Graduation and other blessings

God is good! We were so happy to travel to Missouri this past weekend to celebrate our son's graduation from college. We loved visiting our family and sharing many precious moments with them.Missouri State University is the home of the Bears.It's a huge university. They held three separate graduations ceremonies just to accommodate the crowds.What a fun day! We enjoyed it all from start to finish. Geoffrey earned a degree in digital film with a minor in screenwriting. Way to go, big guy!
After the ceremony, we went to Steak 'n' Shake. Geoffrey wore his robe and cap right into the restaurant.We were thrilled to spend time with friends and family members. The night before graduation, we had dinner with Geoffrey's two housemates, Cameron and Marshall. His girlfriend Kristy was home with strep. We missed seeing her!My dear friend of many years, Lucia, drove down from Jefferson City to have lunch with us. She always fires my creativity and gets me thinking in new directions. I'm praying she'll come to visit us in Atlanta very soon!We had a total blast with the McClure family at their Lake of the Ozarks condo. Not only did they put on a grand dinner and breakfast for us, but Sharon got us all laughing right away. When she sat down in the "spare" chair -- a camp stool -- and sank nearly to her chin, we all collapsed in gales of guffaws! Oh, how I love my friend Sharon!
On Sunday morning, we had the joy of worshiping at our home church, First Baptist Church, Camdenton. Our pastor invited us to share an update on our ministry. We heard a great sermon that relit our fires! And we rejoiced to spend time with many precious friends. Virgil and Norma -- encouragers, friends, supporters, family in Christ -- took us to lunch. What fun!The best part of our trip was visiting family. We got to stay at the home of my father, Harold Cummins, and his sweet wife, Phyllis. They are happy together, and I loved seeing my dad looking so healthy and young. We all miss my mother a lot, but we're very glad God put Phyllis into our family. I was so excited to carve out a few hours with my beautiful sister, Libby. She flew in from a conference on Sunday evening and met us for breakfast on Monday morning. I gave her a necklace made by one of the women in our program. When we're apart, I really miss my sister. We are very different, but we share a past that no one can ever understand -- except the two of us.And speaking of family, Duce the cat has been living with Geoffrey since we moved to Georgia. We're glad he has a good home. He was feeling very fat and sassy. It was fun to snuggle him again.
I took some photos of old pictures I found at my father's house. This one is my parents on their wedding day. Here's my mother not long after we arrived in Kenya. How about those cat's-eyes glasses? Maridadi sana! Very beautiful!Who is this little girl in her pretty sari? Oh, it's me! When I look at this photo, I understand why God gave me such an unusual life. From age 3 when I lived in Bangladesh, through many years in Kenya, the Lord was preparing me for ministry in Clarkston, Georgia.

Tim and I are so grateful for our son and his accomplishments . . . for our beloved family . . . for our loving friends . . . and most of all, for our God.

"For I know the plans I have for you," says the Lord. "Plans for good and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope." Jeremiah 29:11