Deb, Claire, and I just returned from a visit to East Texas. We were greeted with some colder weather, then hail and a tornado warning, followed by several days +80F. The Boldings let us stay out at their lake house, which is about 25 minutes from Longview, where most of our friends live. We rented a car and made the trip in and out of town several times per day. Sometimes Deb would meet up with a friend, then we’d switch for various meetings and family connections.
Currently, we have Clark and Annabelle, and Broderic and Kristin with their three kids living in Longview, Texas. It was really nice to feel the warmth of the sun on our faces after this incredibly long winter up in Canada. We enjoyed sharing at some church gatherings and meeting up with old (we’re all aging!) friends and supporters of various missions/ministries. One church in particular has been exceedingly generous, Risen Life Church, with our friends Allen and April Hubbard and their pastors Steve and Bridgette Pawlak. Their small, but intentional band of praying folks has resourced several widows’ projects, including this winter’s focus on heating homes of the elderly.
I realized something during the visit. I really miss Tex-Mex food! Oh my, for whatever reason, I had forgotten how good it is. We enjoyed seeing our lifelong friends Art and Tracy, as well as Bo and Beth, the Tuttle family, Hubers, and several others who mean a lot to our family. I also was able to reconnect with former co-workers when I owned Cypress and EDsuite, including Hunter and Justin. It was a bit of a time warp this trip. We were in Texas last summer for Clark’s wedding, but we really didn’t take a breath and enjoy the community, so it had been a few years since we’d seen everyone in person, and for some friends, it was much longer between visits. It really hit home just how quickly the past 5 yrs have flown – we’re used to coming in, resting up quickly, and heading back to Ukraine over the years. To be there, without a looming flight back, and with time to breathe and be present, it was surreal and a bit disorienting to think how our lives are truly racing by alongside those we’ve known from our mid 20’s.
Thankful for the trip. Abbey stayed back and journeyed to British Columbia with her grandparents. It was a memorable trip for her, to see her cousins and enter a much more loud (and fun-gaming) family – she’s gotten used to our small family and being the oldest – it was nice for her to get to know her grandparents more as well. She turns 14 next week.
Well, here are some photos. Our next focus is to put our PA house on the market. It’s served our family well since buying it online from Ukraine just 2 months before Russia invaded. It’s been an oasis and landing pad for our college-age kids to enter the West while we remained in Romania. Noah is the only one there now; he just finished his GED there in Hazleton, PA, while working part-time at a restaurant. We’re very proud of him for getting that done after not having schooling from the 8-12th grades for the most part (other than music!). He will be considering college this fall. Where? We’re not sure exactly, but we know God has something coming together for us in this next season.