Crash and Recover

It happened today--the nightmare of all writers. I was pressing toward a deadline (tomorrow noon) to have chapter 4 of my current Bible study completed. I had been waxing eloquent for 3 hours when suddenly my computer starting sending me coded messages: disk full unable to save document; chapter 4 error disk full...I can't even remember what they were. Since I didn't have a disk in my computer, I just "x"ed them out and ignored them when all of the sudden the entire computer froze up. The curser wouldn't move, the letters wouldn't type, and I thought, "Hmmm, I should save this file!" Only, when I went to save it I just received the same weird messages.

So, I did what all computer savvy writers do. I turned off my computer. No, I didn't hit "shut down" I just clicked the switch. Then I left my office to go eat a cold piece of pizza for lunch and I prayed God would recover my file.

After lunch I turned my computer back on, opened the file and sure enough I saw my recovered file in the left column so I clicked on it, only to receive the same error message, "Disk full, cannot read." Then, I got another message "Cannot delete this file" which was fine with me because I DIDN'T WANT TO DELETE IT! So I clicked on the "x" to shut that command down and that's when it happened. My recovered file disappeared.

It vanished into computer never, never land.

I cried.
I prayed, "Dear, God! You know how great that chapter was and that I was more than half way done, Please, please, please give me back that file!"
Then, I called Andrew (our IT guy at TSC). He gave me specific instructions on how to recover lost files, I went through all the steps but my file never appeared again. It was gone.

So, I cried again. I prayed again. I tossed a few books across the room and tore a few slats in my window blinds (accidentally).

And after that, I started over on page one of chapter 4. It's 10PM and I'm not yet back to where I was at noon. But--I'm feeling much better.

At 3PM I had to fetch my 8th grade son. He took me on an errand to Target, then went with me to the post office (to mail books that are completely done and published!) Then we actually made it to happy hour at Sonic and I purchased my favorite Sonic beverage, unsweet peach flavored iced tea. (Sonic ice makes me happy.)

By the time we got home I only had 20 minutes before I had to go get Kaleigh from tennis practice. She and I then took TJ to basketball try-outs (travel team) and then she invited me to Chili's for dinner. We ate, talked about boys and mission trips, and order a chocolate molten cake. Somewhere inbetween "how cute is he?!" And my first bite of chocolate gooey-ness I felt much much better. Molten cake and dinner out with Kaleigh makes me happy.

So, life goes on. I'm trying to finish day 3 (of 5 I need for chapter 4), and I'm sipping some herbal tea (kindly served by Kaleigh). So, I will survive. And now Tom's commiserating with me, and that too makes me happy.

Face???

Okay, here's my first post from my East Asia trip. When we arrived in the town of 60,000 my first impression was that there was a whole lot of construction going on. Then, I saw a man sleeping in a cot in one of the roadside "tent" dwellings--right at the construction site!

We ate a God-blessed meal at the little "cafe" by the river. And by God-blessed, this is how our host prayed, "Lord, thank you for the food set before us. Please help us get down what You keep down and keep it in there til You want it to come out." I'm just sayin' stay away from the "green stuff."

After lunch and a great game of cards--that we never quite figured out. (Playing cards with young adults who can't speak a single word of English is quite the experience. Tom and Reagan took a whirl, I think Tom even won a hand.) Anyway, after lunch and cards, we walked back over the bridge that crossed the river and watched a bride and groom take their wedding pictures. When they saw us they invited us over to ...BE IN THE PICTURES!! Imagine that!

After we posed for wedding pictures, we ventured over to the school yard where I was able to converse with the girls --when they gave their English a group effort. It was so fun. They taught me to say hamburger in chinese. It sounds like ham...bah...bah. How's that?! Once we shared as much as we could communicate one girl looked at me and said, "face?" I looked back, nodded yes and repeated, "face?" I wasn't sure what she was trying to say. But in response she simply reached up to my cheek and planted a kiss right there.

I was in love. The people welcomed us with smiles and kisses! They are so eager to hear what we have to share. Pray with me that God will open doors to the gospel through us. I'm seriously considering organizing a prayer team to go next year and march through the streets of that city, and up and down the paths of the market towns and villages where this unreached people group lives. Maybe you should go with me!!

East Asia and SPRING!!

I just returned (Tuesday) from a trip to East Asia with "a few good men." (Tom being one, our mission's pastor being another and a seasoned world traveller being the 4th.) I have to say that traveling with 3 men was quite the experience--as was East Asia. I'm not going to blog about that until I get my pictures loaded, for a picture speaks a thousand words...

This morning I was walking with a friend and we noticed that spring is on its way!! The trees are budding, and the grass is getting greener--I love this time of the year! I am also excited that we spring forward THIS SUNDAY! I'm so ready for the sun to set later in the day. And since I'm already jet lagged anyway (the time was 13hours ahead of ours where we traveled)what's one more hour?

I love March because it comes "in like a lion and out like a lamb." When I was in elementary school we made paper plate lions and lambs. Today--it's kind of "lion-y."

I love March because God answered my prayer for a baby on the 12th of this month. She came to us at 12:08AM, March 12, 1992--7lbs 8 1/4 oz. Next week Mikel Lorin McCoy turns 17! We're planning a family dinner--she's much more focused on prom right now that she is her birthday.

I love March because of the daffodils! I LOVE daffodils! I always have. They signal the beginning of flower season, and here in Tennessee they pop up all over these fields! I have yet to plant any in my yard, but there are a few on the pasture fence line that separates my yard from my neighbor's. Daffodils also remind my of my daughter Kaleigh (whose favorite color is...yellow).

I love March because Spring Break is on its way!! We normally go on a trip--mostly to the beach, last year to Disney for Mikel's ball team but this year to the mountains! And, I love the mountains.