Mission Safari: The Next Chapter(s)

New Pics

Take a look at the 2 new photo albums on the right to see how big the kids are growing.

China Update - July 5th 2009

Many of you know that way back in 2005, while we were still in Kenya, Marti and I felt God leading us to adoption.  At that time, Marti had been pregnant 7 times with 3 kids and 4 miscarriages.  Other events and experiences led us to that decision and so we began the arduous paperwork trail.  Finally in March 2006 we had been officially accepted and logged in by the Central Chinese Adoption Agency.  We had hoped to only wait about 9 months before we traveled to China to complete our adoption.

But that was not God's timing.  In January 2007 we sensed God calling us back to the States.  Later that month Marti discovered that she was pregnant.  She delivered Amy in September 2007.  Because of our move and new addition we were on a one year "wait period."  That ended in September 2008.  But it did not delay us because other families with our same log in date were still waiting.  

In December of 2008, our adoption agency informed us that we had to make a decision one way or another.  Surprisingly we found ourselves at a crossroads.  In 2005 we were praying that God would add to our family another daughter.  He did in 2007.  But were we to press on with the adoption?  Through lots of prayer and conversation, we renewed our commitment in January 2009.  Since that time we have collected more paperwork, participated in another home-study, and received our re-approval.  

The Lord willing, we anticipate to be matched in the next batch of referrals coming from China.  That should take place by the end of the month.  After that we will have to get our travel papers together, buy airline tickets, and go to China approximately 8 weeks after the referral.  We will spend 2 weeks there meeting our daughter, completely necessary paperwork, and travel back.

We are amazed at God's providence in this whole, very long process.  We feel certain that God is in this.  We also feel very scared and humbled at times.  Please pray for us and all the details yet to be worked out in the coming days and weeks.

So What's Up?

Since my last post in October 2008, the following things have occurred in our lives:

1. Ben's football team played in the league Super Bowl and lost by a touchdown.

2. We celebrated Christmas with my family in Gatlinburg.

3. I left the ER in Hopewell to join an ER group in Newport News.  My commute is down from 65 minutes one way to 24 minutes one way.

4. Ben turned 13.  We celebrated by going on a 3 day Father-Son Ski Trip to Snowshoe in West Virginia.

5. Sam turned 8.

6. Sarah celebrated Sweet 16 with Marti down in Disney World.

7. Marti and I recommitted ourselves to finalizing our adoption of a daughter from China (more on that later).  We hope to receive our referral this month and travel in September or October to get her.

8. Marti continued her strong service in the church as Children's Ministry Director.

9. Amy has learned to say "NO" and "Mine" as well as several dozen other words.

10. Marti took Sam to Dallas to see her brother Jon.  Sam rode a mechanical bull and went to the rodeo.

11. Sam played soccer and baseball this spring.

12. Jack, our dog, has almost been potty-trained.

13. My Granddaddy and My Uncle died this spring.

14. We went to Kiawah Island for a 2 week vacation in June.

15. Sarah finished her Sophomore year with strong grades...all A's except for one B (in Algebra).

16. Sam broke his pinky finger playing baseball.

And the list could go on and on.  Hopefully, over the coming weeks and months I will be consistent enough to keep you apprised of what is going on around here.

Why Restart?

Over the past couple of weeks, I have been grappling with the task of restarting the blog.  It was both daunting and embarrassing to realize that I haven't added anything to the blog since last October.  SO MUCH has happened (more on that in a subsequent post) since then I felt I couldn't possibly catch up.  And I can't. Because there is so much going on, I would be remiss to not add updates.  But first, I wanted to share a few reasons why I have been absent so long.

First, raising four kids is very time consuming, especially with two teenagers in the house.  The calendar fills fast with homeschooling, dance, soccer, baseball, football, church, and oh yeah, work.  And so I found myself with less and less time.  

Second, I was tired of writing.  With the busyness described above, I found I couldn't do everything.  I wasn't reading enough.  I wasn't thinking enough.  And so my writing was getting stale.  

Third, and probably most influential, I felt I didn't have much to say.  The past year has been challenging for me.  I have been a bit down.  I have struggled to find time for quiet time.  I have felt at times that no one really wanted to read about what a family of six living in America was going through (as though people really wanted to read about an American family of five living in Kenya was some big thrill!).  But you know what I mean...I felt I didn't have much to share.  

The process probably started last month when I saw some old friends who noted that they checked the blog from time to time to see if I had made any new posts.  I made a few excuses but realized that I was missing the chance to share, reflect, and write.  Over the past two weeks while on vacation, I challenged the kids to set some goals for the coming year.  They challenged me to restart the blog.  

And so, after some time off, and further reflection, I have decided to restart the blog.  It doesn't matter if 5 people read it a day, or 50, or 500, I sense that this is an important tool to capture what God is doing in our lives.  And so I hope you will enjoy the new look and the new updates.

Recap!!

Oh my! I checked the blog today and nothing had been posted since July 13th; I feel so bad!

So much has been going on, its hard to begin! Lets just give a summery of each person....

Daddy- Well, he has been busy(again!) training for another marathon. This one will be in Outer Banks in just a few weeks. He just got back from a 45 mile bike ride! And... he didn't look very sweaty at all!

Mom- She just accepted the job of Children's Ministry Director at church and is enjoying it allot. She still has to "get in the groove" though! Yesterday, she took me to the Barnes and Noble near our house to study. Then we went to a great little cafe called the Blue Talion for lunch. Of course, no Girl Day would be complete without a peak into one of our favorite children boutiques in Williamsburg, The Carousel!

Me(Sarah)- At the begging of the school year I switched to a new preforming arts school which is nearer our house and is just a much better fit to my needs. I am loving it!! Its called EVSPA- Eastern Virginia School for the Preforming Arts. In two weeks I have my first performance coming up. School has proved a challenge this year! I am taking two classes online and they are stretching my ability to write to the max( Advanced Composition- sound fun to anyone???)

Ben- He is doing great(again!!) in football. Last Saturday, he got to play at Zable Stadium on William and Mary Campus. Today he has another game, and he is enjoying playing Center( I think he is also playing something else, but I cant remember..) He is taking Latin and Geography this year and likes having his D-group from church at our house on Monday nights.

Sam- Oh boy!! He is just as busy and crazy as ever! Right now, he is on a campaign to be allowed to watch Sponge Bob on Saturdays mornings(mom cant stand this show!! haha.. good luck Sam, no way are you winning this one!) He is into being really cool and well dressed(I spiked his hair for church a few weeks ago!) He is also doing well in school and gets to have a "Sam Day" with mama for school on Monday(school at the library is just SO much funner! heehee)

Amy- This girl is getting SO BIG! She is so independent and loves tohave her way! She has thrown a few fits this week and had to get punished. Mom decided she needed "sit therapy" the other day.(Poor Amy had to sit on her lap doing nothing for almost 30 minutes..she hated it!) She is so busy she just never sis still! She is also like the smartest kid in the world.... I am so not kidding! You can just tell her to bring you something and she goes and gets it!!!

Wow... so there is a little recap on what we are up to!

Amys First Plane Trip!

   As many of you know, the Hutchisons travel around A LOT ! And before Amy was even a year old, she got to go on her first plane trip! Her personality is perfectly suited for traveling, and I will have to say, she did very well!

We left the Williamsburg/Newport News airport around 10:45 am on Friday with a flight to Atlanta, Georgia. Our flight left a little bit late, so we had to RUN to our connecting flight to St. Louis. I am happy to report that Amy only cried for the first 20 min of the Atlanta flight! She got scared to death by the very load engines. She kinda worked her self into a tizzy and didn't want to be comforted. Of course, it didn't help that there was another little baby in the row ahead of us that was screaming as well!

Pawpaw and our cousins Meghan and Mackenzie came to meet us at the airport. The whole family was getting together to throw Nana and Pawpaw a 40th anniversary party. My mom and Dad and Meghan all got Starbucks before getting the bags.( We only had 5 this time.... WOW!!) So, over all, the trip was pretty smooth. Oh yeah, except Sam DID throw up during landing... every last bit got IN the designated barf bag. My dad is SO good at holding that kind of stuff;mom and I were so glad we weren't sitting next to poor Sam.

Tomorrow morning we get to do it all over again! Our flight leaves at 6:00 am, which means we will be getting up around 3:30! Yikes!

Sarah

The Arrival: A Book Review

One of the most powerful books I have "read" this year was Shaun Tan's The Arrival "written" in 2006. The reason I have the words read and written in quotes is that this book has no words; it is a Graphic Novel.  That's right, one of the best books I have read this year has no words.  But lest you think that I have returned to Sam's (my seven year old) taste in literature, let me dispel any notion that graphic novels are the lazy and simple-minded.  This books shows the developing maturity of a genre that literally takes to heart the cliche "a picture is worth a thousand words."

In a nutshell, The Arrival, details the life of an immigrant family.  In the beginning chapter you see the main character carefully and painstakingly packing his few belongings before bidding his wife and daughter farewell.  It is apparent he, along with many others, are in search of a new life in another country.

Over the next chapters you experience along with the immigrant the sorrows, delights, and confusions of arriving and living in a foreign place.  Things look bizarre - the language, the modes of transport, the foods, the sounds, and the people.  But along the way, you meet other immigrants helping the protagonist out by pointing out directions, giving him a job, inviting him for dinner, and sharing their stories of how they came to this new land.  Finally, despite the difficulties, the main character saves enough money for his family to join him in their new world. Fittingly, in the last scene, you see his daughter helping another new immigrant get oriented to this foreign place.

As I already mentioned, this is a graphic novel.  Unlike a lot of other graphic novels which have some dialogue with words, there are no words in this book.  Hundreds of drawings, some simple, some detailed, tell the story.  This is a one of its greatest strengths, it invites, no pleads for you get into to story. One interesting technique that the author/artist uses in telling his story is the insertion of bizarre things (such as alien appearing animals) into otherwise normal drawings.  In this way the author communicates how strange things really appear to this immigrant in a foreign place.

This unfortunately is also a weakness.  My wife bought this book for the kids (it was in the children's section).  Some of the drawings are so bizarre and conceptual that even my bright 12 year old has trouble sometimes grasping the story.  And to be honest, it will be hard for some adults to understand some of the subtle messages he is sending through some of the abstract pictures in this book. And that is too bad, it is such a powerful story.

So what kind of Kingdom Lessons are to be learned in this fascinating book?  First, this books resonates so strongly with me because I have been in those shoes.  Living in a foreign country is overwhelming, especially during the arrival and adjustment periods.  We can not ever underestimate this.  And so, I think that people (especially believers) who really want to understand the challenges that missionaries, or soldiers, or diplomats face living overseas should give this book a read; it will help you better pray for those living in foreign lands.

Secondly, I think the book shows the tremendous opportunity we have to show the love of God to those "not from around here."  Despite tougher immigration policies (which is a good thing), there are still thousands of new immigrants arriving on our shores every year (also a good thing).  But unlike the past where these arrivals stayed mostly in the larger U.S. cities, today these immigrants are living in more and more communities (big and small) throughout America.  This doesn't even include the thousands of foreign students pursuing undergraduate and graduate degrees in our colleges and universities.  This book shows why immigrants look confused; and what a difference a kind, compassionate helping hand can make.  We as Christians need to be on the forefront of extending a welcome hand to these new arrivals.

Overall, this book gets my 5 Star Rating for its excellence in art and message.

Trying Something New

As many of you know, I love to read.  I have posting my book reading lists the past 3 years (on the right hand side of the blog) and have tried to right short blurbs or thoughts on the books.  While away on vacation, I decided I wanted to give an extended book review on the next couple of books that I read.  I hope to give an introduction, plot summary, strengths and weaknesses, and what I am terming "Kingdom Lessons."   I will post them and see what kind of response it generates. 

I decided it was time to try something new for the blog.

It's Been a While

It's been a while since I last posted to this blog.  After returning from our vacation to NYC and Cape Cod, I worked a ridiculous schedule to finish out May.  And so, rather than sitting down for 10 to 15 minutes and updating the blog, I spent my time helping out around the house or enjoying the kids (or sleeping).  But since our return we have done the following (in no particular order):

1. Spent time with my parents who came to see Amy (and the rest of us!).

2. Bought a new John Deere self-propelled lawn mower (an exciting purchase!).

3. Gone to Busch Gardens in Williamsburg.

4. Bought a bridesmaid's dress for Sarah (she was asked to be a bridesmaid for one of the W+M students we ministered to this year).

5. Ballet lessons, baseball games, run, gone to Curves.

6. Attended a communion service at the home of one of the shut-ins at church (the pastor, assistant pastor, and a couple of elders were present).

7. Answered a back-log of 60 email messages.

8. Started Sam's Summer Reading program (he has a goal of reading 150 books...the prize - a brand new bike!).

9. Received word that Sarah was accepted into the Junior Volunteer Camp this summer at our local hospital.

10. Used the lawnmower and new weedeater to cut our lawn!

The past couple of days I have been off (in fact, I am off for another 4 days...the downside of ER work - odd work schedules!).  It has been good to be home.  The weather has been delightful and it is actually beginning to feel like summer! 

A Night and Day in New York City

We have been on vacation the past week in Cape Cod.  We still have a blessed 2 days of vacation before driving back.  On the way to Cape Cod, we decided to spend the night in NYC.  Sarah was dying to visit the Big Apple.  And since it was a reasonable stopping point on the way to Cape Cod, we added the visit. 

Unfortunately, it took longer for us to get on the road to Gotham.  We didn't leave W'burg until around 1pm...delaying our arrival into NYC to 10:30pm.  Wanting to keep my word to Sarah (I promised we could go to Times Square on the evening of our arrival), we quickly got the van unpacked, the boys, Amy, and Marti settled in the room, and Sarah and I hailed a taxi at 11:00pm. 

It was kind of weird taking my teen daughter on a date to Times Square at 11pm, but it was also a lot of fun.  Sarah had such a great time seeing the Big City lit up at that time of night.  She couldn't believe it was so busy.    She was amazed at the number of people, taxis, and policeman out after midnight.  She also couldn't believe she witnessed undercover cops bust a driver in the middle of the street!  After walking up and down Broadway, skipping over a few blocks to the Rockefeller Center, we arrived back at our starting point on Times Square, bought a couple of drinks at Starbucks, enjoyed the sights a few more minutes and then hailed another taxi to take us back to our hotel. We arrived back around 1:00am!

The next morning, despite only 6 hours of sleep, I got up and took a run along lower Manhattan.  Nothing to get the blood flowing than a fun run through one of America's best cities.  After returning, eating breakfast with the family, we quickly packed our bags so that we could tour a bit more of the city together.  The following pictures give you an idea of the fun we had in NYC.

"Amy, do you know where we are? Which way should we go?"

"Don't worry Daddy...it will still be fun even if we do get lost."

Amy and Sarah in the American Girl Shop on 49th Ave.  They had a great time choosing Amy's first American Girl...a Bitty Baby.  More on that later.

Sam makes a friend in New York City.  Unfortunately, the "friend" wanted a tip for this picture.  But what do you expect when you find Elmo on 5th Avenue in the Big Apple! 

Ben and Marti giving smiles after lunch at TGIF's.

Amy enjoying the last of her snack in Central Park.  Daddy happy to be sitting for a while...NYC is a huge city to visit on foot!

Amy in pure delight at the sight of her new "baby"...an Asian Bitty Baby. 

The night and day visit to the Big Apple was a big hit with the kids.  We truly enjoyed ourselves!  We suffered a bit that night...we didn't get into our condo in Cape Cod until midnight, but it was so worth it.  The visit was a great way to start our vacation together.

A Full Day

A bike ride around Williamsburg, breakfast with Amy on the deck, feeding the birds, and paying the bills was the way I started the day.  This all occured before lunch and the day only got better.

After lunch, we loaded up the kids and headed towards the ferry that crosses the James River and connects Williamsburg and Surry.  Happily, we arrived right before they left.  Once the ferry left shore, we got out of the car and watched the great variety of gulls, cormorants, and ospreys.  I don't know who had the most fun on the ferry, me, Sam, or Amy...we were all excited to be on the water and watching the birds.

But watching the birds was not the purpose of today's trip.  We were on a mission...to go pick strawberries. After the 15 minute ferry trip, we drove 4 miles to get to College Run Farms.  It was a great little farm.  And the weather was awesome...clear skies, warm, and no humidity.  The kids all had fun picking their own berries.  Of course they became somewhat competitive on who had the most strawberries, who had the biggest find, and who had the most RED strawberries. 

After returning home, Marti and Sarah got ready for a girl's night out with a couple of the college girls we have adopted.  While they did that, the boys and I went out to the baseball field for some batting practice.  Both boys did well getting wood (metal) on the bat.  My arm will be sore tomorrow I am sure.

Still needing to eat, Ben and I decided to try a new recipe on the grill (our new Big Green Egg).  We made an orange and chipolte marinade...with fresh orange zest, squeezed orange juice, fresh oregano (from Ben's new herb garden...more on that some other time), fresh minced garlic, basalmic vinegar, chipolte pepper and a bit of salt.  Man was it delicious.  We had grilled corn on the cob as a side and for dessert...fresh strawberries which Ben described as the best he has ever tasted.

Needless to say, I am bushed as I write this.  But I am so content...God is really good.  His plans for marriage and family bring such delight...if properly understood and cherished.  I thank Him for the great weather, the great nature and wildlife around us, and the great memories made today.

Backyard Visitors

One of the greatest surprises of the spring has been the variety of backyard visitors we have had.  Although we do not have a large yard, which is hard with active boys, we do have a wonderful wooded lot.  This in turn brings the birds (especially if you keep a couple of bird feeders full of different types of seeds).  Thus far, we have had the following bird visitors:

1. Red-bellied Woodpecker
2. Northern Mockingbird
3. Tufted Titmouse
4. Mourning Dove
5. American Crow
6. Carolina Chickadee
7. White Breasted Nuthatch
8. Eastern Bluebird
9. American Robin
10. European Starling
11. Northern Cardinal
12. Chipping Sparrow
13. Brownheaded Cowbird
14. Red Winged Blackbird
15. Common Grackle
16. House Finch
17. American Goldfinch
18. Blue Jay

As the spring turns to summer we look forward to continued visitors.

The Stadiums

The boys are still talking about our quick trip to Baltimore for the ballgame.  It got me to thinking about the parks we have already visited.  As park names tend to change over time, I will list the teams we have visited over the past 6 seasons.

1. St. Louis Cardinals
2. Chicago Cubs
3. Chicago White Sox
4. New York Yankees
5. New York Mets
6. Pittsburgh Pirates
7. Atlanta Braves
8. Seattle Mariners
9. Washington Nationals
10. Baltimore Orioles

Only 20 or teams to visit.

Baseball, Hot Dogs, and Crab Cakes

Tonight we resumed our plan on watching a ballgame in every Major League park before Ben graduates from college (initially we had planned to do it before he went to college but as we spent 3 years in Kenya we have had to put this plan back a few years).  Our destination tonight was Camden Yards in Baltimore, home of the Baltimore Orioles. 

We left Williamsburg at 12:30 and had a nice 4 hour drive into Baltimore, missing most of the Beltway Rush Hour traffic (mostly because we took the back routes).  After checking into our hotel we walked to the stadium 3 blocks away.  It was a crisp clear night...a perfect way to spend a spring evening. 

As we arrived about 90 minutes before gametime, we were able to take in some batting practice.  We stood in the outfield bleachers.  Before long a stray ball came our way but landed 20 feet short.  Sam shouted out to the player picking up the ball, "Hey can I have that ball...please!"  The player hesitated, turned, then tossed the ball to Sam!  Twenty minutes later, after leaving batting practice, we were walking around the stadium looking for the hot dog stand when we came across Boog Powell, a famous Baltimore Oriole who just happens to be in the Hall of Fame.  Naturally, being in the right place at the right time for the second time tonight, Sam asked for his autograph.  Sweet!

The first place Orioles were hosting the second place Rays.  Despite the Orioles being in first place, very few people attended the game.  It was probably only at 20% capacity.  It was weird.  Being a Cardinal fan, you just assume that every stadium is always sold out and full, even on a Tuesday night in late April.  I feel bad for the Orioles...they played well and won 7-4, they extended their lead in the A.L. East, and the fans just weren't there.  What really makes it lame is that the stadium is awesome, and the food is excellent - the hot dogs were very tasty (if you can describe hot dogs as being "tasty") and you could even get crab cakes at the park (which were the best crab cakes that I had ever tasted...and yes there was plenty of crab in the cake!).

Nonetheless, we had a great time.  It is such fun to visit new stadiums, take in the best sport in America, and make memories together.  I mean, how can we forget Sam getting a ball during batting practice, having it signed by a Hall of Famer, and eating hot dogs, crab cakes, pumpkin seeds, sunflower seeds, peanuts, nachos, and Cracker Jacks (whoa, I won't be forgetting all that food later tonight or tomorrow) on a gorgeous Spring night!?!  None of us will, that is for sure.

I hope I brought some Prilosec and Tums...I am going to need them!

The Boys and The Turtle

The other day I was on a run with Amy (she wasn't running, she was sitting in her baby jogger), when I almost ran over a silver dollar sized turtle.  I ran back, picked it up (he was in the road after all), and looked in the grass for his mama.  Finding none, I put him in the baby jogger (in the basket, not with Amy) and continued my run.  When I returned home, I went in the house and announced to the boys that I found them a pet.

Sam of course was exhilirated.  I told him he could keep the turtle if he and Ben could figure out what kind it was and how to take care of it.  Sam blurted out, "Come on Ben, let's get on the internet and see how to take care of the turtle."  And that is what they did.

Ben googled "turtles" and spent the next couple of hours trying to determine what kind of turtle it was, how to take care of it.  He and Sam learned so much.  They learned the difference between box turtles, water turtles, and snapper turtles.  They learned the difference between a turtle and tortoise (apparently turtles have finger like toes  and tortoises have stump like feet).  It was awesome to see them learn so much. 

And that is one of the things that make the internet and homeschooling such a wonderful combination.  In the middle of the day, a situation arises, and the kids can turn it into a learning opportunity.  They learned more that afternoon using the internet to learn about something they wanted to learn about than they might if they had been given an assignment to learn about turtles.  I am not advocating a helter skelter approach to learning because children benefit from a disciplined approach to learning, but homeschooling allows margin for spontaneous learning. 

Oh, and by the way, the boys determined that the turtle was a water turtle and they have made an appropriate water and dry land living space for the turtle.  We will eventually have to take the little amphibian back to the lake, but for now, the boys are enjoying one of God's creatures.