Cori and Nate, the mannequin challenge, the things kids say, Victoria’s house

Cori and Nate and the kids are getting to enjoy some pretty big blessing right now. They are at Franklin Road Baptist Church with our old friend Pastor Mike Norris. He was our pastor while we were in West Virginia - after we went from the Church of the Nazarene to Ripley Baptist Temple; a long story but one worth telling if there were time. Mike Norris baptized Cori as a very young Christian and the fact that she and Nate have been called to the mission field is especially meaningful to him because she is one of the fruits of his early ministry. He is not treating them differently in the blessings they are receiving, but he is certainly more personally involved than he is able to be with others who he shares less history with. Cori is enjoying the reunion with old friends from years long ago; Nate and the kids are enjoying it as well.

Things continue to move along at work. Today we had our Thanksgiving Luncheon. It was not quite as good as a church social but it was close. I feel sorry for those who do not get to participate in the dinners we have at church; they are incredible. After the lunch, in the later afternoon we did a “mannequin challenge” for our marketing department. Each of us was put into position and our marketing director did a video of us as though we were mannequins. There were about twenty of us in the video as well as his wife and two week old baby. It was interesting - and fun. We were each given a turkey as well today. Like I said earlier, this is a good company to be working for.

Victoria and Erin are texting back and forth and Erin was sharing with Luke what was going on the night he was born - nine years ago. She related how she had daddy stay up all night because she was so excited to know her first child was coming. But after they finally went to the hospital expecting him to come right away, he waited until the afternoon of the next day. His response to the story, “I’m sorry I didn’t come when you called.” 

Along the same lines the little ones we pick up for church (three Chinese children - one little boy and two little girls) were arguing about the fact that we always pick up the two girls at their house first, then we go to get the boy. Well, this Sunday, the little boy wanted to know why he could not be first and we explained that we come by the girls house first on our way to get them. Still unconvinced, he argued further while the girls countered each attempt to convince us. Finally, Yilin, the older girl, said, “No, no, no. There’s two firsts. our house first then haven’t you ever heard, ‘ladies first’”. His answer was much like mine would have been. “Who makes these rules?”

We are still waiting on an answer about Victoria’s house, but it is getting close. For the moment it is a toss up. We are not sure where it will settle out but we are hoping for a sale.