Feelings

Hi Everyone,

Well, it's been quite a long time since i've posted. I remember thinking about posting something after Dess and my anniversary, but never got around to it. I thought about writing something before the long hours of loading came into effect, but got too busy doing other stuff. Then i thought about writing around the time of our immigration stuff, but didn't want to. Now i've run out of excuses and i'm going to write.

As Dess has mentioned, this has been an emotional draining time for both of us. The extended working hours (which means less time with each other and God), the hope of going on the Israel trip, work frustrations and immigration all culminated into a big emotional mess. In some ways it feels like we're past it, but in others we're still emotionally involved. Talking with our family helps out a lot. Just knowing that there are people that we can open up to that understand us. Here at Friend Ships, we live in a community, but sometimes you have to keep your distance. I don't really want to get close to the people who are working for me. So it's been a tumultuous time, but we're getting over it.

Facts, Facts, Facts: For those of you who don't know, I am now officially a conditional permanent resident of the U.S. It's pretty exciting actually. The interview was a snap. Everything was in order because of our lawyer. All our paper work was right and we only had about a 10 minute interview. I don't know if she could tell right away that we were in love or what, but it was awesome. Friends of ours, Chuck and Janet, drove us to New Orleans the day before and paid for our hotel and dining. They prayed for us the whole day and then drove us back to Lake Charles when we were done. They were a huge blessing to us. Just a little f.y.i. we aren't completely done with immigration stuff. We've gotta go back in 2 years for one more interview, just to make sure we are still married. No problem.

The Spirit of Grace has left for Israel and we're definitely not on it. If you are interested in checking out the progress, you can check out www.friendships.org or follow the link on our site. Besides that, life at Friend Ships has slowed down quite a bit. We are taking a much more relaxed pace now that the ship has left. Also, i'm down to a crew of 2 under me, so we can't get near as much done. This is nice in a way. Although when it comes to work, it can feel unfulfilling at times. But we press on and know that there will be always be good days and bad days no matter where we are.

Dess' birthday is coming up for those who may not know. Her birthday is Sept. 13th. I know that Dess loves celebrations, surprises and all that. She's having a joint birthday party on the ship with her friend Kippin. Kippin's birthday is the 28th, but she is leaving before then, so they are having a party earlier. Our anniversary celebration was pretty fun. I hope you've checked out our flickr photo site to see some of the things we did. The Acadian village was fun. It would've been cooler if there were people dressed up in authentic clothes giving the tour, but the self guided tour was interesting too. Especially when we had to face the huge geese at the beginning, that really spiced up the village.

Well, i hope that i can get back into the habit of writing at least once a week on this blog. I don't really have the old excuses anymore, so i'd better. I know that it's one way for you to stay a part of our lives.

joel