FRESH BREEZE

July was a beast.  We had triple digits that changed Arkansas' drought from severe to extreme.  Our water bill just came and it caused our eyeballs to bulge when we read $325!  Gag a maggot.

The water saved the perennials, but even with those sprinklers constantly slinging, the poor old grass still crunches underfoot.

We've had to cut seven huge oaks, including some doubletrees.  They were finished off this summer after having been stressed by weather extremes for two years.  It also made us sick to lose six mature dogwoods.

Even so, there has been a fresh breeze that blew through several times this summer.  We call our upstairs bedroom "the Doubletree B&B", where Mike and I have been privileged to host friends who are home visiting before they return to their outposts.

We got to spend time with this veteran whose family has relocated in Texas after seven years in East Asia.

Back in the 90's, this fine man mentored a group of smelly college guys, our son included.  We very much appreciate the time he poured into the students on the UofA campus and the time he and his family spent overseas.

Now we're cheering on their work stateside as they mobilize volunteers/staff/American students to reach international student leaders.  Those leaders will then return to their home country with influence.

In July we hosted newlyweds.  The "missus" is a sweetheart of a friend who has spent the last five years in the far east, only to come home last year to marry.  The couple spent a year stateside to "get to know one another" and take further training.

Now they are returning this month to blaze the trail together...he in language-learning and she with special needs children.  What a dynamite pair!

This month also has included a couple of sparkly lunch-and-listen times.

Mike and I ate with a friend (right) who serves a long way from home in the desert.  His message has never been heard there.

As we ate and listened, I had a wildly random thought (imagine that).  As we ate barbecue, I couldn't help but wonder how long it had been since he had enjoyed such a meal.

Last week I got to have lunch with a girl teaching at a Christian school in Palestine.  She explained just how universal the hearts of a young girl can be (with giggles and Justin Bieber). 

It was a tremendous privilege to get to hear all their stories.  God crafted each of these persons to tell His story...as He creatively adapts circumstances to reach the ones He loves.  It's exciting to realize that the globe is filled with myriads of connections being made.

You know, it's a major challenge to flourish in an unknown culture...and even more challenging to learn a new language.  We smile to think how these friends will have a seat "on the fifty yard line" one day.

Jesus said to Peter  "And not only you (Peter and disciples), but anyone who sacrifices home, family, fields--whatever--because of me will get it all back a hundred times over, not to mention the considerable bonus of eternal life. Matthew 19.28