Let the Games Begin

I love the Olympics. I’m not sure why. I mean, in general, I’m not a sports fan. But the Olympics seem so much bigger than sports. Tonight I’m watching the opening ceremony. It is nothing short of amazing! What I’ve loved the most is watching the children. I can’t help but be reminded of little Jack that I met in China while visiting in 2006. We were visiting a Chinese, upper class, Kindergarten classroom. Jack, who also had a Chinese name, that I can neither pronounce nor remember, was 3½ at the time. He stole my heart. as I sat by watching him color. He would color for a few minutes, then get a great big smile on his face, look at me, and speak very quickly in Chinese – he could have spoken slowly but, it wouldn’t have helped my understanding. After I affirmed whatever it was he’d just said, Jack would go back to his coloring. As we left the classroom that day I was nearly in tears. I knew I’d never see Jack again. I felt the Lord speak to me as I left and remind me that even though I’d never see Jack again in this world, I could pray for him. And I have. I fully expect to meet up with Jack in heaven someday. I can’t wait to see him.

Jack is on the right side of this picture. How could I not fall in love with this adorable little guy?

As I’m typing this the Olympic athletes are walking into the stadium. The announcer has said that, in the past, 87 of the 204 nations that participate in the Olympics have NEVER won a medal. Tonight is their moment in the sun, and they are well aware of the fact that they most likely will go home before the week is out. But, for this moment, tonight (more correctly, this morning), these Olympic athletes are all together. And, I guess that’s what I like about the Olympics. For a few short days, it seems as though the world is getting along. I know they aren’t, mind you, but it appears that they are, and I love it. I love the pageantry, I love the spirit, and I’m amazed by the hard work put forth by all of the athletes. Their dedication to their sport is nothing short of incredible. Let the games begin!

First Thursday Fun Fest

There were big things going on in Cannon Falls tonight. First of all, our bank had free brats (the edible type, not the undisciplined children type) and "fixings", so yay, I didn't have to make dinner! Who can pass up that opportunity? Then, the downtown merchants had some sidewalk sales; plus there were bands, artists selling their goods, and a whole plethora of local people. Good times.

As we headed back home, John looked at me and said, "How many votes did you get tonight?" I looked at him quizzically. He tells me I work the crowd like a politician. He's sure I could win if I'd just run for something. Well maybe, until they all figure out I know nothing about politics, and that, in fact, my brain starts to misfire when the subject comes up.

The local police had a booth at this shindig. They passed out a list of things that I should have packed in a backpack in case of emergency. They call it the grab and go bag. It should include, in addition to the normal emergency items, a set of comfortable clothes, a lightweight blanket, an extra pair of shoes and a minimum of a gallon of drinking water. Oh, and a good book, playing cards and crossword puzzles. What I want to know, first of all, is where do I buy a back pack large enough for all of these items (the list is quite extensive), and secondly, who is going to carry it for me in the said emergency? I mean seriously, it's going to weigh over 50 pounds by the time I get it packed. And, what if by the time the emergency comes the clothes are too big, or worse yet, too small? Everyone in the family is supposed to have one and we are supposed to keep it by our beds. Are you kidding me? I'm supposed to keep a 50 pound back pack next to my bed where I can trip on it in the middle of the night? And then, I'm supposed to remember to grab said back pack should I need to evacuate quickly in the event of a fire? Wouldn't it make more sense to just put a wallet next to my bed and stick a couple hundred dollars in it to buy this stuff with once the emergency happens? In the event of a global emergency, I can't really imagine that my one gallon of water is going to make a difference between life and death. Who comes up with this stuff?

Weekend fun

This past weekend we were in Lutsen, MN for John's niece's wedding. It was a true Minnesota North Shore experience. John's sister, Pat, graciously invited us to the rehearsal dinner, even though all we'd be doing for the wedding would be sitting in our chairs. I didn't need to rehearse that. I have sitting down to an art form. But, the rehearsal dinner on the Lutsen resort beachfront was great. It was a perfect Minnesota evening, complete with a bonfire.

Saturday dawned as a perfect day for a beach wedding. By the time Anna, John's niece, walked down the aisle it was 72 degrees with a slightly overcast sky, which kept us from roasting in the sun. You couldn't ask for better wedding weather. It was beautiful.

Anna and Jason had a little different take on the unity candle theme, and used water instead. Perfect for a wedding on the beach, and still conveys the same meaning! Note the flowers in Anna's hair. Jason's mom told us at the rehearsal dinner that Jason had once said that when he got married he wanted his bride to wear flowers in her hair and go barefoot. How cute is that? He got the flowers but I'm fairly certain there were shoes on Anna's feet.

Anna's niece (and our great - or is it grand? - niece), Grace, was the flower girl. As a song was played during ceremony she just had to dance and twirl. Really, what else can a four-year-old, who takes dance classes, do? It was adorable.

We took a little time for fun with our kids during the weekend, too. Before we left on Sunday morning we went to the Alpine Slide on Lutsen mountain. I always like to do things that, deep down, scare me to death, but that I'm pretty sure I won't die from. What a blast! I would have gone for the 40 ride pass if we'd had more time. I was accused of racing my niece (not Anna - Emily - who was joining us for the drive home) down the hill on our second turn down the mountain. But, seriously, we weren't racing, I just went a little faster on the slow track than I did on my first trip. I'm way more adventuresome once I'm sure I won't be killed having fun!

Pray for the Children

Children's Cup is one of the mission organizations that we have worked with on our trips to Africa. They are an awesome organization with a passion to minister to the AIDS orphans in Africa. Forty Days of Prayer for the Children starts on August 1.

I'll be the first to admit, I don't fully understand how this whole prayer thing works. I mean, how does my prayer affect a change in a continent nearly 10,000 miles away? Though I can't explain why, I do know that when God's people agree in prayer miracles start to happen. Would you join me in praying for some miracles in the lives of the sweet children of Africa? Click on this link, "Forty Days of Prayer for the Children," to get more information. I am excited to see what God is going to do!

Enough Photos

We now are in possession of enough photos for an entire Niagara Falls coffee table book. We've seen the Falls from the Canadian side, the American side, from the top, from the bottom, and from nearly inside. We haven't, however, gone over the Falls in a barrel. It's highly discouraged (read illegal), and seriously, you'd have to be nuts to try that.

We did hear an amazing story about a seven year-old boy, Roger Woodward, who went over the Falls wearing only a swimsuit and a life jacket, as the result of a boating accident in 1960. He miraculously lived and his 14 year-old sister was rescued just seconds before plunging over the falls. What I like best about this story are Roger's words recorded years later in this article.
Roger gave all the glory to God claiming it wasn't luck, fate, or the spirit of Lelawala (a young Indian maiden who canoed over the Falls to avoid being married to the oldest man in the village.) Roger states, beyond a shadow of a doubt, that is was the hand of God that saved him that fateful day in July 1960. Cool!

The view of the Canadian "horseshoe" falls from the American side.

The American Falls from the American side, which is far more park-like, less busy and less commercialized than the Canadian side. It's not that the Americans aren't making money, they are just making it differently. I'm glad I was able to see the Falls from every angle. All angles are beautiful and unique in their own way.

John loved our journey under the American Falls. His favorite was listening to the squeals of the kids as they got soaked by the Falls. Good times!

Conquering the Falls

A couple of months ago, John and I went to see the movie, “The Bucket List.” As a result, we’ve started labeling the things we’d like to do “someday” as an item on our bucket list – things we’d like to do before we die. Now mind you, we don’t plan on dying anytime soon, but there are lots of things on our list so we decided we’d better get started. Since our 33rd anniversary is just a couple weeks away we thought we’d celebrate it with a trip to Niagara Falls, one of the "places we'd like to visit" on our list.

We arrived yesterday and today we conquered the Falls. My legs feel more like the Falls have conquered me, but I digress. We are currently on the Canadian side of the Falls, which we’ve been told is the prettier side. I have to say, the Canadians do seem to have the better view and have figured out how to capitalize on their advantage.

I left home knowing only that I wanted to ride on “The Maid of the Mist;” the boat that takes you as close to the base of the falls as is humanly possible without actually going over in a barrel. Who knew there’d be so much more to do here? With the help of an “Adventure Pass” we’ve done the “Journey Behind the Falls,” the White Water Walk,” the “Maid of the Mist,” and for a small extra fee, “The Whirlpool Aero Car.” All were great fun, but my original instincts were correct - “The Maid of the Mist” was amazing. Granted, it would have been a wee bit more fun without the other 500 people on the boat with us, but still, it was pretty awe inspiring to be that close to the Falls, not to mention we got to wear those cool blue “souvenir” ponchos. The need for a blue poncho was obvious shortly after we arrived. All the cool people had one and I’m not one to be left out.

Both the Canadian Falls and the American Falls are incredible works of God. Everyone should see it at least once in a lifetime. If it’s not on your “bucket list,” you should seriously consider adding it.

Don't we look "cool" in our blue ponchos. We looked even better AFTER we were soaked by the Falls.
If you get to the Falls at the exact right time of day, you can see the rainbow created by the sun shining through the mist of the falls. It's extraordinarily beautiful!

Learning on Every Level

This past week has been particularly busy. Good, but busy. I spent the beginning of last week at a cabin in Cumberland with some old friends (literally and figuratively.) For the past 10 years this group of women has met for a week of relaxation, eating, boating, crafts, eating, swimming (you really don't want to witness this), playing games and eating. Are you catching my drift? Most of us used to work together at the Cannon Falls School but we've added a few to the group over the years. We range in age from late 40's to mid-70's. It's an interesting mix but we always have a good time.

What does this have to do with learning, you might be wondering? Well, last week the beautiful, full moon was glistening off the lake as it rose one evening. Someone commented that the fairy trail on the lake was beautiful. I was stymied. What in the world is a fairy trail? Turns out, there are at least a few people who call the moon's reflection on the lake a fairy trail. Who knew? I asked them what they called it when the sun reflects off the lake. It is apparently called "the sun reflecting on the lake." I'm thinking of making up a new term.

Switching gears completely from a bunch of crazy women to well, another group of crazy women, I spent Friday and Saturday at the Beth Moore Living Proof Live conference in Minneapolis. That woman can teach! Her three Bible lessons were on "Between a Rock and a Hard Place." I learned tons in the short time at the conference but my favorite thing she said is this: "When you find yourself between a rock and a hard place - press into the rock. Jesus is the Rock." So often we tend to turn away from God when we are struggling. This is the very time we should be pressing in and leaning on His strength instead of our own.

My crazy, busy week ended on Sunday night with an amazing "Super Chick Night" at our church. Each month at River Valley we have a women's worship service (Chick Night) and they are incredible! This month we pulled out all the punches to make it "Super Chick Night." The service started with my friend, Heather Rogers, singing "Dreaming in Color." She hit it out of the park and when the streamer rockets exploded so did the audience. What a blast!


Helen Burns from Vancouver, Canada was here and did an awesome job. She spoke on what makes a woman beautiful. You might guess that what makes a woman beautiful has nothing to do with the clothes she wears, her weight, her height, or the color of her hair. Hopefully, her message will be posted on the River Valley Church website in the next day or two so if you missed it you can hear the podcast. What a great week with some amazing learning opportunities!