Opa and Oma

It is a blessed house indeed that has three generations under one roof! After several days' delay due to snow storms in New York, my dad and his wife Charlotte arrived at our home about a week and a half ago. What fun! It is such a wonderful thing that the children are making connections with an older generation, that they are learning more about their roots, and of course, that they have their very own grandpa and grandma to play with! i could not have asked for a better stepmother. God truly brought her to my dad in an amazing way as he was retiring to Germany from a lifetime in the mission field. She is also a former missionary from Peru, and spunky, and warm, and practical and lovely... and loves coffee, so of course we can connect!

I have been so spoiled to have someone always available these last few days to hold Silas while I make dinner, and the children are simply radiant about their Oma and Opa. (Though Golden does often get confused about which to call what! We hear frequent prayers of thanks for "Opa Lotti" and "Oma Wolfram," for example.) They are just such a wonderful presence, I wish we could keep them. My dad goes to Mexico for five days tomorrow to take part in the New Testament Presentation celebration: the people of our village, Santo Domingo, will at last have a complete New Testament available in their own language! This was my dad's life work, and I am so proud of him. Then we will get him back for another almost-three weeks and we will drink up every moment! In the meantime, Charlotte will teach me the recorder and reading music. Can you believe they went downtown today to buy Sparrow (they call her "Bella," her middle name) a birthday present of a real three-piece recorder?! Her first official instrument, and she can begin learning it as soon as she receives it, it is a perfect first instrument; simple and beautiful. and so German!