Surprise Weekend!

Andy surprised me with having a trip all planned out over one of my Spring Break weekends. We ended up in Galena, IL! What an amazing time. I'm so thankful for him and his ability to make me feel special! Before we left Galena we went to a coffee shop (no trip is complete without a coffeeshop visit!) and came up with a

Top Ten list of Galena to sum up memorable moments. Here it is!

10. Galena Canning Co.- Here we basically had a free lunch. All the samples of all different kinds of little dips, salsas, chocolate sauces, basically anything you can dip a pretzel in. This is our style of place! Free snacks! Oh Yeah!

9. Gobbies- This was a pizza place we went to that had amazing candian bacon, pineapple, chicago style pizza. We also had beer nuggets (fried pizza dough) super good with honey. We even ate the leftovers the next day! We love leftovers!

8. Durty Gurts- This was the biggest, sloppiest burger we have had. You didn't even need ketchup it was so good. I think it may be the best burger I have ever had. Durty Gurt was quite the character!

7. Potter Demo- Galena is a wonderful Art community. We spent a couple hours watching a well-known potter in the town do a demo on the potters wheel. It motivated me to throw more. Actually the first Monday back from our trip, Andy came to school and we spent a couple hours doing wheel work. Andy's first time. It was great!

6. Hardees- Ok, I know, another food place. But before we got to Galena, Andy insisted we go to Hardee's for breakfast because that's how he started all of his family vacations growing up: A fast food breakfast! It was all about anticipation. I had no idea where we were going, and we were both getting excited. A cinnamon raisin biscuit never tasted so good.

5. Bike Ride- We packed up our bikes for the trip too, and hit the trail they had. (About 8 miles round trip. Good to be back on the bike again. Although I had to take more breaks! Thank the Lord for such a wonderful day of weather, as it got up to the upper fifties and sixties.

4. Steamboat House- Our first Bed and Breakfast we ever stayed in. They had amazing Peach french toast one morning that was ummmmm... so good! We also enjoyed our room that had a beautiful porch connected to it that we enjoyed some good games of cribbage (Andy handed it to me, in one hand he had a total of 30 pts!) We were by far the youngest couple there, but still enjoyed our time, and visited with the 4 other couples staying that weekend during the wine and cheese social hour they had each day.
3. Good shopping! Galena has a great main street with lots of cute little shops. I was on a mission finding a spring jacket (I couldn't get my jacket from last year buttoned anymore :) ) Well, Andy found the perfect one! I also found a cute little hat that Andy said I should get. He kept telling me how cute I was, and I could sense the pride he felt because he was the one that found them!

2. Indulge Day Spa- When we first pulled up to Galena, we stopped and I had no idea what we were doing. We we walked in and he said we were there for a prenatal massage! AHHHHHHHHHHH, what a way to start the trip. It was great! My first massage! Baby liked it too :)

1. Fried Green Tomatoes- Believe it or not, this one has nothing to do with the food although it took place at a restaurant. In the middle of this fabulous meal, Andy pretty much came out of no where and announced to me "I'm about to say something special" HA! This was hilarious to me. I love HIM! I was laughing so hard but then we got into a great talk about how over the years and throughout pregnacy God has taught us how to love each other more, and how we are growing each year. Anyway, I guess I don't need to share the details. But it was the "number one" of the whole trip. So you know it must have been a great conversation!

Ending our trip in Galena with a 7 month pregnant picture!

SURPRISE SHOWER

On our way back home from Galena something was up because Andy said we were going to go to his parents to hang out, but why was he keeping this from me all weekend? We pulled up to his home church building in Center Point only to walk in with a bunch of his family, and my mom, Alice, Katie and Katie's inlaws waiting for us inside! Wow what a surprise! Jenna (Alex's finance) was in charge of getting this whole thing organized, she's such a sweetie!

Kriener Sisters! Well not all of us. Jenna looks like one, just not as fiery like the rest of us :)

We played some great games too:) Hilarious!

THANK YOU EVERYONE WHO CAME! IT WAS A BLAST! BABY BISHOP IS VERY APPRECIATIVE OF ALL THE GIFTS TOO!
Here I am testing out our new jogging stroller complete with baby inside (Dax) from Mom, Alice, and Katie. I guess Dax signed the card too :)

Many people also went in to get our multi-functional pack and play which will be used for our crib, changing table, and play yard! We also got some cute toys and rattles, soft and cuddly blankets, a HUGE box of diapers, a baby care cart, pacifers, washclothes, baby spoons, and really special blanket that was made for me by my Great Grandma Zephie when I was born (I want to talk more about this later!) Until then.....

WHAT AN AMAZING WEEKEND!

6 months!

Many of you requested that I post a current belly picture. Here's my latest. 6 months. So far so good!

The baby looks like MOMMY

This morning we had our ultrasound! It was so cool to see the heart beating and all four chambers of the heart! It's hard to fathom how people think this happens by chance and don't believe this is truly the hand of God.
"For you formed my inward parts, you knitted me together in my mother's womb. I praise you for I am fearfully and wonderfully made." Psalm 139:13-14

We think the baby already is like mommy. Growing up my dad would sometimes call me "Monkey Toes" because I could spread them really far apart. As you can see, like mommy like baby!
Although my dad gave me this nickname, my sisters, Katie and Alice, would call me "Cabbage Patch Kid" because of my chubby nose. As you can see here looks like we have another chubby nose in the family!

Baby Moon

Most of you already know that we are expecting a baby in June. This process was not as we were expecting. We thought after a couple of months we would get preggnant right away. We were wrong. Although many people can get pregnant right away, we were not one of them. We trusted in God's timing (Although it wasn't always easy) and realized after this whole deal. His timing is FLAWLESS! He has been good to us! I'm almost half way and Andy just said last night after giggling and feeling my tummy. "Wow, I can really feel that you are pregnant!" Although I have been feeling it for awhile, it's now starting to get more noticable!

We decided to go on one last little "Romantic Getaway" before the baby is born, when we wouldn't have to worry about babies, or babysitters. After some planning, and saving we decided to go to Cozumel, Mexico. AHHHHHHHHHHHH, it was amazing! A trip we won't forget!

Our BABY MOON!

While we were there we did alot of RELAXING!

Some snorkling (Cozumel is known for this)

We had some better pics then this one, but we couldn't resist how pretty my bottom teeth are in this one!
We also rented a jeep on one day to cruise to the other side of the island and watch an AMAZING sunrise!

We couldn't stop there so we rented scooters! Super Fun!

Our resort was an all inclusive so we enjoyed all the food, drinks, and watersports that we wanted. Here Andy learned how to sail! We were probably about a couple hundred yards out but could still see the bottom on the ocean. It was BEAUTIFUL out there!

While there we took my 4 month pregnacy picture! For sure this will be the only and last one where I'm wearing a bikini! Oh Boy!

It was truly a wonderful, relaxing vacation with just the two of us! A perfect way to start this new journey!

We're Home!

We are going to try to summarize a jam packed 2 weeks. If you want to know even more, we'd be happy to meet or talk with any of you or answer any questions you might have. Don’t hesitate to ask!

General Facts

- Working for the Kingdom: There is ratio of 1 Jesus follower trying to bless to 3.4 million Pak. people.

-In a city of a million we realized one day as we prayed that we might very well be the only followers of Jesus in that place.

-Places of heartbreaking poverty—we visited a team in Karachi that works among 6 sq. km that is home to 1.5 million people. We girls got to visit the small home of one family and talk to a young woman who is the only income for her family.

-Strategic location—Pak. is surrounded by major countries that could be used to help mobilize workers into into these two closed countries.

Persons of Peace

Luke 10 speaks of persons of peace, and we prayed much for them. Of course, God answered way beyond our expectations! There were many examples, but specifically two men in particular really had a huge impact on our travels. We met the first a few minutes after we set foot in the first town we were to explore on our own. It was evening time in the middle of nowhere still scorching hot. (approx. 100 degrees) All we saw were signs for was a rent-a-car service, no taxis…uh oh. We’re all wondering what is next as our leader Andy K. starts talking to people.

As it happened, Andy met the owner of the car service who agreed to drive us around the next few days and he spoke great English! The bigger blessing was that he was able to get us around to all the places we wanted to see, including a university where we had one of our first interactions with women. In so many ways, our time there was blessed by him, and we were able to accomplish so much through his help.

Soheel, Ashgar, and Andy

In our next city, God blessed us even more…though it was a little more interesting meeting this man of peace. We arrived at the guesthouse that we were connected to by the owner in Karachi to find a broken generator and really hot rooms. Since we were Americans who couldn’t take the 110 degree heat without any fans or AC, we decided to relocate and went to the guesthouse nearby. This is of course when we met the owner Shahid who practically was family by the end of our 3 days there. He gave us rides places, had his son and wife help us shop, invited us to his home, had his wife cook for us, and met some of his extended family! Not to mention we had a guide in his 11 year old son.

Our 11 year old guide-Shahid's son, Hanan

Lead by the Spirit

Another huge aspect of this trip was the fact that we really had to rely on the Spirit to show us next steps. The first day we arrived in Islamabad we were faced with the choice to attempt to go to Gilgit (the northern city) or go south to Karachi. Flights to Gilgit were backed up at least 2 days. After some discussion we all thought God was telling us to visit the team in Karachi, who expressed definite interest in having us. Later we found out there were problems in Gilgit and it wouldn't have been a great place for us at the time. So God shut that door for a reason and led us to a great couple and minstry that focus's on the Baloch people in an area of extreme poverty.

They helped us with a lot of basic information in the country. We also got to hear of all they are doing in that portion of the country and through a connection of their’s we were still able to get the Farleys time to meet with a couple who will be going to the northern areas. This just happened to give us some awesome coolness in the mountains on our last day which was amazing after days in the heat and sweating profusely.

Last day in the cool mountain air :) Of course drinking tea!

Everyday, God showed us what He wanted us to do, sometimes by our mistakes. We thought we were going to visit a university one day, but ended up at a primary school closed for the summer! They showed us into the principal’s office which had to be one of the most awkward moments ever because it was so stiff and official…standing straight up and silent. He then invited us to tea after our tour of the empty campus. When we got back, we ended up having a great conversation. He answered every question we asked very honestly and intelligently and spoke better English than we did! Talk about God answering prayers. We just asked for English speakers, and He gives a man that had the kingdom in his eyes!

The principal in action

In the next town, we ended up in KFC just because it was close to our guesthouse and ended up meeting so many people. The guys in particular got to make many contacts in the city just from KFC. Who’d have thought the center of the city was KFC? God definitely led us to some interesting places that’s for sure. Zanzabar anyone?!?

Some of the men that were so eager to practice their English.

Reaching Out to Women

A big prayer of ours was that we would be able to meet and get into the lives of women. At times we doubted that God would provide as we struggled in a culture where women have a very different role. The epitome of our frustration could be summarized when we were walking up a street in Multan and I could estimate seeing 1 woman among 200 men.

But God answered despite our doubt and discouragement, we were able to have a great discussion at the university with two women about culture and what they value. I was able to speak a little truth in the conversation in sharing the story of Jesus’ two greatest commands of loving God and one another.

Women at the university

Janessa, also got into a conversation with a woman at the bus station (another answered prayer as we were praying that God would use us during the traveling/sitting times) The woman said it was her and her father’s dream that she become a doctor, so that she could go back to the village she is from. She said it is a problem in many villages that women cannot get care because there are no female health care workers there. (Women are not allowed to see a male Doctor)

We were also completely blessed to talk to several women on one of our last days first when we went to a park and then with Shahid’s family. The ladies had a great conversation with a young woman in the park. It was great because I felt that she really opened up to us, but it hurt to hear that something she struggled with most is loneliness. Janessa shared with her that when we feel lonely, to remember Jesus’ promise that He will be with us always and never forsake us. Sadly, this is how many women there may feel.

Me, Shabnum, and her cousin who made our time in the park awesome!

On a lighter note though, we got to see the liveliness of women through Shahid’s sisters. They spoke great English, and I particularly enjoyed them since they were downright hilarious. It was encouraging to see these different sides of women in the culture as we struggled with feeling as though they did not really have a personal identity. God again answered prayer!

Those spunky ladies, the life of the party

Thanks so much for all your prayers and support of this trip. As you can see, God answered our prayers and then some! Keep praying for these people, that God would provide workers for this ripe harvest. When we ask, He answers! Please scroll down to the June 15th posting. Read through the prayer requests again and praise the Lord because he answered EVERY ONE OF THEM!!!!!!!
We went and visited G'ma Meade yesterday, she looked great but needed to take a nap while we were there.