A Picture Post

Since we haven't made a post in awhile, we thought it might be nice to just attach a few shots of our family over the last few weeks. A picture is worth a thousand words and, thus, you'll get a better glimpse of the Kruggel-household of late by looking rather than reading.

Austin recently had surgery and Victoria went out to be with him, Meagan and the Kirkpatrick's. Meagan stayed by Austin's side the entire time and spent the night there every evening. Here they are, still as cute as ever.

That's right! Tom's holding a ticket to Game #2 of the World Series, compliments of his boss and partner. How generous is that?

It never really quite set in that Tom was actually at Game #2 of the World Series. Here he is with other fellow Hines colleagues.

Couldn't resist carving a pumpkin to show our team spirit. Victoria's Mao-tou-ying (owl) was a favorite in the family pumpkin-carving contest this year.

Having never carved a pumpkin before, Piper did quite well (one on the left). Willow's in the middle, and Poppy's on the right (Barret was out that night - boo hoo).

Wilow's becoming a Giant's fan (actually, not really - she hasn't got a clue what's going on, nor does she seem to care).

Here's Barret trying to play Xiao Qian's violin. He's much better at guitar. We think he'll stick with that.

Poppy asked Victoria the other day, "If the Giants win the World-Serious, will they be the best in the world?" We may find out tomorrow night. This is very, very serious.

What can we say? Poppy likes noodles, and she's got this chopstick thing down, we're tellin' ya.

On the pain scale, Austin's surgery was a pretty high one, but here he is not long after the operation being his usual, good-spirited self. He's recovering well, and we're all very grateful for our beloved son and our Jesus' grace, mercy and love.

Piper is so dexterous that it amazes us. Tom recently took her to a bow-making workshop with the other girls while Victoria was out of town. She made this incredible Fall-bow in a jiffy. She loves this stuff.

This is Tom being Tom right before Halloween. Xiao Qian thinks he's "fengla" (crazy) and is fresh bait for his silly gestures that no one laughs at anymore except Piper.

This picture quality isn't the best (phone-mail foto), but here's our sweet Annie-girl showing off her new scarf that Tom brought back from his recent trip to China. She's so cute.

Victoria & I are surprised by how few "firsts" there are for Piper when it comes to new and different experiences from those while living in China. Dressing up like fairy princesses and politely asking for candy is one that we finally discovered. Here they are - the three Chinese Fairly Princesses.

Thank you for your love, patience, support and encouragement.

Jesus Absorbed the Wrath of God

We know that a few of you that follow our blog may not share our same faith, but we remain grateful that you stay in touch with us and follow along anyway. We genuinely love you all, regardless of anyone's convictions. But we want everyone to know that what motivates the direction of our lives runs much deeper than what's conveyed on the surface or in the body of our entries. We have a passion that was born not of ourselves, but given to us as the greatest gift of all. Deserving we are not, not only of the wonder and amazement of every member given into the Kruggel household, but more importantly of the faith we have. We desire that all receive the same free gift, and we pray that (like us) the blind would see, the lame walk, the fatherless come home and the dead rise again. Sound crazy? It did to us as well at one time, but now we cannot fathom going back to the place where we did not believe, where we did not trust.

Our family pleads with you to consider, with an open mind, the truth as expounded in the six and a half (6 1/2) minute video available below (click on it). Who Jesus was and what He did was not only a good and great thing, but the only thing that can absorb the emptiness we all feel, know and experience as common human beings.

Absorbed in the Love of God,

Hope is Fading

Praying about whether that Sunday (November 7, 2010) will be our/your Orphan Sunday. (Click on link below.)

http://vimeo.com/13888620

Pray with us.

Our Hope is Not Fading,

Love the Harvest Season

Today Victoria and the little girls gave me a simple surprise and took me to a local orchard where they had some steel drum players. (Barret was working and Xiao Qian was at a school project.) They figured that since there were drummers there I'd love that. I did. They were terrific, and the little thoughtful gesture was very sweet.

The proprietors had all their harvest wares on full display. It was so festive and fall-ish (Victoria's favorite time of the year). While there the girls decided they'd try on some silly outfits and pose for some "pumpkin-shots". They're posted below:

We love the Autumn.

So cute!

We're stylin'!

But this picture is the scariest of them all:

This is what a blueberry lollipop will do for you.

Thank you for the wonderful outing, girls,

Signage

One of the things that always brings a smile to our faces when we travel to China is reading the Chinese character signage that's been translated into English. While literally correct we're sure, the grammatical translation is usually a little off. Sometimes it's hysterically off. Victoria's always thought that someone could make a fortune translating into English grammatically correct signage. Maybe there's an opportunity out there. To give credit where credit is due, however, we're sure that if the roles were reversed we couldn't even come close to accurately portraying what was trying to be communicated.

Here's a couple of examples of some signs I saw while in China last week.

Loving these little nuances,

What Are the Odds?

We just think this is the funniest thing about our little Willow-tree. She, like many young girls her age, just love putting on other's shoes. But regardless of whether she's just playing with shoes that belong to someone else or putting on her own shoes, she almost always, that's right almost always, puts them on the wrong feet. What are the odds of that? Thing is, she doesn't even notice that they're backwards. I guess you kind of have to know her and and see her to appreciate this coincidence, but it brings a pretty big smile to our faces every time we look down at her feet.

Enjoying the little things,

My Magnetic North

If you’ve been following our blog lately, you know I’ve been in China this week on a business trip. I’m now returning on the long leg home with almost the same amount of time on my hands as that of when I wrote my entry of September 26^th (or thereabouts – I’ve sort of lost track of time). As you might have deduced, I’ve wrestled greatly about the separation from my family, much more than I could possibly convey in written word. I worried of the miles between us to the point of almost getting an upset stomach. My sleep patterns had anything but a pattern, and my appetite was constricted. So physically speaking, this trip has done a number on my body. I’ve tried to stay close to the Lord and allow Him to be my portion (cf. Numbers 18:20b). There’s been no other portion for me to have. And while I wish I could say that it satisfied, it didn’t, at least not completely and all the time. God’s always in the business of satisfying, but I’m afraid I’m not always in the business of being satisfied by Him.

With the extra time on my hands while alone at night (at the same time as most of you were just waking up from a night’s sleep), I had plenty opportunity to think, pray and read. I went on long walks, perhaps miles (kilometers over there), mulling over and over and over again a myriad of thoughts, memories and reflections. All of this while immersed in a sea of people, but it was almost as if they were not there. I couldn’t get my family off my mind, and so anxiety set in until I was able come back to my magnetic north that pointed me where I needed.

Here’s where the compass pulled me, and Jesus spoke to me with these words, “Why are you so afraid?” (Mark 4:40a) “I don’t know why I’m afraid, my Lord”, I responded. “Help me with my fear.” (cf. Mark 9:24) When Jesus asked this question of the disciples who thought they were going to perish at the hands of the storm, their fear turned to a different kind, one of awe. They had just witnessed power to such a degree that even the wind and the waves fell subject to His command. There was a hush in their midst. The author, Mark, says “… there was a great calm”. (Mark 4:39b) I felt it then at that moment when He whispered those words into my ear, even though I thought the surge of the sea was crashing in around me. It comes when all other things are tuned out and I listen to the Word of Life, Truth. There are two places where I “hear” this calm. One is at the hands of the instrument, like Saul when David played the harp for him at times of distress. (cf. I Samuel) Sweet melody and lyric (music) of the kind that exalt Jesus bring me to that place. The other is much more powerful, and that’s at the hands of the Book. For Jesus alone possesses “the words of eternal life”. (John 6:68b) They’re “… perfect, restoring the soul;” They’re “sure, making wise the simple.” They’re “right, rejoicing the heart;” They’re “pure, enlightening the eyes.” They’re “clean, enduring forever;” They’re “true; they are righteous altogether. They are more desirable than gold, yes, than much fine gold; Sweeter also than honey and the drippings of the honeycomb.” (Psalm 19:7-10)

I’m moving away from the sun, and it has quickly become dark. My daylight has been cut short, so I shall sleep, now while you sleep. When I awake, I will almost be home. My good friend Huang, from China, who I spent most of my time with while there, told me that I should sleep with my head pointed north because the magnetic pull is good for my blood flow. I’m afraid I’m sitting east/west and cannot turn the plane in a different direction. That’s O. K., I’d rather have poor circulation to reach my destination than any physical gain from pointing toward the poles. For now I’m calm again, in the presence of Jesus who just set the sun. “Do not be afraid” (Mark 6:50b), He gently says to me… He says to you.