Goodbye's & Canasta

One of the very first words that Cade learned was "Bye-Bye".  Pete and I were so proud of our little guy for starting to use words along with his energetic wave and cheesy grin.  When Cade says, "Bye-Bye," he does so with joy and excitement.  It is as though he doesn't fully realize that some of these goodbyes are for a LONG time.

This weekend, Cade and I joined the Fountain Family Reunion - an annual family reunion of my mom's mom's side of the family, the Fountain's.  I grew up going to these reunions, enjoying fun with my cousins, aunts, uncles, and grandparents (everyone in the Fountain Family line is a close relative, no matter how distant).  In the past, we have gone so far as to make shirts for the occasion - thank you puff pant of the 80's and early 90's, put together a band - back in the day when I played the clarinet (yikes!), arranged water games for all the kids, etc.  But always, always, always, we play Hand and Foot Canasta.

Canasta is the official game of our family.  We learn as young children how to play, the costly value of a red 3 stuck in your foot (-300 points), and the fun conversations that surround this strategic, lengthy, and fun game of cards.  I can remember when I first learned how to play Canasta - I would walk around my mom, dad, Mema, and Papa as they played, picking out what everyone's next play should be, what to discard, and asking questions to help learn the game and get my particular Canasta strategy down.

Playing Canasta with our family is something I will miss when we move.  One of those many little things that I will gladly sacrifice, but miss oh so dearly, to serve our Lord and Savior.  This weekend we created another wonderful memory of spending time with our Fountain Family and playing Canasta that we will hold close to our hearts as we say goodbye and move to Indonesia.

Reactions

Earlier today, Pete and I were at Home Depot getting some tubs to begin packing up our entire life of "things" into a couple of wooden crates.  As I was walking through the front door a very kind lady stopped me to ask if I would be interested in signing up for a free patio screen drawing.  I responded the way I do most times these days when asked if I want/need something that can only be used Stateside, "No thank you, I'm moving to Indonesia."

Photo courtesy of lonelyplanet.com.

It never fails, EVERY time, I feel compelled to share that last little part of the response, "I'm moving to Indonesia."

And EVERY time, I get some sort of reaction.  Some are humorous, some are encouraging, and some are ridiculous.

"Wow!  That sounds exciting."

"Are you sure, it sounds dangerous."

"I could NEVER do that."

"Really, why?" - I personally LOVE this one, what a great way to share Jesus' love!!!


Pete and I have received many reactions from friends and family, as well.   The reactions have blown us away.   The support, prayers, and generosity of our friends and family is more than we could have ever imagined.

I must admit I like the different reactions.  Perhaps it is because of the shock value, or hearing some of these awesome responses, but it does my heart good to claim the promise of the Lord in the moment.  That I am moving to Indonesia because HE is making it possible.

50/50 Challenge

Today is the day!  Today, we begin 50 days of asking God for 50 new ministry partners.  We have seen the Lord do some mighty things along this journey to Indonesia and we have had enjoyed the last 10 months of focus on building our ministry team of financial and prayer partners.  It is no doubt that the Lord has done great things for us and we are excited to see how He answers our prayers for the remaining 25% of our support goal.

If you don't already know, Pete and I (Ashley) have been called into mission aviation and will be moving to Indonesia soon!  We are entering the final stretch as we begin packing and complete some training at MAF headquarters, but we cannot go to Indonesia until we are at 100% of our ministry support.  We look forward to seeing the Lord complete our ministry team and to beginning ministry in Indonesia.

If you are feeling led to be a part of the team that SENDS US - please check out the "50/50 Challenge" tab at the top of the blog, watch our video, and sign up online at www.maf.org/greenwald.

Send Us | Video

The Lord has called us into mission aviation with Mission Aviation Fellowship. We will be serving Him in remote areas of Indonesia, using Pete's skills as a pilot/mechanic to meet others' physical needs and sharing the love and transformative power of Jesus. We look forward to all He has in store for the years ahead! Check out this video for more information on our calling, MAF, and how you can be a part of building His Kingdom in Indonesia!

Over a Year in the Making | A Haircut

Over the past 16 months of Cade's life, he's grown in a lot of ways.  He's gotten taller, he's grown stronger, he's moved from a liquid only diet to eating everything (even spicier foods) he can get his hands on, he's started walking (I'll post a video of that - it's precious), and he's even learned some key words and signs to help us know what he wants/needs.

One thing that has grown along with all of these great things, is his hair.  While we loved the blond, wispy, curly locks on his head, it was time for a cut.  Here's a before and after shot of our little man.

Hospitality

hos·pi·tal·i·ty

  [hos-pi-tal-i-tee] 

noun, plural hos·pi·tal·i·ties.

1.

the friendly reception and treatment of guests or strangers.

2.

the quality or disposition of receiving and treating guests and strangers in a warm, friendly, generous way.

We've been told time and again that hospitality is key, that when we move to Indonesia we will be face-to-face with a hospitality that surpasses anything we have known.  I would posit that we do not need to leave Georgia to witness such hospitality.  In fact, the hospitality that we encountered yesterday overwhelmed our spirits and was used by God to increase our excitement for our move to Indonesia.  

You see, on Sunday we had the pleasure of joining some Indonesian families in Atlanta for worship and teaching and fellowship.  As we entered the church we were received with a warm reception.  We were blessed by kind words and friendly faces.  We sang, we listened and we spoke.  We watched children dancing for their moms, I received a special gift for being a mom, and we smelled amazing Indonesian food as we shared time loving and worshipping our Lord together.  And then, then came the fellowship with delicious dishes, encouraging conversation, and too many "thank you's" to count.  We were thanked.  We were served. We were given generous gifts.  So that we can move to their home country and speak of Jesus to a people they already know and love.

                    

As I sit back and reflect on the generosity and hospitality we experienced yesterday, I am in awe.  I am grateful.  I am convicted... to be more generous.  To be more welcoming.  To be more hospitable.  And to serve Him more by loving and serving His children both here and in Indonesia!

Sunday we caught a glimpse of what is in store for us in Indonesia.  We experienced hospitality at its best.  And we heard more Indonesian words in the span of 4 hours than we have ever heard before!  

God continues to remain faithful to His call on our lives and is preparing us for the next part of our journey with Him - in Indonesia!   

We serve a good and faithful and mighty God!

Open Seas

Pete and I are approaching our 5 year anniversary.  CRAZY, huh?  5 years of life, love, many dreams fulfilled, and so many more to come.  To celebrate this half-a-decade of marriage, we took a much-needed vacation and paired it with some great friends.  Here are a few of the outtakes from an amazing week on the open seas.

The Boys

The Girls

Greenwald's

Webb's

Enjoying Vacay!

Karaoke... Why Not?

Yay!!!

Good Times, Great Friends!