Wanna see some pictures?

Spring is here!

A full pantry...

I love having people over for dinner. Not that I am a great cook--Jon, no comments--but I can provide a decent meal and enjoy providing a place for fellowship to happen around the dinner table. Lately, our dinner guests have been a little scarce. Why? Well, our cupboard has been a bit more bare than usual, and so our meals have been more...eclectic. Thankfully, I don't have a picky husband or son, and we have always had enough to eat--just not the meals I would have chosen.
Owen and I have been befriending a middle-aged man who lives in our apartment building. He appears to live alone and quite frankly, seems very lonely. We would always say hello and smile, but never get a response back. I began praying for him. Soon, we started getting a slight nod with minimal eye contact. Improvement! And one day, when he couldn't avoid us on the stairs, Owen pointed at the man, grunted, and gave his biggest, most friendly smile! The man saw it and chuckled. We talked briefly and went on our way. Every time Owen sees the man he waves or points and smiles. Now, the man even smiles back!
A while back, Jon and I opened our apartment up and invited all our neighbors over for snacks and a chance to "meet and greet" the people who live around us. We have been praying for opportunities to build relationships and hoped this would be a start. Two and a half hours later, no had come. Just 20 minutes before we were going to close our door, the twelve-year-old boy who lives downstairs stopped up for a visit. He apologized for being so late--he had been out shopping with his mom and had just gotten back. We enjoyed over an hour with our new adolescent friend, and learned a lot about him and his mom and family. We often stop to talk in the hallways or ask how his baseball game went--we even have run into his mom a lot, too.
Lately, I have sensing the Lord telling me to invite them up--the boy and his mom, and the man who lives alone. But I haven't yet. What kind of meal would I feed them? Freezer-burned leftovers with a side dish of oatmeal and kidney beans? Yummy! Money being tight and all, extra groceries were not in the budget. I was embarassed to invite them up for one of my "creative" meals.
This Tuesday morning, I read Isaiah 55:1-3.

"Come, all you who are thirsty, come to the waters; and you who have no money, come, buy and eat! Come, buy wine and milk without money and without cost. Why spend money on what is not bread, and your labor on what does not satisfy? Listen, listen to me, and eat what is good, and your soul will delight in the richest of fare."

It caught me from the beginning--food and money. Just what had been on my mind. But then, what labor DOES satisfy? Befriending others with the hope of sharing about Jesus Christ. That was the part I was responsible for--to "LISTEN, LISTEN TO ME," he had said. So I did. I told Jon and he agreed we should extend the invitations.

Funny thing is, when my heart became obedient, God did just what this passage started out saying. After being out with friends, I found a $100 gift card to the local grocery store that had been tucked into my purse. Wow! "Come buy...without money and without cost"? But God didn't stop at that--within the next 2 days I had 3 different sources from which I received free groceries. Now, my bare pantry is plum full and I can't find things in my fridge because of all the food! Thank you, Lord! Now I can't wait to start cooking....

911 and Eagle's Wings

I thank the Lord that I have never had to dial 911 for any reason and I hope to never have to use it. But just in case the need arises, Owen made sure last week that the number actually works!! It was a normal mid-week afternoon in the Flaa household. Kelly Jo was in the bedroom playing with Owen, who was cruising around playing with anything that could capture his short-lived attention span. At some point he happened to find that the telephone had been left in an unusual place, one where he could actually reach it. So naturally Owen picked it up and began to press all the buttons (he loves all the noises they make!). Being the good mother that she is, Kelly Jo decided to use this as a "teachable moment"...She asked Owen to bring the phone to her rather than just taking it away from him. Owen (being the VERY obedient son that he is...must be the parenting!) brought the phone right to Kelly Jo and went on his merry way to the next toy. The phone seemed no worse for the wear, except for one thing - the phone was on and there was no dial tone. Kelly Jo put the phone to her ear and said "hello?" and heard the following reply, "Yes, this is 911." Many apologies (and a visit by a police officer) later, we'll chalk this one up as a "I can't believe our son just did that!" moment.

We also received some encouragement this past week. Life tends to get very busy, as I'm sure many of you can relate to!! We go-go-go from work to home, chasing a little boy while preparing for a newborn..sharing with people and churches about our future ministry in Austria, and doing all of the other little things that can fill up a "normal" day. To be honest, there are times where we are very anxious to get to Austria. We want to be able to tell people that we are "in" Austria instead of telling people we are "going" to Austria. But we keep coming back to the fact that God is in control of our lives. HE gives us the strength and power to handle what comes each day, whether that is here in Minnesota or somewhere down the road in Austria.
"Do you not know? Have you not heard? The Lord is the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth. He will not grow tired or weary, and his understanding no one can fathom. He gives strength to the weary and increases the power of the weak. Even youths grow tired and weary, and young men stumble and fall; but those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint." (Isaiah 40:28-31)

Here's praying that we all will continue to put our hope in the Lord (no matter the circumstances of life), and see His power at work in and through us to change lives for eternity!!