Traveling…

We are in Spokane, WA now.  We have family and friends to catch up with and though it’s been a busy visit, it’s been good to reconnect.

On our way up, we stopped over near Portland for a couple of days.  I got to see an old roomie from Bible School days, her hubby and beautiful girls.  They took us on an adventure hike through Ape Cave, near Mt. St. Helens.  What we thought was going to be a 45 minute hike through a cave that lava had formed by flowing through it, turned out to be a 2 1/2 hour adventure!  We were prepared for the 42 degree temps with jackets and hats and had flashlights to help light the way.  It was a fun but long hike and some of us came out with some battle wounds but it was worth it.  All our kids did great scrambling over large rocks that we encountered along the way.  Nothing like getting in a good hike!

Home Depot…

We took the kids to Home Depot today for their monthly kids’ craft morning.  It was so fun.  The kids each made a wood craft and had fun glueing pieces together and hammering nails in.  They each received an apron and pin after they completed their project.  If you have never taken your kids to Home Depot’s craft day, I recommend it.  It’s the first Saturday of every month from 9-12.  Oh, did I mention it’s also free??!!

Time of Rest…

We have been in Idaho for a little over a month now.  It has been a good time for us to regroup as a family and get into a good routine.  One of the main things our church and pastor would like us to do while we are here is rest.  Physically rest, emotionally rest and spiritually rest.  Doing this is not always easy as we have been use to going  and staying busy.  But, we are thankful that we can reflect on our time in Mozambique and mentally prepare for going back.

Thank you for praying for us.  We do miss our team  and friends in Mozambique and are already looking forward to getting back, sweating and ministering alongside them!

School, soccer and camping…

I started homeschooling all three kids a few weeks ago.  It’s been going all right.  Challenging with 3 this year but definitely doable!  God’s grace is so sufficient and I’m thankful that His mercies are new every morning.

Taking advantage of the warm weather

Noah also started soccer last week.  He’s really enjoyed playing and learning new skills.  We are thankful for this opportunity for him.

Since the weather is still nice here, we have been camping some over the weekends.  Last weekend we had a quick overnight trip with a fun hike the next day.

We arrived…

After being on the road for 25 days, driving through 13 states and staying in too many homes to remember, we arrived in Payette, Idaho.  We had wonderful visits with family and friends along the way but we are now ready to settle down for 6 months.

We are in awe of how our church has spoiled us- once again!  We walked into a fully furnished home complete with food in the cabinents and toys and bikes for the kids.  We have a large backyard too!  What a blessing that will be when we begin homeschooling again!  The ladies from the church even included some Bath and Body Works soaps and lotions for me.  What a treat.

Less than 24 hours after we arrived, I was whisked away to a Women’s Retreat for our church.  I had a wonderful time reconnecting with old friends, making new ones as well as being encouraged by the Lord.  I was happy to get home and continue settling in though. Pete took the kids camping and they had a great time as well.

We plan on staying in Payette until February sometime.  I’m looking forward to getting into a routine again.  Thanks again for your prayers.  We certainly appreciate them!

Traveling…

For the past 2 1/2 weeks we have been on the road.  We are now in our 11th State, Colorado (which we are loving, by the way).  We have had really great visits with family and friends and have been so blessed with safe travels.  Thank you for your prayers!  Enjoy the random pictures!

Extended family in Kansas

The kids' first baseball game! Thanks U. Joe and A. Heidi!

The Parlor in Michigan

Friends in Wisconsin

Family in Wisconsin

More traveling…

We arrived back from Brazil June 16th.  We had a wonderful time with family and made lots of memories.  We are so thankful that we had that opportunity.

We are now packing once again so we can head out to Idaho where we will be for 6 months.  We leave on Tuesday and will travel for about 3 weeks, visiting friends and family.

Please pray for safety in travel, patience with each other and that we will be a blessing to those we visit.

Hope you all enjoy some pictures from Brazil.

Grammy and Grandpa with the grandkids

Schroeder family

Fun on the beach

Sisters forever

Charity's good friend

Grandpa time

By the sea but not in the sea…

We have been the in the States for 5 weeks.  The Lord blessed us with a beach rental just a couple blocks from the ocean but unfortunately, we haven’t been able to go as often as we would like.  We have been able to get to know quite a few families from our church in the area and though it’s been a wonderful time, it has been quite busy.  We are tired and look forward to getting to Brazil in a week.  We will be visiting Charity’s whole family.

Here are some pictures from recent days…

Celebration, sickness and a baby

Noah has been doing so well in school and we recently celebrated his 100% on a math test.  The kids enjoyed a cool treat on a hot day.

We celebrated Noah’s 7th birthday last week.  He has brought so much joy into our lives and we thank God for him!

Pete has been sick for over a week with what started out as a high fever then turned into a bad cold and cough.  He has a bit more energy this week but still does not feel up to speed yet.

Our guard Titos and his wife were blessed last week with a baby.  They’ve had such heartache as they have lost one child to malaria, another one was born dead and another was miscarried.  We praise God that this baby boy is healthy and we ask for the Lord’s protection as he grows.

We’ve started packing and sorting our belongings.  We will make a quick, last visit to the beach this weekend with some Mozambican friends from church and then hit the packing up hard when we return.  We drive out of Nampula April 20th.

Please continue to pray for a house for us to rent in Idaho as well as a car to use during our furlough.

Thanks for praying for us and standing with us!  We love you!

Rotten eggs…

I usually buy a flat of eggs at a time here. They are not refrigerated and I just store them on top of our fridge at room temp.  Usually, they are fresh and I’ve only had a couple questionable eggs during our 3 years of living here.

Well, this week I received several good bye gifts.  I’m up to 11 very nasty, rotten eggs from this single flat.  It was incredibly disgusting! (good thing I always break an egg into a measuring cup to check its condition!)  Occasional rotten eggs are just one of the joys of living in another country…

On another note, we are excited to see the Lord already providing for our trip home in May.  He has provided some of the airfare costs, a place to rent in North Carolina during our first 6 weeks, plane tickets to Brazil to visit my family and someone has offered to buy a vehicle for us for the year we’ll be there. What a blessing!  Thank you for praying with us!