Clean Wounds

Our time in Colorado at the DAR program with MTI was not a waste of time for our family. It was a training/debriefing program and we walk away from it so thankful for the safe place to process, but it also feels like our hearts are bleeding. I am reminded of a talk Jon heard about a year ago after there was some traumatic transition with families unexpectedly leaving the field. Two women spoke of how they wanted “clean wounds” and often our wounds can heal, but if not actively inviting God to do the painful process of debridement, we end up with oozy wounds or ugly scars. 

Once again, we are reminded to ask God, as Good, Good Father to be so very near. 

A side-by-side in the same airport, two years apart. 

“Sleeping on the plane”. When the girls think of airplanes, it makes them tired. ;)

We had the hilariously, most delayed, chaotic flight schedule we have ever experienced domestically. Thankfully, even while waiting for hours on runways, our spirits were up. 

Waiting for a shuttle at 3:30 in the morning. 

Poor Tiger baby had a bad cold a bit before we left that only got worse. I took the girls to Whit’s End at Focus on the Family while Jon walked Tiger to an Urgent Care beside our hotel.

Sick babies are so, so sad. Especially when we are all planning on sleeping in the same room for 8 nights in a row. Thankfully, it is just a nasty virus and I think it is almost gone.

Putting on a play for me about forgiveness at Whit’s End.

We found Tamika! (A character in Adventures in Odyssey)

And had a happy baby again!

We stayed at a lodge with a beautiful view of Pike’s Peak, although I never took a picture when the clouds were lifted. It will live on in memory. 

The girls loved “Aunt Sandy”, who helped them through a lot of emotional processing.

And the hot tubs!

I am relatively certain Tiger didn’t get put down the entire time he was in kid’s program. 

So thankful for this time of growing and sharing. 

Jon is off to Ethiopia now and the girls, Tiger and I send him off as our representative. We miss him dearly but are so glad he can go and visit community, work on the sawmill (along with his dad and a friend from the church he grew up in) and eventually attend meetings in Addis Ababa. So, we take the 12 days of his planned absence and I’m giving myself a pep talk. :)