I know salt water is salty, but I didn't remember it being that salty...

Today in Gainesville it’s 23 Degrees with 75% humidity.  75% humidity = sweaty.  In the last week we’ve had humidity up to 90%.  Some of you back in cold Canada are thinking how great that wold be right about now.  All I have to say is the warmth is nice, but the humidity is killer.  We were really blessed last week, a fantastic young couple invited us to stay at their house for 4 days while they went away for thanksgiving.  They called it “house-sitting”, we called it a huge blessing.  Being able to do laundry and have regular showers for a few days was really nice.  It made our thanksgiving.  

We missed Canadian Thanksgiving this year since we were in Kansas City at the time so American Thanksgiving was really big for us.  Since Shayne had a real kitchen to work in we had Cabbage Rolls, Home-made Pie, Curry and other dishes that are difficult to do in the MH.  It was so much fun.  I’m sure you can imagine how nice it was to actually have walls separating us from the kids at night.  We made the 1.5 hour drive to the Atlantic ocean last Tuesday for ZZ's birthday.  We had a ton of fun.  ZZ ate his cake on the beach, the kids collected shells and splashed in the waves, and Shayne and I frolicked in the deeper waves.  It was a really warm day but overcast so we didn't end up sunburned or over heated.

So far everyone we’ve met at St. Andrews Church have been really friendly and welcoming.  We were invited over for lunch last week by a family with a swimming pool.  It was a beautiful sunny day and the kids had a blast swimming and splashing.  I don’t know what I was expecting St. Andrews to be like.  I grew up Catholic and Lutheran so I think I expected it to be dull and boring like the traditional church’s I grew up in.  I was so wrong.  The presence of the Spirit was so strong yesterday and Ron’s message so powerful.  It is so cool to see the marriage of Liturgy and Tradition with the honest powerful preaching of Gods word and the tangible presence of the Holy Spirit.  St. Andrews church in Gainesville has been a special treat for us that we weren’t expecting.   I have been particularly blessed by the honor they give to Advent, Lent and the Christmas season.  As I begin to understand some of the traditional symbolism and church history, the Liturgical practices take on new meaning and seem to become powerful expressions of faith that I never understood before.  

The kids have been having a blast chasing lizards, of which there are tons everywhere here, and even caught one the other day.  After being held for about half an hour Isaac put him down and he jumped back on his hand.  When he put him down a second time he ran up Isaacs leg to his hand.  We haven’t seen any Alligators yet but we’ve been assured that we will soon and that they are everywhere here.  The great thing about alligators is that they take care of all the stray cats and dogs.  

As Christmas approaches we begin to feel a loneliness setting in.  A loneliness that is not overwhelming but is more the starkness of a reality of spending Christmas away from family and our special friends and church family.  We trust that the Lord will continue to be with us and bless us, and that He will provide everything we need for this time of year.  We are thankful to be in such a great place with such great people, and we are excited to see the Lord moving powerfully in the church here.

Thanks for Journeying with us.

The Schafer’s


Check the Vid of us at the beach for ZZ's Birthday