Yesterday Allison Roark (former Bible study leader in Raleigh) had a little boy! She and Nick named him Elijah Luke. We have to only image the joy they are experiencing. Congratulations, Roarks!

Thinking about motherhood, I want to share a story from this past weekend. On Sunday after church we went to Quizno's with some friends. We accidentally tipped the table and hot chicken soup poured all over Rebecca's pants and the floor. It was a terrible scene, but I will never forget the servanthood that was shown by a family sitting next to us. This family goes to the same church, and I have heard wonderful things about the couple. But, when their two young boys (without their mom's prompt) jumped from their seats and ran to get napkins and got on the floor, sopping up the chicken soup, I was impressed beyond words. That these children would be so inclined to serve others to that magnitude was remarkable to me. What a God-honoring mother they must have! And as we drove home Aaron and I prayed that if God were to ever bless us with children, that we would raise such servants and be the Christ-exalting parents they are.

Derwin is leaving today for Afghanistan. On Friday night we took the family out to eat Mexican- what a treat it is for us to spend time with them! Dominique concentrated mostly on the candy and gum machine, and on getting the award for messiest eater. Ariana sucked on the hot salsa on her chips and made faces as she ate lemons. And James just told crazy stories. Derwin didn't say much about the deployment.

On Saturday morning we woke up to the news of a break-in at Waste Industries. Aaron spent his morning there while I cleaned the house and read. Since it was raining all day and we both stayed up late late late on Friday night, we took a long nap in the afternoon. I went to the gym while Aaron went bargain shopping. We met for dinner at a new restaurant (new for us) called The Rocket. It was yummy.

This week is our big ESOL testing week. This year, Georgia has adopted a new test to measure English proficiency (I was glad...the former one was not the greatest), and it is called ACCESS for ELLs- Assessing Comprehension and Communication in English State to State for English Language Learners. Is that not a mouthful? So I'm "ACCESSing" my students this week...it's long and draining, but I'm anxious to see how they have improved. Too bad we have to wait until June to get the results back!

On Saturday night we were invited to the Moody's house to visit with a special guest! Derwin's Aunt Ethel came from Michigan to see him before he leaves. She made an amazing meal for dinner and we were still full on Sunday morning. She was a huge blessing to us.
On Saturday afternoon Aaron and I worked in the backyard. We are trying to make it look decent! Aaron did most of the work while I gave ideas and encouraged him :) We made an island of pinestraw around the trees. Yesterday I bought plants to put along the edge to make a border. What do you think?
On Sunday morning we were invited to hear James (neighbor) sing a solo in church. The church is Rhema Word International, and it was a great service. James did such a good job singing about how worthy the Lord is! They also sang about praise coming from our mouths. The pastor taught about Elijah and the spirit of Jezebel, and the service that Jesus exemplified when he washed the disciple's feet. It was a powerful message.

Aaron wasn't here for Valentine's Day but he sure made up for it! On Friday night he took me to Americus (small town about 45 minutes north of Leesburg) to a very old, enchanting hotel restaurant. It's called the Windsor. The atmosphere was romantic- the perfect place for us to eat. After our meal, we walked around the "historic" downtown and found a cute coffee shop to have dessert. It was a perfect evening. Thank you, Aaron!

What a messy desk! This is one of my goals for today- organize, throw away, clean...among other things. I don't plan to come back on Tuesday to the same disaster site! It's good to have a break from the students today and spend time with colleagues (adults). We're ordering pizza in for lunch. You have no idea what a treat it is for the drive-by-ESOL teacher to stay in one building all day!

Wal-Mart Ordered to Stock Emergency Contraception
Tuesday, February 14, 2006

BOSTON — The state pharmacy board ordered Wal-Mart on Tuesday to stock emergency contraception pills at its stores in Massachusetts.
Massachusetts becomes second state to require the world's largest retailer to carry the morning-after pill.
A Wal-Mart spokesman said the company would comply with the directive by the Massachusetts Board of Pharmacy and is reviewing its nationwide policy on the drug.
"Clearly women's health is a high priority for Wal-Mart," spokesman Dan Fogleman said. "We are actively thinking through the issue."

read the entire article here: http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,184879,00.html

Hope you had a special Valentine's Day! It was a busy day at school yesterday- the kids were hyper, but cute (my Kindergarten girls get so wrapped up in holidays because it's so new to them). In their class we made compliment necklaces- we learned about saying nice things to people and the different vocabulary for it (helpful, smart, funny, good at ____). They wrote each person's name on one side of a heart and a compliment on the other side. Then as we exchanged our hearts they said, "Ms. Dez, you are nice. Rashmi, you are funny..." Everyone grinned each time someone said something nice about them... we loved it! And then we put their hearts on a necklace so they could remember what a great person they are.
What a great Valentine's memory!
In my high school class, we used those popular conversation candy hearts to make sentences. One of my students, who just came from India only 4 months ago, had a heart that said "smile". His sentence? "The beauty of the whole world is in her smile." Pretty surprising for a newcomer! We also had a lively debate about arranged marriage since they do that in India and Indonesia.

Aaron was out of town (SC), so I babysat. We made a dessert together and did homework. I missed my husband, but this was the next best thing!

Aaron has to leave me again for his work. They have a meeting tomorrow (on Valentine's Day!) and Wednesday in Greenville, SC. He is leaving this afternoon. Yesterday, I made Valentine Rice Krispie treats for everyone at their meeting. They turned out cute!
I plan to babysit for Derwin and Marcela tomorrow night so they can celebrate Vday together. We found out on Friday that Derwin has orders to go to Afghanistan for 7 months. He leaves on Feb. 24. It's pretty upsetting! He keeps expressing his worry over his yard. Aaron has promised to take care of it while he's gone. :)

Sorry it has been so long since our last post. Last week was pretty busy, and we have disconnected the Internet at our house so I couldn't do it over the weekend. This picture is of our Global Gatherings last Tuesday night. We had a great time! These couples are from Pakistan and India. Mussrat brought a Pakistani dish for our refreshments.
On Friday night Aaron took me on a date! We went to Harvest Moon in downtown Albany. The food was awesome, and there was a live band that played something like jazz ?? The date was full of good conversation...the kind that sometimes gets lost during the work week. Saturday we did the grocery shopping together, and then I wasn't feeling well so I took a nap while Aaron washed the cars. That night we went to Michael and Rebecca McNeal's home for a send-off party for Kent and Melanie Reinhardt in our Sunday school class. They are moving to north Georgia at the end of the month. I got pretty sick, though, so we couldn't stay very long. Aaron took great care of me...ginger ale, medicine, a movie...and by Sunday afternoon I felt a lot better. He praised the Lord for both of us at church so that I could rest at home. That afternoon, we cleaned the house and did a little lesson planning! It's been a great weekend...just not long enough. This week is a short week with students (Friday is a work day), and then we have Monday off. I have a lot to look forward to!

This is from the Super Bowl XL on Sunday night. Darryl and Krista (diagonal neighbors) invited us over to watch. Do you see where the men congregate? Around the food! I don't know why Mr. Sampson is giving me a thumbs-down. He and his wife, Lou, and the Moody family were all present. The best part was the halftime performance by Rolling Stones. I haven't laughed that hard in a long time. Lou was also the life of the party...
On Friday night I took dinner to the Paul family (part of our Sunday School class...Chip Paul is also the Middle School Minister). Laurie had her baby, Abbie Rebekah, on Monday morning. She is a beautiful, healthy, calm (for now) baby. Her big brother is Joshua. They were all present at church on Sunday! Laurie said that God had been so good to her that she couldn't have missed worship in His house.

Aaron and I have gone international :) We have started a meeting in our home every week for adults from other countries who want to practice speaking and listening to English. I was a part of a similar ministry at NC State, and since Aaron had joined me several times, we think we can do it together! We are really depending on the Lord for grace, though. Last week we had two couples come- one couple from Indonesia, and the other from Pakistan. We are meeting again tonight...I'll try to take pictures. It's fun to lead together!

Here we are at the start of another week. I've just gotten to school and there are a million things to do before my first class starts in 20 minutes, but I thought I'd take a few seconds to make a post.
We had a great weekend...Aaron went to the men's prayer retreat Friday night and Saturday half a day. I met him at the camp on Saturday afternoon because they wanted the wives to come worship with the husbands. It was very memorable.
Friday night I took dinner to a couple in our Sunday School class because they just had a baby last week. I'll post those pictures tonight.
The rest of the weekend was just flat out relaxing. I didn't take any books/lesson plans home, so I didn't feel guilty for spending time doing other things. Last night we went over to a neighbor's house to watch the SuperBowl and eat, eat, eat. I'll post pictures tonight, also. It was fun, especially during the very endearing performance at half-time that I will never forget.
Aaron and I are very much in love.
Have a great week!

Last weekend, I found out that Lauren passed away at the beginning of January. It is devastating news. She and I were best buddies at Roanoke Academy of Gymnastics for about 10 years. We stuck with it together...she was always encouraging, fun-loving...a great person to be around. I am so thankful for her God-honoring life and that I could know her.

BURNS, Lauren Elizabeth


Lauren Elizabeth Burns, 22, of Salem, born on February 26, 1983 in Schenectady, N.Y., and a graduate student at Teton Science Schools in Jackson Hole, Wyo., died Sunday from head injuries sustained in an automobile accident on Saturday evening, January 7, 2006. April Landale, Director of Teton Science Schools'''' Kelly Campus, offered these thoughts: "Lauren''''s kind-hearted and caring nature as a teacher and a friend will be irreplaceable. Her students loved her. The entire Teton Science Schools community is devastated by the loss of Lauren." So, too, Lauren''''s many friends and colleagues. From her early interest in veterinary medicine to her position as Drum Major with the Salem High School marching band, Lauren was admired for her level-headed nature and her natural leadership abilities. Her schedule during high school was full, her interests varied. From the band to the volleyball and track teams, as well as her work as an animal caretaker at Salem Animal Hospital, Lauren''''s insatiable appetite for action was tempered only by her concern for each participant. Lauren attended The College of William and Mary, where her passion for horses led to her being named president of the Equestrian Team. While pursuing her Bachelors of Science in Biology and Environmental Science, her interests turned to public education on environmental issues. Lauren worked extensively in the Department of Biology, researching the viability of training birds via video programming in order to re-release them to the wild. Following graduation in May, 2005, Lauren moved to Jackson Hole last August to take part in Teton Science Schools'''' one-year, graduate-level teaching practicum and academic program in environmental education and the natural sciences. She was keenly aware of the need for effective communication with the public on the issues and needs of birds, particularly raptors. Following her year in
Jackson Hole, Lauren looked forward to completing her Master''''s degree at the University of Idaho. With an avid interest in wildlife and a particular love of birds, Lauren was at home in Jackson Hole. Her work at Teton Science Schools focused on her other passion, public education on natural history. Polly Cooper, Lauren''''s faculty coach, remembers Lauren "~as the most positive person on campus. She was so sincere in her efforts as a teacher, always thinking about how best to share her experiences and love for natural history." On a more intimate note, said Cooper, "Lauren loved to laugh and dance. Her presence will be missed." Lauren spent time last fall working with Grand Teton National Park staff and park visitors as part of her teaching practicum. From leading map talks and geology hikes, to staging an exhibit at the Maude Nobel Cabin at Menor''''s Ferry, Lauren thrived in any teaching situation. Faced with a challenge, Lauren was never afraid to step up and do her best. Lauren is survived by her parents, Thomas and Nancy Burns of Salem; her 19 year-old brother, Timmy, who attends the University of Virginia; her grandparents, Elton and Norma Burns of Schenectady, New York, and Theresa Kelly of Glastonbury, Conn.; aunts, uncles and cousins, including Clayton Burns and Cindi Anthony and their children Rochelle, Dan and Tom Burns, and Rick, Kristyn and Kara Anthony; Jim Kelly and Ceil Phillips and their children Ryan and Rosalind; Paul and Sharon Hesler and their children Greg, Steve and Molly; and countless other friends and relatives too numerous to mention by name. Lauren was loved by all. The family will receive friends on Friday evening, January 13, 2006 from 6 to 9 p.m. in the John M. Oakey & Son Chapel in Salem. An ecumenical celebration of Lauren''''s life will take place on Saturday, January 14, 2006 at 10:30 a.m. at Salem Presbyterian Church at East Main and North Market Streets. The Rev. Dean Lindsay and Father Jim Parke will be officiating. Music will play a major role in the service and include Lauren''''s high school band director, Dennis Reaser. Interment will follow at Sherwood Memorial Park in Salem. In lieu of flowers, the family requests that donations be made, in Lauren''''s name, to Teton Science Schools at 700 Coyote Canyon Drive in Jackson, Wyo. 83001, or to a church or charity of choice. Online condolences may be made at www.johnm oakey. com. The Burns family is being served by John M. Oakey & Son Funeral Home in Salem, 389-5441.

Tonight we had a wonderful family come to our home for dinner. This is Sam, Joosun, Chusong, and Mingsong (I'm sure the spelling is not right). They are faithful to First Baptist Leesburg, and one of the few Korean families in Albany. We are sad to say...they are moving to Chapel Hill next month! Of course it is a very happy thing- she was accepted to work at Duke Hospital and study there. We know they will love it. Tonight we were able to talk about important things they should do (Marble Slab ice cream!), good places to live, Providence Baptist Church, and English classes in the Raleigh area. It was a perfect evening. We talked about how big Providence is, and then they told us about their former church in Korea with 20,000 members! The children are precious!
They brought me 2 dozen roses. Unbelievable!