The End of the Chapter

Hey all. Thanks for all of your love and prayers. We are leaving tomorrow morning and are excited to share this new adventure with you all. We look forward to letting you know some of our first impressions of India! Time to fly...

as promised...

Our prayer for you, Clara...

is that you would know His love for you.

Love Him back, sweet girl.

love,

your uncle Neil & aunt Courtney

Clara Lynn...

Clara Lynn Hall was welcomed into the world yesterday at 5:30 pm weighing 5 lbs. 11 oz and 19 in. long. Pictures from the proud aunt & uncle coming soon!!

Taking a cue from the holiday week...

I'm thankful that I have a nose to be stuffy.

I'm thankful that I have limbs to be achey.

I'm thankful that I have a throat to be scratchy.

I'm thankful that I have a husband to share my germs with.

I'm thankful....

I'm out. I got nothing else. I thought this cold was going away, but it reared it's ugly head last night as I stayed up half the night coughing & feeling miserable. I would really appreciate any prayers/home remedies, as I feel I have exhausted my resources. We have a new niece coming soon--if God honors our prayers, as soon as 3 weeks--so I can't have any traces of cold. Plus, we are seeing so many people for the last time and the last thing I want to be doing during our goodbyes is wishing I was in bed.

Honest thanksgiving... We're hanging out at Neil's home in Newburgh, IN for the holiday week. In the next hour we are heading off to our next round of vaccinations and then to a CHINESE BUFFET with Neil's grandparents. "Buffet" gets me excited paired with just about any word, but it's doubly good next to "Chinese" and "Neil's grandparents". It's going to be a beautiful day of full belly, sleepy eyes. Can't wait :)

yay Chinese food.

boo colds.

An Ode to the blue flour canister

Oh blue flour canister

how I love thee

for my happiness when I walk into the kitchen,

you have been a key

I love that with a tint of blue

I can see how much flour you hold

I remember the day I got you

during a shower just after I got my wisdom teeth pulled

it stunk to empty your contents

and pack you away

I'll miss you while I'm in India

maybe I'll use you again someday.

Promise me you'll stay in style

so that upon my return

I can take you out of that blasted box

and together we can satisfy a cookie yearn.

love, me

A Great Picture

Sometimes you have to go back in order to go forward.

I love these people and I love this picture!

ATTENTION SWINE FLU:

The Miller's are closed for business.

So we went to get round 1 of our vaccines yesterday (this may be misleading, because calling it 'round 1' would give you the impression that it was our first visit to the 'vaccine doctor'. No. In fact, it was our third. We assume God was using these failed attempts & run-ins with bureaucracy to better prepare us for India. half full, right?). We got some depressing news while we were there (apparently vaccines cost a lot of money, particularly the one for Japanese Encephalitis). BUT, drum roll please...

we got our swine flu vaccine. for free. without standing in a line. I know, I know, my mother in law has already informed us that people have been standing in line only to find out that their office of choice has run out of the precious nectar. Neil and I didn't even plan on getting it yesterday. In the midst of our doctor going through all of the necessary vaccines for India, he said, "Oh and we have the H1N1 vaccine if you want it. It's free."

It was a much appreciated surprise in the midst of some frustrating experiences.

oh, and Neil got a sucker, too.

God always seems to offer light right when we need it.

India...

Today's a day I can feel you waiting for us. Calling us to get 'home' soon.

We're coming...

Rain Rain

Stay for another day!

I am seriously loving these chilly, rainy days recently. I know all of the farmer's at the cusp of harvest would kill me for saying it, but it's true. This is the only time of year when I miss running. There's something about starting out so cold & tight and ending soaking wet & burning hot that makes you feel so alive.

I know. I'm crazy.

Plus, this weather practically begs for leggings & baked goods. I have been relenting to the pressure & am often seen sporting my cotton leggings while hovering over my KitchenAid. My most recent challenge was an oatmeal cookie recipe that was supposed to yield 40 but ended up producing a batch of over 65 cookies! I was thankful for the miscalculation because I was able to play with the ingredients----chocolate in some, honey in others, a few had cranberries & walnuts, others had raisins, and I reserved a small amount for good 'ol plain oatmeal. The problem is that I can never decide which one I want most and end up grabbing one of each. It's not good for the waist, but it's sure good for the heart. Yum.

I'm going to go eat one (*cough* five) now.

I love fall.

More India please!

Hey everybody!


We've been hearing your crys for "more India, please!"; here are some descriptors and links for

some of the things that began our introduction to our new home:

The Christ of the Indian Road: Here's a link to the book site on Amazon. This was one of the first books that we read about India. It blew our minds as we began to realize that the only thing we had to offer India was Christ. He alone would have to be sufficient to spread the gospel (novel idea, huh?). We were totally challenged by this book, not just for our lives in India, but for our lives whever we go.

Aradhna: http://www.aradhnamusic.com/ This is a musical group that plays a fusion of traditional Indian & western music for Christ. They are phenomenal and we are amazed at both their talent and ministry. We like to listen to their CD to relax and unwind, or to have some worship playing that soothes and stimulates the soul (I know that's a lofty statement, but it's really true!).







Vegetable Korma: Yummy! We remember how lost we were the first time we ate at an Indian restaurant--we needed a map. Let us be your 'menu map'! We have lots of favorites, but this one is a very popular dish in South India (where Chennai is), plus it is vegetarian (many Indians are vegetarian and we will also be while we live there!). For all you daring cooks out there, here's a recipe that you can try at home. Happy eating!


Mango Lassi: double yum. Seriously, this is so good and so easy to make! Here's the recipe. It's basically a mango shake but substitute yogurt for ice cream. You can spice it up with some fresh mint, cinnamon, or cardamom. If you are feeling really adventurous (and really Indian), you can put chiles in it. Make sure you go for a Mango Lassi or Mango Shake next time you're out to eat!








Nose Ring: Accessorize! Courtney's dream of getting a nose ring came true early this summer. For video of the piercing, click here....yeah, right. I don't think so. A more practical Indian accessory is the toe ring, or if you happen to be around a festival or Indian community--a henna tattoo! (Courtney's tattoo below)

Making Room

This is a communion meditation that I shared at Mark and Sarah's 20th anniversary at Hazel Dell.

"My favorite image to think about when it comes to communion time is the table. It's as though every time we gather, the Lord has made this great meal for his family to enjoy around his table. He invites us to sit down and remember what Christ has done for us.

Now the mark of any good family is it's ability to make room for one more around the dinner table. Whether that one more is your son's friend from Jr. High who hangs around for a couple of meals in a row and then decides he never wants to leave. Or whether that one more is the boy that your only daughter keeps bringing around year after year. Or whether that one more is your son's high school sweetheart who has become more of a daughter than a daughter-in-law. A good family will always find room for one more.

In Mark 2, Jesus says that no one puts new wine into old wineskins. If he does, the skins will burst and the wine and the skins will be destroyed. Jesus knew that new wine meant new wineskins. A new era meant a new covenant. And a new family meant a new table, with plenty of chairs. In Romans, we learn that the Lord wanted to extend his family tree by grafting on branches, making the way for you and me to know be apart of his family. Or, to put it another way, he was looking for a way to add more chairs around the table.

This morning, there is a meal before us, prepared by the Lord, to be served around his table for his family. And, like any good family, there's always room for one more. So pull up a chair, and let's enjoy this time together."

Peace,

Neil

Colorado

We arrived in Palmer Lake, CO (just north of Colorado Springs) two weeks ago to begin our last formal training time before we leave in December. The first two weeks of the program are focused on language learning. American English uses 44 of the 1,000s of sounds that our mouths are capable of making. Along with giving us some great material and guidelines for language learning, this program is also designed to loosen your tongue to be able to make some of the 966+ sounds we don't use in English in order to give you a more pleasing accent in the language you are going to learn to speak. The training has been so beneficial and we have the added bonus of spending our days with some amazing people in a beautiful state! Here's a snapshot...

Last Sunday we drove up Pike's Peak with our friends Jonathan and Lauren who are headed to Sudan this fall. To say they're the 'outdoorsy' type would be an understatement. Thanks to the Vissani's for sharing this friendship with us!

An evening hike to the reservoir armed with canned soup and corn on the cob. As you can see, it rained. But it was one of those nights that you will always remember.

The wildflowers in CO are gorgeous; when you go hiking you run into sprawling fields of them that make me smile every time. Our friends decided that we needed a picture in the middle of them. They were right.

An impromptu s'mores night with some of our fellow trainees. For those who know Courtney, this might end up being the highlight of our time here.


Here are some videos for you to enjoy. Just imagine a room full of 45 people doing this in unison all day long. The drills can be tiring, but it's amazing how much of an improvement we can see in just two weeks! Enjoy :)

Remember

"I don't know what happened. We did everything you're supposed to do. We taught them right from wrong, we got them involved in church, we prayed over every meal, we stayed married, we were affectionate, we always told them we loved them..... and yet they deny God."

This has been a hidden fear for me ever since the day it hit me that Neil and I were going to raise kids someday. You hear it from so many parents; whose to say that the same 'take your breath away' heart-breaking rebellion of a child wouldn't leave me perplexed and questioning God one day. What is the secret to success as a parent? Is there such a guarantee? The last two weeks have brought me comfort and peace in my pre-mature fear...

The Israelites were constantly in rebellion. God would do something great, they would praise him, then they would forget, rebel, cry out to God, and he would save them again. Then He would tell them to remember what He had done and to tell their children so that the cycle of suffering and rebellion could finally be ended. But they didn't. They taught their children the importance of the temple and they probably ate meals together, but they didn't tell their children of the great things God had done for them. They forgot how He had crushed their oppressors; their children didn't know to fear God. They forgot that He had allowed them back even though they had abandoned Him; their children didn't know He was Grace (maybe this is why they didn't recognize Christ?). They forgot how He was vexed over them; their children didn't know His punishment was Love. "Remember" is the central theme of Psalm 78 and I would argue God's point most of the time He addresses Israel as a nation.

"This do in remembrance of me." He was gracious enough to attach an action to the remembering.

I won't be a perfect parent. I will make sure that I tell my children not only of the great stories of what God has done in Scripture, but also the great stories of what He has done in my life and for the generations that came before me. That's all I can ask of myself as a parent. To remember. To remind.

And to learn to say "I'm sorry" a lot.

*and while I'm talking about parenting, thanks for 'reminding' me so much, mom and dad.

Let the little children come to me...

This morning I had the most beautiful interaction with a little boy that I had taught during the previous week at VBS. It was such a pleasure to teach these kids about God’s story inside of them, about India and about the special places and people that God has prepared for them to tell that story to. It was also really fun. I’m sure many of you remember from VBS days, but kids really latch onto their teachers during that week.

This morning, a little boy of about 4 saw me from across the room and came over to give me a hug. I thought the interaction would end there. Instead, he proceeded to hold my hand. Then he touched the fabric on my dress and told me it was beautiful. While he talked to me and told me about how his mother was getting coffee, he reached up to touch my face while I talked back to him. It was one of the most tender and innocent moments I have ever experienced. He had seen me from a distance all week and was finally able to interact with me face to face.

It makes me ache for Christ; to hug him, to hold his hand, to touch his garment and to hold his face while he talks sweetly to me.

Let us all, like little children, come...

Some highlights...

1. We walked into our temporary apartment on the Wheaton campus 2 weeks ago. It was late on Sunday night and we were anxious to unpack. We enter to find an apartment with a nice size living room, kitchen, 2 bedrooms--we were pleasantly surprised. That is, until we realized that bunk-beds was the only sleeping option.


2. We are going to an Indian church on Sunday nights while we are in Wheaton. Last Sunday, we were told to come hungry because they were having a potluck. We were so excited that we were going to have a smorgasbord of authentic, homemade Indian food. When we got there, we found out they had catered in Italian. Welcome to America!


3. I'm taught at VBS this week and on Monday I asked a group of second graders if they knew any Indians (since we are moving there). One little boy shouted, "I have family in Cleveland!"

-c

Saturday in the park

Saturday, Neil and I took the day to "do Chicago". We knew that if we waited too long, our schedule would get full and we'd end up never doing it. For those that don't know: we are living on Wheaton's campus for 3 weeks while Neil takes a course in phonology to aid in our accent-reduction work in India. Here are some of the highlights..

We started the day in Millennium park, with 2 hours to have 'retreat time' off by ourselves, just us and God (and the million other people, mainly Puerto Rican's and Cubs fans, who we shared Chicago with that day).

It ended up being 'Puerto Rico Day', complete with a parade going down Lakeshore Dr. I loved it. I learned there are many creative ways to wear the Puerto Rican flag. 

I also learned that gospel tracks can make their way into just about any event around the world; including Puerto Rico day in Chicago.

At the end of my retreat time, I walked through the gardens in M. Park. I believe with all of my heart that Heaven will be a city with the aroma of a field of wildflowers (not smog). I love the two pictures below, because they fill me with hope. The scent was so beautiful and I half thought that the pictures might capture the smell. You'll just have to trust me; it smelled like Heaven.

After our retreats, we made our way north to Portillo's. If you've never been, all I can say is "GO". I had the Italian beef, Neil had the jumbo hotdog and we finished off the meal the only logical way to finish off a meal at Portillo's, with a Chocolate Cake Shake. Although, Neil and I have renamed it the 'Better than 'Better than sex cake' Shake'. Not a commentary on our marriage, simply how good this shake really is. mmm...

        

After dinner, we headed to Sports Authority and got some new workout clothes (70% off, baby!). When we left, we had 20 minutes before our train left and a generous 35-40 minute walk ahead of us. So, we ran. We started out speed walking, but ended up realizing that if we had any hope of making the train, we were going to have to get our Kenyan on. So, we ran; just like all the cool tourists. We stepped onto the train and no less than 30 seconds later, the bell went off and the doors closed. The perfect ending to a day in Chicago.

Our sweaty-selves on the Metra after our impromptu workout. 

-c

Safari Steve

This morning I was looking through recent pictures we've downloaded and ran across some from when Neil's parents came to visit us a few weekends ago in Sellersburg. We took a day trip to the Louisville zoo (yes, people can visit the zoo without little kids and still be cool. I think..). Anyway, it was a lot of fun and my favorite picture is of a man I like to call 'Safari Steve'. At one point, when we were standing in the bird area, a little girl looked up at him and asked him a question about one of the birds. I was trying to convince him to start a dialogue and see who gathered around to listen.

Maybe we should be going to Kenya...

Yoga

Tonight I had a dream come true: I got to participate in an actual yoga class! I bought a 'how to' guide for practicing yoga about 5 months ago and got a mat for Christmas. I had this strong urge to learn yoga and feel comfortable with it before we got to India. I'm a 'flavor of the month' type person when it comes to exercise. Jan-Feb: running, Feb-Apr: yoga, May: biking...I like to switch it up, it keeps things interesting and my muscles always waiting in anticipation of what's around the corner. But there is something different about yoga, something lasting. I'm not sure if it's the slow, steady movements that force me to realize that I am a captive to my body, or the controlled breathing that reminds me that each breath is a gift from the Breath-giver, or maybe it's just the fact that you can soak in some amazing music and let yourself retreat for an hour while you burn a few cals... Either way, I've been able to enjoy many benefits of practicing yoga on my own, but tonight I was blessed to share it with a group of 25 that covered a wide range of abilities. I absolutely loved the entire experience and the dream was reinforced that someday I might lead others in yoga. 

Tonight, our leader said something profound in her prayer to end the session, she said, "God, in yoga we learn that we cannot force ourselves into a pose, we must release our urge to force and just allow our muscles to stop where they stop and grow from there. Help us to practice this submission in our daily lives."      Amen, sister.

yo quiero Taquito

I remember going to my friend Meghan's house when I was in junior high. We used to call her house "frozen food heaven" because her mom had a huge freezer in the garage that they kept full of all sorts of goodies that I try to make a habit of staying away from now (in order to keep my girlish figure).  My favorite item was the Taquitos. Ever had them? It's like the Mexican version of pulled pork wrapped up in a mini tortilla and fried. yumm.

Anyway, my mother-in-law pulled them out tonight for us to snack on before dinner. I felt like I was 12 again. I was torn between putting them in the microwave, which would deliver the fried goodness to me in less than 5 minutes, and putting them in the oven, which I would have to wait longer for, but they would be perfectly crisp when they got out. I voted against instant gratification and popped them in the oven.

True to form, I could wait 15 minutes to cook them, but I couldn't wait the 5 minutes required to cool them. I burnt my tongue. But every 270 calorie bite was worth it.

Live la vida loca; eat a taquito tonight.

-c

Lasik

I had Lasik done 3 weeks ago and the highlight for me was not seeing 20/15, it was the goggles I had to wear when I slept.

Bringin' sexy back.

-c

this will not inspire you

So, I've been feeling pressure to write something thoughtful/deep/inspiring whenever I post a blog.  Hence, not many blog posts.  I think I'm going to switch my approach and just type like I'd talk.  Not try and organize it so much.  Not do the whole "okay, it's prayer circle time and I need to be thinking about what I want to pray about so I'll rehearse now and then just say the prayer again when it's my turn".  Anyone else do that?  I hope so, or I've just outed myself.  Well, I quit doing that years ago in my praying, but for some reason the temptation still lingers in my blogging.

No more.

Just thought you might want to know I might be blogging more now. And they may be less interesting. :)

-c

The Moral of the Story...

I just got off the phone with a friend who went through some amazing, life-changing spiritual experience with God, and yet was afraid to share too much about it because it was so fresh.  He was scared that he would jump to the lesson too fast.  

I have been reading 1 and 2 Samuel, and it has totally captivated me.  I get so wrapped up in the story lines and how David and Saul and Jonathan and all the other characters interact.  Yet when my wife asked me to explain what it was that was pulling me in so much, I found it hard to put into words.  And when I did, it sounded nothing like what was going on in my heart.

A few months ago I went to see The Dark Knight with some friends, and one of them, as soon as we walked out of the theater, was asking us about the themes of the movie and what it said about God and how we should respond to it.  I appreciated his thoughts, but all of a sudden, the power of the movie was boxed up and packaged and no longer relevant.

There's one lecture from college about physics of all things that comes back in my mind fairly regularly.  It was about Heisenberg's Uncertainty Principle, which is loosely related to the "observer effect", which states that just by observing something, you change it.

These stories and several like them have been weaving through my mind recently.  I'd hate to ruin it by trying to pull out an application.  All I'll say is that I think there is something to just being a part of the story.

Justice

Much to update everyone on from our extensive travels, but first we'll share a story from last weekend. We were visiting our dear friends, Shawn and Angela and their great kids, Emma and Noah. While we were out to dinner, I (Neil) developed the most annoying case of the hiccups I've ever heard. The kind where I'll be talking normally about something halfway serious and then it's like this little 6 year old girl possesses my body and lets out a squeak. It's kind of hard to take yourself seriously in a case like that.

Anyway, this went on for a few hours despite all the usual remedies (even a friendly version of waterboarding). Five hours later, I was still hiccuping after lots of great conversation and a great prayer time along with my 6 year old alter-ego. Then, my good friend Shawn decides to tell one of those stories that everyone thinks about when someone else has the hiccups. You know, the one where the guy is like 25 and gets the hiccups and has them for the next 50 years despite surgeries and the finest medical care. (I'm convinced that we are getting all these stories from the 5th grade boys who spend all of their "library time" reading the Guinness Book of World Records and trying to make them sound even more bizarre.) Shawn relays his version of the story, starts laughing hysterically, and then, naturally, begins to hiccup for the rest of the evening. I'm usually not really a vindictive person, but it was pretty sweet to hear Shawn giggle and hiccup like a little girl all night after that.

Defragmenting

I have to be honest, I still have no idea how to defragment my computer. As a matter of fact, I don't know how to do anything on a computer that isn't required in my every day life. In college I would have to call on my friend Libby whenever my computer needed an overhaul. 

Today, my brain needs defragmenting. You know how they say you only use about 3% of your brain? (or is it 30%? either way..) I've been trying to stretch the other 97% this week and I'm tired. I've been busy solving the problems of the universe (if you want to know how we can achieve world peace, I'm your girl). This whole week seemed to be exceptionally full of thinking, philosophizing, theologizing (it's a word now), and lots of other things that I'm pretty much on the 'less than qualified' side of. 

If you know how to defragment a brain, call me.

Warning: this post will make you hungry

I love eggs. Like, truly. Fried eggs, scrambled eggs, boiled eggs, frittatas, quiche... I love how they are the quickest, cheapest and potentially the most creative meal option available. Tonight, for instance, Neil and I realized we had nothing to eat. That is, until we discovered we had 5 eggs, some garlic, left over mushrooms, Italian seasoning, the slightest bit of mozzarella and lunch meat ham. Gourmet Italian eggs, coming right up! They were delicious.

We have had some incredible meals these last 2 months. This last week was no exception. Dessert & breakfast at aunt Toni's farm-fresh kitchen, pisghetti by Christie, skillet cookie a la Knights, a pizza recipe worth $900 by the lovely Marianne Gross....I could go on and on...

This last week we spent time in both Catlin, IL and Lincoln/Bloomington/Springfield visiting with so many people that we love. We were ecstatic to find that God had been priming their hearts to love India the way that He has been priming ours. I wish we would have taken even more pictures, but here is a snapshot of our last 1 1/2 weeks and some of the food we ate:

Visiting the Knights in Bloomington...

3 night sleepover with Caleb & Christie!

They made us a delicious 'send off' breakfast. And guess what incredible, edible item was in it?

the egg :)

I Drive a Dodge Status!

So, I felt the urge to sing an ode to the vehicle which has taken us to many heights: the Dodge Stratus.  We just crossed over 100,000 miles on the last trip to Chicago and it got me thinking about all the great times we've had.

It was given to me in August 2004 by my parents after I returned from a summer trip to Bulgaria with 13,000 miles.  It replaced the "still-barely-running" Ford Taurus Speed Wagon which I inherited from my Grandpa after he died.

Here is a brief and assuredly incomplete list of trips it has been on:

-Many trips from Newburgh to Carmel to see Courtney

-Fall Break to Tennessee in 2004!

-Up to Chicago to see Melissa and Andrew get engaged

-To Kansas with John for Justin and Jenny McKnight's wedding

-Down the country roads every week to Eminence Christian Church in college

-To New Orleans after the hurricane to help with some clean-up

-To Newburgh in 05 for our first trip to Wadsworth Lake

-Back home again in 05 after the tornado took away my parent's house

-Numerous dates and often the only place to be alone with Courtney 

-Up to Chicago with Tim in 06 to watch the Cubs get pummeled by the Brewers

-To Johnson City, TN in 06 to visit Courtney's grandparents and watch the fireworks

-3 straight Christmas Eve travels either to Carmel or Newburgh

-To Bardstown, KY to jump out of a plane with my best friends before we got married

-Multiple trips to Rush-Copley Hospital in Naperville, IL to be there for Emma Harris' birth

-To Galena, IL for a 25th anniversary celebration with the Wrights

For the last 8 months of a beautiful relationships we have trips scheduled to Virginia Beach, Cleveland, St. Louis, Wheaton, IL, and one last long trip out to Colorado Springs.  100,000 leaves you pretty attached to a car and it will be sad to finally say goodbye in October.  So, here's to you, Stratus, from all those who have safely ridden in your care.  Keep on keeping on.  

Love...it's what you crave®

Is there anything more romantic than sitting down with your sweetheart to a gorgeous Crave Case full of Slyders eaten by candlelight?  I submit that there is not.

 

Neourtney

I've heard it said that after enough years of marriage, couples start to act alike and even look like each other. 

The other day Neil and I were relaxing on my parents couch in the middle of a tiring day, anxious to take a break. I picked up a book of Sudoku puzzles I got for Christmas and Neil turned on the television to watch another episode of The Cosby Show. All of a sudden it dawned on me, I'm doing math for fun and Neil is filling his brain with mindless entertainment to relax. It's starting to happen.

I'm going to start looking in the mirror a little more closely....

Road Warriors

So, we've been here and there for quite some time now. We spent Christmas going to Carmel, Newburgh, Sellersburg, Johnson City, TN, Indianapolis (Courtney then to Danville, IL), and then back home here in Sellersburg. It feels good to be back in our "old place". Although we will be in and out of here, it's always going to be nice to come back to this house. Living with Courtney is amazing and exponentially so when we get to wake up together and spend all day in our own place.

Some other highlights of being back home:
-Seeing our small group and helping the Clarks move into their new house-My Christmas present from Courtney - 3 seasons of The Cosby Show

So, I had some other things to say, but I think I'll just rant on the Cosby Show for a bit. It is seriously the greatest TV sitcom ever. I can (and intend to) watch it everyday. There is something so great about watching this family that loves each other deeply get caught up in the funniest moments. The best part is the way they all laugh at everyday quirks that really are hilarious. I can't say any more, but it always makes me laugh.

Here's a great picture from Christmas.