We are house free!!!

In less than an hour from the time I am writing this, we anticipate... at long last... to be house free. Our house was for sale nearly one year, standing empty... but still consuming a mortgage and utility bills... for a full seven months of that year. Tonight (tomorrow morning in the USA) the sale will be official, the papers signed.

In Cantonese class one of my fellow students talked about hoping to buy a "home"(ngukkei). Our teacher corrected him. In the Cantonese language you cannot say that you are buying or selling a home, only a house (nguk).

Despite the fact that we loved our home in Wisconsin... despite the hours of labor my husband spent on the basement, the boys spent helping create that extra bathroom... despite even the gorgeous new kitchen (probably the only new kitchen of my life) with the new oven that really did turn out the best chocolate chip cookies ever... despite the deck where we caught the late night breezes, and saw the occasional deer in the woods... despite the herb garden and the asparagus, despite the bluebirds and the sunflowers, despite the graduation parties and the late night dinners we concocted with friends over a bottle of wine (or two)...

It's just a house. And we're SO very glad it's (hopefully by the time most of you read this) sold. Now our home is here where we live and work and cook dinners in Hong Kong, and soon we plan to buy my mom's old house in Door County, to serve as our home when we are in the States.

"Those who love me will obey my teaching. My Father will love them, and we will come to them and make our home with them." -- Jesus, according to John 14:23

Good News!

The kid turned sweet sixteen this week. Most of our international friends and acquaintances have fled the 90+ temperatures and 90+ humidity of the Hong Kong summers for the friendlier summer climates of Europe, Canada, the U.S., and Japan.
So it was just us, and our immediate neighbors to serenade the boy. Does he look utterly thrilled, or what?

Thick gooey homemade brownies, ice cream, a US$10 can of whipped cream (yes, VERY expensive here) and the celebration was complete.

One more thing -- WE GOT AN OFFICIAL, WRITTEN OFFER ON OUR HOUSE BACK IN THE USA!!!!

Life is good.

"Rejoice with those who rejoice!" -- Romans 12:15

More masks

I believe we are on the brink of finally selling our house back in the USA, and I'm trying to keep a healthy perspective, but it isn't easy. We've been waiting for the guy who's made a verbal offer to actually get it into the legal written form. It was supposed to be Friday, then Saturday, and now the latest word is... Monday morning...

So it's good that Saturday was busy... another trip to prison for our monthly Bible study there. Once again we had to wear those confounded masks. Angel was eager to hear how my month had gone. "I prayed for you every single day," he said. And I totally believe him.

Saturday afternoon was another "Hoppy Palace" day (my crazy supplemental job, teaching English phonics to Chinese babies and children). In case you haven't heard, the nursery & elementary schools in Hong Kong have been asked to close for two weeks because of the H1N1 flu concerns, but this doesn't seem to apply to after-school programs, so it was a busy busy afternoon. Singing "If You're Happy and You Know It" with a mask on is a very special challenge, especially when you're singing and jumping and clapping as you do so.

Let me tell you, the shower when I finally got home felt better than great.

When times are good, be happy; but when times are bad, consider: God has made the one as well as the other. Therefore, you cannot discover anything about your future. -- the Old Man Preacher of Ecclesiastes 7:14