Sensational Sunday

Tomorrow we are driving about 3 hours away to see this...
Cappedocia, where the rock is so soft you can carve homes into it.

I can never go there without thinking of the Christians who once hid from Nero there.

We are staying (all 7 of us!) for a few days in a room carved into the rock. Nice homey Turkish breakfasts made by the owner's wife. Lots of hiking in a rustic terrain. A few board games and math flashcards. Should be a good Spring Break! I'll bring you details and pictures when we return. But for now, I must tell you about Sunday.

We had such a nice day. It was warmer and sunny. The girls got to (finally) wear some Spring dresses.

As we loaded into the car, I wanted to get a picture of each of them (lots of grandparents reading this, thus the overload of grand kid photos). Eva clearly accessorized herself that morning. (She is not a risk-taker, so her bent-over, old lady pose was based on her theory that she was about to fall).

Still leaning, but that's better. Told Ross that morning, there's nothing cuter than a girl with braids and bows.

So after a wonderful Palm Sunday worship and lunch together, I asked Ross to drop the big girls and me off at the pazaar. What do you need? he asked. "Oh, just stuff." I told the girls they could choose 1 thing each. Amazing what you can find for 1 lira (6o cents). Mary Erin chose some hair clips. Annika chose a little glass doll with a big magnet on her back. Esther chose a fuzzy bird that, when squeezed, makes an awful noise.

Just as we were leaving, I happened to notice a small table of hats. I am a hat girl. Ross' first memory of me was of a young girl who wore hats to church. As I stopped to look at the little hats, I realized it was one of those interesting times when I sense God is speaking to me through a circumstance. They were Easter hats. This isn't a country that celebrates, or even realizes, that it is Easter. And yet, the week before Easter I find Easter hats at my pazaar. Sometimes I just sense He reminds me He is here. I asked the man how much they were, with a friendly smile and the announcement that I had not only these three daughters, but one more at home, for which to buy. He said he'd sell them to me, 4 for 10 lira. Deal. Now we have not only some matching skirts to wear on Easter Sunday, each of my girls will have a hat. And I just happened to be wearing this when I bought them.