Home, Sweet Home

As lovely as my trip to Seattle was, I am very glad to be home now. I spent one night relaxing at my parent's in the country where it's very quiet and now I am back to the noise of the city. But, it is my city and I love it. I am also grateful for a chance to take some time off after the trip to get refreshed.
With each event, I am growing to love my job more and more. I get to meet some of the most amazing people! Each trip is full of people who are earnestly seeking what God has in store for their lives and are an example of what it really means to live by faith. They come from all walks of life. Some just starting out in ministry and some wanting to move forward with planting their third church. This week I got to meet a World Champion in Track and Field, a couple who opened their hearts and home and adopted children who were already teenagers because they felt such a strong call from God to do it, people who are eagerly awaiting the birth of their first child, a former mafia member who has been through hell and redeemed by grace and wants to share that love with others who are hurting. I met people who have suffered through tragic loss and amazing joy and through it all they seek to obey the God that they love. It's a very emotionally charged event and even though I am not the one who is there to determine the next chapter in my life, I sense and understand the enormity of it all. I get to sit in the room on the final night as each couple is evaluated. They are covered in prayer by people who genuinely care for them and who are earnestly seeking the will of the Lord in their decisions. Nothing is taken lightly. It is a privilege to be a part of it.
Our event this week was held at a church in downtown Seattle. The church has been there for about 100 years and is a beautiful old building. It was also a little like a giant stair master. I should have counted the number or stairs and how many times I went up and down them!



Oh, did I mention the A-Mazing cupcakes that the caterer brought one night? Wow!! And, yes, they tasted as good as they looked.

We had the most amazing weather while we were there so I will leave you with these shots of the mountains (The Cascades, I believe) as seen from my flight out of town (which actually landed at O'Hare early!!!).