Mr. Giraffe is gone!

Well, Ned had 2 favourite toys: Hermie, his beloved teddy bear and Mr. G, his DUPLO giraffe. That giraffe, I tell you, tried to escape soooo many times already. Once it "jumped" over the railing into the water but could be rescued again. Another time we visited an old lady with Alzheimer and Ned tucked Mr. G in her blanket before leaving. We only realized someone was missing on the way back in the car and had to turn around. But, yeah, now it finally really has happened, Mr. G is gone, without a trace:o(((((. We went for a nice spring walk to the shops and when coming back he was gone. Bye bye giraffe, you were a good and faithful friend and I truly hope that Ned will be able to sleep and live without you, although he's asking for his "geigei" (giraffe). If you happen to have a spare giraffe you're not really attached to and don't need, we'd be more then happy to give it a new home:o)))

Well, not only Mr. G is gone, Ben is gone as well (but he'll come back in 1 1/2 weeks!!), which leaves me alone with offspring. To be honest, I was a bit scared of entertaining a 1 3/4 year old all day by myself and the first day started off REALLY badly!!! I had a screaming concert for one hour just after breakfast over NOTHING and again for quite a while after his afternoon nap. Great start of being alone with him for two weeks, but the next day was the exact opposite. We went for a walk and he didn't want to sit in his pusher and walked all the way into town. I was so impressed with the little fellow. The ships office wives met in a cafe in town which was really nice and my little "angel" played all the time peacefully in the toy corner. Unfortunately on the way out he tried to steal some plastic Ester eggs from some decoration in a corner and fell down, headfirst, a couple of steps and broke the fall with his adorable little nose.... but he's fine, only a couple of scratches remind us of the fall... but it truly looked spectacular!! And he even got a little plastic toy dog thing which is quite high in his esteem now already (so, maybe Mr. G will be replaced by Mr. D??)

Spring has arrived as well which is really good. The air is so fresh and wonderful and we go for walks sometimes even twice a day. Slowly offspring also discovered that feeding duck is fun and if we head in that direction he says "Quack quack" and is rather upset with me if we don't turn off towards the ducks....

Tomorrow I'm heading back towards Heilbronn to stay with my parents for a couple of days.... it is just REALLY nice to have other people around who enjoy entertaining a almost 2 year old... I do run out of ideas at times:o)))))

WHY, oh why...???

WHY does it have to be so confusing??? Okay, first we were hoping the Doulos would go on in her ministry (when we were still on board), then we were hoping we could sell her, and someone else would preserve her, then we got used to the thought of her being scrapped, after that we were hoping for her being scrapped and now?? Now she'll be preserved after all... gash.... and she won't even have a big and grand final voyage because she'll be staying in Singapore and had her "final" voyage already: from Keppel Bay, guess where, to a ship yard... again!!!! This all makes me way too confused and I don't know what I should think nor feel. I mean, in a way it's really cool for her to be able to be used a bit longer, but it would be strange to visit her some time in the future and not being allowed to wander around the ship freely. The hand over is planned for the 18th of March, and then OM and Doulos will part ways.... that's a first... normally they kinda run them aground :o))))

(I hope they don't want my cabin number back which I unscrewed and took with me as a souvenir.... but I did ask before I did it!!!)

Washing machine blessings....

A couple of days ago I wrote how I was lamenting in front of my mum's washing machine... now I can rejoice about our own new "old" washing machine.... GOD truly is good and provides for our needs. I wasn't even "brave" enough to really pray for a washing machine, but he provided one for us anyway. A couple from the office will leave Mosbach end of March to move to Sweden to serve God there in their retirement, and we'll get their washing machine... YAY!!!!!!!!!!!

Maybe I should mention to Him that we need a fridge with a freezer as well??? :o))))

I am truly grateful to our provider God. I do not want to "abuse" Him as a "prayer-machine" (you drop in a prayer in the top and pull our the answer in the bottom), but the same time, He rejoices if we come to Him with our needs, however big or small they might be... isn't that amazing???? The creator of heaven and earth cares if we have a washing machine or not.... that kinda blows my mind....

I'm off to bed.... night, night

The joys of parenthood

A couple of days ago I came to a point when I asked a random stranger, if he wanted to buy a kid, which, off course he declined politely, due to the fact, that said kid was lying on the ground and screaming his head off.

It all started with my desire to do something nice together with said kid. Meaning, I thought of feeding the ducks with our over production of bread which was a result of the fact, that baby eats brain: I am even more forgetful than normal and do silly things like not putting the yeast in the bread dough or too much salt in the bun dough. Somehow offspring didn't get it, that feeding ducks is nice, he just didn't want to come with me and started screaming his head of in the middle of the lawn outside the mill.... for 15 min. I tried everything to make him walk, I hid from his sight, I was stern, I waited for him to calm down... nothing helped.... in the end I walked up to him then he moved towards me and insisted of me carrying him. It ain't no fun to be pregnant and then to carry a 15kg toddler. I just can't do it.... so first I started to drag him, tried to make him walk and ended up carrying that little tyke to those stupid ducks (I mean, who wants to feed stupid ducks anyways....). Being there, he got the point that feeding stupid ducks really is fun and he enjoyed it... I didn't enjoy it so much anymore, because my mood-thermometer had dropped down a couple degrees. And then offspring decided he wanted to walk, unfortunately the wrong direction!!!!!!!!!!!!!! AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!! And the whole thing happened all over again... that was the moment I offered him up for sale. Well, it didn't help, I had to drag/carry/make walk him back to the mill and the mood thermometer was minus 20 by that time. He had an out-time in his room (which he disliked greatly and protested loudly) and I had some chocolate (the mood went up a tiny bit).... after a couple of minutes we had our reconciliation and watched Winny the Pooh.

Well two days later I thought: "Let's try it again" (Not that those ducks deserve being feed anyhow) This time armed with a bag of stale bread, we headed of. We didn't get far. Offspring refused to walk into the direction I wanted to walk. Well, tell me what to do in situations like that. We don't HAVE to feed silly ducks, so I thought "Forget it!!" and Ned actually ended up eating the stale (but not moldy!!) bread himself. If it makes him happy to eat lumps of old bread, that saves us money buying expensive snacks:o))))

But then there are true moments of joy, for example on Friday. Ned and I went grocery shopping with a friend and her little daughter and while the mum put the car seat in, little Sofia cried bitterly. When both of them finally were tucked in on the back seats in their car seats Ned was holding Sofia's hand to comfort her. And after the shopping trip, while I unpacked the car he went to the sandpit and played all by himself for at least 1/2h, lost in his own little world

And as you can see on the pic, it almost looked like if spring had arrived. Well, we were wrong!! On Saturday morning we woke up to discover that it had snowed 20cm during the night!!!! YAYYYYYYYYY!!!!! Snow, just for us!!!! Everyone else in Mosbach longs for warmer weather, but we were thrilled and excited and went straight out to built a snow man (who didn't survive the day due to some juvenile hooliganism, this time NOT our kid). But now, we also are happy for spring to come, firstly because we have summer tires on our car, and secondly my winter coat gets, ummm, let me say.... very snug!!! :o))))

Funny little guy...

Kids really do have their own mind!!! Offspring for example just got brand new Wellingtons. He INSISTED on putting them straight on, here in the flat. He isn't really used to walking in Wellingtons though yet, so he walks in a very funny I-got-something-in-my-pants-way!!! Additionally he is "cooking" in the kitchen. I "gave" him one cupboard with a couple of pots and bowls and spoons, and now he's sitting in the kitchen, his boots on and cooking with his stuff on the floor... :o))))

Well, I just had to share with you:o)))

And once again....

... I am packing!!! I greatly DISlike packing a lot!!! Stuff seems to multiply like rabbits in only a short time and you have to stuff that multiplied stuff in the same space the unmultiplied stuff fitted.... hmpf!!!! Packing to go for a two weeks holiday is delightful, but packing your entire life in a couple of suit cases and boxes: AIN'T no fun!!!!
So here I was, mumbling to myself, wishing I was normal and lived a kind of normal live and sitting infront of my mother's excellent washing mashine (marvelling that this washing mashine actually really washes our clothes clean with a nice fragent smell and WITHOUT ripping little holes in the fabric... and coveting it!!!! Bad girl!!!). But sitting there infront of the washing mashine and waiting for it to finish I truely had such a "God moment". I felt so blessed that I felt guilty!!! Here I was, wondering if our God would provide a cheep washing mashine for us and remebering all those blessings he poured down on us already!!!

1. I have an awesome family, and not only my crazy but wonderful hubby, but also both mine as well as Ben's parents are true believers and have a strong relationship with each other as well as with God. It is a BLESSING, and too often I take it for granted. Looking around, it ISN'T normal though! And our gorgous little kiddo.... he's three blessings in one... most of the time at least ;o)
   
2. We never ever had to experience great physical suffering, hunger, thirst, persecusion, abuse, unjustice or poverty... Yes, we had to face cancer but God was there and most of the time we almost forget that Ben had cancer.
3. God provided for so many of our needs in an awesome way: We own a really nice car (although it is a Frenchy) and maybe other people wouldn't consider it nice, because it isn't the newest, fastest or most sporty car, but it is great for our needs as a family car with quite a lot of space (to transport all our multiplied stuff!!) and everytime I sit in it I marvel at God's goodness and the generosity and help of my parents. But not only the car, God also provided a place for us to stay in. Today we move to Mosbach (it's only 1/2h away from mum and dad's) and we will live in the mill for the next 6 weeks and by that time we will be able to move back into our old flat. Isn't that amazing???

And that's only the latest blessings.... there is NO reason whatsoever to sit infront of the washing mashine and covet it. Yes, we are not rich in an earthly way, there is hardly any savings in our name, but I feel very rich because God takes care of us in such an awesome way. But here guilt kicks in. I think of my brothers and sisters in Christ who are suffereing pain, hunger, injustice, oppression, poverty... how can I sit here and long for a washing mashine??? Isn't there so much more important things to pray for???? But I guess just like we shouldn't compare ourselves with the more fotunate we also shouldn't "compare" ourselves with the less fotunate, but be merciful, generous, hospitable and kind and share the blessings we receive with those lacking. That's an area I still have to learn a lot, but I try :o)

Random thoughts...

... somehow you would expect to miss the ship... wouldn't you??? But I don't miss the Doulos at all, not even a incy wincy tiny bit. Shocking, I know!!!! I do miss some people, especially Ned's little friends Tessa and Sienna but he seems to be happy to be the only little one here... and receiving ALL the attention ALL the time (especially from the grandparents!!!), but I just don't miss the old lady. I guess she just isn't anymore what she used to be. When we left, she was a ghost ship and the only things remaining were the memories of ministry and life. And those memories are good, but the ship is dead, I'm ready to let her rest in peace!!! But I'm also grateful that we were able to experience this dying of a ship, we were able to say good bye to her, which many exDouloids aren't... I guess that's why many people NOT experiencing this "dying process" are eager to preserve her. If I'm honest, I think I prefer being part of a ship being born than a ship dying, although the "birthing process" of Logos Hope took much longer than we all thought, but it was worth it:o)))) It has been a privilege to have experienced both. Well, Doulos: REST IN PEACE and cheers the awesome times we were able to have on board... but thinking about it, it wasn't the ship but GOD who made the time AWESOME!!! Cheers, God!!