Transition 2008-2009

Here we are at the end of 2008 with plenty of snow and ice.

Do we look ready for a trip to the tropics?

Our last few days in the US were filled with trips to see family.

My niece Lily is a bright girl.

As you can see, she is learning to read. :-)

Our trip over the Pacific went very well.

They even fed us broccoli and manna

(Manna= what is it?)

Whatever it was I was hungry by the time it arrived

and it tasted good.

After 17 hours of travel we arrived in Manila and then spent 3 hours getting our paperwork processed and waiting for a stray guitar that missed the plane in Taipei. After a good sleep, we headed to the grocery store. As you can see, we don't feel lonely here with plenty of people to rub shoulders with.
After shopping we went out for dinner. The kids were excited to get back to a good rice and fish meal with a shaved ice dessert.
Just a few days ago I had more ice than I wanted and now I am paying for it!! Something is wrong with the supply and demand system. I guess the snow in the US doesn't come with purple ice cream, beans and coconut.

We are all enjoying the heat, blue skies, and sunshine.

Have a Happy New Year!

Serve the Lord with gladness.

Huckleberries

One of the first pictures I took upon arriving in the United States was of a huckleberry. So, it seems fitting that one of my last pictures before leaving for the Philippines should be of a huckleberry. It looks like James is starting to think about green things. The kids missed their last three days of school due to snow, but we finally convinced a janitor to let the kids turn in their school books and get their projects out of the school.

Hibler Hill

Heidi's Uncle Harry and Aunt Kay have built an amazing log house and we were invited to Christmas dinner. We drove to the Kitsap peninsula and then hiked for 20 minuted through the beautiful snowy woods to reach their home.

The Christmas tree is amazing and gets lots of attention from the kids because Aunt Kay has a pickle ornament that she hides on the tree. The lucky finder gets the "pickle gift." After a long search, James was the winner. Thomas was enjoying having a look through the library.
Dinners at Hibler hill often come with a theme. This year the theme was "Northwest" so we enjoyed salmon, clams, mushrooms, and apple cider. Everything was delicious!

This is the famous family around the table shot.

Snow

Someone wrote and asked if we have any snow.

The answer is yes.

And we are enjoying it.

It is a real treat for us.

The kids were hoping that they would have a chance to play in snow

before heading back to the Philippines.

This is a video of my run on the sled.

Thanksgiving, time for another road trip. You can see from the picture that we love getting out on the open road.

This time we headed south to Boise, Idaho. The round trip took 1.200+ miles, but the good time we had with family in Idaho and with our friends in Union, Oregon made it all worth while.

While in Idaho, the kids enjoyed riding the 4-wheeler, playing with Cousin Eva,
and archery lessons from Cousin Daryl,

We are thankful that we have had good health and safe travels.
We are thankful for so many wonderful friends and family members.

It's Chapel Time

Wednesday is Chapel Day at the local Christian schools.

I'm ready to go.

And the students are ready for missionary stories, artifacts, and pictures that teach Bible truth. One of the things I enjoy about furlough is visiting the local Christian schools. I am encouraged that so much effort is going into giving children a good education and am blessed to have a small part by being the missionary chapel speaker for 4 different groups. I go to a different group each week on a rotating basis.

Fall

This past October has been very beautiful. The leaves turned brilliant shades of red and yellow and it didn't rain very much so they stayed on the trees for a long time. Heidi and I enjoyed going on walks when we had opportunity. The two pictures below was taken by Carrie out in the Skokomish Valley.
Sunday the Endicotts of Hoodsport invited us to there home for a time of fellowship. They also took us for a walk in the woods near their house. As you can see, the leaves are not on the trees anymore. During the last days of October, the winter winds blew in and the leaves are falling.

Before we leave October, we must pass on a congratulations to Charles. He is now a licensed driver. He his now scheduled to start school at LeTourneau University in Texas in January. He celebrated his 19th birthday on November 3rd.