The Lord encouraged me in a personal way on Sunday morning as I read a devotional called "A Gentle Spirit". The reading was taken from writings of Ruth Bell Graham and was titled EMPTY NEST. Does that sound like something I've been worrying over? Here is the notable quote which I am turning into a prayer: "From my vantage point I can look back on circumstances involving our children, situations I once felt were hopeless, only to see in disbelief and amazemant as God brought order out of chaos, light out of darkness." What a great God He is.

This morning my readings took me to Deuteronomy, Ezekiel, Micah, Psalms and finally to Romans 8. It was there that I was reminded again that if we hope for what we do not see, then we can eagerly wait for it with patience. And while we wait and pray, the Spirit Himself intercedes for us when we don't know how or what to pray. Thank God for His wonderful promises and His faithfulness that keeps those promises.

Yesterday (Monday) I went in to Newark with Steve, having not been in for several weeks. How good it was to see some of our school kids who are enrolled in our summer daycamp program. I was mobbed with love and reminded again to be faithful in prayer for them. Steve and I went over to the apartment on Eighth St. to see what we might need while we live there. It will be fine and will also help World Impact for us to find out firsthand what needs to be done before any other missionaries come to live there. The only major things were a hole in the ceiling that needs to be repaired and no cold water in the bathroom faucet. We have pretty well figured out what we absolutely need to bring there and the rest will be stored.

Hey I figured out what colors to use in the kitchen when I found an adorable knob to use on the cabinets. I'll paint the cabinets "BROWN BAG" and the walls will be "COZY LIGHT", both Glidden Paint colors. The knobs are antique-looking ceramic knobs the color of the wall paint with flecks of the counter paint color. It should be very warm and welcoming. I'll keep y'all posted on other decorating decisions. Nancy can let me know how I'm doing. (o:

I'm packing again. Now that may not seem like news since we do move in a month. It is though because I've somehow been stuck in inertia. I couldn't understand why I was just doing ANYTHING else rather than pack, until today when the lightbulb came on, dim though it may be. I think if I just don't pack, I'm just not moving. And if I'm not moving, I am not sending my daughter out in to the world separate from me. I keep a pretty tight lid on my anxieties but now and then I let them up for air. So now I'm packing again.

It seems the house will NOT be ready for several more months, so now I am packing two types of boxes: boxes for storage till the house is done and boxes for the temporary apartment we will move in to. Wonder if I will just feel like pitching most of our stuff once we are reunited with it? Actually I promise not to toss it, I will sell it at one of our famous sales at World Impact instead. We pretty much see how little we can sell it for and still let people keep their dignity as they buy it.

I had a happy phone call a little while ago. My dear husband will be home this afternoon instead of tomorrow morning. I really miss him when he is gone. I can't believe I would be separated from him for a month or more at a time when he worked for Touch the World! Of course I worked full time so it seemed a little easier.

I do realize it is a wonderful thing to miss your husband of almost 31 years as much as I miss him. (o: !

I read Psalm 119 this morning; all of it at once. In the past, I have the sections separately, one a day but decided this morning to read it all at one sitting. That gave me the desire to study it, section by section. I know there is so much more meaning than I get from a read-through. I have a favorite Bible study site on the web:
www.blueletterbible.org. They have all sorts of helps there including written and AUDIO of Ray Stedman. He was a wonderful pastor/teacher from California. I'll start this morning and see how I do.

Even if no one (besides my sister Helen)ever reads this blog, I find focus as I think about my days. It's a good thing for me.

I've created another refreshing iced tea for all those who are watching their sugar intake. Brew a pot of tea using 4 decaf teabags and 1 mint teabag. When it has steeped for about 30 minutes, pour it into a heatproof pitcher (2 quart). Add 1 container of Crystal Light raspberry lemonade mix and fill the pitcher to the top by adding cold water. We really like this one and it is not too sweet. The hint of mint makes it special.

Have you heard of the dog days of August? In New Jersey we manage to also have the dog days of July. It should hit 99 to 100 degrees today and tomorrow and Steve is staying in Newark all week to host a visiting group. I can't imagine what the temps will reach in the city.

I've been reading through the Bible during this past year using an unusual method that is quite enjoyable. The ideas is to read 1 chapter each day in 5 sections of the Bible, beginning with Genesis, Job, Isaiah, Matthew, and Acts. I have reached the point where all my reading is in the Old Testament so I pick a chapter in the New Testament to re-read. I have to keep a good Old Testament commentary with my Bible so I can begin to understand some of what I read. For instance, I am halfway through Ezekiel and have to read explanations every day. Imagine my happy surprise when my pastor preached from Ezekiel 1-3 last week and Ezekiel 18 yesterday. I was so appreciative of his insights. If you want to hear some excellent sermons, go to www.cornerstonenj.org on line and click on sermons. We plan to listen on line after we move because his teaching is so good.

Keep cool everyone.

Well it's Monday afternoon and I have just returned from a Nuclear Stress Test Part I: Just routine, no worries.

Our week off was great. We wound up spending Saturday and Sunday nights with our niece and nephew in Manahawkin, NJ. That is officially "down the shore" for anyone who doesn't know NJ. They are two of the best hosts I have ever met! Especially since we called on Saturday to ask if we could come. I love you, Kathy and John. We had fresh crabs caught off their pier, a wonderful Sunday afternoon on their boat in the bay, and lots of good conversation and time together. Oh, and not to forget showering outside in the sea breezes and sunshine. Lovely!

Our other highlight was going to the half-price matinee of Phantom of the Opera on Broadway. Half price but the price still made me gasp! It was absolutely the most wonderful experience. The music is breathtaking and the voices were flawless. The scenery and the pyrotechnics were also quite amazing. What a memorable day. It was quite rainy and humid so we found a little bread and soup restaurant to eat before the matinee. If I never see another Broadway play, I will have seen the best.

To round off our week, we also went to Turtleback Zoo...it will be more fun with the grandkids. From there we went to visit Thomas Edison's estate which has just undergone several years of restoration. Quite interesting to see how the other half lived at the turn of the century.

We cut our week short one day to babysit our boys. We took them to a local farmstand
that has animals to feed. Caleb puts his hand behind him and says "No Thanks" when asked if he'd like to feed the animals. Isaac has no fear, just has a little trouble grasping the cracker. It was fun and relaxing and tiring all at once.

It's vacation time. I remember the old days when my mom would research the right place during the winter and write for reservations. We would wait months before we knew for sure if we were accepted. How the internet has changed things. One thing that hasn't changed is that I am my mother. I plan the vacations and Steve prefers it that way.

This morning I spent HOURS on the internet. I began by researching state park campsites until I realized that sleeping in the back of our jeep with a tent-like attachment would be good for about 1 night. And that will be in a driveway down the shore where Micah and Kim are staying. More about that later. Next I looked at cabin rentals at state parks. No vacancies for next week which is 4th of July week. What were we thinking?! Finally I sat back, lifted my eyes to Heaven and did what I should have done first. I asked the Lord where He thought we should go. As usual, He gave me an awesome idea. We will do day trips in NJ, a different county each day. Even at the high cost of gas, we will pack lunches and sleep in our own bed at night. I believe we will save money in the end. Since missionaries have quite limited budgets, that's a good thing. I found an awesome site to help us in our planning and am providing this link. www.fieldtrip.com/nj/index_nj.htm It's name is "Are we there yet?" It catagorizes the places to go by genre and tells you what else is nearby. Very cool. We will have to take pictures with the digital camera and learn to put them on the blog. Keep posted.

Every summer I seem to try a new iced tea recipe. This year's favorite came about because good friends treated us to lunch at Red Lobster. I tried Boston iced tea and fell in love with it. I looked at recipes on line but they all used WAAAy too much sugar. Here's how I make it. I brew a teapot with 4 decaf tea bags and let it steep for a good 15 to 20 minutes. I pour said tea into a pitcher and add a low sugar form of cranberry juice. If I have lemons on hand I add fresh lemon juice. It is refreshing and can be adjusted for more sweetness if needed. For me, the more tart the better I like it. Anyone else have a refreshing iced tea recipe to share?

I've been reading recipes for Dutch Baby for two days. My search began when I realized I had some strawberries that had better be used soon! First I thought of an omelette for dinner, topped with sliced berries and it quickly led to Dutch Baby obsession. And I found out lots of people are really obsessed, too. For anyone who does not know, it is an oven-baked, eggy, puffy pancake thing. Being the lazy person that I am, I didn't want to bother with the heating of the cast iron skillet, the stove-top beginning, the pre-heating Etc Etc Etc. Thus I put a little unsalted butter in a skillet-for-one...(my husband was away in Newark all week-hence the sketchy eating), I whisked up one egg, a little flour, a little milk, some salt and a bit of sugar. Poured the mixture into the hot butter, lowered the flame a bit and watched to see what would happen. I have never seen one egg turn into such a large amount to eat. It did start to get too brown before I lowered the heat, but then it puffed. I turned it, shut off the heat and covered it. After about a minute, I plated and covered it with my sliced strawberries. Ummm! I am sure all the real Dutch Baby afficionados out there think I am crazy, but I am also well fed. Try it.

O, for a booke and a shadie nooke
Eyther in-a-door or out,
With the grene leaves whisp’ring overhead
Or the Strete cries all about!

Where I maie read all at my ease
Both of the newe and old;
For a jolle goode booke whereon to looke
Is better to me than golde.

I hand copied this poem years ago on a little slip of yellow paper and just unearthed it in a desk drawer whose bottom had not seen daylight in a decade. Packing does have a way of helping things come to light. If you know me or my extended family, we ARE this poem.

Today is Friday so I babysit for Caleb, my 3 year old grandson. Every week we go to the library, the BIG playground, and the stream next door to "throw rocks in the water". What fun we have. We also bake something every week. Today it is to be brownies. We are making memories as I will see the boys much less once I move.

OOOkay, just realized my last 2 posts aren't showing up so I'm trying to figure out why. Since Claire set this blog up for me before she left the country, I could be in trouble.

Well, we passed our last building inspection: Plumbing, electric and the building inspector all had to sign off before we could close up the walls. The insulation was being done yesterday and today and the next thing will be sheet rock. Whoopee!

Steve has begun to build some relationships out on "our" street, one neighbor in particular has had long conversations with him. My contacts are limited to hellos and smiles as I am not so good at working on the truck in front of the house. Now when I can start gardening, it will be a different story.

Speaking of gardening, knowing we are leaving Wyckoff in August meant we had to be creative about what we did here. Last year we did some container gardening and wintered over several of our plants. We have a huge red hibiscus, an azalea, and white climbing rose bush. Last week we put 4 cherry tomato plants in another large pot so they will all come with us. We have no grass, only a cement double driveway. We think we will put down some astro-turf outside the back door and in front of the (unusable) garage and call it a lawn. There we will put our container garden and our table, chairs and umbrella and call it a yard. (o: We also have narrow gardens in front of and at the side of the house, and a good place in that side garden for bird feeders. I love to feed the birds, watch them and listen to their songs. I was in Newark for a teacher's meeting yesterday and as I walked back to my car, I heard birdsong! What a blessing!

Sorry to anyone who reads this little blog, I missed a month. May was busy, as that is when I directed my first choral concert at Newark Christian School. Since I have no training to be a music teacher, this was a very big deal. I am so glad to say the kids did a wonderful job. Fortunately they liked the music I selected and the (mostly) drum track that accompanied it. I was so proud. The fun part was that it happened to be my 55th birthday. What a present!

I have just finished reading ONE VISION ONLY, a biography of Isobel Kuhn. I found myself in the story of her life as I read her thoughts on being called to Thailand after the age of 50, thinking she was done with foreign mission work. Let me quote Isobel: "When does the life of God pour through you richly? When you accept the challenge of a new thing for Him!" She has articulated for me what I could not quite put words to for myself.

Work on the house is progressing nicely. We still may not make it in by mid August however. If it is not ready, we will move temporarily into an apartment in the building that houses other World Impact missionaries. I realize that if that happens we will have the blessing of living side by side with our mission family. If the house is ready, we will have the blessing of not having to move twice. Maybe the apostle Paul is finally getting through to me. Am I actually learning to be content with whatever happens? Thanks for reading.

I am a slooow blogger. Until we actually move in to Newark, there isn't much to share. We are waiting for one more building permit so the inspectors can come check out the work that has been done. The outside of the house looks great. The next step there will be to have the iron worker in. He is putting up a fence with a locking gate in front of the driveway. We added 2 windows to the house so he is also making 2 more sets of bars for the downstairs windows. (o: We need to do a little more painting on the front of the house, and then there is just the matter of finishing off the entire inside of the house. Just a little matter. Our move in date is August 1st no matter what! As soon as I learn how to add pictures and links to my blog, I will let you all see the house.

I admit it. Sometimes I think we have lost our minds. It's a good thing to know that Jesus said whoever loses their life for His sake, are the ones who will find their real life. I trust that applies to our minds as well. There is just such a huge learning curve in leaving the white suburb life and living incarnationally in the inner city where we become the minority. It is a good thing, and good things are seldom easy. I can do all things through Christ who gives me strength.

I'm having a (thankfully) quiet day today. Teaching music all day is tiring, though its not the music, it's the discipline.
I have rediscovered baking and am baking my 3rd iced cake from scratch in 5 days. Don't worry, I give them all away. This one will go to Newark Christian School to the office staff, teachers and custodian. This, of course, after Steve taste-tests!

I really should have called this blog Hoernigs on the highway to Newark. My husband Steve and I are in the process of becoming missionaries with World Impact in Newark, NJ. Right now we are support staff and Steve commutes in 5 days a week, bringing me in with him 2 days a week. It is a 40 or so minute commute on the Garden State Parkway so that speaks for itself. Steve wears lots of hats but mainly building maintainence oversight and job-training and discipleship of high school boys. I teach music at the K-6th grade Christian school in our facility. A house is being renovated for us and when it is done we will move to Newark permanently.
It is a privilege to be called by God to continue to work for Him in a new venture. Steve spent 11 years at a para-church youth mission and I spent those years working at the local Christian bookstore. This is all new and a real adventure. God is good.