oh, but the desserts were fabulous, for the most part. I made cheesecake, carrot cake with cream cheese frosting, and pineapple upside down cake for the adults (and everyone knows I make THE best pineapple upside down cake this side the Danube), and peanut butter brownies with chocolate frosting and cream cheese brownies for all the kids.

The MKs all played together. They had missed one another so much. Unfortunately, they passed a virus around and my little ones are still getting over it (BAD headache, high fever, lethargy).

So, we're home again and ready to face new challenges. A plan is coming together for a mass evangelization campaign (for lack of better words) this summer. I hope to get in on it!

And now this post is too long, though I have more to share...

 

[Spinach]

Now for a little more hyper, disjointed posting.

I have a wish list. I suppose everyone does. The most important thing on my wish list is a steamer/juicer (like this one http://www.amazon.com/dp/B001KB9KCW/?tag=baptis04-20 ). My Mom was going to try to send it for Christmas, but the cost to ship it was terrible, so it didn't work out.

Anyhoo, one day while on our little getaway, dh and I went out for an afternoon alone. We walked around a mall for a while and I spotted a kitchenware store (I LOVE those stores!!!). I went in to look around and right away found a cherry stoner. YAY! That was on my wish list. I had never seen one in this part of the world. I also saw a nice steamer and decided I'd think on that one and see if I could make it work similarly to the above steamer/juicer.

I thought on it for a while and decided to go back and ask if it was alluminum or stainless steel. I was excited that it was the latter. Then dh said I should ask the woman if they had something like the above. I told him that I thought asking would be futile. People in these countries don't use such a thing. He said I should ask anyway. I called the lady over and began to explain to her the concept of the steamer/juicer. Her eyes lit up and she said, "I think I have just what you're looking for. Wait here." She went in the back and came out with a box, which, when I saw it, I let out a scream. It was a steamer/juicer.

She explained that she had ordered it by mistake and she thought she would never sell it because her people wouldn't use it. She said that she put it in the back and never expected to make good on her mistake. I assured her it was not a mistake. Then I said, "I think I love you." I laughed when she said, "I think I love you, too!" I think we were all laughing. What else could she say?

So I bought it. It was cheaper than the ones I looked at online, it was stainless steel, and it had a 2 year warranty. I was so excited that my heart raced just a little.

Then when I got back to where all the missionaries were staying, an American friend gave me a brand new dehydrator because someone sent it and she would never use it. I was on cloud 9. That was yet another thing to mark off the wish list. Oh, and the lady at the store gave me a jar funnel, which was also on my wish list. I think my wish list is nearly empty. YAY!

Now I'm waiting for my plums and cherries to be ready to use the stoner and steamer/juicer. I'm also looking up recipes because I'm anxious to try out the new dehydrator. I'm like a kid with new toys----or like my husband with a new power tool. LOL!

Cloud 9 is where you'll find me