THE COLOR YELLOW

Normally I like the color yellow - it's bright, reminds me of sunshine, and friends tell me I look good in yellow. However, lately, it's been more of an enemy. Sara's silver car is now yellow; the island and counter in my kitchen is supposed to be blue but had a layer of yellow when I got home from work recently. I see lots of yellow cars. Even the floor next to my open kitchen window had a slick, yellowish tint to it. So windows are closed now - thanks to the "lovely" spring pollen.

I've been home from the Isle of Man for 3 weeks - seems like forever since I was there... so much has happened in a short span. Chris and Malikas have had much heartache in that short 3 weeks. They were both very close to Bunty. She had no family except for the Kinley's and she was like a grandmother to Chris. Bunty died on March 23 at the age of 94. A few days later Masha's grandmother died who lived in Belarus. She was in the hospital because of heart problems but was expected to go home in a couple of days. Malikas will be leaving next week to go to Belarus. She wants to visit the village where her grandmother lived and see her grave. It will be a difficult trip. Please keep her in your prayers.

Saddle Ridge Ranch, VBS 2010 - 2 months, 3 days away. 'Nuff said...

Join us April 30 for a Family Movie Night at Parkway. FREE dinner and a movie... but don't forget to sign up so we can get a count for food. We'll show 2 movies simultaneously that night... the new Veggie Tales, Pistachio, and for those who think they have outgrown Veggie Tales, we'll show one of the Sugar Creek Gang movies, Swamp Robber. Go to the church website and sign up for Saddle Ridge Ranch, VBS Music Camp ($35) and Family Movie Night - all in one place for your easy convenience.

My favorite pics from my trip...

LEG #2 - CHECK!!

Boarded on time in Chicago; left about 20 minutes late. The flight attendant just kept staring at the door... then she went to get someone from the main cabin who messed with it... then they opened it and closed it and opened it and closed it and opened it and closed it. I felt like I should use my "mom voice" and say, "Stay in or stay out but quit going in and out!" Finally they decided we could leave so I don't know what the problem was. At one point there were about 5 people messing with the door. The plane was smaller than most that I fly across the big pond so I wasn't so sure about it... just 3 seats on each side... don't ask me what kind it was because I have no idea. The turbulence was minimal... I was able to sleep some... and the seat belt sign was off most of the trip... all good signs of a smooth flight.

I was excited that they checked my luggage from STL to IOM. When I arrived at Manchester I even asked someone if I needed to pick up my luggage and explained that it had been checked all the way through... and she said, "Oh, no, it won't even come in the terminal. It'll be put on your flight to the IOM." So being the not very trusting person that I am, I decided to hang around the carousel for a bit... and sure enough, here came my luggage with the frog tag on it. Then it was time to find the Flybe desk which I did with no problem. However, there were about a gazillion teenagers in front of me. Thankfully, a nice Flybe agent took me around them and I rechecked my bag and now I wait for my flight to the Rock. It will take less than an hour on a little prop job and I'm not excited about those kinds of planes. However, I am excited about seeing Malikas so it'll all be OK. Or at least that's what I keep telling myself.

There is fighting again around Jos, Nigeria, where Sara lived. Here's a link to a story that the Baptist Press did... http://www.bpnews.net/BPnews.asp?ID=32451.

Here's a portion of a devotional I read this morning from Proverbs 31 Ministries written by Melanie Chitwood: A legacy can be defined as "something handed down." Every day through our words and actions we are developing a legacy to be carried in the character of our children. It's easy for the busyness of life to keep you from being purposeful in your parenting. Let's decide today to leave the legacy we really want. Let's make sure it's a legacy not born of busyness and urgency, but one born of purposefulness and prayer.