Heading Back to PNG

October 16, 2011

Its hard to believe that our maternity leave is finally over. When we left our tiny island in Papua New Guinea almost six months ago it felt like it would be so long before we returned. And yet here we are placing the last few items in our bags, almost ready to head out. Weird. […]

Weekend to Remember

October 7, 2011

We’ve never hidden the fact that our first eight months on the field was difficult on our marriage. Marriage can be hard in general thanks to a myriad of factors, such as family backgrounds, personal expectations, normal life challenges, etc., all of which are affected by our natural bent towards self-interest and self-protection. Export these […]

Meeting Gracia

September 13, 2011

If you had told me many years ago when I was watching the news reports of the captured missionaries in the Philippines that one day one of them would be rescued and I would eventually meet them in person, I would have thought you were crazy. Remembering back to the reports of the tragic capturing […]

Growing Anticipation

September 12, 2011

If we could have known the future we would not have been surprised by the fact that Iris’ paperwork took longer than we originally anticipated. As things stand right now, we will be back in the United States for another four weeks. For certain, the next four weeks will be packed with experiences and opportunities […]

Vacaville Venture

September 4, 2011

My heart is smiling as I sit down to write this blog. It is amazing how being in the body of Christ can knit you together with people you have never even met; how you can sit down and speak face to face with a person for the first time and truly connect, be blessed […]

Seeing with New Eyes

July 29, 2011

One of my favorite quotes is by French novelist Marcel Proust, “The real act of discovery is not in finding new lands, but in seeing with new eyes.” Certainly when Proust made this insightful statement he didn’t have in mind the content of this blog! 🙂 Back in the spring, while we were still in […]

And Then We Were in Oregon

July 29, 2011

Last week was a whirlwind. You know the beginning of the movie Wizard of Oz where Dorothy is hiding in her house as the tornado hits? Then she blacks out and wakes up in a new world unable to recall how she got there? Well, thats what last week was like… except instead of starting […]

Meeting Dennis McCallum

July 15, 2011

A couple nights ago I was able accomplish one of my “fun” goals while being back in the States for this maternity leave. My brother-in-law Davy, future brother-in-law Nathan (in one week) and I went to go see one of my favorite authors teach at his church in Columbus, Ohio! We aren’t supposed to put […]

Family, Friends & Goals

May 29, 2011

Wow. We have already been home for a month and a half. For sure, it has flown by! Our last few weeks have been met with an endless supply of encouragement from guests visiting our home, mostly missionaries preparing to leave for the field or fresh off the field on home assignment like Beth & […]

Mileage to Missouri

May 11, 2011

About a month ago, we contacted our home church in Adrian, MI with a need to borrow someone’s car for a short trip we were thinking of making down to Missouri, upon our return to America. A few people offered their car’s to us, but one couple in our church really wanted to rent a […]