Greetings To All:
As usual I will start this entry with apologies of not doing it sooner. Thank you for taking the time to keep up with us. Not a lot has happened since the last entry. One very important and meaningful thing did happen: Dakota Mei turned 4 years old! Yes, it seems like just yesterday she was learning to walk and talk, or should I say run and talk. I don't think she ever truly walked. As soon as she discovered that she could move about while on two feet, she was running. And she hasn't stopped since. I love her enthusiasm for life. My prayer is that she will continue to have that same enthusiasm for serving and following Jesus as she grows older. Also, Mother's Day was a couple of weeks ago. I want to say a special "Thank you" to Mom for being here while I was away in Germany last month. She is a real blessing whether here or in IN. I also want to give many thanks to Kathy for being the mother that she is to Dakota and Desi. It's always nice to walk in the door and see her with both girls on her lap. One would think that the world could not handle so much beauty in one place, but they prove that it can. Kathy is doing a wonderful job of being Mommy (all of you probably realize what all that title and job description involve.) Desi continues to drink milk and grow. She is almost an even thirteen pounds now. I love to jiggle her chubby cheeks. And, oh yes, she has found her thumb.
For Dakota's birthday we celebrated with friends on the base by having cake available for them after lunch on Monday. It was quite the preschool crowd. After cake and mandatory present opening we continued the celebration - Dakota Mei style. What would a Dakota party be without something fun and exciting? I set up one of our high elements and we gave rides to kids of all ages. There is a short video of Dakota going on the ride posted with this entry. She loves to be in the air. I wonder what experiences she will have in this year of her life. . . .
The course has been pretty busy and will continue to be so for the rest of the season. On top of that the entire base will be busy this whole summer. There will be three schools running, and between all of the students and staff, there will not be a single bed available on base. That's a lot of people. This morning at intercession we had no set topic. So we divided into small groups and prayed about whatever came to our hearts. It was shocking to hear at the end that about 80% of the groups were praying about this upcoming summer. The main points were about keeping open and clear communication between all schools and staff to prevent mass confusion. Also people were praying for the practical needs: help in the kitchen, toilets and water heaters working properly, and space. One personal prayer request that we have is regarding the classroom on base that Dakota and six other preschoolers have been attending during the week for the past year and a half. Without trying to explain the entire situation, all parents were told that there would not be any classroom time for those kids until September. That has been pretty disheartening for the families on base because all of us have a preschooler plus a newborn/infant. The classroom time for the preschoolers has been such a blessing for the moms especially because that freed them to have uninterrupted time with the babies. Please pray for/with us that something will change and that the classroom will be made available to us again before September. Dakota really benefited from the routine, structure, learning, and socializing that has been from the classroom.
So, for now our home is a busy one. Please feel free to write us with any words you receive while praying for us; those are very encouraging. Thank you for all of your support! I hope you enjoy the pictures and video.
In His Love,
Carson, Kathleen, Dakota, Desi
