It's time for an update: Maundy Thursday and Good Friday

First of all, thank you for all of the laughter that resulted from the suicidal "LUV" turkey. I am happy to report that my dear beloved little car (Betty-Lou, the Blue Subaru) should be home from the body shop tomorrow. Thanks also to our good friend Brad, who loaned us a vehicle so that I could get back and forth the past few days. Easter week in a pastor's family is really full of responsibilities for the pastor, and it was nice to be able to drive myself to my orthodontist appointment yesterday, among other places that I needed to go.

The big ortho news: I now have braces on the bottom teeth, too. They hurt. Advil has become my good friend for the past two days. It feels as if my molars are trying to migrate to the front of my mouth. The good news is that the orthodontist told me that the upper teeth are where they're supposed to be, and that I'm progressing nicely. Yay braces! (Wait...did I just type that?? Must be the drugs!)

I suppose that I should really be good and give you all the adoption update. I received an email from C this morning--we are officially registered--in Tula. YAY! This is way farther than we have ever been in this process (a year ago we were waiting in line behind about 9 families just to be registered in Izhevsk). They have no idea how fast things will go now, but it is a big step for us. Thank you to all of you for your prayers; we really feel that God has led us to this region, and are trying very hard to be as patient as possible. Well, trying some to be as patient as possible.

Other news: I finally caught up on grading about 5:00 on Friday last week. I had been behind for about a month and a half, so it was nice to be able to go to bed and not have anything that I still needed to grade. I have a set of papers I need to do this afternoon, but I'm hopeful that I'll get them done quickly. I have discovered that I have wicked senioritis this semester; I just am tired with teaching online, and trying to fit a normal semester's amount of work into about 1/3 the normal time. I am SO ready to be back in a real classroom.

Finally, if you have a chance to go, please go see the "United" tour of concerts with Michael W. Smith and Steven Curtis Chapman. We saw them in Springfield last week, and they were amazing. Some amazing worship music (they played for over 3 hours!), testimony from both men, and a huge emphasis on the Chapmans' "Show Hope" ministry to orphans. It was just exactly what both of us needed to hear, especially with Easter week coming up and with us


having just made the decision to pursue Tula as a region. God is good!

My best wishes to all of you for a blessed Easter week--