While we were in Southern California last week, we got to check out our next home -- a back house in the historic section of Whittier. The property is owned by a family at our church in La Mirada, and we are not, by any means, the first people we know to live there. We've been to at least three gatherings at the little cottage, and each time the renters have been a different couple from our church. It's young-family approved.
The first time I set foot in the cottage, five or so years ago, I instantly wanted to live in it. It's old (historic!) with interesting angles, groovy built-in cabinets and tall windows.
I also remember thinking that it was very small. But, now that we've spent about a month living in a trailer, a one-bedroom cottage seems spacious indeed.
I also had never noticed the washer/dryer, the rows of built-in drawers or the space out back for a garden.
Isn't it fun to see how the Lord provides? I'm enjoying it.
Thursday, October 30, 2008
Friday, October 24, 2008
Missing Ukraine
Last night we went to a missions dinner at our home church in Southern California. The speaker, Rudi Wiens from Far East Broadcasting Company, spoke a lot about the organization's ministry in Russia.
I got rather homesick -- twice. The first moment of nostalgia hit when Rudi sang in Russian. That made sense; I've grown accustomed to the language and the tenor of Slavic music.
The second moment, however, was rather random. Rudi showed a picture. I imagine he chose it because of the foreground image: an elderly woman, warmly dressed in traditional clothing.
The picture affected me, however, because of the background. It showed a crowd of people strolling down the street. Two of them were walking side-by-side, each carrying one handle of a plaid plastic bag. We call these bags Poland bags. They're sold in the markets, but the tags inside say they're made in Poland. The are a frequent sight on public transportation in Kyiv, snuggled between people's legs on the subway, taking up narrow aisle space on the buses.
We have at least five of them. We use them all the time: To move, to carry boxes of cookies to the seminary for big events, to haul Thermoses of hot tea to church on communion Sundays.
At the moment, they're stuffed full of my clothes, Dietrich's toys, our cozy blankets ... all sitting in Dietrich's old room, waiting for our return.
I got rather homesick -- twice. The first moment of nostalgia hit when Rudi sang in Russian. That made sense; I've grown accustomed to the language and the tenor of Slavic music.
The second moment, however, was rather random. Rudi showed a picture. I imagine he chose it because of the foreground image: an elderly woman, warmly dressed in traditional clothing.
The picture affected me, however, because of the background. It showed a crowd of people strolling down the street. Two of them were walking side-by-side, each carrying one handle of a plaid plastic bag. We call these bags Poland bags. They're sold in the markets, but the tags inside say they're made in Poland. The are a frequent sight on public transportation in Kyiv, snuggled between people's legs on the subway, taking up narrow aisle space on the buses.
We have at least five of them. We use them all the time: To move, to carry boxes of cookies to the seminary for big events, to haul Thermoses of hot tea to church on communion Sundays.
At the moment, they're stuffed full of my clothes, Dietrich's toys, our cozy blankets ... all sitting in Dietrich's old room, waiting for our return.
Monday, October 13, 2008
Baba and Papa's house
Trying to keep track of where the Oldenburgs are? We are too. Physically, we are in Morgan Hill, California. We arrived a week ago today. We spent the week visiting with family and setting up our home -- a trailer on my parents' property. It's cozy, and I love it.
Emotionally, we are all over the map. Mostly we're OK, until some little thing happens that reminds us of Andrei. For instance, today I noticed that the local pumpkin patch was heavily stocked with lovely orange gourds -- and two-child families and pregnant ladies. You can read some of Eric's thoughts on our loss here.
We are so thankful for all the e-mails, cards, books and toys for Dietrich that people have sent to encourage us, console us and help us get settled back in America. It's still hard to grasp how much has changed in such a short time, but knowing that we, and Andrei, are loved is very helpful.
Emotionally, we are all over the map. Mostly we're OK, until some little thing happens that reminds us of Andrei. For instance, today I noticed that the local pumpkin patch was heavily stocked with lovely orange gourds -- and two-child families and pregnant ladies. You can read some of Eric's thoughts on our loss here.
We are so thankful for all the e-mails, cards, books and toys for Dietrich that people have sent to encourage us, console us and help us get settled back in America. It's still hard to grasp how much has changed in such a short time, but knowing that we, and Andrei, are loved is very helpful.
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