Katie’s got a birthday coming up! Milestones make me reminiscent, and I couldn’t be more blessed than to have Katie as my traveling buddy these 12 years. This cross-cultural life has its challenges, often experienced very differently by each spouse. Here are some of my highlights with Katie:
- Katie playing violin gracefully on the grass the summer we met, then playing soccer aggressively on the same grass shortly thereafter.
- Flying to PNG four days before our first anniversary. Living together in a bush house without plumbing or electricity for five weeks.
- Katie missing my first survey because we discovered she was pregnant with Tikvah.
- Her going on the second survey, five months pregnant with Tikvah.
- Katie and 8-month old Tikvah coming on the fourth survey with me.
- Katie braving three births at a birth center (Tikvah), a home (Anya), and in PNG (Mira). What an amazing process to witness!
- Katie transitioning out of the diaper years and engaging in opportunities to serve in the community.
- Her listening to hundreds of hours of me thinking aloud about everything from survey strategy to managing crises to personnel issues to…
- Playing hundreds of ultimate frisbee games together.
- Learning over and over to trust God.
- Katie getting her own motorcycle for errands and to ride with me!
The truth is, this depends every bit as much on Katie as it does on me:
Anyone who knows our story knows that what I’ve told isn’t even a tenth of it. What’s exciting is that that there’s still more of this delightful story to come! Thank you Father.
And Happy Birthday Katie! May the Lord grant you many more years of delight in and faithful service to him.