Road Hazards...

I'm Spiderman...

Well, we have been on the road for two weeks now and we have learned a thing or two about road hazards. I'm not just talking about the little inconveniences that we might see outside of the car like van swallowing pot holes, sleeping truckers, hostile winds, visibility reducing, street-flooding rain, or any of the other unmentionables to be found along the highways of America. I am talking about the real nuclear class road hazards that are found inside the car (aka 'The Big Three'). I think they belong in a list:

• 'Washable' Markers: Although no I.D. is needed to purchase them, these portable instruments of havoc clearly should be outlawed for car travel with persons under the age of 55.
  
• Juice Boxes: On any given day, if you were to listen to our conversations with the boys around 9 am in the car you would hear something like the following..."Here is you juice box, please don't squeeze it...no, don't squeeze it...NO, put it in your mouth...your mouth!...uh sweetie, did you pack a change of clothes in the diaper bag...no, not for Tim, for me..." and so it goes. The problem with these little instruments of sticky is that we are constantly lulled into thinking that it will be different the next time...so far, we've been wrong every time.
• Fibber-McGee's Towering Trunk of Doom!: Although this could be classified as an outside of the car hazard, it actually resides in the car until some hapless person decides to open the back of the van and is promptly buried by piles of assorted traveling bags, toys, baby paraphenalia etc. Elizabeth and I are considering using those avalanche radio beacons to limit the potential for catastrophe. (Really, we do pack carefully, I seriously believe it is a design flaw in the car...)

All that to say, thanks for praying for us. So far our trip has been a time of good fellowship and encouragement. We have been reminded at every stop of God's care for us by friends who are dearly precious. The kids really have been good - especially Elias who has endured solitary confinement in the extreme rear of the car and a four day 103 degree viral infection. We are encouraged. Praise God!
Things you can be praying for this week:

• Tonight (Friday) we are presenting another of our prayer times. We hope and pray that it will be an encouragement for all who come. We still are looking for about forty daily prayers.
• We will be heading over to Nate's sister's place in MI on Monday or Tuesday. There we will have 7 kids 7 years and under and three couples, under one roof for almost a week. Pray for the time that it is refreshing and good family time. It could be the last time we see them for quite a while.
• Pray for decision making. We are still in the process of sorting out what the changes in policy that the New Tribes leadership mean for us. These last few weeks have been really good for us - God has used the situation to expose us to our self-reliance. Pray with us that we are depending on Him alone.
• Pray for us as parents. We will be more than a month without regular routine. This is a little hard on the guys. Pray with us that we are able to provide stability and care during this time.
  

Thanks again for helping to carry the load.
Nate for the family