"The Lord shall preserve thy going out and thy coming in from this time forth, and even forever more." Psalm 121:8 I had to think of this verse in relation to our furlough. I praise the Lord for His protection in all our travels. Four countries, six children, 6 airplanes, 6 states, 6 weeks. Approximately 21,800 miles and 90 hours of travel time. (More if you add up all the running here n there, shopping, visiting, etc.) All I can say is that God is sooo good. It was an absolute answer to prayer that the children traveled so well and didn't get sick on the whole trip. Yes, we all had our turns being grumpy, short-off and I admit; being tired of being with people (almost) all the time. Yes, a couple of the children were very clingy some of the time and made it very clear who were the biggest home-bodies. (My 4 yr. old and 7 yr. old). Joshua, who turned three while in Ohio, is our amiable, easy-going one and the one who probably did the best.
We were in PA visiting family and friends for 6 days before traveling to spend a night and day at Mark Beachy's in Dundee, Ohio. We learned to know them in Kenya and they are like family. From there we went up to Lisbon, OH to my sister, Dorcas' place. Most of my family got together there from Thursday - Sunday. Monday we traveled to Indiana where we spent a very enjoyable evening and night with Linford and Kay Bontrager (more Kenya connections). Then it was a long haul, which seemed shorter because of our excitement... traveling home to Wisconsin. We spent most of the rest of our time staying at Jake's parents, John and Christina's place.
While there most of Jake's family got together, there was a 60th anniversary drop-in for his Grandparents, Jake and Mary Coblentzs, lots of good visits with church families, etc. We also borrowed a motorhome and traveled with his parents to a cousin's wedding in Kentucky. The day after we returned from there we headed for Minnesota to F.O.C.I.S. Camp. (Familys Of Christ In Service ??) where we spent an enjoyable but tiring week. Then it was back to Wisconsin for one last enjoyable week at home.
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3:00 AM Jet Lag
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Jediah loved pulling the smallest backpack thru the airport.
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| Fun riding in Grandpa's coach |
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Spent a lovely morning picking
luscious blueberries with Grandma Weaver and cousins
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Cousin fun. Mahlon and Jacob
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| Games with the Weaver cousins |
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| SHOPPING !! |
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| Boating !!! |
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| Endless gator rides with Grandpa John and the Gingerich cousins |
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| What a blessing our children have with not only grandparents but 2 sets of Great-grandparents to enjoy yet ! |
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| Family time at Focus camp |
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| An army for the Lord |
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| Beautiful view looking from our house down to Grandpa Johns where Jacob grew up. |
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| Getting 18 pieces of luggage checked in @ Duluth Airport |
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At one point in the Paris Airport Jediah disappeared. I started walking around calling him and heard a little voice. He'd decided that he liked the seating in the next area better. Just chillin' mom!
And then... HOME Again! and We came to realize how much Kenya truly has become home.
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| Heidi |
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| Hannah |
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| Enjoying all but one of the compound preschoolers at our place the other morning. |
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plowing a Shamba
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| Sunday we were served a delicious meal at Willis and Sarah's place |
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| Joseph, a young boy from church, made some "hats" from leaves and sticks( to hold the leaves together) |
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Mahlon
Today we were to attend a special seminar but it was cancelled due to some "demonstrations" planned in town. Continue to pray for peace in Kenya, especially as the re-elections are coming up next month.
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