What have we been doing?

"So what exactly have you been doing as you travel all over the US?"

We have gotten this question a lot, and we just got some pics in the mail that might help answer it.

We have had the opportunity to share with lots of different groups, some large and some small, what God is doing amongst the Agta people. We have so enjoyed showing our pictures and telling the stories of our dear Agta brothers and sisters, and it has been such an encouragement to see how passionate many of you are about what God is doing around the world. Here are some pictures from a meeting that we spoke at in Kansas in July.

After we shared, they presented our kids with some fun goodie bags for the trip home the next day. It was so thoughtful, and it made the trip so much nicer for the kids! I think the coolest moment of the night was when the kids discovered the cake they had made for us. It made us ALL feel so loved and appreciated. Thank you for the way you stand behind us, Metro East!!!While our summer travels are over, we will still get lots of opportunities to share what God is doing in the Philipines. Steve will still be traveling a fair amount (though the kids and I won't be going with him as much), and then we are also hoping to have lots of chances to share in our home area. Please pray with us for the logistics to work out for us to share in several small group settings as well as larger group ones this fall. Pray that God would use these opportunities to raise up many strategic prayer partners for the work with the Agta.

News from the Mountains

Our friends and coworkers in the Philippines just put a post on their blog that I thought you might enjoy. Remember how I mentioned that there were 3 college-age American guys living in the mountains in Agta villages this past summer as hard-core volunteers? Well, we never got to meet these great guys, but we heard wonderful reports of the things that God did through them. Here is the link to our friends' blog so you can check it out - http://bicol4christ.blogspot.com/

Off to School

Well, we put the kids on the bus this morning for their first day of "real" school. Mikayla is in 4th grade, Zach in 2nd and Ben is starting kindergarten! Up to this point, they have been home-schooled, but they will be attending public school until we return to the Philippines in January. They were beyond excited about their first day.

The bus stop - 1 mile from our house
I love Ben's expression in this one :) Please pray for the kids as they adjust. Pray that they will be a light in their classes and for wisdom as we help guide them through the many things they will learn.

Latigo Ranch

Well, after almost 10 weeks on the road, our family is finally going to stay put for a while. It has been a crazy but wonderful summer, and the perfect icing on the cake was our week at Latigo Ranch in the Rocky Mountains of Colorado. A family friend -- who wishes to stay anonymous -- made it possible for us to spend a week on this amazing dude ranch with my (Jen's) parents. Check out their site at www.latigotrails.com . It proved to be our best family vacation ever; if you ever get the chance - GO FOR IT!!! The pictures from our time together there say more than I ever could, so I will keep the captions short.

A covered wagon met us at the gate and brought us to our cabin.

a breath-taking view

gotta have the gear

walking through the aspen forest by a mountain stream - by the end of the week, we were all loping (one "gear" higher than a trot) by this stream - even Ben!

Mikayla crossing the stream
the boys were on Steve and my team for "team penning" when we tried to cut out some cattle from the herd and drive them into a pen on the other side of the arena - they did GREAT!

family all-day ride - we had a picnic in that forest where we are headed

just wow

the family rides were our favorites

the views never got old

the kids like the cattle herding the best since they got to go wherever they wanted during this time - they amazed us with how they trotted right out there into the midst of the cattle and handled their horses with authority

another family ride

one of the wranglers caught a little snake, and the kids took turns holding it

so peaceful

a lot of our rides were split adults/kids so that we could all improve our riding skills - those rides were great too since we got to go faster and often further than Ben could handle

Mikayla on Cindy - her horse for the week

priceless family time

Ben on Dollar - check out his "persuader" to hit the horse with since his legs were too short for the horse to feel the kicks

my dad on Hook - it is a big horse that makes Dad look tiny!

no words

Zach on Remington

Mikayla trying to learn to crack a whip - she stuck with it for more than an hour until she got it!

"Colorado mosquitoes" - hummingbirds

our last morning we rode out to breakfast on the ridge - see the group gathered off to the right? delicious food - spectacular scenery
the best vacation everWe are SO thankful for this amazing opportunity. We will cherish the memories from our week at Latigo Ranch for the rest of our lives.

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.