this morning when Joshua was praying with Malachai, Malachai thanked God for Josu - - "the best baby ever!"

I'm waiting for Maite (my upstairs neighbor) to come by. we made plans to go running together this morning. We ran together a bit last year - - before I got pregnant with Josu, and I found that it was a great time to chat with her; we never jog too fast so we can talk, and we end up hanging out and talking after a bit too. Joshua and I (and - - go ahead - -you too!) are praying that both Maite and her husband Javi will commit to doing a 4 week bible study with us in the fall. the nice thing about running with Maite is that it puts us in regular contact with them (it's amazing how we can literally live within 15 feet of each other and never see each other unless we make plans to!) and almost every time we interact with them it is good.

one really great thing about Pamplona, by the way, is that it is a wonderful city to jog in - - the sidewalks are very large and there are crosswalks (pedestrian has the right-away!) everywhere - - tremendously pedestrian/jogger friendly. this is particularly helpful with a jogging stroller. . .

for those of you who have been asking for pictures of Josu . . .

Malachai saw a little girl in the park recently and said "hello" - - and then "hola". After the little girl didn't reply he said to me "she doesn't speak English or Spanish!

I made turtles (hmmm . . . you know, pecans covered with caramel and then chocolate?) this week -- with some variations; the caramel recipe called for light corn syrup (none of that here!) so I used honey instead, and I used walnuts instead of pecans. We had a sort of book club tonight with some people in the church, and so I took some turtles to share; I didn't know how they would go over; I thought they may be too sweet, but they got rave reviews. I'll add that to my (short) "hit with the Spaniards" recipe list. good!

San Fermin "Running of the Bulls" 2006

It's hot today, and so I am doing the only real reasonable thing to do on a day like this - - loads and loads of laundry. My clothes are drying on the line as quickly as I can pump them in and out of the washing machine; I can deal more graciously Spain's anti-dryer bendt on a day like this! 5 loads down, 3 to go.

we are beginning to think that Josu is part hovercraft. He still is not crawling, but if we sit him on one side of the room, he mysteriously shows up un the opposite side of the room five minutes later - - in the same sitting position; how he got there, we know not; we think he just levitates and maneuvers.

we picked up our residency cards today (no line this time! we just showed up with the "magical papers" that were given to us last month, and we got ushered to the front of the line and given our cards) It is a relief to have this taken care of. we were expecting to be able to pick them up, but have learned to hold loosely to our expectations. we are thankful for all the ways God has worked in this process - - from applying for visas to having our residency cards in hand, He has certainly had His gracious hand in it all

Joshua preached today (man! God has certainly gifted my husband!) ; he is doing Hebrews in five weeks - - today was the second. We invited Dioni and Charo to come over after the service for lunch; I have decided that we need to do this more often; it seems to be a particularly good setting for meaningful conversation. It's tricky (probably there in the states just as just as much as it is here in Spain!) - - figuring out what meals can be prepared ahead of time or quickly AND that will fit within the Spanish tastes! It is worth it though. We had a good time with Dioni and Charo; Charo gave me high marks on the meal, and she is always my pickiest audience . . .

I have been running a bit; every year at the EFCAIM's West Europe family conference there is a 10K walk/run - - something they do to encourage us missionaries to be fit and healthy; I think it's nice.

So Malachai and I came in from a run and Joshua said to Malachai - - "look at you riding in that jogging stroller - - you are like the king of the world!" and Malachai said - - "oh papa! I'm not the king of the world, Jesus is the king of the world!"

so after coming to the conclusion that maybe God is gently bringing by friendship with Berta to a close . . . I keep seeing her! I have run into her several times at the coffee shop where she has taken the initiative to "invite" (a very Spanish concept) - - sat at my table, encouraged her little girl Clara to do Malachai's puzzle with him, and paid for my coffee. she has asked for my telephone number to call me, and tells me that her Clara asks for Malachai every day. I don't know! I will keep interacting with her and enjoying her. I was encouraged by Jodi Veldt in our last team meeting to be praying that God would clearly direct me to the woman in whose heart He is working. I struggle with knowing how to trust God to do this while at the same time still being purposeful and intentional about pursuing individuals. however it works out, I am praying more, and that is good.

I have spent my morning cleaning. As I scrub my kitchen counter I find myself chanting over and over- - like a mantra - - the little sayings that the Spanish women have gently shared with me - - "as soon as we make a mess, we clean the mess" or "the woman who makes less of a mess is a woman who has less of a mess to clean" . . . .
We invited Higinio and Loly to come over tonight to watch the soccer game and eat some chocolate cake, and I want to be ready for them. we haven't had them over since we have been back, and I enjoy them so much; If I get everything ready now I can interact more fully with them when they are here.