Leaving so Soon?

Tonight, we got to pack and play with Allie and Luke. Leaving them is going to be the most difficult part of our trip to Argentina. At least Jennie is coming back after eight days. The last few nights, they have enjoyed standing next to each other on little stools and singing and clapping together. Priceless!

Today was a whirling dervish of "tying up loose ends," "running around like chickens with our heads cut off," and a veritable cornicopia of other cliche's. The previous sentence is full of words I rarely use - not sure where that came from. It was a busy day, nonetheless.

We fly out tomorrow afternoon, and the excitement is starting to hit our stomachs. You know - that kind of excited, nervous, pumped-up feeling that you feel before you go to Argentina? Yeah.

In the midst of running errands, I got to talk with God about some of the things related to our trip. If we have our eyes and ears open, I know he's going to have some surprises and some great memories in store for us.

Our church staff prayed together today like we do every Tuesday, but it was sweet to have them praying for us, our trip, and for our baby-on-the-way (yes, the one currently in "Mommy's Tummy" - as Allie calls her). We're not sure if it's a boy or girl yet, but Jennie is now 12-weeks pregnant, and the baby looks great. Don't worry, the doctor said it's fine for Jennie to travel, and we're in an area with some great health care options.

I also hear that Argentina is famous for it's world-class meat. Yikes.

And for it's obsession with the "tango." Also Yikes.

I probably should have borrowed my friend's Manu Ginobili jersey. Manu is a famous pro-basketball in America, but he's a hero and legend for his native people from Argentina.

At this point, we are mostly finished with packing. We shaved Luke's head tonight, and I shaved my head. He cried much more than I did, but afterwards, he celebrated the fact that we both got haircuts together.

Jennie has never been out of North America (besides our honeymoon, which does count, right?) - and I haven't been overseas really in about ten years. This is going to be a blast. Again, thanks for reading, and please do let us know if you're dropping by this blog.

I'll leave you with this verse that has been on my mind lately...

In Matthew 16:18, Jesus says to Peter, "And I tell you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of Hades will not overcome it."

Yes, God's church prevails. It's part of the definition of the word "church" as God sees it - victorious over all the forces of evil. Victorious over the devil and demons and sin and violence. The Gates of hell will not overcome what God is doing worldwide in His church. Gotta love it.