Connections and surprises!

Greetings to you all!

Some little things of late that make me smile!

FINDING FORMER STUDENTS! Jim and I went to a musical production on February 7th because we were invited by one of the performers. Natalie is in 9th grade and goes to our church. She was excited for us to see this show and it was a dressy event, and had a silent auction to benefit the Christian Youth Theater so we thought it would be fun. The show was wonderful, and we had a very fun evening. But the really interesting thing was that the vocal director for this show is a woman in her late 20's. She is a former student of mine!! She was in the 5th grade when I taught a half a year at Christ Lutheran School in Phoenix in 1991. Isn't that just too crazy! Fun to reconnect.

That, then, led me to the quest to find another former student who lives in the area. I'm still working on that one. But if anyone out there reading this knows Joe Gullekson, tell him to call me, please!

MISSION/ OUTREACH/ RECONNECTING AGAIN! On Feb. 11th I was happy to reconnect with a dear friend from Salt Lake City who now lives here. Our younger kids ( Sarah and Drew) used to play with her kids...and Eric and Ingrid used to babysit Lisa's kids. Well, as it turns out now Lisa works for a wonderful non-profit organization called Food for the Hungry and I got a tour on Feb. 11th. We then went to lunch and we talked about the international kids...her oldest Emily in Africa doing nursing with AIDS/HIV patients, Drew just coming back from China and getting ready to go to Ukriane to see his sister. Sarah living in Ukriane now and will for two years teaching English for the Peace Corps. We are just amazed at the places these kids have been and will be going! Another friend of mine, Susan, has a daughter who just returned from Ghana. This is not what I would have pictured, but God's plan is always something to anticipate and celebrate!

INTERNATIONAL STUDENTS: Tonight Jim and I went to help out at the International Friendship House. A group from our church was going to serve a meal that we provided. We made soup, salad, brought bread and cookies and drinks. Then we were given the opportunity to chat with the students from places all over the world. They gather to eat and then to practice their English with local folks. I was wearing a T shirt that said " THIRST" which was given to me by Ingrid for a District Youth Gathering a few years ago. A young man(not an international student) walked up to me and said, " Did you go?" as he indicated my t shirt. I said, "Yes" and his reply was, " I was a speaker there" and then the light bulb went on!!! "You're Sarah's friend! I remember you!!" As the conversation unfolded he said he had seen Drew just last Friday at Concordia. He spoke of his wife and their plans to go to South Africa for 16 months.
I can tell you why I didn't pick up on it right away...his name tag said "KEN" and if it had said "CHIT" I would have totally caught it!! Small world. We got to hang out with international students as well as friends of Sarah and Drew from days past!
And, another familiar face that I figured out was Lisa's aunt...the Lisa from the previous paragraph! I knew her when Jim and I attended Christ Church 18 years ago!

To all of you reading this, whether you're stateside or somewhere else in the world, I'm so thankful I had the chance to RECONNECT with you tonight! JOY, always, in Jesus!