A Song to Touch Your Heart . . .

and contemplate the gift we celebrate at Christmas. This song is not new and you may be quite familiar with it. I wanted to share it with you because it has touched my heart in the last couple weeks like never before.


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zF952rzG3Yk

Double click on newletter to enlarge

Bet You Thought We Disappeared for Good, Didn't You!

Well we are still here, trying to keep our heads above water!  Life has been crazy and still is, as I am sure you all can relate to.

I won't try to pick up where I left off last March, but I'll try to do short posts with bits of what we have been up to.

Currently we are trying to wrap up the first semester of school so we can relax and enjoy a Christmas break.  Two and a half weeks ago I (Michele) had Carpel Tunnel Release surgery on my left hand and December 18th I have the right hand done, so Christmas break will be spent recovering from that.

Ministry opportunities are increasing and keeping us going non-stop.

These are a couple of our favorite pictures of Neakita with horses she took care of at a local Bible camp this past summer. She spent a total of five weeks at the camp; one of which she was a camper having earned her week of camp by working at the barn.  Next summer she plans to spend even more time working there.  She loves working with the horses, but her greatest joy is seeing the impact that the camp has on the campers that attend and knowing she is a part of that ministry.



 

 

The End of the Road

We have spent the month of March traveling across the state of Washington. We have had a great time visiting and having lots of fun with friends and family. Papa took the kids of many outings.

The kids helped Papa with one of the ministries he is involved in; packing weekend food bags for children in need.

Papa made sure the kids got all their PE time in.

We had much fun at the many homes of old and new friends who welcomed us with open arms.

A friend gave us all “rides” in his bucket truck . . .

yes, even me. For those of you who know of my fear of heights; Mark presented it to me as therapy.

And of course, the kids just had to spend as much time as possible with their cousins, which always ended too soon.

Mark and I took a day and ran off by ourselves to visit Snoqualmie Falls. We spent a night of our honeymoon at Salish Lodge overlooking the falls. Oh, what wonderful memories.

Our travels have been fantastic. We have so much enjoyed  visiting our family, friends, and supporters.  We appreciate everyone that opened their home to us and/or provided meals for us.  You all have blessed us and touched our hearts in ways we cannot express our gratitude adequately for.  We are all very much ready to return to Alaska and live the adventure the Lord has for us in our ministry there.

Fun in Chicago and heading toward home (west anyway)

Our travels have been beautiful. We can count on one hand the days that have been snowy and slippery. We are praising God for His blesssings and travel mercies.

We spent a day at Chicago’s Field Museum. Watch out Alaina, Lucy’s gonna get you!

Katelyn’s favorite part of the day was the revolving door.  If there are any revolving doors in Alaska, we don’t know where they are.

We spent some time at Lincoln Park Zoo as well, but what we all enjoyed most was the conservatory.

We enjoyed most,  seeing many of our dear friends in the Chicago area. Unfortunately we did not have the number of days we would need to see EVERYONE. If we did not get to see you when we were in your area, we are very sorry. Our home is always open for our friends to visit.

Our travels west were pretty much uneventful. We were in a hurry to get to Montana and Washington. We did spend the time to take a scenic route off the interstate to drive through a part of the Badlands and we are so glad we did.  It was an incredibly beautiful drive. We will definitely take time to tour it more extensively in the future.

We have been spending our days trying to accomplish the kid’s schooling and visiting with as many people as we can. More details to come as soon as I can find the pictures. I am not sure where my camera is either. Will you please pray that I discover its location. Most of my pictures on on it. We have three weeks left of our travels and more people to see than days available. Please pray for God’s leading and guidance in this area and that we will keep our eyes focused on His leading and not get stressed over not accomplishing what we think should be accomplished.  We covet and cherish your prayers. Thank you for representing us before the throne.

The Fun Continues

We took a couple of days to go up to NY State and spend time with Michele’s dad. The kids enjoyed their third Christmas.

We drove into town (this is where Michele’s paternal grandparents grew up) to photograph the WWII memorial that has her grandparent’s names on it.

Her dad prepared a birthday celebration for her. All those candles warmed her chilled hands nicely.

Jeremiah was thrilled to be given the bedroom with the hammock.

Returning to Hershey, we visited and spoke at MIchele’s home church.  After not having been there for five years, it was a joy to  reunite with those who were a part of her childhood.

Michele’s mom took us to Chocolate World to finish up the attractions we didn’t have time to do the first time. This time the kids got to create their own candy bar and watch the process of it being made.

Mom kept us going and going from one fun thing to the next. The kids had a ball introducing ice skating to their cousins.

Grandma even got on the ice for a little while.

Michele’s Aunt Sue took us to Indian Echo Caverns. It was a very well done guided tour, fun, and we learned a lot.

Before we knew it, it was time to continue our travels and head south.  Our first stop was to visit Michele’s aunt. What wonderful visits we have had with family and friends.

We arrived in TN to beautiful summer like weather. Mark spoke at two churches, we visited with as many friends as we could in the short time we were there, and we showed the kids several places that were a part of our life during our five years in TN. A highlight was exploring the house and property where we lived. The house is between renters so we got to even show the kids the inside. They loved the place and asked if we could stay and live there. Besides boating in the pond, they played in the creek in the front of the house and explored the woods with Mark as he investigated why water was not getting to the house from the cistern up the creek. Mark and I have so many fond memories of our time here. We both realized we could so easily move back and pick up where we left off.  Maybe retirement will bring us back here.

On to Nashville we now go to visit some of Mark’s family and then up to Chicago. Please keep our travels in your prayers for safety and our time together as a family and with those we visit.

Family Fun While Heading East

We got to South Dakota and God in His goodness and graciousness led us to a hotel for the night that was attached to a waterpark. For less than the cost of all the other hotels along the way,not only did we get a great room for the night, but the kids also got to spend the evening playing in a waterpark. For the first time ever, our deputation travels is feeling like a vacation. Well, except for still having to do school.

In the morning, before heading to Mount Rushmore, we stopped to gas up the van. Mark came out from paying and said we had to see the incredible display of trophies inside. We spent the next half hour viewing the excellent display of North American and African animals.

Mount Rushmore was spectacular!  Our history class this year has mentioned Mount Rushmore several times, so it was inspiring to view it with our own eyes. It was the first I , Michele, had ever seen it.

And then off through the mid-west we went. The kids were not very impressed with the rolling farm land, but as “Aunt” Sue said, “We feed you.”

We spent five days in West Virginia with dear friends. The kids shared their CEF presentation 3 times at their AWANA.

The morning we left WV was Katelyn’s 8th birthday. Our friends had a birthday party breakfast for her, cupcakes, presents, party horns, and all.  Thanks guys! It was a birthday she will probably always remember.

As we left WV, we viewed yet another means of generating electricity.

We arrived in PA that evening and celebrated Katelyn’s birthday at Grandma and Papa’s house. It was quite the day for Katelyn.  It has been five years since we have seen Michele’s family and we are enjoying every moment with them. The first thing we did the next morning was visit Michele’s Papa. He is in the hospital recovering from Pneumonia. He also suffers from congestive heart failure. Realistically, this will most likely be the last time we get to be with Papa. The picture shows Neakita playing his old violin which he gifted to her five years ago and she just grew into this past summer.

Our weekend with Grandma started with play time at Chuck E. Cheese’s.  We came to the conclusion that it is a dangerous place that plants the seeds of an addiction to gambling in children. Haha. It was lots of fun for us grownups too.

Oooooooh, what a treat my mom gave Neakita and I. She took us for pedicures. Our feet have never felt better.

And the icing on the cake for the day was seeing a Hershey Bears hockey game. Thanks Mom and Dale!

We couldn’t be in Hershey without visiting Chocolate World! Yes, there are five children in the picture with us, the one you don’t recognize is our niece. We have enjoyed having her with us on our outings. The kids have had a blast getting to know their cousin. Next weekend they will have a sleepover at her house.

Thank you all for your constant prayers for us. Our travels have been great. We still have a long way to go.

We are now on our way to New York state to visit my Dad, so ‘til next time ----May God bless you and keep you in His loving grace.