WITHDRAWL

{photo snapped from the shuttle when leaving riga}

sitting this morning in our family's home here in Germany and I am realizing I am in complete and utter withdrawal from latvia and our friends there!

we've loved staying connected with those closest to us back home either via this blog or through email, and it's been so encouraging to hear of great things happening also for our friends and brothers and sisters back in America! 

this trip has made us do this sort of 'shake 'n bake' jumble of our hearts, and minds. shake 'n bake is a reference to this American brand of breading {like for cooking} and it was made popular in the 60's; you put your chicken in the brown bag with the breading and shake it around so it gets coated! the slogan to the shake 'n bake was, "it's shake 'n bake, and I helped!" and it was a little girl saying this while standing next to her mom in the kitchen. it was a simple way to get seemingly inexperienced ones in the kitchen and get them involved and making something simple which of course, could lead to more!

well, I suppose you could say that we feel like we've gotten to stand in a spiritual kitchen with all our brothers and sisters and friends both back in latvia and back at home; our 'mom' or in this case our more experienced friends, the special pioneers and the bethelites and the elders and the elder's wives, well they invited is to cook with them!  so we put our little hearts and minds into that brown bag and then shook shook shook until we were thoroughly coated in a delicious, encouraging breading.  only this time we aren't saying it's 'shake 'n bake and I helped' we are saying it's 'shake 'n bake and YOU helped'.  Jehovah really has made so many great avenues for us all to get together and exchange encouragement and love, even for those that may have never seen or gotten the opportunity too. I suppose this analogy could go a few directions, and I'm sure my friend Adrianne could clarify my thoughts {she's so great at illustrations and analogies!} much better then me, but hey it's worth a try ;).

missing everyone, our old and new friends dearly! enjoying Germany! we will be going to a day of convention here on Sunday! till then...

breakfast from today! the family left us a note and some goods from the bakery since they're off to convention!

love, 

c+n