I'm home! (nearly)

 Hi friends,

I made it back, not without incident, but safely and so very gratefully and happily! My biggest and most important suitcase had gotten left in Kuala Lumpur despite being checked through from LAX and my verifying twice - at both the transfer desk and the gate - that the suitcases were both there and labeled correctly to go on with me to Papua New Guinea. Oh well, it followed about 40 hours behind me, thank God!

I am enjoying being so near the kids and Gavin during my quarantine. My bedroom windows look out on our house. Right now I can hear Isaac and friends laughing. I have little visits throughout the day. Today I've set up playdates, sent kids home to put on hats and sunscreen, saved Gracie's basketball from being stolen (the court is right on the side of the house where I'm quarantined), commanded them to pick up garbage they left on the driveway, told them to take their medicine, suggested that maybe feeling sick meant it was time to go eat something, and all without leaving my porch. I have a good strong voice. 😁

(I zoomed in on the following shots, hence the fuzzy quality. )

Rain or shine, the girls didn't care! It's poured rain every afternoon.

Isaac doing the happy dance with Gracie!

David was still dressed from Book Parade. He was King Arthur. So was Will. But David accessorized with a ninja hood rather than helmet, although I'm not sure why. Things fall apart when Mom is gone. 😅

Gavin has done an AMAZING job with the help of our WONDERFUL community! It really took a village, and we love this village's sacrificial servant heart in feeding and caring for these kiddos while we were separated! 

Let me tell you, doing a medical procedure/test in another country during a pandemic is no easy thing. Travel is just so tricky these days! We'd been trying to get me back for nearly 4 weeks, but I was gone for 5. It's that hard to get approvals and tickets and tests in time, plus Dallas had their Snowcopalypse while I was there.  The airport was MOBBED the day I left, I'm guessing because so many had been trapped during the storms. My heart and prayers go out to the people who STILL don't have water, and to those who were so cold for so long without power. My parents were exceptionally blessed in not losing either, I think because they live in a senior community right next to a a nursing home. My brother and sister and their families had burst pipes and were without power and water for several days, so I got to see a lot of them that last week - whenever icy roads were passable! 

Thanks again for all your prayers for my testing/biopsy and for my travel and most of all for my family! I love them so much and truly rejoice to see/here how well they've done. The Lord is GOOD!

Love in Him,

Carrie