Pink goulash, a strike and banking- a week without Alex at home

Alex has been gone over a week in Finland doing research in a pristine forest environment. (That means he's been almost completely alone in the woods with a more-than-abundant daily supply of Finnish boiled potatoes.) It's been a challenge for him with all kinds of "oh, I wasn't expecting that" moments. He'd gone to set up an instrument to run side-by-side with one that's been on the fritz. That way, he could check the data against a working instrument then box up the broken one and send it to be repaired. First, his good instrument didn't arrive until two and a half days after him. At some point during the week, both instruments were broken. He needed IT help, but had no way to contact anyone from the "cottage" where the instruments are housed. He had to trek about 10 minutes through deep snow back to his dormitory to have connectivity. For anyone whose had a conversation trying to repair something over the phone, you can imagine trying to do it without the broken thing actually being in front of you. But, he prevailed. Perhaps a greater obstacle- fluctuating power. It went off frequently enough that it interrupted experiments. The ultimate result: he had to extend his stay. As of Sunday, he was trying to book a flight home for Tuesday with no success- a failure of the internal system of the airline. So, as of last night we'd brainstormed several ideas for getting home (least likely= ship). I'm hoping that he'll make it back. Someday.

We've been needing to do some banking, so that was on my to-do list for while Alex was gone. As I'm not terribly comfortable with my banking vocabulary, I put it off until Friday. But, oh, surprise, German banks only work until 1:00 on Friday. I checked for Saturday. Closed. And, as all things are closed Sunday, that went without saying. In my bewilderment, I checked the hours to make sure I'd get there this week. Not so many, it seems. So, I added up open hours: the banks in Germany are not even open 40 hours in a week. Wow!

Today, I had a doctor appointment. But, as I stood at the bus stop, I heard one woman say that the buses weren't running today. Hmm, I remember reading about a strike in the paper last week, but I didn't really pay attention. Then, a college student confirmed it. Unfortunate day for a bus strike in a college town- the first day of finals! I called my doctor and they gladly rescheduled, as they were well aware of the strike. So, I went to the bank instead. I was able to switch our account to the local branch on our street rather than the branch where I'd opened it, find out how much it costs to transfer money to an American account, and set up an appointment to open a credit card. Success!

I thought I'd have lots of down time while Alex was gone, but other people must've thought so too. I spent a lot of time with friends last week, all very encouraging to me! Each day had a highlight. The day he left, friends had me over for fondue. Our Bible study ate together this week, too- someone else hosted and someone else cooked. One of the best days was one where an American friend and I spent about 5 hours at a cafe together after she went with me to see the baby's ultrasound specialist. In addition to the time and super conversation with the friend, it was a wunderbar location because the wall we sat next to was all glass and the sun shone for hours! I was actually hot most of the time. What a gift- the warmth of the sun! The next day, I spent the afternoon with a couple from church. They're retired and live in a duplex with another couple from church. We all ate lunch together. The main course was pink! It was, in the hostesses terms, "vegetable goulash." With a base of potatoes and beets, the beets bled and the potatoes absorbed. Pink can be a very tasty meal! And, we followed it up with a walk though the fields and vineyards. Cold and muddy, but still fresh and green! Then, on Friday, I was able to connect with Leah in Hong Kong for several hours via Skype. There's nothing like time with a best friend- even if it's virtual!Yesterday, I had a potluck at church and enjoyed dinner at a Superbowl party. Now that I write that, it's no wonder I was pretty tired this week!

I'm not glad for Alex to be gone for such a long time for either of our sakes, but it was an enjoyable week for me. I'm thankful for people looking out for me. And, as I wrote that last sentence, he called and said he's made it to Germany! It'll still take him a couple hours to get home, but that's great news!

So, I'm off to the market. I guess people won't keep cooking for me now that he's home.

Let it Snow!

This is our patio area. It snowed all last weekend, and we enjoyed it! We're both happy when the cold has a result beyond reddening our cheeks and noses.

From the corner of our building looking up the side street.

Some things we find interesting about snow in Germany:

- People are generally quiet in the morning, but if there's snow to be removed, they are all too glad to scrape a shovel across a sidewalk at or before 6 am. (It's still very dark then!) (Alex shoveled after 8:00...the late end of things according to our neighbor!)

- People in Germany are good at following rules. If the rule is that you clear the snow in front of your building, I'd say that most Germans can find the edge of their building within a centimeter. Never mind if the building next to you is vacant- it's not yours so you don't have to clear there. This is strange to me since it becomes a hazard of ice for the elderly or difficult stroller pushing for the families. (Or the mailman as shown above!) It doesn't seem to follow that we clear snow for the good of others, but that we clear snow because that's what we're told to do. Alex, just to be ornery, cleans beyond the edges of our domain (which, due to our situation on the corner is quite a bit larger than most). View from our corner looking up the main street in front of our house.

-Snow removal on roads doesn't seem to exist too much. They like to throw lots of salt though, which also surprises us. By practices- especially with trash and recycling, we assumed that Germans are quite environmentally aware. The amount of salt dumped cannot be good for the river flowing just down the hill from us! Here is the sanding truck- it works like a hand-push fertilizer my dad used to use on the grass at home. This was taken yesterday; can you see the sunlight on the building? View from our bedroom window.

-Many still ride their bikes in the snow although we saw many more traffic accidents than we've ever seen after the "big" snow (about 4 inches) Monday morning. Alex rode his bike and really enjoyed the fresh snow. However, coming home on Tuesday after the snow had been packed and become icy, his bike slipped out from under him and he's pretty sure he hit his head. Should I worry? No, he was mostly glad that his down jacket, stuffed in his backpack, shielded the blow to his computer. Plus, he always wears a helmet.

- Now there are remnants of snow and ice and the weather is bitter cold, but in the last couple days, we've had more sun than in the two weeks previous combined. So, that is super! We're grateful for more "Colorado-like" weather and not so much grey.

-And, in news not at all related to snow, I've begun the third trimester and am feeling pretty good. We heard from the doctors that they do not want to do an in-utero surgery as the atrial septum is not restricted "enough" (i.e. blocking blood flow from lungs) to make what the doctor termed a "high risk fetal intervention" a good idea. So, you can pray that her septum remains open and, if anything, dialates to allow more blood flow and insure the safety of the lungs. Overall, we're pleased with the decision not to procede with the surgery. At my appointment with the specialists next week, I'll find out more about what it could mean for birth. In the meantime, I'll be making more frequent trips to the specialist- good thing I got a lot of books for Christmas. I think I'll be spending a fair amount of time on trains!

Baby-belly Pics

She is in there- growing, moving, living life with us. We saw the doctors almost as soon as we returned from our trip to the States. They are concerned about blood flow backing up in the heart due to structural problems additional to the HLHS. Lung damage is a major risk. This new finding makes her prognosis for life very slim, so the doctors are considering doing surgery on her soon- in my belly. We'll let you know when we have more information.

We went home

Being home for a month was VERY enjoyable to us. Here are some images of and reflections on our time there:

We got to celebrate Grandpa’s birthday when we first arrived and see him and Grandma again in January after he had an emergency stint put in his heart.

 

We also enjoyed the Arizona sun. When we first arrived, we were able to watch Don run a half-marathon and on our way home, Alex got to go for a run while we were on a hike in the desert of the Tucson foothills.

We saw lots of friends. Alex even got to visit with old friends while he was on business in San Francisco. Paul, his best man, was also in the area on business, and Michelle, who was in Africa with him, now lives in the Bay Area with her family.

In Colorado, Holly and Amy threw us a shower. That was time with lots of friends, life-long friends! What a blessing for us and our baby. Peter was even able to spend time with us as he traveled from Washington State to Minnesota via Colorado!

Christmas with kids is super-fun! We met Finley, Michael and Amy’s new daughter, for the first time and enjoyed playing with her and watching her experience her first Christmas. We also had fun with Isaiah, who helped us open all our presents (once exclaiming, as a toy car was pulled from another’s stocking, “I think you got something for me in there!”) and Noelle, who would giggle as she danced to the singing, sombrero clad Chihuahua that my grandma gave me for Christmas. We also were so thankful to have time with siblings; we have really encouraging family. We also got to celebrate Noelle’s first birthday- Ladybug style!

Eating…oh, we enjoyed it! From the simple American breakfasts to a steakhouse for Grandpa’s birthday to Fondue on a date night that Santa gave us with Luke and Holly to malts to Christmas dinner (twice) to Alex’s Christmas gift from grandma of green-corn tamales to Mexican food (yummy!) to a date a Cheesecake Factory (Spicy Cashew Chicken!) to homemade Zumwalt burgers on the grill to a tiny BBQ joint to fast-food restaurants with a greater sense of customer service than any German establishment we’ve found to an extravagant Huffman outing at a Brazilian steakhouse…Eating was good!

 

We enjoyed the Huffman tradition of Christmas Eve carol singing as we read the Biblical account of Jesus’ birth and what could become a Tallon tradition of day-after-Christmas bowling!(I don't have a good pic of that on my computer so I'll substitute one of us playing Mario-Kart.)

We got into the mountains and the snow! Alex and Dad enjoyed some cross-country skiing while Mom and hiked a bit and relaxed in the car.  Notice the VERY blue, almost cloudless sky. That was one of our favorite gifts from the States!

Additionally, we saw 2 of my uncles and 2 of Alex’s aunts- without making much effort! We even met his cousin, Mindy, at McDonalds in Raton as we were both passing through there going opposite directions at the same time.

We asked our elders from our church in Lakewood to pray over us and our baby. That was so encouraging. It was followed by a moving service where both of us were extremely grateful for that church and the worship time we had that morning.

Going to church was great. We miss singing with many voices. We miss singing songs that are meaningful to us. In some ways, we miss the familiarity of the American way of doing church. We certainly miss arriving to church by car and not by foot-bus-train-bus-and-foot (this week we were thoroughly soaked by the time we made it to church as it was raining!)

We're glad to be back and establish a routine for this new year. It's not too long until the end of April and the arrival of a baby. I hope to be a much better blogger in the meantime! (A New Year's Resolution of sorts...)

Germany's Tropical Wildlife

Yesterday I went to the dentist to get some things checked out. I've been meaning to go for a long time, but I've been putting it off because we've had so many doctor visits and other more urgent issues lately. While we have a period of calm with respect to the pregnancy, however, I thought I should take my chance. I also put it off, because I knew it would take effort and energy. I got a good recommendation through people at work and was proud of myself for calling and making the appointment in German, though I asked if it would be possible for the dentists to speak to me in English - they said no problem. So Thursday I went to have X-rays taken, and I had to return Friday for the second consultation. So I went to work and then in the early afternoon I took the bus to the dentist's office, which happens to be on the second floor of the megastore 'Real' (pronounced 'Ray-All'; think Walmart). Fortunately everything at the dentist was nice and seems very updated and professional. Contrary to the phone receptionists assurance, however, I couldn't get anyone to speak to me in English. So yesterday I had my first medical visit done completely in German. I got my points across relatively clearly, but got lost very quickly when the dentist rattled off his opinions of what should happen. I suggested he slow down and speak with smaller words, but that didn't help much. If you've lived in a country where you don't speak the language and have been frustrated by inability to communicate you naturally gain the skill to be able to speak more slowly and simply to people you don't understand you. If you've never had this opportunity, however, I think it is hard to truly understand when someone says to you "Excuse me, my German is bad. Please speak slowly." So he used his dentist words and I struggled to catch everything I could, straining to listen and watch his mouth. It was also amazing to me how much harder it was for me to understand when he had his mask on so that I couldn't see his mouth moving. So, to my understanding I need to have a crown replaced, but I couldn't tell you the specifics of why or how. I didn't get that part. I'll go back in January for another appointment - and hopefully I'll at least be able to communicate: "Please stop, that hurts!" if necessary. The trip was also amazing because I was in and out within 25 minutes. I've definitely never been to the dentist in the US that quickly! In all,however, it was a successful trip and I was proud of myself for at least managing in German.

I walked out to the bus stop and decided that since it would be some minutes before the next scheduled bus, that I would rather take the opportunity to walk back to the institute campus (~40 minute walk) through the agricultural fields that surround parts of Mainz. It was nice to be able to stretch my legs and take a leisurely, quiet walk. As I got back into the neighborhood nearest the campus, however, I got quite a pleasant surprise. The little residential street I was walking up was a mess of nut casings from the trees above. Cars had been running over the debris and had spread the pieces everywhere. Initially I didn't think much of it until I noticed that the pieces seemed to be crackling and making noise. I looked back and up in the tree and noticed a bird eating the nuts out of the casings and it made sense. I did a double-take, however, because the bird looked like a parrot. It was bright lime green with an orange beak and about the size of a pigeon. I looked back again, however, and realized that it wasn't just one bird - the whole tree nearest me was full of these birds, all gorging themselves on nuts and making a complete mess of the street below them. And the next couple trees each had some more parrot-looking birds in them. I'd say there were maybe 30-50 birds total. There were even several people standing around watching the birds and I heard one person say something about them coming back every year. I was so surprised at the whole scene that I called Cass to share some of my excitement and astonishment. This her perspective of the conversation, however:

Alex called: "Are green carrots indigenous to Germany?" Me: "I don't know. Never seen any." Alex: "I see a bunch of carrots up in the trees." I think: "Maybe Germans do that for Christmas..." I ask: "In the trees?" Alex: "Yeah. The ground's a mess; they're eating nuts. There are so many- green with yellow tail feathers......" I interrupt:"Parrots?" "Yeah, maybe. A tropical bird." "Oh, I thought you said, 'Carrots.'"
When I got back to my office I did a little google search, and it turns out that the fact that I was a flock of parrots in a tree in Mainz, Germany is actually not out of the question. I thought they might have been migrating somewhere, but based on what I read it seems more likely that they're actually feral. This article I read says that there are so many in Germany, and they have adapted so well to the climate that some authorities now consider the small population to be indigenous (http://www.taipeitimes.com/News/world/archives/2004/12/07/2003214097). I read another article from the BBC that said the same thing about populations of the wild birds in the UK - that the numbers may be as high as 20,000 and growing at 30% per year.

So ... it was quite a unique day for me yesterday, if I do say so myself. And when you come visit, be prepared for the unexpected - you never know what kind of delightful surprises you might stumble across in this tropical paradise we live in. ;)

Update on our pregnancy, strange occurances, and Christmastime in Germany

I thought some might be interested to see my growing belly. As you can see, it's not just my belly that's been growing. I've generally "filled out" between weeks 13 and 20 (this week).  For those who don't know, we recently found out that our baby has a heart defect called hypoplastic left heart syndrome. Simply explained, only half of the heart formed which means that she will need several heart surgeries in the first couple years of life to survive. It's been difficult for us to adjust to that, and we are still learning what all that can and/or will mean. In the meantime, we are still excited about our new addition. We trust that God loves us and her and will be present with us through whatever comes our way. So we are praying that God will work a miracle in her body, and if that's not the case, we're asking that He give us all we and she need for whatever we face when she's born and from that moment on.

More "light" than my body and the diagnosis are some of the things we've seen in town and out in Germany lately. This giant sign is particularly comical to us as it is on the side of the building owned by the church we attend. The question above the picture of the hands: How do German's school children tick?

What an answer! Oh, the comedy through the eyes of Americans!

We also found this sign funny here in Mainz- The "no quality" sport party. Does that describe the party or the ability of the athletes? I'm not sure I want to go either way!

The Rathaus could be translated "City Hall." The translation for this Hamsterhaus eludes us... it was a shop filled with old games and toys in original packaging.

Here we have the Holy Spirit Spital. Is that what you might receive in a sprinkling-baptism? Perhaps you also get a little Holy Spirit spital if he coughs while communicating the mind of God to you. Actually, the dictionary tells me that Spital translates to nursing home, hospital or infirmary. All spital equipped!

Fortunately, no spital befell me from this camel. This nativity scene in Nurnberg was full of live circus animals- check out the hairy cow in the back ground. There were also some of the scariest looking many-horned goats we'd ever seen. Mary and Joseph were maniquins and baby Jesus was no where to be seen. But, the circus workers stood around shaking cans reminding you to leave them a tip.

We visited the Christmas Market in Nurmburg, and I was impressed by wide variety of maripan creations- just about every fruit and vegetable common in Germany, including the ever popular potato!

We climbed to the top of the hill and the courtyard of the castle to get a view of the city. We were impressed with the castle as it had been totally devistated one day at the end of the War and rebuilt completely by the within one year.

Sausages reign supreme in Germany. Here are our friends Rado, Bethaney, and Evan getting a snack. Alex found a place that battered and fried apples. Delicious- but surprising when the woman slapped a wad of lard into the pan to cook. Yikes! There's no sortage of greasy foods or warm spiced wine at the markets.

Retail sausages of all shapes and sizes here at our market in Mainz. Some shapes are quite disturbing- no attempt to conceal the shape of the intestines!

We hope to soon bring you more images of winter in Germany. But, we're really looking forward to getting back to the States for the holidays!

Trying to Explain a Life of Worship- U2 style

After my last post, Alex asked me if I knew how long it’d been since I posted. I said I did, and that I also knew when I got bogged down. He suggested the pregnancy, but I had to say that wasn’t really it. It was the U2 concert. He agreed that he keeps meaning to come back to that, but isn’t sure what to say to convey the way it impacted him either.

So, I’ll try to put some words to it. In August, we went to London for the U2 concert at the Wembley stadium. Really, I wanted to go, but wouldn’t have scrambled and gone all the way to England for the concert if it hadn’t been for Alex’s deep remorse over missing the chance in Germany. Plus, the plane tickets were cheap. After listening to their latest album, “No Line On The Horizon,” and reading the book, “Walk On: The Spiritual Journey of U2,” my faith had been really challenged. Often, reading the book, I’d find myself with tears stinging my eyes. Their deep, abiding faith touched my heart. Getting a glimpse into their theology and the way that they live out their faith as ordinary Christians who happen to be in the most famous rock band on Earth challenged me to the core.

I felt a range of emotions reading and listening to their work: conviction that God also calls me to radical faith and deeds to match, hope that the world can experience Christ in a unique way through rock music and U2’s crusade to right gross injustices in Africa, delight as I read of how they stuck it to the dominant Christian forces in American culture, sorrow over the brokenness in hearts and in nations that their songs portray, mourning for my own brokenness and the hurt that I see in the world, glee as I listened to witty lyrics, awe as I was drawn into deeper worship of my giving and redeeming God, and a myriad of others, not to mention the happiness, energy, contemplation, and relaxation that their music brings to my heart, mind and body.

As we went to London with the express reason of seeing the concert, we got to Wembley stadium early. Actually, we got there quite early- early enough to watch the stadium fill with fans. In the immediate area around us were a wide variety of people, perhaps easiest to classify by languages: English (several varieties), Spanish (several varieties), French, Italian, Portuguese, Indian languages, German, Tagalog, and some, perhaps Middle Eastern and/or African we didn’t recognize. There were so many different ages, gender preferences, colors of skin, styles of dance (some quite entertaining!...okay, I laughed at the Italian men)- I guess with almost 90,000 people, you get a slice of everything. It was fun to get there early and watch others anticipate the show as much as we did.

And, anticipate a SHOW, we did. U2 is known for taking their responsibility to fans very seriously. They (unlike many bands) believe that the concert is about giving a good performance for fans who’ve paid a lot and chosen to be there. They orchestrate images, lights, music, and other aspects to produce a streamlined concept so that when you leave the venue, you should be impacted by the theme of the night. For example, one theme of this tour was “Say NO to rock stars”- challenging fans to think for themselves rather than blindly following the trends set forth by celebs. As we left, we knew that one of the themes we had anticipated had been fulfilled: worship.

This is where my mind and heart have trouble expressing the experience. Did we go for and get a rock concert? Yes. We left with a little tinutitis and a feel-good experience of watching amazingly talented musicians rock, but we also left with hearts refreshed and a renewed sense of God’s goodness. We left with spirits reconnected to our great Creator and a desire to serve others because of who He is. I sang to the Lord unlike I have in months. I lifted my hands in praise with tears on my cheeks in a stadium filled with people that mostly didn’t hear the adoration of the Lord coming from the stage. I was given a gift of hearing about miracles that take place in daily life and challenged to serve God in a radical way rather than falling into complacency or the need to “protect” God’s image in the world.

All at a football stadium with lights and smoke and 90 thousand others, most of whom just came to dance and shout their favorite lyrics at the top of their voices? Yes. I’m still struggling for the way to express it, but here is the best I can do:

It is miraculous to me that not only the four members of U2 have weathered over 30 years together, but that they still have signifcant members of their original support staff. Think it through: in the 70’s, teenagers found other teens who could mix sound and lights and one day produce multimillion dollar shows. Not only did the members of the band weather 3+ decades together, but they had the talent to grow and adapt and produce things that people across generations and cultures find appealing. The friends they had who, as teens in the late 70s, probably could work a tiny spot light and a little sound board were able to transition to being some of the biggest concert producers in the world as well. All from a small group of friends in Dublin, not hunting talent around the world, just taking the guys that enjoyed it? No group has that “luck.” God put all that talent together and kept it flourishing and together as it travelled around the world. Miraculous to me in the world of rock ‘n’ roll. Plus, they celebrated and thanked their crew and support.

As I watched some of the greatest musicians in the world perform, I gave thanks to God for the way they've taken their talent and run with it. Why do they play? Do they like the shouting of their names, the spotlights, the money? I don’t doubt it. But, that is just what comes with being rock stars. What they are is people who have a talent, pure and simple. Yet, they are people who have dedicated their talent to the One who gave it to them. They’ve pursued excellence, left no talent buried in the ground, and invested them all to use the gifts that God has given them to the fullest. To glorify him. And, I sat there wondering, “What if each person that recognized a gift from God pursued it to the fullest? Where would Christians end up? Who else would be able to speak as Christ in the presence of kings, presidents and prime ministers? Who else would challenge the masses to serve and mourn over injustice in the world?” I often get frustrated because in Christian circles I hear a message, not always overt, to hide from “the world” and to be weary of pursuing anything that might look like it’s not humble. It frustrates me because I think we sell Jesus short by being unwilling or afraid to step into messy situations, like being a rock star, because we are afraid of being “corrupted.” We try to shield our faith rather than engaging with the difficulties that face us when we try to live faith extravagantly…or just uniquely, perhaps outside of the confines of traditional, American “Christendom.” Jesus enters into whatever we do with us and provides so that we won't lose the faith he's gifted us. I don’t want Jesus or the rest of the world to get shafted because we’re trying too hard to look like “nice” Christians. I’d rather see some controversy over some questionable choices if it means that the poor, hungry, fatherless and widow are cared for. I’m pretty sure that’s what Jesus did. I saw something in action at the concert that flew in the face of much of modern, American Christianity and gave images if not words to aches in my heart for us to cross boundaries in the name of Love.

At the concert, we learned about and prayed for the unjust government house arrest of Burmese leader Aung San Suu Kyi, a Nobel Peace Prize winner for her non-violent struggle for democracy and human rights for her people. We were also admonished at the end of the concert in a video by South African Archbishop and Nobel Peace Prize winner, Desmond Tutu, to get involved in fighting for justice in the world as it relates to children, foreign policy, trade agreements, climate change, poverty, preventable disease, and more. He thanked U2 and U2 fans for their support of and advocacy for GLOBAL issues. What a gift! A fitting sermon to compliment the mini-sermons that Bono gave to begin the concert and between songs.
And, speaking of words, I’ll finish these thoughts with some lyrics that I heard and sang at the concert with men and women from every tribe, language and tongue. :

- “Magnificent…I was born to sing for you. I didn't have a choice but to lift you up and sing whatever song you wanted me to. I give you back my voice. From the womb my first cry, it was a joyful noise ... Justified till we die, you and I will magnify The Magnificent”


- “Walk on- What you've got they can't deny it, Can't sell it, can't buy it. … Home, I can't say where it is but I know I'm going home…      Leave it behind. You've got to leave it behind- All that you fashion, All that you make, All that you build, All that you break, All that you measure, All that you steal, All this you can leave behind. All that you reason, All that you sense, All that you speak, All you dress up, All that you scheme…”


- “I wanna run, I want to hide. I wanna tear down the walls That hold me inside. I wanna reach out And touch the flame Where the streets have no name…    I wanna feel sunlight on my face. I see the dust-cloud Disappear without a trace. I wanna take shelter From the poison rain Where the streets have no name.”

- “Every day I die again, and again I'm reborn. Every day I have to find the courage To walk out into the street With arms out. Got a love you can't defeat Neither down or out There's nothing you have that I need. I can breathe Breathe now… Walk out into the street. Sing your heart out. The people we meet Will not be drowned out… We are people borne of sound. The songs are in our eyes, Gonna wear them like a crown. Walk out, into the sunburst street. Sing your heart out, sing my heart out. I've found grace inside a sound. I found grace, it's all that I found And I can breathe. Breathe now.”

Oh, that all Sunday worship services could touch me in this way, reminding me of who God is, what He has given, and my appropriate response. Thank you, Lord, for meeting us in this place.