The girlies just concluded their year of dance, wrapping it up with three recitals on the 12th and 13th of June. Great job, girlies... you rocked it... in a ballet and tap sort of way.
Father's Day we spent at Famous Dave's so Daddy could get his fill of ribs. Steph's an incredible daddy... it's only right that we feed his carnivorous ways. I don't know if he even consumed a fruit or veggie that day -- everything ingested was more than likely part of the meat group.
Ellie turned 'the big four' on the 21st. We celebrated with a huge day at the Mall of America and Underwater Adventures, indulged in a little Coldstone Birthday Cake Re-mix, and ended her special day at the IMAX and Toy Story 3 in 3D. Happy Birthday, Boo... we love you.
Ave's done with baseball -- he just finished his last game on American soil with a tournament on Saturday afternoon. Sooo proud of him -- very short in stature, very HUGE in heart!
We just came off such an amazing weekend at River Valley Church. We were given the opportunity to share a short glimpse of our Journey, why we're going, what we'll be doing, etc. Our KSTP video was shown, and an offering at all four services was taken. Wow. We were also blessed with a table in the lobby where people were able to sign up, keep updated, and find out ways to partner with us in our journey. We LOVE RVC and are so thankful to have such a life-giving church sending us out. What an awesome place to call 'home'. A special thanks to Pastor Rob, Pastor Justin, sweet Rachel, and everyone else for an incredible weekend.
We're in the process of putting together a monthly newsletter -- just another way to keep you all updated from here and once we're on the other side of the pond and in the field. If you're already partnering with us or have signed up this last weekend, we have your info! However, if you're interested in more information and updates, email me @ krista.prince@childrenscup.org and we'll be sure to keep you in the loop. Look for the July newsletter soon -- we're hoping to tackle and publish it over the holiday weekend!
Last night we escaped for a date night at Target Field in the Champions club, an area directly behind home plate with extra wide cooshy seats, incredible dining, valet parking -- the works. It was an amazing evening with everything from mahi mahi and chicken satay to a dessert, candy and peanut bar. The weather was perfect and our seats provided a direct (and very close-up!) view to the Twins dugout. It was so fun to sit with Steph, engage in some adult conversation, and talk about the last 2 1/2 years of his on the job... reminiscing. A very special thank you to DCCI and the Carlsons for the tickets and help with our kiddies. What a huge blessing last night was! The landscape from our seats:
As excited as we were to have the opportunity to experience the Champion's Club last night, we couldn't help but feel that it was another 'last' for us here in the States, and love how God is just continually preparing our heart for what's to come. We started this journey at the beginning of February in complete awe yet not knowing how long this will process will take. However, we're noticing how these desires of our hearts are getting stronger. As much as we love where we are, we really are starting to feel those Swazi butterflies with each house showing, with each new family who supports us in our journey, with each blessing and miracle, and with each report from the field from our missionary family awaiting our arrival. These lasts -- dance, baseball, Father's Day, El's birthday, and those to come -- are bittersweet but 'lasts' that just get us one day closer in our Journey to Swaziland. God is amazing, and we are so thankful for these incredible lasts!
Speaking of lasts, here's my last for this blog. If you haven't seen the NFL network's video "Saving Swaziland", it is so very well done. It leaves a huge lump in my throat each and every time I view it. Anthony Hargrove's quote continues to resonate and won't leave me:
"How am I going to go back to the US and how can I live the American dream knowing that in Swaziland people are dying every day? Help is needed. We can't let Swaziland disappear."