We knew when we came home that Lynn would need to work, at least part-time. So last week she headed out with a stack of resumes, and came home a few hours later and announced she was starting Monday! No interview, no application, nothing. They would begin training her right away. Her new workplace is Food Basics, the bargain bin for A&P.

So we went by today to do a bit of shopping for dinner (and Shaniah's lemonade stand, but that's another post...). As we walked through the door Maddy saw Lynn behind the checkout, intensely concentrating on not messing up, and exclaimed "Mommy's an employeeee!" (Note: You have to say it out loud, with the emphasis on the last syllable to get the picture.)

As for me, video work is picking up. I'm actually filming some street ministry tonight in downtown Kitchener. I expect to get some pretty compelling footage under the bridges and in a few crackhouses too. The idea is to let people know the realities of life on the street, and that they can do something to help. Also have a few websites under way. There is one other opportunity that God may be opening up, so pray that He will either open or close the door. (I would prefer "open", but that's up to Him!)

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One of the things we've had to get used to since our return has been the higher cost of living. Everytime I open my wallet, a minimum of $20 seems to disappear. Gas, food, taxes. So we've been trying to find ways to economize on our phone bill. We've pretty much decided to try and do everything online, since internet is provided at our apartment.

We have been using Skype for quite a while, which has been cool, especially when I was in Thailand. With Skype you can talk for free between computers when you're both online. And with SkypeOut, you can call almost any number for around 3 cents a minute. There are a few new options, though, that allow you to use your cell or landline without having to talk through your computer.

I was introduced to Jajah through Guy Kawasaki. You sign up for free, and give them your phone number. Go to the login window, enter the number you want to call. A few seconds later your phone rings. Answer it, and your call is patched through for less than 4 cents a minute. If you have a Blackberry or other mobile internet device, you can do this directly without using your computer at all. And calls between Jajah users are free.

Rebtel works a little differently. You sign up (again, for free) and enter your number. You then enter the number you wish to call. They assign a new local number to that contact, so every call is like a local call. So they give me a new number for my Dad, and I can call that number for 1.7 cents a minute. That's 4 hours, 37 minutes of talk time for $5! Rebtel also has a facebook application, for those of you who have been sucked into that vortex.

There are a few provisos. Both companies require you to pay up front for your calls with a credit card or possibly Paypal, and all calls made from a cell phone obviously use whatever minutes you have in your plan. But this still could save us all a boatload of money.

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We did something yesterday that we haven't done in quite a while. OK, never. We began the search for a church to call home. Every church we've attended since we were married paid us to show up on Sundays, as every pastor ought to I suppose, but now we have three or four to choose from, and we have narrowed that down to two. They are both excellent churches in their own right, but very different.

Hespeler Baptist is smaller and fairly traditional, and neither of these are negatives in our book. They have supported us while on the mission field, and Lynn's parents attend there - her Dad is on staff. I've always appreciated their stable, prayerful, godly leadership.

Forward Baptist is bigger with a great facility, probably more "us" in their approach to reaching their community. Our kids were really impressed with their chldren's ministry and have already decided that we should make it our church home. The welcome package - nice mugs, Girardelli chocolates, and chocolate covered pretzels - didn't hurt either. It's also quite a bit closer to us, and offers small groups in our neighborhood.

But we've never been ones to attend church for what it can offer us. We like to be in a place where we're needed and can be used, so our decision is tougher than it appears. The next few weekends we're traveling, so we don't need to decide right away, but it is a strange, new, position to be in.

This is also my first day in the office! I'm busy getting a few new ventures off the ground. Virtual Visitor is a way for churches to invite people to check out their church before they actually visit. I also offer easy-edit websites to churches as well. Reel Estate provides video tours of property listings, which are then streamed to real estate websites. Both are in embryo, but have lots of potential. Small World Productions is what we are calling my work for ISV and other mission teams. So three main areas, all under the MullinsMedia umbrella!

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This time last month I was with ISV in Thailand. In the last three weeks we have given away alot of our stuff, packed our bags, said "adios" to the Dominican Republic, and said "Hey, how's it goin', eh?" to Cambridge, ON. We've moved into a second floor apartment above FEBCentral's office, where they are also letting me borrow some office space until we get things set up here. In fact, tonight is our first night in the new place, after enjoying the gracious hospitality of the inlaws for a week or so.

What's it like being home? Not as radically different as I was expecting, but then I've been off the island a fair bit this year. It is nice having constant electricity and water and internet access. And it's nice having lines on the road that mean something. We do need to readjust to the higher cost of living here. I have some work lined up for next week, and Lynn will begin circulating her resume to help make ends meet.

We are really grateful for all the ways folks have helped us with the move back, from financial gifts, to help unloading trucks, to donated furniture and watching the girls as we sorted through stuff.

Today, Lynn and I celebrated 16 years of wedded bliss. So after a day of unpacking, we went out to a Thai restaurant near our new place. We were reflecting on the milestone things that have happened on our anniversaries. In 1992 we moved to Grand Island, NY. In 2004 we made the decision to move to the DR. And here we are in 20067 beginning a new chapter here in Cambridge.

I think Lynn starts getting nervous every time August 10 rolls around.

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