It’s Robin’s (first) 39th Birthday today.
I am so blessed to have her as my wife.
Words I think of when I think of Robin…
Lovely
Beautiful
Kind
Tender
Compassionate
Servant-hearted
Hardworking
Loyal
Faithful
Generous
Patient
Honest
Open
Funny
She is a treasure, a good gift from the Lord. I am deeply in love with her and can’t believe how blessed I am.
Happy Birthday, Love.
As a family we head to South Africa tonight. It will be our first mission trip as a family. The first 10 days we are leading a team from our church to work in a township outside of Pretoria with a ministry called Beam Africa. We will be helping Beam as they serve kids in the neighborhood by helping feed them and hosting a kids camp. We also will be offering some business classes for adults to help those in extreme poverty rise above their situation. We will launch “Sekepe” and give micro-loans to empower them. (The CCC Project will arrive while we are there and we will overlap for 2 days working with the kids.) We will do a few fun things too like go to a Lion Park and celebrate the 4th with a braai (BBQ).
It’s with a little nervousness that I take my family. There is a lot of crime. I am not sure how my boys will do on the long flight or if they will want to go into the township every day. I am not sure how Jack & Drew will respond to ‘mom’ holding other kids. I have never lead a team with my family so not sure how divided my attention will be.
But on the other hand I am excited and have been looking forward to this for a year. I want us as a family to serve together among the least of these. (And do some fun adventures too.) I want my wife to live out her dream of ‘running an orphanage’ by caring for orphans who live on their own. I want Luke, Jack and Drew to rub shoulders every day with kids who don’t have everything and don’t complain about the food served them. I want to take the extra time we have by being there a month to sit and listen to the needs of those within the township and see how Cornerstone can partner long-term there to help bring about real change. I want to find other ministries like Beam Africa so ‘Sekepe’ can be a blessing to other ministries as well helping many be alleviat
ed from their situation and the Kingdom of God come.
Most of all, I want to experience Jesus. I want to serve sacrificially – my family, our team, Beam, the poor. I want to live as He lived loving the lost, the least and the last.
Tomorrow (Thursday) Robin leaves for Long Island, New York to visit her aunt. She will hook up her mom, sister and nephew in Philly airport and then they all fly that last leg together. She will be gone until Monday the 6th.
Despite the April Fools joke earlier this week, we are officially out of the crib stage…
We held out as long as we could… Last Saturday Jack decided he was ready fro a big boy bed. Drew said he wasn’t. So we dismantled Jack’s crib and brought up a single bed mattress and box spring that Robin had since college I think. (It’s really old and held together but duct tape.).
For a few nights Jack and Drew shared this mattress. We had a few nights where they kept coming out laughing and making excuses about not going to bed. But for the most part they have stayed there without the bars of the crib.
A couple of nights later, Drew decided he wanted his own big boy bed so we stacked the two crib mattresses on the floor next to Jack’s. But it wasn’t until two night ago that I officially took down his crib and styored int he garage next to Jack’s while Robin read them bed-time stories. Drew kissed it good-bye.
Yesterday morning when I woke up they were out of their beds quietly playing. No more crying for mommy to come get them. No more having to wait until we got up. They are free. I think Robin is a little sad, though.
I didn’t buy Robin roses or any other flowers yesterday. She repeatedly told me not to waste our money on something that will die soon. I realize this could have been a ploy… reverse psychology you know… maybe she WANTED me to buy flowers.
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