5Crawfords

Sorry it's taken me a bit to finish telling the rest of the Colorado trip, but life's been hectic! Alisha and the boys are down in the Bay Area still so I am flying solo back home. I thought I would be relaxing some this week - ha! Between making dinner, cleaning up, taking care of the cat, laundry and the mail I can't seem to find time to sit! Ok, so perhaps I should mention that I went to the Newsboys concert last night and I'm going to the movie tonight with my friend Matt Sampson! Well, Colorado turned out to be a great experience. Our take on our time there is that the eMi officers main concern is that anyone interested in coming on staff really feels called by God to do so - especially those considering an overseas position. They also want to be sure that personality-wise it's a good fit, but beyond that, they want to be convinced that God is authoring the move. Overall, we've really appreciated their thoroughness in this process. It has forced Alisha and ...

(This is Alisha) Well, we just arrived back at our hotel after a long, but very informative day at eMi. The day started off with a short time of group devotions with their staff, and then a personality profile and cultural assessment which was helpful for understanding how our personalities might approach and deal with cultural and environmental changes in Africa. Everyone we met today was very friendly. We went to lunch with one couple and then walked back to the office for a tour (meeting the staff individually), and then a 3 hour group interview with Karen (HR), the two VPs and the CEO of eMi. We both felt like they got an accurate picture (both the good and the bad) of us and what we were thinking about Africa. They asked a lot of questions about Brodie, what ministry looked like to us, how our family has influenced us in this process, how we grew up, why we feel God wants us in Africa, and the process we've gone through up to this point. Tomorrow will start the day with p...

Well, we're off to Colorado tomorrow after work. Actually, we're driving to the Bay Area after work (Tuesday) to leave the boys in the very capable hands of Mom & Dad Berry. Dad Berry will be playing Super-Grandpa as he will be charged with manning the fort during the day while mom is teaching. Please pray for the boys, and him! We fly to Colorado Springs (COS) Weds. morning at 9:40am, arriving at 2:20pm in Denver. We're then renting a car and driving (about an hour) South to COS. We'll be staying at the Embassy Suites there in COS, both Weds. and Thurs. night, then fly back to Oakland Friday night - arriving at 10:25pm. A whirlwind trip - though not as bad as the one we took last November (to Africa for a whopping 4 days). As for our time at eMi, here is the tentative schedule they gave us: Tentative Interview Schedule: Thursday, March 22nd 8:30 to 9:00 Morning Prayer 9:00 to 10:00 Personality Profile - Karen 10:15 to 11:30 Cross-Cultural aptitude assessment - Laur...

Brodie & Jonah were all smiles today as they both learned to ride their bikes without training wheels! Brodie can start, go and stop all by himself, and Jonah can do everything but start on his own - though if he's headed downhill he can. We were so proud of them! We've been practicing for a few days, but today (while I was at work :( ) they finally got the hang of it! (note: Jonah loves Brodie's soccer socks! It's in his blood from sister Susie-Highsocks!) Also note how in-tuned I am with them, as you can see me in the background paying total attention to their bikeriding and NOT to my conversation with the neighbor! (father-of-the-year right there!)

I read this in an online devotional my sister Terri got me hooked on. I feel like it's a clear analogy of what it feels like we're doing! (hint: we're just now climbing into the wheelbarrow) "When I was a new Christian I heard an illustration of what belief and faith looked like when combined. If you were a trapeze artist and were skilled at walking across tightropes over high places, you might even be willing to walk across Niagara Falls. In fact, I would have confidence that you could because I had seen your abilities as a trapeze artist. However, if you asked me if you could push me in a wheelbarrow across Niagara Falls, you would be challenging me to put my beliefs into action. This requires faith, participation, and risk, which, until now, was based only on mental assent."

We're in a short waiting period at the moment, as we wait for our trip to COS (how people "in the know" abbreviate 'Colorado Springs'). At the moment, we're trying to work on getting our stuff ready to send to our friends CJ & Lindsay for the DVD. We're also talking about our various options for selling the house, and brainstorming on ideas about fundraising.

Our pastor had to postpone our meeting with the church missions board as some of the members are gone this weekend. But... eMi contacted us yesterday to invite us back to Colorado Springs to interview. We will meet with them on Thursday March 22 and Friday the 23rd. Pretty exciting! We're flying into Denver on Weds. afternoon, then flying back to the bay area Friday night. Another whirlwind trip, but nothing compared to the Uganda trip in November!