I never unpacked. I did my laundry, but then I put the same clothes back in the suitcase.

This last week I spent a few days in El Salvador visiting these precious faces.

Then I came home, and tomorrow I leave for Philippines to visit a Child Survival Program.

It’s been a good week. The girls are doing well, Stephen is an expert dad as well as the best husband ever. While I was gone, he re-organized my top dresser drawer. For some wives, this might sound strange to have their husband organize a dresser drawer, but for me, this was a blessing. I am slightly embarrassed to confess, my drawer needed some work as I had resorted to shoving things into this confined space, and I really didn’t know what existed in that drawer.  Apparently, I had a lot of single socks that needed a match. For the 21 years of our marriage, Steve has kept our closets organized and our drawers tidy. God gave me the perfect husband to handle my shortcomings.

My few days at home have been fun. Last night, we all went to work with Steve at the Rock &Worship Roadshow. Compassion is a part of this tour, and since my husband oversees what Compassion does in the music industry, we went to hang out with everyone who is part of this tour. The girls always enjoy hanging out behind the scenes to see how these tours work.

This tour was especially fun for Julia. Julia got to see one of her favorite heroes, Scott Brickell, who manages MercyMe. She says he is like a second dad. She had the chance to travel with Brickell (and Steve) to India last year with Compassion. Her strong personality meshed with his strong personality, and they became good friends. Since Steve doesn’t do hair, Brickell became Julia’s hairdresser in India. 

It’s beautiful seeing your children find other adults that have poured wisdom and love into your child’s life.

Brickell ended up letting my girls zoom around on these things. I had a bit of a panic attack when Brickell told them to go out on the streets of Portland to ride around (my youngest child in purple, the dare devil, would surely die). So we settled on staying in the parking lot of the Rose Quarter arena.

Of course the girls then took their moment on stage before the concerts began. Grace was tickled over having her chance to sit on the throne.

What a fun night!

Now, in less than 24 hours now, I will be back on a plane leaving my favorite people behind again. It’s a short trip to the Philippines (6 days), though a long plane ride. I do look forward to being with moms and babies and hosting a group from LifeChurchTV. After this trip though, I am back home for a few weeks so settle in for spring. I will get to unpack!

I am always grateful for our lives and the journey God has us on. Sometimes the business and travel can make us tired, but God is so good and He continually sustains us.