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A Very Good Place to Start

August 31, 2012

Maria was right. The beginning is a very good place to start. “Do, re, mi, fa, so, la, ti, do” were the first musical notes the Vontrap family children needed to master to become the talented group of singers they would later become. In the classic film The Sound of Music, Maria knew that before […]

Alarm Bells

August 14, 2012

“Hey! This will take us to Taco Bell!!!”, Naya says excitedly, as she points to the bell-shaped button on the elevator….. The kids really enjoyed our 3 nights in hotels during our ‘long long long long long long long…’ drive back to Missouri from Seattle. That is, all except for the 1.30am surprise fire alarm […]

These Are A Few of My Favorite Truths

August 9, 2012

When you walk into our home, the first thing that might catch your eye is the large painting that greets you upon your entrance. Beth painted it several months ago and it serves not only as decoration for an otherwise boring wall, but as a vital reminder to us about what is most important in […]

Party Line!

August 9, 2012

One aspect of village living that I particularly love is our radio. 😀 Even though our houses are only about 100 feet from each other, going over to our partner’s houses if we need somethings is not always the best option. You see..we just like each other too much! One “little” question can become a […]

Update On Gwandambi

August 8, 2012

Thanks for praying! Thanks for praying for Gwandambi. There was a little improvement already in his leg overnight and we woke up to a beautiful sunny morning! So the planes made it in and one of them was able to take him out to the hospital. Pray he gets the full treatment he needs at […]

Pray For Gwandambi

August 7, 2012

The boy pictured is the son of Rison (one of the Simbari Bible teachers) and he is very ill right now with a joint or bone infection in his leg. It is crucial for him to get out to the hospital in town where he can receive intravenous antibiotics. Shari is treating him with oral […]

Check it.

June 21, 2012

For the last month or so we had been making frequent jokes with our Tigak friends about the impending “TEST” that was coming up for us in our language study. We were able to make our friends laugh as we jokingly talked up being “terrified” of how we would do when our Culture & Language Acquisition […]

Coconut Culture

June 20, 2012

Its tempting to look at our time in language and culture study as mainly about getting the Tigak language. Culture study seems less tangible and less impressive than speaking a new language. However, we firmly believe that language should be learned in the context of culture, therefore, our language & culture study among the Tigak […]

Weeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!!!!!!

June 20, 2012

Happy to be with family in Washington As we back out of the driveway, the girls chant, “Wait for it… wait for it…. wait for it….” And as we leave “Ms. Esther’s house” and drive down the hill, the girls sing, “WEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!!!!!” So it is with many smiles that we report to you that we […]

“This is a FANCY Storm!”

May 30, 2012

Driving through the heart of a thunderstorm in Kansas, with torrential rain and bright sun breaking through, and lightning all around… Naya asked, “Is this a thunderstorm?” Daddy said, “Yes it is!” She responded, “Ohhhh, this is a FANCY storm!!” Here is a short “map” of our journey from Missouri to Washington for our […]