Africa

Today has been an exhausting day...good but exhausting. Step Into Africa is up and running and it has truly been amazing! The amount of people who came through the doors just today amazed me. I had the opportunity to talk to people from all over Ohio. This exhibit is so touching and eye opening that you can't help but to be effected by the images and the things you hear. One particular part of the exhibit left me absolutely speechless. You go into this room that is darkened and the room is surrounded by tons of smiling faces...many of whom have died of AIDS. There were hundreds of photos...and they all fought this fight that is so incredibly scary. My heart hurt that there is still so much that needs done but that's where we come in. We have the opportunity to help these organizations who have the resources and connections to get help to the people that need it. If you have a chance, please, come check out Step Into Africa. It will be at Westerville Christian Church until Tuesday 9/29. Go to www.worldvisionexperience.org/westerville.

Joy

Habakkuk 3:18
"...yet I will rejoice in the LORD, I will be joyful in God my Savior."

I can hardly believe that I'm writing this at 3:12AM but I'm up and really feeling awful. What else is there to do but blog. Instead of being down in the dumps I'm choosing joy. To help me get to sleep I'm going to list somethings that I'm joyful about for the last 23 days - this is when things started to go bottoms up with all of us being sick. Here we go:

1) Safe travels from Nashville
2) We got a storage place before we had to give up the truck
3) Aiva being able to at least go to school for a week
4) That we have doctors who can diagnose our problems
5) That there are medicines that we can take for our medical issues
6) Step Into Africa is HERE! We unload tomorrow!
7) So far we have 37% of the tickets already reserved for SIA - close to 1500 people already!
8) We have over 200 volunteers for SIA - 95%
9) That all of our appliances are working
10) There's no problems with the cars
11) I have my job and Nate has his disability - INCOME is GOOD!
12) Despite being sick, the girls have been in a great mood.
13) They both have been taking their medicine without much drama
14) Ana has been potty training for three days and has only had one accident
15) That I met a new good friend
16) My new bible study
17) Getting together with old friends in October
18) Nate has been the one who has been the least sick - he stays home with the girls
19) I've got great co-workers
20) That I got a few free things at Target last night
21) Nate starts basketball next week
22) We're planning Christmas :)
23) The girls birthdays are coming up
24) I can finally go to sleep now

Explination

OK, so I've been slacking a little with my blog. It's been a rough couple of weeks. I feel like after I get finished with one thing there's something else that's big coming up right behind it. I feel like vacation and Aiva starting school is such a blur. Has it really only been a few weeks ago that all this happened? Yikes! So, to all of those faithful readers of my blog (I know...all two of you should pat yourself on the back) I owe you some kind of explanation. Now that I'm thinking of it, there doesn't seem to be much but believe me we've been busy.

OK, I guess after we got Aiva off to school for the first week was when things started to get crazy. We went to Nashville for Labor Day and had a great time. It was so much fun to meet up with Nate's family and our friends, Jeff, Sue, Josh & Danielle Schicks. The Schicks have recently moved from Florida to Nashville so we're so excited that we're going to get to see more of them. While we were in Nashville, we had to empty out our storage unit so we can finally get a unit in Ohio. Believe me, my parents definitely thought it was due time! I was also getting tired of sending a check to Nashville each month for something that we could never really get into or even see. It's finally good to actually put that behind us now. We had a long drive home from Nashville because Aiva had gotten sick and she came home in the car with a 102.8 fever. It was not a fun ride home but she was great despite feeling awful. She was out of school all week last week which put her a little behind with school but it was nice having her home...it was also nice sending her back!

Once we got home we had to find a storage space here and get things unloaded and organized with that. I thought this might be a tiresome experience but it's finally over and we can move on. Done! Now on to selling some of the stuff that we haven't seen in about two years!

So, we're smack dab in the middle of trying to get the girls healthy...that's right, girls...plural. Ana now has what Aiva has and it's been doubly tiring trying to get the girls to bed and through the night for the past week. Did I mention that I also work full time??

We're getting close to Step Into Africa...for those two of you that faithfully read my blog, if you haven't gotten your tickets yet, you still have time...www.worldvisionexperience.org/westerville. It's going to be at Westerville Christian Church from September 25-29. It should be something that should stay with you for a long time. I'm really looking forward to it....there's been so much work that has gone into it that I can hardly wait for it to actually be here.

Last but not least, I've started a new bible study on Thursdays and I'm really looking forward to it. We're doing a study by Priscilla Schrier, Beth Moore & Kay Arthur. It is really good and I'm praying for God's word for me and my life.

I think that pretty much got the two of you up to speed with the Jacobus life...there's been a few other things but that's a whole new blog...stay tuned for that in the next few weeks! Just a reminder...... only 101 Days, 6 Hours, 40 Minutes, and 51 Seconds left til Christmas! Time to get your shopping thing on!

Doors

I've been meaning to write this post for a long time now and I just thought of it so thought I would let you know more true feeling towards doors. I might offend some and I'm sure others are going to get a chuckle but truth be know...I hate doors. If my mom were reading this I can hear her now..."Meggan Lynn Payne. What are you thinking taking the doors off?" Front doors, back doors and screen doors are not my problem. It's the closet doors that I have issues with. From the time I was in grade school until now I've had real issues with closet doors. I can never keep them on the tracks and they're just plainly in my way. This is why I take them down. It makes the room look so much happy and bigger with them off too! I'm not sure but I think some of the reason has to do with me liking to organize as well. I think it looks so nice have a newly organized closet. I could sit in front of it and just watch all day. OK, maybe not all day but I do like to walk in and see my handiwork! The doors in Nate's & my room have been off for a while now but I just removed them from the girls room this weekend. It was such an exhilarating feeling taking them off the track and reveling my work in progress. I didn't have to try to do my work with only the space the closet door provided me. I was free and it made me work with a renewed energy. Well, like I said earlier, some are probably getting a good chuckle our of this right now but maybe you should give it a try! I wonder what this says about my personality!