Some have asked how the kids did with the Standard Based Testing for school. I am happy to say they got through the week with mostly smiles. They especially grinned ear to ear when the testing was completed, for we had banana splits for a celebration.

April was so busy, before we knew it, it was over. Mark's first overnight trip was to take a Child Evangelism Fellowship team to Port Alsworth to conduct clubs during Spring Conference at Tananlian Bible Camp.

The next week Mark was out flying again this time for a Moravian Youth Rally in the village of Quinhagak. Weather made it a challenge to get attenders to the rally and unfortunately many were not able to go, but Mark was able to get 54 kids from various villages there.

Mark returned home just in time to participate in a Mission Safety International Safety Seminar. The first week consisted of the MSI staff conducting interviews of all our staff members including the wives to create a report that can assist our mission in making improvements in areas that would help us to be more effective in our ministry and create a safer working enviornment. The MSI wives provided two opportunities for the wives of MARC, Samaritan's Purse, Arctic Barnabas Ministries, and SOAR International to get together to fellowship, build relationships, and be encouraged. Both evenings were a blessing.

The Safety Seminar included Underwater Egress training. It was a great opportunity for our pilots. The kids and I were able to be there to watch.

In April we celebrated the life of fellow MARC staff member, Marge Cochran, who went to be with her Lord and Savior. We miss her very much as each of us will not forget how she has blessed our lives with her love and prayers. Please pray for Dave as he continues on without Marge by his side.

The end of April brought the end of AWANA. We are always ready for it to begin again after the summer break. Here is Mark listening to verses recited by one of the children on his Spark's team.

Now back to the second half of our furlough.

While in Eastern Washington, we were able to visit with Mark's aunt and uncle. This visit will be most memorable for the kids because they had the rare opportunity (for them anyways) to see a herd of white tailed deer gathered in the back yard.

It was great to be able to catch up with what is happening in our extended family's lives.

We had a wonderful ten day visit with Mark's mom, step-dad, and brother. The kids were completely spoiled. Okay, Mark and I were spoiled too. We had quite a bit of time to just kick back, relax, and pretend we were on vacation. And how could we not relax with a view like this out the living room windows.

(A typical misconception of "furlough" is that it is a vacation for missionaries. Furlough is a time for missionaries to visit friends and family and also to speak at churches to update them on the ministry. It is fun, but it is exhausting. It is more exhausting than being home and working in the minstry we are in Alaska to do.)

Grandma sure knows how to make a hot chocolate drink look like as Katelyn said, "My birthday cake!"

Grandma set up a table just for them, where they could do all sorts of coloring, painting, and crafts.

The kids had a blast riding around on the 4-wheeler.

Playing video games is always fun, especially when you get to play with Uncle Zac.

The kids got to experience bowling for the first time. We were very impressed with how well they did.

There was always a puzzle to work on. We must have gone through at least eight puzzles that week.

Flying kites was a highlight of the week for all of us.

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Grandma even made a ping-pong table out of the dining table.

Alaina and Katelyn made sure they captured as much of their Uncle Zac's attention that they could.

Making cookies with Grandma was a treat that lasted for days.

In addition to having time to play, which included an early Easter egg hunt, Mom planned and hosted three dinner parties to give everyone who knows us and opportunity to spend time with us. This alleviated the need for us to run around visiting everyone individually. Thanks Mom, it was a blessing.

Before returning to Western Washington, we spent a weekend with Mark's grandpa and Grandpa's dear wife. It was a sweet time for us.

Back in the Seattle area, we had only one more week to visit with everyone we hadn't seen yet and get ready to go home. What a feat it was. There were friends that we didn't have a chance to see and we are sorry for those missed opportunities. We sure did have a great time with those we did get to see. You know who you are.

We made sure we got one more visit with Mark's dad and step-mom. They gave the kids an Easter egg hunt and made a candy craft with the kids. What a fun time.

We are happy to be back in Alaska. Please continue to keep us in your prayers as the days have gotten longer we have been going at full speed, but have done our best to make opportunities to have a bit of fun in it all. With spring's arrival and summer approaching quickly we had fun this past weekend planting flowers around the house. And we made our annual Memorial Day hike to the Russian River Falls.

We're Home!

I know, I am really behind on keeping up with what we have done during furlough. I hope to catch up this week while the kids are at their Standard Based Testing for school. But first I wanted to let you all know that we are back home now and so happy we are.

The kids and I arrived home Monday night, March 30th and Mark got in Tuesday morning. Our flight from Seattle to Anchorage was diverted to Fairbanks due to Mt. Redoubt and delayed there for five hours. We were very happy to get into Anchorage only to discover that the airline messed up our commuter tickets into Kenai. It would be another two hour wait unless they just happen to have room on the next flight. We did get on the next flight but there was only five seats instead of six, so Mark stayed in Anchorage to wait for the next flight. I was not quite sure how I was going to handle four children and 20 pieces of baggage once we landed in Kenai. But Mark knew exactly what to do, he arranged for a friend to be there to help us. And what a joy it was to see Tom standing there when we arrived. He had our car running and warmed up and took care of all the baggage for me. All I had to do was drive home. God has blessed us emmencely with good, faithful friends.

Mark jumped right back in at the airport with King Air training and the kids and I took the week to unpack and get settled.

Here are some pictures of Mt. Redoubt. The daytime picture Mark took from our road and the night shots were taken by someone from an oil platform. We have not been effected yet by the eruptions, except for the flight delay on the way home. So far the wind has been blowing the ash away from us. The eruptions could last for months to come, so please keep us in your prayers concerning it.

God continues to give us incredible memorable moments as we travel and visit family, friends, and supporters. Neakita was priveledged with an inspiring opportunity to play her violin with a professional violinist. Here Neakita is picuture with her as she accompianies on the piano. The memory card in my camera filled before I could get a picture of them playing a violin duet. Lesson learned: always carry an extra memory card.Our time in Eastern Washington was filled with more visiting than we expected, but it was the most relaxing time we have had on this trip which helped us to recooperate from a virus that overtook us despite all the measures to stay healthy.
Memorable moments for our children during this last week have been for Neakita, playing her violin with a young woman that has been playing violin since childhood. It was so fun to listen to it. I tried to upload a video clip of it, but it wouldn't work for me.
For Jeremiah, he lived a dream of his to play an electric guitar and there is no greater fun for a boy than to shoot bow and arrow.

We are blessed to have friends who love us and give of their time and resources for us.

It has been a whirlwind of travel for us these last couple weeks. This time of furlough has been very beneficial. We are meeting (some for the first time) and getting to know our supporters better. God is lavishing us with His blessings.

We have had opportunities to kick back and have some fun. One of those times was watching a pinewood derby that Jeremiah's friend was a part of. He won 2nd place in speed and design.

We spent a morning at Covenant Shores Retirement Home where Mark spoke at a men's prayer breakfast. After the incredible breakfast, the kids spent time enjoying the green grass and the shore of the lake.

But the highlight of that morning was definitely the time spent talking with a couple of the residents. The lives they have lived were facinating. The children enjoyed the "grandparent" treatment. Best cookies and hot cocoa in town.

We had a fabulous time visiting with a supporting family who live on a farm. The kids got to collect eggs

play on a tire swing

and climb a mountain of hay.

Katelyn has been the most endearing social bug I've ever seen. She has latched on to and loved on everyone that will let her. She is soaking up every ounce of attention she can get out of those we visit.

One of the many outings with Papa Swensen was spent at a navel museum. The kids had a blast using their imagination in one of the hands on displays.
Another lasting memory for our kids is the time we spent with supporters in Oregon where Jeremiah got to shoot off a rocket several times

and Neakita had her wish of petting a horse come true. Her dream is to own one of her own.
Our time with friends, family, and supporters has been wonderful. We have enjoyed every moment with everyone we have been with. We pray we have been as much of a blessing to each person as they have been to us, for we feel we have been showered with love by everyone. Our schedule is filling up fast and we have much traveling ahead of us. Please pray that God keeps us in the safety of His hands.

Our health has been good. We attack any bit of sickness that tries to overtake us and nip it in the bud. And try to get the sleep we need to stay healthy which has meant not setting an alarm unless absolutely necessary. Please continue to cover us with prayer in this area. Please pray for Mark’s back, he has had some slight discomfort, which he thinks is from all the driving.

School is going better than one could expect, although with all the moving around from one place to another, it is getting harder and harder to accomplish what I want to. God has given me much encouragement through others in this area and I praise Him for giving me these boosts of confidence.

Mark spent the first week of our time in the lower 48 in Witchita, KS for Caravan training. While Mark was away the kids and I stayed with friends in Orting, WA. They have two children Neakita and Jeremiah's ages. We accomplished a lot of school that week. Yep, we are continuing school while we travel and so far it is going well. Each day, the kids worked hard as they waited with anticipation for their friends to get home from school. Katelyn has especially enjoyed all the extra attention of having additional adults around her. She is right there ready to get her hands into anything an adult is doing and "help".

Mark's training in Witchita went well. Once he returned to join us he hit the ground running. The first thing he did was take a train to Oregon to pick up a vehicle that dear friends have so generously allowed us to use for the next two months. Jeremiah went with Mark, it was his first experience on a train.

When we are not visiting with friends and supporters, Mark is on the phone and computer making plans and arrangements. Having this time to develop and strengthen relationships has been a huge blessing to us.

Our first Sunday was spent at the church Mark grew up in, the one we attended while we lived here before moving to Alaska. It was great to be able to share what we have been doing for the last four years in Alaska and to catch up on what is happening in their lives as well.

I do believe that the highlight for our children has been the time spent with Papa. Papa took them on walks,
on a ferry ride,
out for shakes,
read book after book after book,
wrestled, and played games.
One of the coolest things was getting a tour of the Habitat for Humanity houses that Mark’s dad has been donating his time to work on.

We set aside a day to take the kids to the Pacific Science Museum. It was a blast. Some of the things we did was explore an indoor tide pool display,
walk through an arboretum with butterflies fluttering all around,
and attend a planetarium show during which we learned about our starry sky- it was an excellent presentation. But I think the highlight for the kids was eating at a food court. Everyone got to choose what type of food they wanted; it is a special treat to have such a selection.

This last weekend, Neakita participated in a Saturday evening talent show at a supporting church we were sharing at the next day. She did very well playing a Bach Minuet.
I think Jeremiah's favorite thing was climbing a tree at the home we were staying at for the night. Alaska does not have such trees to climb.

I will be attempting to add blogs more frequently from here on out, so keep checking in to find out what we are doing. Keep praying for safe travel and good health for us during this time and that God will continue to bless us and use us to bless others.

After a smooth flight in the sunshine, we arrived in Seattle this afternoon. Sunshine? well....until about 500 feet above the ground anyway, then we descended into cold soggy and foggy Seattle. We will be on furlough for the months of February and March. Our travels will take us from Western Washington down to Oregon up through Eastern Washington and then into Idaho and Montana before winding up back in Western Washington.
It has been interesting getting ready for this trip. One thing after another broke. First we had water pouring into our utility/playroom when the temp spiked from -30 to +40 and melted the snow and ice around the house. Whew, we got that cleaned up and things sealed up just in time for the arrival of the family that is staying in our house while we are gone. That same day, the vehicle that we got last spring, the one that is not suppose to need to be worked on by Mark because he just doesn't have the time to be working on our cars, left him stranded in town. It was an electrical problem, that Mark was able to fix, but it took away from the time he needed to get ready for the trip. Then our toilet tank cracked and was leaking. Now our stove is making a funny buzzing sound. So, our poor friends have a list of things to fix while we are gone, but they have such a sweet generous attitude about it all. We are so happy that they will be taking care of our home and animals and that our home is a provision for their family these next two months while they are going through the orientation process at MARC. Pray for the Lazaros family these next two months, that the Lord will guide and direct them in what He wants them to do.

Even in the midst of the busyness and stress of preparing to leave, the Lord was so good in giving us moments of relaxation and fun. Twenty hours before we were to get on the plane, this is the scene I found and I just had to take a picture.

Mark leaves on Saturday for training in Witchita. When he returns we officially begin our time of furlough. Please be praying for him as he studies and is tested this coming week. The kids and I are staying in Seattle with friends, pray that we will be a blessing to them. Pray for travel safety and for good health. Thank you for taking us to the throne of God.