STAS part 1

Ok, so the very UN-creative title gives you a glimpse into how shot my brain is...but we'll go with it. :)  STAS stands for Stateside Assignment, and we just got back from a whirlwind 2-month one.  STAS is when we spend time back in the states, re-connecting with loved ones and sharing with churches and other ministry partners so that they can better know how to pray.  Ideally, it is also a time to be refreshed and recharged to be ready to tackle life on the field again...but that can be tough to make happen, especially during such a short time.  This STAS felt like it was on fast-forward...our first STAS was 8.5 months, second was 4.5 months, and this one was 2 months.  Same number of people we want to connect with, same number of churches to share with, but everything happens at hyper speed.  We are so incredibly thankful for the time we had with loved ones and all the things we accomplished, but it was definitely too short.  

Ok, so on to the fun part - pictures!  Immediately after arriving in the States (less than 10 hours later!), the guys left on a 24hr drive to Florida to go hunting with Steve's side of the family.  They had a blast with the guys down there, and Zach even got a wild pig!

 They stayed in this cool hunting cabin and drove this swamp buggy around.

 Pretty good shot for his first time! 

 The guys got back from their FL adventure at the same time Mikayla arrived back in the States (she had to stay an extra week in the Philippines to complete exams).  Mikayla arrived one night and got her driver's permit the next day!  We packed in as many driving hours as we could over the summer.

 Since the four of us had to return to the States before school actually ended, Zach missed his 8th grade graduation ceremony.  This was disappointing, but he was ok with it, especially since he was going to get to go hunting with his grandpa and uncles.  Then we were shocked to find out that Zach had won the highest award for his class - "Vanguard Boy" that reflects his scholarship, character, leadership and involvement in activities.  So proud of him!  We didn't tell him that we heard he had won; instead we gathered a group of friends and surprised him with an award ceremony in the States. :)  So thankful for this group who was willing to come out and celebrate with us!

 Time with family was definitely a priority for us while we were back.  One of our favorite activities with my parents was family bike rides!

 One day we went to the Katy Trail (used to be a railroad), and we rode 26 miles that day!  At least some of us did; a few only did 13. :)

 Another fun thing we did those first couple weeks was a canoe trip with my parents (Jen's) and Steve's dad.

 It was absolutely gorgeous, and we had such a relaxing time on the river.

 We also had some fun reunions with friends.  A group of Steve's high school friends traveled in to surprise him for his bday!

 Then some of our friends from the Philippines came for a visit too.

And in the midst of all this, we were busy preparing our ministry presentation to share at churches around the area because we only had about 10 days all together there before we left on our looong trip around several states to reconnect with churches and partners and visit with loved ones.