Sincerely, Kristin

There is lots of excitement in the house today.  It is our last day of the school year!  Both students and teachers (a.k.a. mom and dad) are ready for summer vacation.  The days are warm, the sun is bright, and the anticipation of the end of school, by the counting down of days, has been felt for the last few weeks.

These past two years, we have been following the Chilean school calendar, which runs from March until December.  It makes it easier for everyone if we, as home schoolers, have the same vacation times as all the neighborhood kids.  There is nothing worse for a teacher than to try to teach your students while the doorbell rings 15 times and kids ask if your students can come out to play, ask how much longer they have to be in school, etc.  It is much easier for us to follow the same school schedule as those living around us.

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Be sure to visit our SK Christmas list and add your suggestion(s) and/or stories.  I am going to head there right now and add another idea: listen to your favorite Christmas music while you are working around the house.  (One of my favorites is my Messiah CD.)

 Isaiah 9:6 (NIV) For unto us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders.  And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.              

 Your turn to share:  I am looking to purchase some new Christmas music – what song(s) and/or CD would you suggest?

Almost two years ago now, we headed to the Buffalo International Airport with our 12 suitcases and 12 carry-on bags, and in ten days we will heading to the Chilean International Airport to do the same.

Buffalo International Airport
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We will be driving down to Chillán (see map  - between Concepción and Temuco) to attend annual conference this weekend.  We will be making our announcement to our Chilean friends during our time down there.  Thank you, in advance, for your prayers.

We enjoyed a good day as we celebrated Thankgiving with our dear friends.  In our grocery stores, turkey is very scarce and, if found, very expensive, so we “gobbled down” some delicious roasted chicken with a great variety of side dishes (including an exquisite strawberry pretzel salad that my friends, Kay and Yvonne, prepared – mmm, mmm, good!)   Thank you, Lord, for good friends and good food!

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As you may know, I have not yet completed my first book, Help, I’m Married to a Pastor!; however, it looks like it is already time to start working on the sequel:

Help, I’m Married to a Pastor…AGAIN!

Did we see this coming four months ago?  No.

Do we sense this is what the Lord is calling us to do?  Yes. (more…)

I was reading an article a couple of weeks ago that talked about being stressed out. Then I was just realizing that this week begins the “holiday season”.

This season, is it possible that we can help each other to not get too stressed out? Let’s try to help each other be like Mary, the mother of Jesus:

Luke 2:19 (NIV) But Mary treasured up all these things and pondered them in her heart.

My prayer is that each one of us can enjoy each day during these last weeks of the year, slow down to appreciate the simple things, take in moments for reflection, and remember what God has given and sacrificed for us.

Your turn to share: What are some simple, practical ideas to help us to slow down and enjoy the moment at hand?

As probably many of you know by now, about 2 hours ago, a strong earthquake hit the northern part of Chile (see CNN article). The location of its epicenter is about 780 miles from Santiago, but some of the reports say that people could feel it here in the capital city as well, although we did not feel anything. So far the damage seems fairly minimal for its 7.7 magnitude and length of time (about 50 seconds).

Thankfully, Chile has spent decades improving its buildings and codes for earthquake resistance. No loss of life has yet been reported.

I just wanted to let you know that we are safe.

I have missed all of you! As you may recall, one of the items on my things-to-do list in the previous post was to work on a new blog. I realized that it had to take priority over Sincerely, Kristin this past weekend so that is why I have not written for the last few days. It was quite draining to work on it, but it was so worth it!

Let me give you a little background of it before I give you the address to go and visit the site.

Max traveled to São Paulo, Brazil, for our denominational world conference. Before leaving, our good friend, Yvonne, emailed and asked us to be a part of a team to set up and have a blog running simultaneously during the days of the conference. Her vision was to have as many people as possible hear the inspirational stories and feel a part of the conference by sending photos. (more…)

In my time of silence today, I sensed the Lord speak to me.

He said, “I am more important.”

As I reflected upon that, I began to put His words in front of my day’s list-of-things-to-do:

I am more important than home schooling your children.
I am more important than helping Max with his travel preparations.
I am more important than setting up the new blog that you have been asked to help out with.
I am more important than preparing the meals for the day.
I am more important than answering the emails that are still in your inbox.
I am more important than the heavy decisions that need to be made in your life.
I am more important than driving Felicia to gymnastics class.
I am more important than preparing another entry for your SK blog. (more…)

I have kept this “poem” from Paul Harvey on my computer desktop so that I can be reminded to open it up and read through it once in awhile.

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Paul Harvey Writes:

We tried so hard to make things better for our kids that we made them
worse. For my grandchildren, I’d like better.

I’d really like for them to know about hand me down clothes and homemade
ice cream and leftover meat loaf sandwiches. I really would.

I hope you learn humility by being humiliated, and that you learn
honesty by being cheated.

I hope you learn to make your own bed and mow the lawn and wash the car.

And I really hope nobody gives you a brand new car when you are sixteen. (more…)

We were at the ocean on Saturday. I just love the water. Every time I go to the beach, I am mesmerized by the waves. Their rhythm and routine is so peaceful and calming to me. I stare out at the ocean, lost in the sea of thoughts that race through my mind.

This visit to the ocean had me thinking about the rhythmic motion of the waves. In such a routine way, they draw closer to the shore until they crash into the beach – such precision, such consistency. (more…)

Surreal — That is what Max and I felt as we sat in the former Congress building, waiting for President Bachelet to arrive. The choir began to warm up, and after two songs, I was in tears and said, “Okay, I can go home now.” Of course, the video below does not give justice to the sound of the angelic singing we heard in that historical building; however, I hope it will give you an idea of just how powerful it was.

We knew when the president was entering because of the sea of photographers and news cameras that sped past us on the red carpet in front of us. Because we arrived early, they seated us in the front row. And then…as surreal as it was, President Bachelet came walking down the center aisle, shaking hands with each person she passed. (It reminded me of the way our presidents enter the Congress building to give their “state of the union” addresses.) (more…)