Still going...and going...

Lately we have felt like we are trying to give the Energizer Bunny a run for his money!

We just got in late last night from Minnesota and we leave early tomorrow am for Colorado. Today we need to register the kids for school, do some shopping, unpack, do laundry, then repack. Never a dull moment around this place!

That in consideration, I think you will understand if I keep this short. Our first stop on our latest trip was in southern Minnesota at Steve's grandma's house. The kids had fun getting to know her and getting to see where their grandma grew up. They enjoyed this itty bitty church on a hill. The high light of the time was the buffalo adventure that Grandma arranged. First we enjoyed a dinner of buffalo burgers then we rode out on a trailer into the middle of a herd of buffalo. Then we fed them molasses nuggets. Check out those tongues! Ben liked feeding the babies best of all (sorry about the 2 pics giving me fits and refusing to be rotated - I don't have time to get them perfect today!). Even grandma got in on the action. Just before we left, Steve was sitting on the bench when his dad decided to try to get the buffalo to lick Steve's hair. Let's just say that now instead of a cowlick in his hair, he has a buffalo lick! Needless to say, when we got back to the farm to wash up in the spring water, Steve felt the need to wash more than just his hands! Thanks for a great time, Grandma!

Next we traveled a few more hours north to Steve's other grandma's house. She is celebrating her 90th bday this year, and we were able to join the fam reunion. Unfortunately, my camera battery died just before the posed pics at the party (if you are reading this and have one you can send me, I would really appreciate it!) so I don't have any good ones of Great Grandma with the kids. :(

The kids hit it right off with their second cousins. The kids pitched in to help serve at the big party. Mikayla took it very seriously, and she had quite the fan club by the end of the day. :)After the party and reunion, we headed to a resort for a couple days' vacation with Steve's parents. We had a great time in a cabin in the woods by a lake.

We also got to go out for dinner at a restaurant that gives out moose hats. No vacation is ever complete without wearing a moose hat. :)

While we are wiped from all the traveling, we are also having a wonderful time re-connecting with family after 4 years away. We are so thankful for all the precious time together we are getting.

Another Road Trip

Last week we traveled to Nebraska and Kansas. In Nebraska, we visited some dear friends from our time in New Tribes Bible School 2000-2002. They were just dating then, but they are married now with 2 precious kiddos. Kaden is two and a half, and Aliyah is one. Our kids had a blast playing with the little ones.

Isn't she a doll???
One of the highlights of the time for the kids was riding on the 4-wheeler on the farm. First they rode with Steve or Uncle Justin, then they drove with one of them as the passenger, then they eventually rode solo!

This was a dream-come-true for Zach. :)

Nebraska farm country is beautiful!

Go, Ben!

Riding off into the fields.

A morning at the park.

In Kansas, we visited the Hansen family. Janice came to the Philippines to visit us and help out at a conference in 2006, so it was great to see her again and to finally meet her husband, Warren. They have been such an encouragement to us in the work amongst the Agta as they have emailed often and sent packages to brighten our day. While we were there, Steve and Warren spent many hours playing this beanbag game. I think after a fierce competition, Steve came out as the Ultimate Beanbag Champion. :)

Here was what they were shooting for.

Mikayla and her "roommate" Miss Janice (they shared a room when Janice came to visit us).

We so enjoyed their amazing hospitality. While we were there, we also got to visit with a church that partners with us faithfully, Metro East Baptist Church. We had a wonderful time with all the people there and were very encouraged by the level of partnership they have with us in the work with the Agta.

The kids also enjoyed playing with their dog, Millie.

Zach lost another tooth yesterday! Here is his toothless grin. :)

We are home for a whole week right now! It is wonderful to have some time to hang with friends and family here as well as catch up on some work things. But it's not ALL work - our church here bought us season passes to this great little waterpark in our town, and the kids have been having a BALL there! Thank you, Osage Hills!

I also wanted to give you a brief update on how you can continue to pray for the Agta while we are over here. The churches are continuing to meet in our absence but need your prayer to stay consistent in their study of the Word and reaching out to others. Pray that they would remain faithful and continue to grown in their walk while we are gone. You can also be in prayer for these 3 American college students as they are working amongst the Agta this summer. They are attempting to build relationships and start Bible studies in new areas in the mountains. Pray for safety and that God would use them mightily wherever they go.

Next week we head north - to Minnesota! We will be home just one night before heading west for Colorado. Thanks for your continued prayers!

Road Trip!

After almost a month on the road, we have visited with friends and family in Arkansas, Mississippi, Alabama, Virginia, Maryland, and South Carolina. Here are some pics from our time on the road:

We spent a few days at a resort with some friends of mine (Jen) from high school. Our 3 kids and their 2 hit it off immediately, and they had a blast riding ponies, swimming and fishing together. They spent HOURS fishing together, both with traditional fishing poles and with home-made tools (plastic bags, strawberry cartons, old string and hooks found in the woods, stale chips, just whatever they could find). They were surprisingly successful in their various attempts, and we even ended up with a fish fry one night. :)

1st fish caught in the grape bag with stale doritos as the bait: In Maryland, we got to visit with some dear family friends whom I have known since infancy. Their family has now grown to include 4 little ones, and our kids had so much fun loving on the babies. They also live close to the bay, so we all enjoyed some fun times on the beach, and Steve got to try windsurfing. Zach surprised with me with how much he loved the babies and how good he was with them. I like this pic of his foot with baby Thorin's foot.

While there, we also spent a day visiting the monuments in DC as a family. It was a tiring day, but it was good for the kids to get to see all these historic places.

After a long walk over to the White House, I turned around and saw Zach had figured out a creative way to get himself a drink from the too-high water fountain.

While there in Maryland, Zach also lost another tooth! It had been loose for a while, but he had been trying to hold out til we got back to Grandma's - I think he thought the Tooth Fairy might be more generous there. :)

We surprised the kids with a visit to our good friends from the Philippines (also on furlough right now). It was a special opportunity for them to catch up with their friends from the other side of the ocean.

We had a fun overnight stop in Alabama to visit the Wilson family. Those of you who follow our updates and blog will remember the role that Jennifer played in making it possible for us to stay on the field this past term - she is the speech therapist who came and trained me how to work with Ben. He has made HUGE strides in speech, but we still have a long way to go, and we appreciate your prayers as we determine how to best meet his needs. Jennifer has 4 kids, and our 3 had a blast getting to know them. We got to visit Megan (the volunteer who was with us almost a year in the Philippines) and her family in Mississippi. We had a great time there, but I forgot to take pics! Oops. This was the only one we got there - when we came in at 6am to get the boys and load them in the car to leave, this is how we found Zach sound asleep. :)

We had a precious time visiting with my aunt and uncle in South Carolina. The kids got to meet their 1st cousins once removed (my cousin's kids) for the first time.
My 91-year-old grandma (Jen's dad's mom) lives there with my aunt and uncle, so the kids got to spend some sweet time getting to know Nanny. After we got the 1st pic, Nanny said she was trying to hide her missing tooth in the photo. That was when Zach announced that HE wasn't trying to hide his missing tooth, he was trying to show it! So they decided they needed another pic where they showed their matching missing teeth. :)

While in Virginia, we also spent a couple days catching up with some friends who we knew from when we went through training before we left for the Philippines. They now have 2 precious little girls, and our kids had so much fun helping with them.

Mikayla managed to get Sienna to sleep after a long walk. Go, Kayla!

We also spent a week at our headquarters in Virginia at some meetings. We can't really share pictures from that time since most of our friends there work in secure areas, but we did have a very refreshing time, and we all made some new friends.

Well, we just got home last night, and we will actually only be home 3 days before we leave on the NEXT road trip (to Nebraska and Kansas). Thanks for your prayers for safety and health during these days of travel and visiting.

Hope you have a great 4th of July celebration!