Vacations don't exist...

Yeah, the word "vacation" has been stricken from our vocabulary. They are not just trips. Vacation carries the connotation of rest, refreshment, and down time...at least it does for me. Before we had kids, Heidi and I would vacation in Vermont -- a great little inn near Rutland. We would read, sleep, eat, walk, sit in the hot tub...and do it all over again. My pulse slows down a bit just remembering it.

But this past week was spent on the road in another kind of adventure. Heidi, Rachel (a friend from Buffalo), and the kids went to West Michigan on Friday. They spent time playing with cousins and going to the beach. After worship on Sunday, I took a train north to catch up with them.

On Tuesday, July 4, we drove across the state and Canada and arrived in Buffalo, NY in fine time. We were given the gift of staying in the house we used to own in Hamburg. The new residents are friends and were planning to be out of town for the week, so they very graciously gave us the opportunity to stay there.

The first night was very shakey. The kids didn't sleep well. The parents didn't sleep well. Frankly, we debated packing up and going home at that point...that's how rough it felt during the night. We were kept in town by our love for our friends and a golf date that I had in the morning.

The rest of the nights went better. We made some adjustments on sleeping arrangements in the 2-bedroom home. That meant that Izak and Dad slept in the living room -- Izak on the floor and Dad on the couch. Decent sleep was had by all.

We spent most of our days at the Musielak pad. Rick and Carrie are soul-mate friends. It was a gift to simply share space with them. They have 2.9 kids, who loved playing with our 3...that was fun to watch. Much swinging was done by all!

We would venture out to catch up with a few other friends. It's a pretty small group of people that we spend much time with. Not because we try to leave people out, but because we have only so much energy and time. Many people there are close to our hearts, but our capacity is limited. That's hard for me (not speaking for Heidi).

We made it to Sunday morning, when we went to Hamburg Wesleyan, where I used to serve on staff. I love the people there. I left because of God's lead, not because of any hard feelings or frustrations. Walking into the place was a bit like coming home to me.

There is a large open area...foyer...called the "fellowship mall." Heidi and I put hte kids in their classes and began to connect with people again. It was such a gift to spend those few hours quickly touching base. Offering a word of encouragement here. Receiving a word of encouragement there.

I'm not a hugger. I put that right out there when I got to Northwest...who has respected that;-) But in case Northwest-ers think I am not a hugger just for them, be assured that I've never been a hugger. No less than 200 times did someone at Hamburg say, "I know you're not a hugger, but can I...?" It made me laugh...

It is a gift to have been a part of God's work at Hamburg. It is a gift to have so many loving people who welcome us and continue to pray for us. If you're part of that group...know that you are loved, missed, and appreciated for the time we shared.

After church, we jumped in the van and made a bee-line for home. We made Chicago in just under 8 hours. Then ran into traffic -- people returning from vacations, White Sox/BoSox game, and construction. Took some time to get through all that. So we made it to our driveway in just over 9 hours...not bad at all with three kids and an unimpressive bladder (mine)!

Now comes the chore of recalibrating to life at home. We'll all be off for a few days or a week...we'll see.

It's good to be here. Do I miss my friends in Buffalo? Deeply. But even more than that is my desire to obedient to my Master. He has given me the gift of loving and being loved well in Hamburg, NY. He's giving me that opportunity now in IL. Rarely do people experience that kind of goodness in one place. I have been given that gift in many.

It's a long post. But that's the gist of what's been happening for the past week.

Peace,

Matt