Pass the Febreeze

Curtis and I met when we were missions interns one summer. Nothing strange about that, except that I was the first missions intern with zero mission trips under her belt. I didn't even have a good track record in G.A.s on my side. I used to try to fall asleep in the car on the way to Wednesday night church so that my mom would hopefully just let me sleep and not make me go to class. I was deeply spiritual. My dear friend Kay, who was already on the missions staff payroll and had been a G.A. Princess, put in a good word for me and I was offered the job. By vouching for me, Kay was really taking a leap of faith because she knew very well that I had no previous experience with missions. In fact, she was there the day the Moore girls seemingly ruined their missions careers forever.

Kay was probably too young to remember her first mission trip. Her whole family was very involved in it locally and overseas. They are incredible people - so godly, so fun, and so loving. There is no family in this world that I respect more. Our parents have been best friends since we were 2. We have vacationed together many times in our lives. So why not do the hard stuff together, too? One night when we were kids, Aunt B and Uncle Roger invited all the Moores to go with them to do some ministry in town. It was something to the effect of taking a Thanksgiving turkey to a family that had recently immigrated to the United States.

So we walk in the apartment. I can still remember the big smile on the father's face. The family was so gracious. I think they had soup cooking on the stove, but I can't exactly remember. My little sister walks in the door, hisses FISH HEADS, it smells like FISH HEADS, does a u-turn back to the porch and vomits.

Mom stays on the porch with Melissa while the rest of us play it off like Melissa did not just call out FISH HEADS and vomit on the welcome mat. The Moores never recover. I distinctly remember climbing back into the Suburban and not wanting to sit next to my sister. Was I feeling sorry for her that she vomited publicly? No. Was I emotionally distressed for having offended this precious family? No. Was I desperately concerned that she would shatter my life by giving me a stomach virus? Bingo!

So tonight Kay tells me that she took baby Jayk to Central Market for the first time. He loved looking at all the fruits and vegetables. He is his mother's child! But as soon as they entered the meat and seafood area, he was out like a light in the Baby Bjorn. You just gotta love those old memories that have been replayed and retold until they're family legends, cause my first thought was that he must have passed out from the smell of the FISH HEADS.