một, hai, ba ...

Travel travel travel.

In the middle of city #1 out of 4 in the next couple weeks. South of LA right now at Catalyst West Coast conference. Tomorrow morning I'll be sharing the stage with Naomi Zacharias - her father Ravi spoke this afternoon - and Jeannie Mai; two incredible women who are also involved in fighting sex trafficking.

On another note, some amazing things happening with a particularly violent case we've been working against in South Asia - details and prayers over at www.ijminstitute.org WIsh I could give more specifics, but we have to keep things secure so that the operation can continue to full success.

Missing my boys a ton... trying to keep the right perspective while I'm away from them multiple times over the next weeks. Be fully present where I am, trust the Lord to care for our family, and be fully present when I am home. And not fear. Fear not... my watchword. I always appreciate your prayers for us, especially as we have so much on our plate as a family right now. Hope to post some fun pics soon.

Set Design

Beckham, on location at the 2009 GPG, setting up for the Saturday night experience with special guests Sara Groves, Sharon Cohn Wu, and an undisclosed (for security) field office director. He was quite the stage hand!

Random musings

• Still exhausted after a remarkable IJM Global Prayer Gathering (GPG). SO GOOD.
• Had fun with a live-blogging team at the GPG - check out their details/videos re: the event
• Loving my rainy day at home with Beckham. Can't get enough of the pounding water on the windows and the early-spring thunder
• B. would play in the rain all day if we let him. "Out" is his favorite request lately
• B. loves Slim Jims. Even though they are pretty spicey.
• So relieved that B. continues to gain weight - thank you for praying!
• Grandma Hoang's Chinese medicine strategy seems to be totally increasing B's appetite this week. GI doc is aware that we're trying this :-)
• Thinking of going out to pick some daffodils while the rain has subsided
• Anthony and I are in a community group with two other couples... has been a huge blessing to us. We've never tried this before. We meet up every 2 weeks.

Beckham fills-in the blanks

For weeks Beckham has been singing "E I E I O" to himself everywhere, all the time. We decided to help him out with a little context. He definitely got the idea with just a little prompting :-)

Gotta love the classic Beckham facial expressions and the big finish...

Singing Beckham from Bethany Hoang on Vimeo.

The Pale Green

Finally, it's happening. I've been watching and waiting, scrutinizing, wondering...

Intermittent sunshine intermixing with cold rain this month. Heavy fog this morning. And then - Sunshine. Tulip trees blooming, cherry blossoms, well, blossoming, daffodils shining their sunny yellow.

AND.

The pale pale green of new life is starting to grow on the branches.

Trees so bare and dormant, now ready to burst. But they will make us wait... and in so doing offer a beautiful reward for patience - slow, slow, growing pale green turning ever darker, leaves pushing out their full furl over days and even weeks, eventually forming thick canopies offering cool shade.

But for now, the pale green. 

My very favorite transition moment of the year.

Nostalgia

Every now and then  - or, quite often - I love to remember France. Anthony and I spent some time there a few years ago (including a few days with his parents), and there's just something about the country, and certainly Paris, that awakens me a bit, fills my senses, gets my imagination churning. I'm convinced I'd be a better and more prolific writer if we lived there from time to time :-) But perhaps photos and memories can be effective too...

Four photos from the archives:

       

Viet Toc

Beckham attended his first Viet Toc benefit dinner this past week. Anthony's Mom has been deeply involved with this ministry to the persecuted Montagnard people in the highlands of Viet Nam, and twice yearly she coordinates a benefit dinner/concert/auction attended by 600+ people from all over the mid-atlantic region.

This year marks the 10th Anniversary of Viet Toc. If you're interested in sponsoring a child's education, health, and protection through this ministry, information can be found on their website (there is both a Vietnamese language and English language section).

Beckham donned the traditional clothing of the Montagnard people for the occasion and, as usual, charmed the masses.

    

Snowy Stroll

Love strolling our neighborhood with Anthony and Beckham. Has been awhile since we ventured out, coffee mugs in hand, for some fresh air. Along the way I discovered Anthony had a little bit of an alterior, er, additional motive for wanting to take a stroll - he had plans to spy on our neighbor's paint color. You could say we have quite a bit of home maintenance on the brain!

Saturday Lattes

Tryst, Adams Morgan, DC, with Kelly Cotter. Beckham charmed the masses. Took a little pause to down his fuel.

Lent 1

A few notes/quotes from last evening's Ash Wednesday service...

"Spare Your people, O Lord, and make not your heritage a reproach, a byword among the nations. Why should they say among the peoples, "Where is their God"" - Joel 2:17b

Do you give from a posture of humble gratitude because you know Your Father loves you and cares for you?

You are not the sum of your cravings, lusts, desires. We say "yes" to denial [of ourselves] so that we can say "yes" to dependence [on our God alone].

Where is your heart?

This is a deliberate season, a peculiar season, a tithe of your year, given to dependent intimacy with your Father. And we are entering this season, together.