There is only one Leila Grace!

Sunday night about 50 people gathered for Leila's Olympic Birthday Bash! This 3-year-old definitely had the biggest party on the block! Leila probably won't ever remember this huge event, but the people there will remember this grand celebration of Leila's first birthday with her family. Everyone there had played a part in helping to bring Leila home to Megan's brother and sister-in-law last March. Leila's party was an Olympic theme combined with a touch of America and China (Leila's native country). We ate some delicious Chinese cuisine (and some Kraft Mac'n Cheese for the kids) and custom-made fortune cookies with little notes about Leila inside. Her birthday cake was the Olympic rings...handmade by the queen of cakes (Megan's sister-in-law) and the creative vision of Megan's brother (the rings on the cake were perfect!). Awesome party, Leila! Happy Birthday!

Madison - Our First Kid Visitor Without Parents

Madison P. (Megan's niece) stayed the night with us on Saturday. She was our first victim to stay alone with us without parents. After praying for her safety and hoping she didn't get hurt at our apartment, we picked her up and brought her home with us. On the way, we stopped by Starbucks and all got our favorite drinks (thanks, Gregg!). That was our first treat.

We had been wanting to take Madison on a bike ride on the Overland Park trails for some time now and we finally had our opportunity on Saturday evening. We rode 5.29 miles which was much more than we expected when we planned it. Madison did great and didn't miss a beat. We averaged around 7 mph. After pictures, we were off to make dinner (well, the girls were cooking, AKA self-proclaimed "Cook'n Mamas"). Dinner included homemade tortillas for soft beef tacos. They were great! An awesome dinner was followed up with swimming where Madison was in top entertainment form. She dazzled us with synchronized swimming, water dancing, out-of-water dancing, and much more. It was quite the show.

Madison slept and woke up to homemade pancakes by Uncle Wade (AKA, "Cook'n Papa"). We enjoyed church (Megan actually spoke at church conerning the Russia/Georgia conflict) and then we were off to Leila Grace's third birthday party........... more on that later!

Do you want to help?

Georgia is in need of your help! My missionary friends went to Armenia for a short time when the fighting between Russia and Georgia was the worst in the past couple weeks. Now they have returned to Georgia and are gearing up to help the thousands of displaced people. The United Nations estimates that nearly 160,000 people have been displaced across the whole of Georgia since the conflict began. Many of these refugees are now in the capital Tbilisi where my friends live. The refugees have filled up almost every school building in the city. Their immediate needs are for food, baby food, diapers, hygiene items, bedding, clothing, etc. Today my friends were able to meet with important officials and organizations connected with the Georgian government to find out some of the greatest and most urgent needs. By partnering with the Assemblies of God and Convoy of Hope in America and the Pentecostal Union in Georgia, they will be selecting a project to focus their attention on to meet the physical and spiritual needs of the Georgian people. So many Georgian friends are devastated by what has happened in their country and by the fear of what could happen if Russia does not pull out. Please pray that no further clashes will erupt. Also, please pray that the needs of the Georgians will be met.

If you would like to give financial support to assist in the relief efforts, please mail a check to:

Assemblies of God World Missions (AGWM)
1445 N. Boonville Ave.
Springfield, MO 65802

Please mark your check with:
Georgia Field Account #896626, Class #46

Or give your donation online at:

www.ag.org
Click on Donate / Search by Ministry
In the Ministry Name box, type “Georgia Field” / Ministry ID, “896626”
Click on Contribute
Enter the USD amount you would like to give
In the Comments box, please indicate that the gift is for “Relief aid in Georgia – Class #46”
Follow the directions online to complete your donation

Thanks for giving and praying!

A Tribute to Grandma

Virginia Potocnik (Megan’s paternal grandmother) and Betty (right) at our wedding in June.

Today I want to write a special tribute to my grandma, Betty Lee Brill (Megan’s maternal grandmother). My grandma passed away last Friday at the age of 85, and today family and friends came together for her funeral. My memories of visits to Grandma’s house always seem to revolve around masses of people crammed into a couple rooms for Christmas or those same masses of people at the park or campgrounds in the summer. Since I have typically always been on the quieter side, sometimes it seemed I got lost in the crowd. But even among her 5 children, 13 grandchildren, 25 great grandchildren, 5 great-great grandchildren, and all the spouses, Grandma was able to find a way to stay connected with everyone…including me.

The pastor who conducted the service today made mention of the little memories that will flash through your head at the passing of a loved one. Eventually, those memories will slow down and you will grasp one of those memories and hold onto it. I have many of those memories and flash backs being tossed around, and I can’t even begin to describe them all to you. However, one thing I can grasp at this moment is how Grandma never missed a beat…she always sent a birthday card with a little letter in it, she made sure everyone had a Christmas present for as long as she could afford to do that for so many people and many times the gift was a handmade one, she traveled for my high school and college graduations, and just 2 months ago, she walked down the aisle as grandmother of the bride in Wade and I’s wedding.

Another memory I can hold is her smile and how she liked to laugh. One of my cousins is notorious for playing jokes on Grandma and getting some of the best laughs out of her. Even in her last days when family members came to visit and share their memories, she was unable to respond much, but she could definitely smile.

As I think about what she must be doing now, I would guess she is laughing as she plays a round of cards with friends of old…she is probably winning because she was really, really good at that…and if anyone is trying to cheat, she is sure to catch them (she’s got an eagle eye for that)….and all of this is happening in heaven. It was only in the last days of her life that Grandma gave her life to the Lord and accepted His forgiveness. It is this one event in her life that makes it possible for me to sit and write this tribute with peace although she is no longer with us on this earth. There is only one way to heaven and she found that door. I am truly grateful to my Lord that He did not give up on her! I will miss her at the family gatherings that will never be the same again, but I rejoice that she is in a better place…for eternity!

A New Job

Another change for Megan is coming, but it's a good one! Although I have needed the time off to adjust to being back in America, being married, living in a new city, etc., it is time to go back to work. I actually was assisting with the financial work in Georgia until the end of July, so my break from "work" has been short. Things moved quickly the last week or so and now I have a new job. I accepted a job offer with a local CPA firm to go back into auditing which I did prior to moving to Georgia. The exciting part is that the firm primarily works with non-profit organizations...a passion for me. Another plus is that the office is a block away from Wade's work. At least when we are both in the office, we will be close to each other! I will start after Labor Day...so just a few more weeks of "freedom!" I am looking forward to some great opportunities in a workplace that I would describe as "a rare find!" God definitely put this job right in my hands...we feel very blessed!

Georgia

As many of you know, I (Megan) spent the last 2 years living in the country of Georgia. For those who did not know where Georgia was by the time I returned in April, you probably do after this weekend. Georgia is up against Russia in a battle that is all over the headline news. I have communicated with many friends there...some were able to go to Armenia, some were already in other countries for personal reasons, some are stuck in western Georgia and unable to travel back to the capital Tbilisi, some are out on the front lines of the battle, some are at home in a panic about what could happen if Russia is not stopped. Please be praying for peace in this small country. It has been so difficult to watch the people and places that have been my family and home being destroyed. Check out any major news website for the latest developments.

Wild Weekend in Kansas City

Wade's sister, brother-in-law and nephew arrived in Kansas City on Thursday evening. It was a wild weekend with lots of activities. We started off by going to World's of Fun on Friday. The weather was warm, but could have been worse. We were very impressed with our newphew Jayce who rode the Timberwolf and the Mamba roller coasters. He was about one inch taller than the required 48" and he is ONLY 5 years old! He said "I was a little scared at first, but then I wasn't." We had a great time, but we think the Timberwolf is a little more shaky than the last time we rode it.

On Saturday, we went for a ride around town. We enjoyed the Crown Center. We drove around downtown and back by the Country Club Plaza. Saturday evening we watched the Kansas City Royals lose. They are having a "challenging" year. However, it was Jayce's first Major League Baseball game and he did very good singing "Take Me Out to the Ballgame" during the seventh inning stretch.

We had a great time and enjoyed having the Gollers in our home!