This is for Elizabeth and Heather, who have been sitting on the edge of their seats in anticipation to how it all ends.

We rode off into the night in that white convertible, not a care in the world. We were young and wild and free. At least for a couple of weeks.

After honeymooning in Mexico we began the process of settling down to married life in out one bedroom apartment in Fort Worth. I taught piano lessons every afternoon and night and Paul finished school and worked. Since we could not afford cable, after all, we were living on love…and not too much money, we watched scrambled television at night or played Super Nintendo. If you haven’t played on a Super Nintendo in a while and by a while I mean 15+ years, then you should do so just so you can better appreciate the graphics of modern technology.

Before we knew it we were celebrating our one year anniversary. We decided to take a quick trip to San Antonio. We’d heard great things about it and it was the one thing we wanted to do before leaving Texas. We were so excited about the trip…until we learned it would be raining the one weekend out of the summer that we were going to San Antonio.

We arrive in San Antonio…it’s raining. We begin walking downtown….it’s raining. We visit the Alamo, which is right smack in the middle everything, and it’s raining. We go into every store that only sells Mexican art and knick knacks and it’s raining. We walk to the other side of the stinkin’ town and it’s raining. We get chased by a crazy man and it’s raining. We get splashed by a huge truck while walking down the sidewalk to the other side of the stinkin’ town and it’s raining…..You get that’s it was raining, right?

The next day we started out to Sea World, and what do you know? It’s RAINING!! We immediately buy ponchos and what do you know? It STOPS RAINING AND DOES NOT RAIN AGAIN THE ENTIRE DAY! But, we got really close parking and our bottoms did not get wet due to the over priced ponchos we had purchased.

I was never so happy to Fort Worth.

It was during the last months of that first year that we started our journey with the International Mission Board. We went through a lengthy application process, spending hours at Panera Bread taking turns filling out the applications on our one laptop because, since we were living mostly on love, we did not have money for internet. We went through a three day conference in which we finally chose Naples as the place we wanted to serve. That decision was hard to say the least for me. Actually choosing a place to go had many implications. It meant saying goodbye. It meant moving far away. It meant never seeing some loved ones again. This weekend was the first big challenge in our marriage. After some long talks and lots of crying we were on the same page and I was able to feel some excitement.

Three months later we went through training and two months after that we were living in Naples, Italy, which is when this blog started.

When I started this saga Paul and I were anticipating our five year anniversary. We’re now fight at six. It’s taken a while to notate everything.

The last six years have been a whirlwind to say the least. Here are just a few things that have contributed to that whirlwind.
Eight moves, four different cities, and two countries.
Two children, each born in a different country.
We have learned a new language.
We have traveled Europe.
We bought our first house.
We have gained family.
We have lost family.
We have learned that home is where the other one is.
We have captured a glimpse of how much our heavenly Father loves us when we look into the faces of our children.
We have said goodbye to family and friends more times than we have cared to.
We have started over twice.
We have learned love is an action, not a feeling.
We have learned forgiveness is something you choose to do, and like love, is an action.
We have had a lifetime of adventures, all them together.
We have loved, laughed, cried, fought and come through it together.

Last week Paul and I, along with several of the REVO crew, went to the Stand for Freedom Gala in Greensboro at Castle McCullough. It was a semi-formal event with hors d’eouvres, live music, a silent auction and speakers.
As Thursday approached we all became giddy with the excitement of getting to dress up and go to a CASTLE! If the week leading to Thursday was filled with giddiness then Thursday itself was nothing but female hormones running wild. Shoes, clothes, lipstick, bobby pins…you name it and it was all being tossed to and fro in excited energy as we all got ready. (This is how it was at my house. It is quite possible that this happened at the homes of others as well).
Paul and I rode over with our friends Stephen and Ally. We talked about the food, the Castle, and the food some more.
We arrived and the first balloon popped….We would not be eating fancy finger foods in the castle but in the garden that the castle overlooked. We got in line for the all out food fest but POP…down came the second balloon. The food was great, but there wasn’t much of it. I guess we were expecting a meal even though the invitation clearly stated hors d’eouvres.

We bid, we took pictures, we ate, we chatted…and then we listened. We were moved at the words of a poet from the West Coast as he recited beautiful, uplifting and challenging words. We cried at the story of a woman who had come out of prostitution and is now helping other young women do the same. We were moved to action by the CEO of World Relief.

It dawned on me as we walked out how preoccupied I had been with things that really didn’t matter. I didn’t focus why we were having the event until it was more or less over. I lost sight of how many people are trafficked through my world, my country, my state, my city. As I sat and listened to people share incredible stories that I didn’t want to be someone who gets dressed up, goes to an event, writes a check and leaves thinking no more about the problem. I want to not only think about it, but help change it.

Why can’t we see the end of human trafficking? The only thing standing in our way is ourselves.

“Dinosaur get me. ROOOAAARR!” as she runs around the house.

While taking a bath with her brother, pointing to herself, “I T-REx, Caleb T-Rex….you mommy.”

“Shhh…dinosaur comin’.”
(Noticing a dinosaur theme, are you?)

To Heather, our friend who watches the kids during the day, “I want some money.”

To me while changing her clothes, “You funny mommy. You so funny.”

“Daddy my best friend.” Everyone from her imaginary dinosaur to me have been her best friend at some point over the last month.

“I watch Kitty-Kitty” referencing “The Aristocats”

This is my second post in my Making A Difference Series. You can read the first one by clicking on the following link: http://paulandmackenzie.blogspot.com/2012/02/making-difference-one-movie-at-time.html

When Paul and I started dating, I went to church with him at 121 Community Church in Grapevine, TX. Vince and Sharon Rice greeted us at the entrance, giving us a name tag. Every Sunday after that, we went to the same entrance, where Vince and Sharon would give us our name tags.
“Hello’s” turned into “How are you doing’s”, which turned into deeper conversations. None of us could have known what would have come from a simple greeting and name tag.

Vince and Sharon later became our small group leaders and began pouring into us personally. I find myself quoting them, referring back to things they have taught me, and thinking about truths they continue to speak into our lives often.

I don’t know if I have the space to write all the ways they are making a difference, but I will share a few things.

Vince and Sharon share what they have with others. From money to knowledge to wisdom, they help others when they see a need arise.

Vince and Sharon pour themselves out into the small groups they lead. Their couples group in particular has reproduced itself so many times I have lost count. That is a testament to their faithfulness to teach Scripture and not apologize for it, to love people, and to make disciples who make disciples.

Vince and Sharon live sent. They recognize who is in their circle of influence, pray for those people, speak truth into their lives, and share Christ’s love with them. They also go outside their circle to other countries to share the same love of Christ to people they may or may not see again. They fight injustices in the world, one ghetto, one brothel, one orphan at a time.

It is impossible to share with you the impact these two people have had not only on our lives, but countless others. They are making a difference for the kingdom every single day.

 As a stay-at-home mom I always felt like I worked really hard. I viewed the things I did at home, like clean the house, cook meals, do laundry, as my job. Granted, it was a job that never ended and I felt like I had to justify it to others at times, but I really loved my it.

Now that I am a working mother/wife, I realize how good I had it. Yes, being a stay-at-home mom had its challenges. It wasn’t always fun and easy and I didn’t get to sit around eating popcorn and watching movies all day. However, now I never get to sit down. Gone are the days of sitting down to watch TV after the kids have gone to bed. There is always clothes to be washed, a kitchen that needs cleaning, a grocery list to make out, bathrooms to be cleaned, floors to be swept…you get the idea.

So the conclusion I have come to is this: Working moms have it harder on the larger scale than stay-at-home moms. I am not taking anything away from those who stay-at-home. To be quite honest, I wish I was still there. But having to work 40 hours and then come home and do all the things I was doing before I was working 40 hours is very trying. Luckily I have a husband who appreciates this fact and does his part.

I now realize why my mom had us doing chores by the time we turned 5.

Is it hail? A tiny pice of cottonball? A kernel of white corn, perhaps? You would be wrong on all counts. What it is, is a piece of styrofoam Paul and I had to extract from Lily’s nose yesterday afternoon with the pictured tweezers. I have to sterilize my tweezers now. I have seriously seen hail smaller than this thing.
The minor surgery which took place on the bathroom counter was anything but pleasant. Picture if you will: Lily, lying on the counter screaming like she’s a soldier in Gone With The Wind and the doctor is about to amputate her leg with no anestheia. Paul, holding Lily’s arms down and trying to hold her head still with his forearms. Me, tweezers in hand trying to pull a piece of styrofoam out of Lily’s nose without pushing it further up her nasal passage or grab a piece of nose hair and pull it out accidently.

The joys of parenthood.

Excuse me, I have to go make sure my daughter hasn’t stuffed play dough up her nostril.