More Highlights from Athens (East Texas)

Here are a few more great pics from our stay with Jim's parents. Wish it could have been longer!















Ellie would make a great fireman, as she LOVED sliding down the pole. Once she got the hang of it, she was scary--coming down whether mommy was there or not!
















This was a great 5 tricycle ride-- never seen anything like it! They had such fun!















Best sister pic in awhile. They are almost both smiling, both looking at the camera. This is a statistical impossibility. We were at the Arboretum in Athens, in front of a life-size doll house. It was such a great play area!

And this reminds me of another story I'll touch on briefly-- The day before this trip with the girls, my mother-in-law and I got lost on a sophisticated, all-uphill hiking trail for HOURS, in the pitch-black of night, while it was POURING down rain...a deluge...we were almost swept away! There are only a few words in the last sentence that could be considered slight exaggerations. When we were driving home looking like drowned rats, GG asked me if I thought Jim might be wondering what became of us by that point. He hadn't even begun to miss us. Probably the most memorable (definitley the most adventurous) few hours of our whole trip.
















Action shot! I love the flying hair! The girls with cousins Emma and Alli (Jim's sister's girls.)
















This poor turtle wandered into the wrong yard. He was a GREAT science project for the morning though. After mild torture he made a run for it and got away.















Here's all the girls with Aunt Becca, Jim's brother's wife.















Simple pleasures-- the pool at the hotel. Ellie loved to be thrown in the pool! Pictured here with "Uncle Dingo", Jim's brother.















Here's the whole Bishop fam-- Jim's sister, husband Jeff, Emma and Alli.

Texas State Fishery

OK, I'm catching up on the backlog of pics from our US time.
One trip of great interest was with GG and Da (Jim's parents) to the Texas State Fishery. Since you've never heard of this place, it is in Athens, TX. Yes, I know this is another place most of you have never heard of--It's in East Texas. We had a great time at the Fishery! One random detail-- While we were at the fishing pond, I got a call on my cell phone from a friend in China. I thought, "Is this real, that I am having a crystal clear conversation on my cell phone with my friend in China from East Texas??" I couldn't believe the great reception. OK, now back to the fishery.

First tank of note: HUGE, HUNGRY catfish. Don't they just look like they would gobble my little Ellie up??















Then we made our way to the fishing pond. This was GREAT for kids-- A big pond stocked full of small catfish. Every cast landed a whopper! Kathryn really got into it and thought it was grand fun.















Ellie wasn't sure she wanted to touch the slimy things, but before long she was fishin with the best of em.






























There was even a fun educational program for kids where a diver talks to you from inside the tank about the various fish. Kathryn wanted to know if she could go swimming with the fish too. I highly recommend this place-- next time you are in Athens, TX.

Thoughts on Treasure Hunting

It's been awhile since I've written anything--Travel and transition doesn't make for a reflective life. Yet we have had the joys of reunion with family and friends, as reconnecting relationships after two years away are the heart behind this trip! Wish we had time for more.

Here is my meditative thought for the day. "Bring me to Jesus"-- this phrase captures my heart, and brought forth this blog. You may think that this is easy for me. Let me put to rest any false 'super-spirituality' misconceptions. It's hard.

Two thoughts about this.
1) Noise reduction. Jim and I were able to get away for a few days last week, compliments of my parents, and these were the thoughts that hit me. Certain seasons of life make for lots of 'noise', and this season feels particularly busy with activity. Yet, I make certain choices that can dim the quiet rest of heart. For me, this is being wise about when I check email, television choices, and other media that clutters my mind. Going to bed late means, surprise, I don't want to get up early. These are not wrong in of themselves. Maybe you are less distracted than me. But at least me for me, I assume that I can make these choices and engage my mind in these things, and then quickly jump out and be at rest. I can't. So learning to say no to some things means you are free to say yes to the best things. Here's to a season of better choices about putting myself on the path of a peaceful heart.

2) Treasure hunting. Noise reduction can only take you so far. Buddhists do this quite well. Skilled treasure hunting means more than just heading down a path with any old map. It's keeping your eye on the prize. I have been reading Colossians this week, and I love the TLB version of this verses:
"Col 2:2-3 I pray...that you will have the rich experience of knowing Christ with real certainty and clear understanding. For God's secret plan, now at last made known, is Christ himself. In him lie hidden all the mighty, untapped treasures of wisdom and knowledge. "

What hit me, is the word hidden. Treasures are hidden. Now we see Him through dark glass. This is why it takes great effort-- because treasures are hidden. Am I willing to put forth the effort? Does my heart carry the daily sense of excitement that this is no ordinary treasure hunt? Do I believe this hunt has the greatest prize imaginable, worth every bump and rock on the road? I admit that I set off on the hunt and become distracted, forgetting what I was looking for and seeking after lesser pleasures. I forget that the treasure is Jesus. You too?

Let's pray that He will make us hungry, bold, and single-minded treasure hunters.

A Travel Song

Tomorrow morning at 7:15am, the girls and I take off for the US. (Please do pray for our trip!) This is our last day in Singapore, perhaps ever! Yesterday I was reading Philippians 4, (which I've found it very difficult to try to be quiet and reflective in the midst of major transition) and God 'gave' me this song for our trip. Thank you, Lord! Because one or a couple of us may tend towards anxiety or negative thoughts, these are the perfect lyrics--for 2 & 3 year olds (and 30+ year olds). Literally within 60 seconds, the tune was crystal clear and the words were down on paper. So I went to the girls room after rest time and taught it to them, and they added hand motions! Wish I could get them to sing it for you, but here are the words:

If there's anything of which you're afraid
Tell it to God, and tell it with thanks
And then you will find His peace is right there
To comfort your heart in Jesus

And rejoice, rejoice, for our Lord is near
Rejoice, rejoice, He'll keep your heart from fear

Whatever is true, whatever is right
Whatever is good, whatever is pure
If anything's great or worthy of praise
Tell your heart "Think on these things"!

Redemption and an Apple Tree

April 24, 2007, the fifth anniversary of the birth of our first born daughter,

Hannah Kathryn Wallace.

I have done many different things over the last five years to commemorate our daughter’s short life. In my heart, I feel stirrings to write something—a bit of poetry, a tribute, special memories… But this year on her birthday, two weeks from another international move and all the overwhelming details daily confronting us, there feels no time to be introspective or (should I have something to say), time to articulate it well. (Not to mention I spent the better part of the day in the ER with Ellie, who took a bad fall and bit a nasty, gaping hole in her tongue.)

But the day was not lost on the tyranny of the urgent alone, and Kathryn was the impetus for the day's precious moment. When I got home from the hospital, I sat down on the couch and decided to tell Kathryn that it was Hannah’s birthday. She knows all about her sister and we have discussed it many times, and at that moment it felt like I was talking with a good friend rather than a 3 year old.

Then all of a sudden, Kathryn asks

“Mom, can you eat an apple right now?”

“Why do you want me to eat an apple?”

“Because we need some apple seeds to plant an apple tree for her birthday!”

So we shared an apple, and (from a particularly fruitful apple) acquired 9 seeds, and impromptu took them down to her ‘garden’ to plant them. Can you think of a better way to celebrate Hannah’s birthday, than plant an apple tree?

No matter that apples don’t grow here in Singapore. Never mind that she planted them in a shallow bit of dirt in a garden area designed for shrubs and flowers. She planted 9 apple seeds, (and having faithfully watered them the last 2 days), is convinced that time is all it will take before we’re enjoying the fruit. And honestly, I wouldn’t be shocked if, should we come for a visit in 10 years, there’s an apple tree bearing fruit right there—just because God just might do something like that to delight the heart of a child.

I never would have believed it if you had told me 5 years ago that I would be sharing about Hannah’s life (let alone planting an apple tree!) with her sister. A bit of redemption in the best 5 minutes of my day. I can imagine there is more to come.

K proudly showing off her planted seeds

Fear of Fire

Feeling afraid of fire is not necessarily a bad thing, but somehow this came about quite significantly for Kathryn. It all elapsed over 2 particular events-- First, the unfortunately lacking memory of her mommy during a viewing of the Bambi movie (it's been 20+ years-- how was I supposed to remember a forest fire?), and the second was a children's book we received as a gift. The book was a tragic love tale between a family and a beloved dog. The family adopted the orphan dog, and the dog gave his life one night rescuing the family from a fire in their home. (In retrospect, I question whether this truly was appropriate for 3 year olds as the story claimed!) At first K was fascinated with it, but the more that she processed the story she grew more and more fearful until we finally gave the story away to some friends.

Over many months since these two unfortunate events, I have tried in vain to quell her fears in a healthy way. She has a video called "Camp Harmony" that came in the mail weeks ago, and she refuses to watch it because there is a camp fire on the cover. What to do? A friend told me that a local fire station it open for children on Saturdays, and while daddy was away, I decided we should check it out.

At first it seemed like a big bomb. Kathryn wouldn't walk NEAR the fire truck. But after a little more time and little coaxing, we had a good time. For a moment, it even seemed that she was going to agree to ride the hook and ladder truck (I don't know my technical fire truck terms, but you know, the part where they raise it up really high and spray the water out.) We even got the safety harnesses on, but freaked out at the last minute. That's OK. We made big progress.

The mark of success came for me when she said as we were leaving, "Mom, I want to be a firelady when I grow up. Or maybe I'll be a penguin."

Here are some fun pics:














We started with the ambulance. It seemed safer.


















They had these great uniforms for kids to try on!



















Ellie wasn't so interested in the hat














K climbed aboard the truck!















Ellie thought the truck was pretty cool!



















See the ladder? K is asking daddy to take her back next weekend to ride it!

Easter Pics

Jim is due back in a few hours, so we've almost come to the end of another daddy-gone marathon. Thanks for your prayers for us! I haven't had any energy to write anything at the end of the day-- but here are a few fun pics from our Easter. Hope yours was rich with meaning and delight in our Savior and hope!

Palm Sunday Project

I promised Kathryn I would share our "Palm Sunday Project" pictures with our friends. So here you have them. We've been busy this week decorating praise shakers, palm branches, a donkey, and today for a grand finale--a path to welcome Jesus as he rode. So today when Jim (our resident Jesus) came home from work, the long-awaited play unfolded. It only lasted about 5 minutes (and about 3 of those were spent serving Jesus soup, as Kathryn insisted this was the only proper way to welcome Jesus to Jerusalem.) But we had fun and made memories. These kinds of activities together are a stabilizing force for the girls on the brink of major transition.















Here are the girls diligently decorating Jesus' path this morning.





















Is that a great looking Jesus, or what?




















Don't you love these genuine costumes?




















The action in this shot is captured by the hair!





















Here is the full cast




















And we can't forget Kathryn's special homemade soup!

Sentosa Fun

This week was a crazy time for us, as we hosted a family of 5 in our 3 bedroom apartment for a week! (That's 5 kids--5, 4, 3, 2, & 2; and 4 adults!) They will be joining our new team and came to Singapore to take part in some related meetings. We (moms at least-- I can't speak for all the meetings!) had a great time, played hard, listened to a lot of screaming children who missed lots of normal sleep, and were glad when the week was over! Even though K was hungry for some alone time, she asked me today, "Mommy, wouldn't it be fun if we found one BIG house and we all lived together all of time??!"

We capped off the week with a team trip to Sentosa, which is a small tourist island owned by Singapore and just swimming distance from the southern coast. We have been there as a family two other times to play on the beach, but yesterday all 6 families "did" the whole island! The sky tower, the 4D movie show, the ski lift and "luge" toboganning down the hill overlooking the ocean...and of course, the beach. Great team bonding with lots of sand and sun! Here are some of the best pics.














View from the sky tower looking North--
You are seeing the south tip of Singapore
towards the Malaysian continent.















Southern view -- nothing but ocean from there on out!














Eastern view















Western view-- You can see downtown and the
shipping yards. (Can you visualize all of our
earthly possessions in one of those tincy-incy
little crates?)

















"No helmet, no ride" says the sign. So even Ellie
sported a floppy helmet for the toboggan ride





















This is the famous Singapore "mermaid-lion".
Hard to see, but can you make out K & daddy lions too?



















Famous Asian dessert -- "Ice ke chang"
It's shaved ice, flavoring, and yes, topped with CORN.
It tastes just like chocolate syrup... sort of.
















Ellie had grand fun at this shallow depth pool
















The funnest part of being buried in the sand is
breaking out!














This lookout tower boasts the southernmost tip
on the entire Asian Continent. Next stop-- Australia!

From Texas to Equador

Feel the intensity and pray for us!

Remember the last time you moved? Remember the boxes, the sorting through and throwing out; the endless forms to change your address and your mail; the new city you'd never lived in before? The packing, the stress, the lost socks?

Now throw in a couple of kids, say a 2 and 3 year old. And now pretend that you're not moving to another city, but actually another country. And then pretend that the place you're moving from is not your home country either. Oh, and in this new country, throw in another language.

For geography's sake, pretend you're moving to Equador. (Texas to Equador is the same relative distance from Singapore to our new home.) And now pretend that it's not only you, but 6 other families who are moving together -- (for a combined total of 12 children under 6)--actually equal to the number of adults! And you are all moving from different places all over North & South America!

And pretend that you and these other 6 families with 12 children are looking for that new house in that new country...seeking to meet everyone's non-negotiables and preferences and budgets all within a single apartment complex.

Add all that together, and that is our current reality for the next few months! Not trying to be melodramatic...but when I put it like this, then I think-- OH, is that why we're feeling some stress??!

Please do pray for His wisdom...

-We need a visa. More complicated and boring that I have time to explain.

-April 7 & 8 Jim will be traveling with friends to look for our new homes together. Pray we will find a group of affordable apartments quickly.

-April 6-14 Jim will be away; During Easter and our anniversary :( We wish it could be different,but pray mom would have great inspiration and creativity for some knock-it-out-of-the-park ideas for celebrating Easter... and extra stamina and grace too.

-Pray I'll have wisdom to help these little girls process and embrace this new culture-new language- new country- new friends move. Oh, I need wisdom!

...(and, of equal importance, right now, I need sleep! Goodnight!)

There Was a Time...

Since time feels like it's spinning out of control as we get closer to another international move, I feel like I need reminders. Reminders of "the way things were", even though they still are, even if for just a brief moment longer.





















Kathryn delights in being a little girl. Recently, this expresses itself in a love of pigtails. Glorious! I love them.

















This is Ellie's first time using "sissers". Hardly the sentimentality of her first word, but I cherish the few "firsts" that still remain--or at least it feels there are only a few left!
















And this one? Well, it reminds me that there was a time where Jim and I got away, to a quiet place, alone, thanks to my parents...-- Here's a night out at a fun Japanese Tepanyaki Restaurant! Yum!

Scribbling in the Sand

I read this inspiring story today in a new book I've begun and thought I'd wet your appetite. The book is Scribbling in the Sand, Christ and Creativity by Michael Card. I love his music and I didn't know he is quite the writer as well!

He tells the story of traveling to China to perform a concert, but at the last minute his concert was unexpectedly canceled. He was able to pull together an informal gathering of students, and gives this account from his time with them.

"I shared a couple of songs but soon sensed that the students were more eager to share their experiences with me. A young, intelligent woman shared her testimony, and spoke of the spiritual struggle growing up in a place where official doctrine dictated against any belief in God. She told us, however, that since she was a little girl she had found her heart resonated with the beauty in nature. She described a series of epiphanies. First there was a sunset that caused a deep stirring in her soul that she could not put into words. Then there was a time when the simmple beauty of the flowers in her mother's garden spoke to her of a simplicity for which her heart yearned. Simply by observing the beauty in nature she had become convicted of the existence of not simply a benign god but a loving, caring Father. "Imagine the joy I experineced when I learned that he had a name, and that it was Jesus", she shared. All at once almost everyone started chiming in with nearly identical stories..."

Another quote I loved:
"Beauty...one color in the spectrum of the light that is Christ."

"For God, who said, "Light shall shine out of darkness," is the One who has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Christ." (Paul said that one!)

Remember when...

Tonight, we had the pleasure of going out to dinner, not only without our children, but also with a fun young couple. (What does that make us?) After dinner we were rushing to make it home by the time we promised our sitter, while the newlyweds were heading for Starbucks. I had a moment of reminiscing with a twinge of jealousy-- I remember those days. Spending the afternoon together at the coffee shop studying together in seminary, or sleeping in on Saturdays, or spontaneously deciding to make a drive through the hill country. And then I remembered that every time I talk to older moms, they almost always tend to say with fervor and memories in their voices, "ENJOY those years when you are at home with your kids. They pass so quickly."

What is it about human nature that we always tend to long for what we don't have? Oh Lord, help me today to delight in the privilege of giggling and playing dress up with 2 & 3 year olds!

Another Kathryn Quotable

Today I was in the bathroom when I heard Kathryn yelling from the living room. "OW, OW, OW!" "OW....OW!" I rushed in to see what was the matter. She was on the side of the couch, and a map was stuck under the leg of the couch. "What happened, Kathryn?... Did your leg get stuck?" Concentrating on the map, she started up again "OW, OW....OWWW!" "Kathryn, tell mommy what is going on! Is your arm hurt?"

"No, mommy. The map won't come out and it's hurting my feelings."

Heart Check

I have noticed a disturbing trend...

On certain weeks when I attend a mom's meeting, I can begin to feel sorry for myself. You see, I (making fun of myself here) have no full-time domestic helper (i.e., live-in maid), and I have no car, and my kids' international school education is not fully funded by my profitable company. And I can begin to feel... what is that feeling?? Hmmm. I think it's called JEALOUS.

But just when I begin to lose perspective, I ran into Na Ling last week. Remember my Cambodian friend? She came with the girls and I to visit a friend in the hospital, and afterwards invited us up to her apartment. Her earthly possessions would fit into a thimble, relatively. She has a mattress on the floor and a small desk and chair. Her clothes fit in a file box. She is a seminary student. She insists, despite her friends' insistence that life in Singapore is much more comfortable, that she is more needed in Cambodia. So, this May after her graduation, she's going back home.

The funny thing is that Kathryn and Ellie keep asking when we can go back to Na Ling's apartment because they thought it was grand fun to jump on her mattress.

When I see her life yet her joy, I remember the words of Jesus. "Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven...For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also."