International Phone Calls and Birthday Signs

We were specially blessed today by two special voices at the other end of cell phone connections; one was from a base in northern Iraq, and the other was from Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.

Uncle Shane is doing well, though apparently recovering from feeling a little under the weather. We were able to confirm that he was involved in this exchange, and thankfully is no worse for physical wear. Apparently, he and his vehicle were the first to arrive on the scene as the firefight ensued. So it is only natural that he deserves all the peanut butter cookies that this lady and her Kitchen Aid can whip up. If you're interested in helping me drown Uncle Shane in cookies, let me know!

Aunt Sarah is thrilling to the culture and people of Ethiopia, soaking up the energy of people who walk in a miraculous faith, watching Jesus convert Ethiopians by appearing to them in visions, healing them from stroke-related paralysis and teaching the soccer coaches between her Amheric lessons (the national language). And if that summation seems a little dramatic to you, believe me, it's tame compared to the actual stories coming out of that place. God is moving in a mighty way there, and she feels so blessed to be a part of it. Incidentally, it was her 25th birthday today.