Currently Noel is back in Kabul. His days are filled with flying the Kodiak and doing his other tasks at the airport. The kids and I are in Tennessee at Noel’s parents. The kids are getting to spend the week with not only their grandparents but also their cousins from Florida. David is also getting to help with a lego robotics camp at his grandparents’ church. Today we found out that Ashraf Ghani Ahmadzai is the preliminary winner in the Afghanistan election, but Abdullah the other candidate is complaining of fraud. The next few weeks should be telling in whether this transfer of power will be peaceful. The results are not final so even the winner could change especially if some votes are found to be fraudulent.
We enjoyed our time with Noel in June. We are thankful for our friends, the Dodds, who let us stay at their house. The kids enjoyed hanging out with their Texas friends and even helped at a kids camp one week. Winter was able to go to a homeschool dance with her friend, Elizabeth. She enjoyed learning to dance the waltz, Virginia reel, and a few other dances. Noel and I were even able to celebrate our anniversary with a dinner out. Here are a few of our pictures for June.
Our time with Noel went by fast. Even though I tried to be strong, I cried as I said good bye to Noel at the airport. So far this time apart is harder than our time apart in May. God has blessed us with time with family and friends while we are away from Kabul, but it can still be hard at times. I (Teresa) spent a few days in Arizona with two other Pactec wives. The timing of my trip made the first few days of Noel being gone much easier. During my time there, I had fun hanging out with my friends, helping babysit, and meeting my friends’ family. I was even able to meet baby Zach for the first time, and he didn’t even cry when I held him. Next, the kids and I spent a weekend in Missouri with my roommate from college and her family. Winter and David went to their first drive-in movie with friends while my roommate and I stayed up late talking and getting caught up. Our first week in July was in Illinois with my sister Stacey and her family. The cousins were constantly busy whether it was swimming, playing soccer or creating with legos. One night we all went to watch Seth play his last baseball game of the season which his team won. On the 4th, we grilled and went hiking in a nearby state park. In the evening, the kids went with Uncle Scott to see the fireworks while Stacey and I enjoyed some sister time. The next day we headed to Tennessee where we will be for the week. Here are a few pictures of those adventures.
We realise that our time here in the states will go by fast. Noel will join us at the end of July for a break and then to travel back with us in August to Kabul. Our prayer is that the election will be settled peacefully and accepted. We have no idea what this next year holds but God does. My prayer is that we will head into the fall healthy- emotionally, spiritually, physically and mentally for whatever God has for us. Thank you for your prayers and kind words over the last few months. We are learning that the greatest work is prayer. Blessings, Teresa