"Thank Jesus There's a McDonalds!!"

.....that's what i said when we were leaving Honduras and heading back to the U.S. Knowing me, you'd know that i don't like Mickey D's, and given that we eat there 46578 times a summer with the 50% discount card at Myrtle, i am finished with my share of fries for the year by the time august comes around. But the golden arches were looking pre-tty good about that time, hey, it was american! Ok, so i am being a little dramatic but i really was glad to get some good fried food after spending a week at an orphanage with Jake's wonderful family! I got to go to a 3rd world country for the first time, got to go to an orphanage for the first time, and got to go on my first looong trip with the inlaws, without the hubby. Don't panic all you wives out there, it was a piece of cake with the McCoun's...it was just like being with my own family, i even bear-hugged Jake's mom and squeezed her hand tightly as the plane took off. ha, i'm serious. It was so much fun though, and here are a few highlights from it:

-wrestling with God over having to ride on a plane again (my biggest fear in life. period.) The way He answered: a rainbow when we got to the orphanage, and a rainbow when we got back to Atlanta a week later.

-spending time with the Skinner's, a family that moved from Gainesville, Georgia to give their lives to the orphans for the last two years

-hearing the faith story of the founders of Orphanage Emmanuel-they didn't even know spanish and they literally sold everything they had in the states and went to Honduras!

-painting a huge umm...warehouse thing...sweating is not my spiritual gift so i am grateful that God put me up to the challenge to "do everything without complaining" (Phil. 2:14)

-nightly devotions with the McCouns...soooo blessed by God to have in laws who love Jesus!

-finding internet on my top bunk so that i could email Jake at all hours of the night ;)

-the blessing of being taken out of the comforts of home to see that what i really need in life is more of the Lord, not more stuff.

It was a great week, and i would have gladly packed one of the kids in my bag and taken them home with me!! Buuut..i am so glad to have Jake back from South Africa and back in my arms! it was kinda tough to be apart for 10 days, not to mention get sick and go to the ER without my best friend by my side, but i was so excited on monday morning to see Jake that i couldn't even sleep much sunday night!! So, this week has been g-r-e-a-t. We have been able to rest and do some projects around the house, and i am working on my current project: a hand painted bedside table. i'm putting up a few pics from the past few days!