akiko game night & cozy hof; important days

I am so proud of the JVKids.Jacob, Noah, Nate, Zachary, Claire, me & Laurel.Most of last week, I was up in Czech for Josiah Venture's annual Spring Conference. We got home late last night and I was asleep within fifteen minutes. Exhausted! Eating meals with dear friends, significant times of prayer and solid Bible teaching. It was a week that I will remember for a long time and I look forward to telling many of you about it.The Holy Spirit has reminded me of Isaiah 30:21 often lately. It says, Whether you turn to the right or to the left, your ears will hear a voice behind you saying, This is the way; walk in it.

i LOVE this picture

How many years have we known each other? How did we become friends? He he!

You are beautiful. Thanks for being such a dear friend to me. I love you, Natalie.

to America and back

I've been back in Slovenia for three whole days! It's finally time to post some pictures from the last few months.
I'm having a little trouble sleeping and eating at appropriate times, but it's getting better. This morning was our weekly staff meeting. It was good to get back into the trenches with some of my favorite people. Right now we're reading and discussing a book called Organic Church. Who is good soil? What is good seed? What's my part in all this? All this is super applicable and important for us to be thinking about.

After the meeting, Christina and I stopped to get produce from the fruit guy. It was a bummer to realize that I could withdraw significantly less from the ATM than I could before I left. The exchange rate is bad.
What was equal to $20, is now $21.50. Whew...

And once I wrote about 600€ being worth $825. Now 600€ is $950. Wow!

Here we go!

whoosh!

Ligaya, Amanda, Amanda, me, Alison

We just got back from a girls' weekend in Seattle. This is what Alison said about it:

There is nothing like being with dear friends who know you so well. We laughed, we got pedicures, we cried (I mean, come on, we're girls), we ate, we prayed, we shopped, we drank coffee. We shared stories, struggles, and our c-section scars. Most of all though, we just got to be ourselves. I think that's what made it so great.

Yes. It was great.

missions conference

This week is missions conference at Grace Bible Church in Arroyo Grande, CA. This is where I grew up and it's a little strange to be back here as a "visiting missionary." I remember meeting Dale & Arvalee Palmer, Joanne Shetler and other heros during missions conferences when I was younger. Spending time with them, looking at their maps and pictures and hearing their stories had a significant impact on my interest in bringing the gospel to the whole world.

It's been a busy, encouraging, fun and tiring week. One of the highlights was getting to share at the Coffee Break Women's Brunch with Natalie. :) She's another of my other missionary heros--as well as my very dear friend and sister--and we got to speak together!

So, Natalie, tell us about Bano Boy...

Ha! It was wonderful!