At a Bible study I have been attending with my mom, we just started a new study by Beth Moore called “Jesus The One And Only.”  It was very appropriate timing as the first week of this study explores in great detail the Christmas story progression from the angel’s appearance to Zechariah to the shepherd’s visitation of the baby Jesus.  It is a story that I have heard and studied many times, but something was different this time.  One little line really stood out for me:

“But Mary treasured up all these things and pondered them in her heart.”

— Luke 1, Verse 19

Beth Moore explains it this way:

The Greek word treasured up is suntereo, meaning “to preserve.”  The concept embodies the idea of keeping treasure preserved or safe, of holding it close.  The word for pondered is particularly wonderful.  Sumballo means “to throw or put together.”  It is the practice of casting many things together, combining them and considering them as one.

So, now that Christmas is over, what do we do with the anticipation that has seemingly been made complete with opening the last gift?  What do we do with all the energy we have now that we aren’t busy preparing for the perfect feast?  What do we do with the Hope, Peace, Joy and Love that we have been commemorating throughout the advent season?  What do we do with the “reason for the season” we are so apt to throw around?  Do we just go back to our daily lives and muddle through the “Post Holiday Blues” as best we can?

As for me, I think I’ve been doing a little more “treasuring” of my holiday anticipations and memories this year because I know next year’s Christmas season will be vastly different for us.  But if you really stop to think about it, every holiday season is different from the one before, with the addition or loss of family members, change in location or just changes of life in general.  And while some changes and difference are more dramatic than others, like our move to a foreign country, no two Christmases are ever the same.

So I challenge you to “preserve” your holiday memories and throw them together with the ones from years before and consider them as one.  Let us take the Hope, Peace, Joy and Love of the advent season into the New Year.  Let us take the coming of our Savior, Jesus Christ, the true meaning of the season, out into the world.  I know I am sounding like a missionary here, but this is something we can all do.  You don’t have to move to a foreign country to find someone to share the love of Christ with.  You can probably find someone right down the street.  Just do it, and you will carry your holiday anticipations and memories throughout the year.

And that, my friends, is the best cure for the “Post Holiday Blues” I can think of.

Heather has been writing the blog entries up to this point, but I (Robert) felt led to write one.

Last week, we all went to witness the annual tree lighting ceremony here in Cedar Park.  For the last 12 years, the city has installed over 50,000 lights on the largest live oak in the city for the holidays.  There were games for the kids, carriage rides, city dignitary speeches, a burning yule log and a very popular line to see Santa.

After a countdown, the 50,000 lights were turned on, illuminating the tree, piercing the darkness and shedding light on all of the people who came to witness the ceremony.  All of those lights made me think of the words of a Chris Tomlin song…

Light of the world
You stepped down into darkness.
Opened my eyes, let me see.
Beauty that made this heart adore You
Hope of a life spent with You

In John 12:46, Jesus said, “I have come as Light into the world, so that everyone who believes in Me will not remain in darkness.” Jesus is the illuminating victory over the darkness of death, partnering with God in writing the end of the story and giving us hope.

As you approach this Christmas season, busily decorating, hosting, going to parties, traveling, spending time with family and navigating all of the frenzy, I ask that you see those seasonal lights as a reminder of the Light of the world.  I pray that the lights remind you to bask in the Light, rest in the Light, share the Light and be the light.

You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden; nor does anyone light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on the lampstand, and it gives light to all who are in the house.  Let your light shine before men in such a way that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father who is in heaven. Matt 5:14-16

There is a church reader board not far from our house that says “Thanksgiving is a word of action.”  Actually, the dictionary defines it as a noun.  It is “the act of giving thanks…especially to God.”  The dictionary also includes in it’s definition a reference to Thanksgiving Day, “a national holiday celebrated as a day of feasting and giving thanks for divine favors or goodness, observed on the fourth Thursday of November in the U.S.”

But I think I understand what the reader board is trying to say.  Thanksgiving is so much more than just “a day of feasting,” and I’m kind of glad.  Because where we will be next year at Thanksgiving, it isn’t a day at all.  But that’s okay.  I don’t need a turkey and dressing to have Thanksgiving.  All I need is a heart full of “giving thanks,” the words of action that I believe the reader board is referring to.

And I’ll tell ya, I’ve got a lot to give thanks for.  I give thanks for my wonderful husband who is leading us on this grand adventure we will be embarking on.  I give thanks for my sweet boy who fills my days with hugs and kisses.  I give thanks for my mother who has so graciously opened her home to us.  I give thanks to all our friends and family who have been so supportive of our decision to serve in God’s kingdom with eMi.  And I give all thanks to God, who has blessed us with this opportunity to serve Him.

In our preparations to head overseas, there is a lot to be done.  But two of the most important tasks and the two that most directly affect Caleb are getting his passport and getting our travel vaccinations.  In an effort to be efficient with our resources, in this case our time and gas, I scheduled both of these items in the same afternoon.

The first stop was the Passport Application Office, a.k.a the U.S. Post Office.  Unfortunately, you can’t go to just any Post Office.  It has to be one with a Passport Office, and you have to make an appointment.  Fortunately, I was aware of this because I had done some online research.  After diligently filling out the application at home (it took me three tries on the second page), we trekked over to the Post Office.  Unfortunately, the closest one with a Passport Office is in Round Rock 17 1/2 miles way.  And all three of us (Robert, Caleb and I) had to go because both Robert and I had to be present to sign the application in front of the Post Office official.

We arrived for our appointment a little early, but we didn’t have to wait long (at the post office, believe it or not).  When it was our turn, Robert and I had to swear we were who we said we were and had authority to apply for Caleb’s passport.  Yes, we had to raise our right hands and everything.  The whole thing went off without a hitch, and we should be getting Caleb’s passport in four to six weeks.

First task down.  On to the second task, the one I was really dreading.

I had allowed plenty of time to get from the post office to the Travel Health office, and since we were early for our first appointment, we were even earlier for our second.  But we didn’t have to wait too long there either.

We were called back to a nice little office complete with a huge world map.  I mean, it took up an entire wall, floor to ceiling.  It caught Caleb’s attention right away.  We tried to get him to point out Uganda, but because the countries were not distinguished by different colors like they are on his globe, he had a little trouble finding it.  Then he found the snacks, and that kept him busy while Mom and Dad took care of business with the nurse.

We had a wonderful nurse who talked us through all the vaccinations that Caleb and I would need (Robert has all of them already) as well other necessary precautions like spraying against mosquitoes and our malaria medication options.  We even talked about how to wash foods so they can be consumed fresh, as opposed to being cooked or peeled.

Then it came down to actually getting the shots.  The nurse suggested that Caleb go first, “to show Mommy how it is done” (and so he wouldn’t see the needle that Mommy would be getting poked with).  Caleb sat in Daddy’s lap.  Daddy wrapped his arms around Caleb’s, and Mommy held Caleb’s hand.  Unfortunately, with that first poke, Caleb lurched forward and the needle slipped out so the nurse essentially had to poke him again.  Some of the serum came out before the nurse could get the needle back in, but she assured us that she hadn’t lost much so Caleb should be fine.  Then it was Mommy’s turn, and Caleb held Mommy’s hand to help her be brave.

But there were two shots to be given, and Caleb really didn’t like that idea.  We had promised Caleb that if he was a brave boy and got his shots he could get some ice cream afterward.  Since he had to get a second one (and the first one hadn’t gone so well), we threw in pizza as well.  But I think what really helped was trick the nurse taught him.  If you take a big breath in and blow it out really hard like you are blowing out candles on a birthday cake, you don’t feel the prick of the needle.  We set up again with Daddy holding Caleb’s arms and Mommy holding Caleb’s hand.  Caleb was working so hard on taking in a deep enough breath and blowing out those pretend candles that he didn’t even feel the second prick.  Mommy was next but she didn’t try the breathing trick.  Maybe she should next time.

So, since Caleb was such a brave boy, we took him to GattiLand (think Chuck E. Cheese, Texas style) for pizza.  And he forgot all about the ice cream, and hopefully the shots too because we have to go back for two more.

My mother has what we affectionately call the Pack Rat Gene.  Now i’m not sure if it is inherent nature or more like a disease, but I do know that it is genetic because I have it too.  But I have found a cure:  commit to a long term mission trip.  And one of the treatments is to have a good old fashioned garage sale.

I had my third round of treatment this past weekend.  It was a joint garage sale with my mother.  We called it an “extended family” garage sale as opposed to the common “multi family” variety.

Now, Robert and I have been sorting and purging all summer long.  A common question in our house has become, “Do we really need to keep this?”  But this was my mother’s first round of treatment in a while and the first one where she took the time to really go through some of the deep dark corners of her house.

It was a tenuous start at first, and of course the bulk of the effort was done at the last minute.  By the time we had finished gathering things together, we had accumulated quite a pile.  It was stuff that my mother had been meaning to go through for a while, and there are still some dark corners that we didn’t get to.  But the reason she hadn’t gotten around to it before was that she didn’t have anyone to encourage her and to sort through all the stuff with her.  It’s the same with any major medical treatment like chemotherapy.  Medical experts say you should have someone to sit with you through it for encouragement and company as well as a larger support network.

It reminds me of this journey we call Christianity.  Whether you are called to be a part of a congregation here in the States or to join the mission field overseas, we don’t have to do it alone.  Jesus created the ultimate support network when he established the church.  Let us always remember to call upon our brothers and sisters when we need someone to help us through the treatments of life so we can all be together in the cure of everlasting life with Christ.

Actually, I guess you could say that the adventure really began a long time ago, (check out our testimonies), but for the purposes of this blog we’ll start the story a little more recently.

For all intent and purposes, the adventure of “The Donahues Go To Uganda” really started last spring when Robert committed to serve as a Long Term Volunteer Architect in the East Africa eMi office for a year starting in January 2011.  This created a frenzy of questions concerning what needed to happen before we could actually move to Uganda.  First and foremost, we decided to sell off our real estate.  Of our two houses, one sold quite quickly; however, we are still waiting for someone to fall in love with the other one and buy it.

Next, we needed to figure out what to do with all of our stuff.  We decided to move everything into storage in Texas so Heather’s mom can babysit it while we are in Uganda.  We also decided to move in with Heather’s mom until we leave for Uganda to save on living expenses as much as possible.  Unfortunately, we haven’t been able to fully realize this advantage since that second house hasn’t sold yet and we still have a mortgage to pay.

Faced with the task of fitting a 1900 SF townhome into a 10X20 storage unit, we began the monumental process of purging, packing and downsizing.  After two garage sales, several Craig’s List posts, many hours of stuffing boxes, and thanks to the generous help of friends, on Saturday, Sept. 25^th, we discovered that we could actually fit our entire household onto a 26’ U-haul truck (with some leftover stuff in Robert’s Toyota truck).

That was the easy part compared to the struggles we would have with the auto-transport we had also rented to pull Robert’s truck behind the U-haul truck.  We knew we were in trouble when we got the transport back to the house and were trying to get it hooked up to the U-haul truck (we had retrieved it from the rental yard with the Toyota).  If Robert could have bent metal, I’m sure he would have.  We finally got the thing hooked up, and our problems seemed to be over, at least for the time being.
Sunday started out wonderfully trouble free.  We spent the morning worshipping with our dear church family one last time before heading south, received a wonderful blessing and sendoff from the elders and plenty of hugs from everyone to last us, at least for a little while.  Sunday afternoon, it was back to the house to finish up the packing and loading.

Somewhere in there Sunday rolled into Monday, and sometime after midnight, Robert decided it was time to quit and head back to where we were staying the night so we could get some chance of a decent night’s sleep.  On the way, we decided to unload some of the trash that had been created with all the packing and loading into the dumpster at the church.  Our small trash can at the house was already overflowing, and there was no way we were going to be able to get anything else in it.  Unfortunately, this may not have been the best decision as a sheriff must have seen the headlights of the truck and came by to check out what we were doing.  Robert said he could just see the headlines: “Local Missionary Couple Sent Off By Church, Arrested Same Night.”  Thankfully, there was no arresting or even a ticket for that matter, but the sheriff did say that he had to “document the contact.”

After our brush with the law and operating on not nearly enough sleep, we were ready to start off on what we hoped would be a smooth trip down to Texas.  We got the last bit loaded onto the U-haul truck and into the back of Robert’s Toyota.  There was just enough room for Robert to sit in the Toyota to drive it around and put it on the auto-transport.  Robert got it up and onto the transport just fine.  Then we discovered that the tie-downs that were supposed to go over the front tires to hold the vehicle on were not long enough.  The only thing holding the truck onto the transport was the chains over the axles.  So, with some trepidation but not having much other choice, we set off.

Heather called U-haul to get some assistance with the too-short tie-down problem and was told that there wasn’t anything U-haul could do, but we could purchase extensions from Home Depot or Lowes.  So, Heather made a call to her mom to find out if there were any Home Depots or Lowes along the way.  Fortunately, there was a Home Depot right off of I25 in Denver.  Unfortunately, it was right in the middle of construction.  Robert, however, navigated the construction beautifully, even after having to make a u-turn.

After some confusion as to what exactly we needed to purchase and two trips into the Home Depot store, we thought we finally had the Toyota properly tethered down and set off again.  Somewhere south of Colorado Springs we decide to stop for lunch and discover that the tethers had slipped off the tires and were dragging along the ground.  After much tugging, pulling and grunting trying to get the winches holding the tethers tight, Heather made a second call to U-haul Roadside Assistance and was told how to release the tethers which is what we had been doing all along.

Finally, Robert was able to get the tethers loose.  We determined they had gotten stuck because the extensions we had bought were too long, so we decided to cut them.  We reattached the now shorter extensions and repositioned them so they hopefully wouldn’t fall off again.  After that, every time we stopped we checked the tethers.  We only had to tighten them once more, and then they were fine for the rest of the trip.

Once, we got the auto-transport situation under control, it was pretty much smooth sailing, other than it was a whole lot later than we would have liked it to be.  We stopped at Robert’s parent’s place to stay the night, getting in some time after midnight, and then got into Cedar Park mid-afternoon.  Caleb was very happy to see his daddy, and his mommy too, but mostly his daddy.  We had some more great help and got the truck unloaded in record time.  And, we discovered that, indeed, everything we own can fit into a 10×20 storage unit, with room to spare.

Now, we are learning to live as a 3-generation family and the adventure continues…