Traveling Once Again!

Well, we all made it safe and sound to California! What a wild week of packing, cleaning, and saying good-byes! My (Tiffany's) parents arrived Tuesday night from two 15 hour driving days from California to Roach, MO. My grandparents from south Missouri arrived the next morning for a quick visit before we left Missouri as they had not met Micah yet. We had a great time visiting, but unfortunately we couldn't stop too long from the work of packing. Tim, my dad, and grandpa all worked tirelessly packing and organizing the trailor, while I packed and my mom and grandma helped with cleaning. I don't know how we could have done it without them! Amazingly, we were able to finish by Thursday evening. We said our last tearful good-byes and then took off for Tulsa where we would spend the night. The next morning Tim and my dad started their very long drive home and my mom, I, and the little ones got the easy way out and flew home. Saturday night we were able to to see Tim and my dad pull up in front of my parent's house. They made it with no car troubles and only one snow storm!

It has been a quite a switch coming home. Last Sunday we almost didn't make it to church because of the snow and ice, but this Sunday we were wearing short-sleeved shirts and felt warm outside! It has been great to be home and see family. The boys are having a great time. Noah is finally able to get some of that two-year old energy out running around outside and riding his bike. Micah is getting so big so fast! He has been working on crawling today! I can't believe how fast they grow up! We hope that you all have a wonderful Christmas!

Bittersweet Thoughts

So, the time has come and I can hardly believe it. We are DONE with New Tribes Training! For the last five years, one or both of us, have been involved in training for tribal church planting. We have been everywhere from the "barren wasteland" (j/k) of Wisconsin where the staple diet consists of brats and frozen custard,  and it is a normal thing to see houses painted bright green and yellow with giant Packer football helmets proudly displayed on the side....to the beautiful wooded mountains of Pennsylvania where we have wonderful memories of living for a time in a plastic covered house on the side of a mountain with a bucket shower, long walks to the outhouse, and glop for breakfast every morning....then to the Ozarks of Missouri, where the lake is practically right out your front door, the highlight of a trip to town is Wal-mart and McDonald's, and where in the summer you are bombarded in that same Wal-mart by people in their bikinis buying cartloads of beer for their parties on the lake.  Tim and I have had several discussions lately about the bittersweet feeling of leaving this place, the Missionary Training Center in Roach, and the final phase of our training. Here are some of the thoughts that I have had lately that I thought I would share with you about the things we are leaving behind....

What I will NOT miss.....

• Having to lug two overloaded baskets of laundry to the wash house where I then attempt to get everything washed and dried without going over my allotted time....and also hoping that I can run back and forth from the house while also attempting to take care of the boys. (Sometimes I am sure this is has to be impossible, but somehow it works. Thank goodness for Mondays and Sheila!)
  
• Getting to walk, again to the wash house, to take my shower. In summer it is a hot, sticky shower in the company of many varieties of bugs and it the winter it is often a cold/cool shower and if we are lucky we get to walk through snow and ice to get there!
• Living in the Ozarks. I know it is a tourist hot spot, but....
• Going to class and having homework for the last five years.
• Being able to sit in my bedroom and clearly hear my neighbors using the bathroom. (Don't worry Dylan and Angie, I only noticed this a couple neighbors ago.) :)

What I WILL miss....

• Being able to do all my laundry in two hours instead of one load at a time and it taking all day!
• I am having a hard time thinking about what I will miss about the shower, but at least I come back clean! Maybe the fact that at times I get to talk with a friend in the neighboring stall while we take our showers. I am always up for a chance to socialize!
• Being able to walk out our front door and take a walk in God's beautiful creation!
• Going to class and learning SO much from many people that I really admire. I will miss the discipleship I experienced this year especially. 
• Having wonderful friends right outside my door at all times! We can put the kids to bed and just take our baby monitor with us to our friend's houses because they live so close. I think this is the thing that Tim and I will miss the most. We are ending this training in the company of friends with whom we have traveled the country, gone through many trials, had our thinking challenged in many areas, served each other when we were hurting, prayed together, and worked together, etc. So many dear friends that I may never see again or at least for a very long time! We will leave this place and go off to the many different corners of the world. It has been difficult not to become discouraged about the many friendships we have made and then had to leave over the years, but I have been challenged to be thankful for friendship for the time that it is given instead of becoming resentful when it is taken away. I can spend all my energy resenting it or focus on continuing those relationship from a distance and to pour into the lives of those that come across my path. 

It is exciting and nerve-wracking to think that when we pull out of here in just a few days with all of our earthly belongings, we will be New Tribes Missionaries! We will be shifting our energies to building prayer and financial support for the ministry we hope to have with tribal people in Papua New Guinea. It seemed that this time would never come, yet here it is. This move has been harder for us than all the rest as it feels like the beginning of letting go. Letting go of all we have known and come to love. Letting go of the many people in our lives that we would love to to be close to instead of halfway around the world. What an encouragement to look back and see how faithful God has been to provide each step of the way and we know that He will continue to be faithful. The phrase from a well known hymn keeps going through my mind, and that is..."It will be worth it all, when we see Jesus!"

The view on our walks around campus!

Swingin' with the Boys

A dear friend of mine, Sheila, and I decided to go on a walk the other day as it was beautiful outside. She has a sweet little boy, Nathan, who is six weeks younger than Micah. We brought with us our friend's little boys, Luke and Titus. With the five little boys it was quite the energetic walk, but a lot of fun. We took a walk over to the rope swing on campus and had a great time swinging and throwing rocks in the creek. 

Nathan and Micah in our stroller. 

Nathan is giving his mom a huge smile, but Micah just looks confused. 

My friend Sheila with all the boys!

Noah trying out the rope swing. He loved it!

With the days getting colder and colder, (it is supposed to snow today), our trips outside are getting more limited, but it is wonderful living in a place that a beautiful walk in God's creation is right outside our front door. 

FINALLY!

FINALLY! Here are the pictures that I promised of our time in Oklahoma. I have done this three time and each time the computer has deleted it. Annoying! SO, hopefully it will work this time!

Here is what our room would have looked like when we arrived, (although not so clean!). These bunkbeds became our walls, closets, shelves, and couches!

You can see our "wall" in the background. It was made of bunk beds and mattresses, and draped with old sheets and blankets. It worked quite well!

NOW, these are a few pictures of the time me and the little ones had in California. This is Noah and Micah enjoy the soft carpet at Nana and Papa's house. Anything is soft after concrete!

Noah had a blast feeding the ducks with Nana. Micah just looked puzzled at the strange creatures in front of him.

Noah getting a haircut from a friend of ours. Not his first, but it is always fun. He does a great job sitting still.

BACK in Oklahoma....After Tim picked me and the boys up at the airport, we found a playground and Noah had a great time running and playing with Daddy again!

We all missed him.

Micah is getting SO big!

Some of the Cherokee ladies at the church we attended while we were there made earrings and bracelets for us ladies as gifts. Mine were big and red! Noah enjoyed "wearing" them and walking around saying, "I'm Kerokee!" (Cherokee)

Packing up to go home! You can see the volleyball court in the background where the kids loved to ride bikes and run. This is right outside our room.

And speaking of Cherokee, today was Tim's LAST day of linguistics. He turned in his big (60 page) write-up on the Cherokee language today! What a relief. The last week or so, we saw him for meals, but there were times when he left the house before 8am and didn't come home till 2am! We ALL learned a lot...about ourselves, our family, and about the great God who is sufficient in all circumstances. Thank you to those of you who prayed for us during this time.

Tim has two, two week long classes left, Bible translation and a wrap-up on church planting. Then it is packing and traveling home to California for Christmas!

Tiffany

Bloodshot eyes and a crying baby!

These last couple of months have been very exhausting. With all of the moving, travels, not to mention normal baby developments that disrupt sleep, Micah has NOT been sleeping well. The last week or two he has even been waking up and crying for two hours at a time! Nothing we did or didn't do seemed to make a difference. I even talked to his doctor and he couldn't understand what was going on. He told me to try giving him some tylenol before he went to bed to see if that helped. Well, last night he sleep for 12 hours straight! I haven't felt so good in a very long time. He has slept 10 hours from time to time, but it was always just before another move and so it didn't continue. 

Earlier this week a blood vessel even broke in my eye because of the lack of sleep and stress! My left eye looks bright red and very unpleasant. I was reading my Bible last night and a devotional book I have been going through with some other ladies here on campus and I was reminded that what is in my life right now is from God and He has given it to me for a purpose. He has been reminding me over and over again that regardless of what my circumstances are, He has given me the grace to act like His child in the midst of the trial and not give into my fleshly attitudes. I don't have a "right" to have a bad attitude, to be inpatient with my children, and rude to my husband. I am to "walk in a manner worthy"  with "all humility, and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another in love." (Eph. 4:1-3) It doesn't matter if I have had three hours of sleep or eight! 

I read a quote by Andrew Murray that I found really encouraging....

"In time of trouble, say, 'First, he brought me here. It is by his will that I am in this strait place; in that I will rest.' Next 'He will keep me here in his love, and give me grace in this trial to behave as his child.' Then say, 'He will make the trial a blessing, teaching me lessons he intends me to learn, and working in me the grace he means to bestow." And last, say, 'In his good time he can bring me out again. How and when, he knows.' Therefore say, 'I am here (1) by God's appointment, (2) in his keeping, (3) under his training, (4) for his time.'"

While a baby that won't sleep is a small trial in comparison to the death of a loved one, ongoing sickness, or many other things allowed into the lives of believers, it is what God has chosen to give us at this time and we can accept it gladly and willingly, resting in the knowledge that His grace is sufficient and the lessons He is teaching us are more valuable than sleep. 

While Micah seems to now have chosen sleep over crying for hours, who knows if it will continue. Whether or not, we know that we can rest in our Almighty God.  To Him be the praise and glory in all things! 

On the Road Again...

Yeah! We are home.....at least for awhile. We arrived back in Missouri Saturday evening just in time to unload a few things and have dinner. Some friends prepared dinner for us and bought a few groceries for our breakfast the next morning. Other friends had a yummy smelling candle burning in our apartment to welcome us home and some yummy cookies. How encouraging to be surrounded by such good friends! We had plenty of help unloading our trailor and then the work began of trying to settle in again and make another place feel like home. It is a little bit of a challenge as we are unpacking, yet packing at the same time. In four weeks, Tim will be done with classes and we will be moving home to California. Always on the move! Micah had his four month check-up today and he is growing so fast! He has not been sleeping that well the last several weeks with all the moving and the doctor laughed and said, "No wonder!" Already in four months of life Micah has lived in four houses, three states, taken four plane rides, and traveled who knows how many miles! That is a lot for a little guy to take in!

Well, we hope to post some more pictures here soon of our time in Oklahoma now that we have good internet access again. It was such a learning experience in SO many ways. Please be praying for Tim's Cherokee language helper Ord Dreadfulwater and his wife Jennette and their salvation. Hopefully Tim will get a chance to tell you more about Ord and his time with him, but we just wish that we would have been able to have more time with him. Ord still holds very tightly to his believe in the spirits and is very antagonistic towards "white man" and his religion. He is a friendly guy and seemed to really enjoy working with Tim and Philip, yet they could never be sure when he was deceiving them as he has been known to do to students in the past. What good practice for the field because this is exactly what the tribal people do as well!

Until next time!

Back in Oklahoma

Well, the boys and I made it safely to Oklahoma and are settling back into the life here. Out of the forty students that were here, there are only about twelve left now. The students that left were doing a different program than Tim and other linguistic students. (For those of you who remember when Tim and I did the Polish practicum, this program was similar- just in Cherokee) So it is MUCH quieter around here. Although, a couple of days ago we were host to several hundred ladybugs that decided to move in with us. They poured into the hallway outside our room and we had to walk quickly and carefully to avoid them dropping on our heads or cruching under our feet. If any of you know the smell of dead ladybug you know how horrible it can be. YUCK!!! Many of them came into our room as well, but some quick action on Tim's part with bug spray and a broom kept it somewhat under control. We had to deal with this same problem when we lived in Pennsylvania (there they would drop into our dinner) so I think God is trying to prepare us for the road ahead. A road fill with bugs. Again....YUCK!!!

On a happier note, it is very nice to be back together again as a family. We enjoyed a relaxing weekend together and now Tim is back to the grindstone. The next several weeks will be very intense, maybe even more so when we return home, but the practice that he is getting is invaluable. While Tim will not be using the Cherokee language in our future ministry, the practice that he is getting in analyzing a language will be a great help and save time later on.

I really enjoyed seeing many of you on my visit home and we look forward to reconnecting more during our more extended stay come December. Tim's classes are done December 2oth and we plan to begin our travels the 21st....hoping to make it home in time for Christmas! My parents are coming out and bringing their van to help us move home and my mom and I will be flying home with the little ones so that our travels will quicker. We would appreciate your prayers in the of the work and adjustments that lie ahead- especially for the kids.

Tiffany

Tribute to a Jewel

With Tiffany being gone the past week I have spent a lot of time thinking about her and reflecting on our relationship. As much as I despise being apart from her I am thankful for the fresh awareness and perspective that her absence brings. I fall in love with her all over again every time we are apart. Whatever pride I have cultivated suddenly vanishes with her departure because I realize how small of a man I am without her.

My heart cries the words of King Lemuel as my wife fills my thoughts…

“An excellent wife who can find? She is far more precious than jewels. The heart of her husband trusts in her, and he will have no lack of gain. She does him good, and not harm, all the days of her life.” Proverbs 31:10-12

“An excellent wife who can find? She is far more precious than jewels.” I remember the days before we were married and before we even knew each other well. I was determined not to be swayed by a relationship as I prepared for Bible School. I thought God would be for me in that but my little world was shattered by the person I least suspected as being my future wife. I marvel at God’s hand in choosing for me the most precious gem to be had. I cannot imagine being married to a woman more precious than my wife. Thank you, Lord for choosing for me the perfect companion, a jewel beyond worth. It is all of your doing and none of mine.

“The heart of her husband trusts in her, and he will have no lack of gain.” There is no one in the world that I trust more than Tiffany. In her absence I’ve learned how much I long to confide in her with every area of my life. I never realized until she has been gone how much I do desire to talk to her about even the smallest things in my life. I love sharing even the dull moments in life with her. She is my companion and the embodiment of “best friend.” It is only in knowing her that I have come to understand what it is like to know someone so deeply and have a friendship that is so sweet and so desired.

“She does him good, and not harm, all the days of her life.” Time and time again I have been awed by the selfless service of my wife to me and to our family—and it is not only service but joyful devotion to our needs. I could not be more thrilled to have her by my side as we go through life raising our children and serving the Lord. Simply her presence is a reinforcing strength providing courage that I lack without her. Her wisdom often exceeds what I can muster. But of more benefit is how God has gifted us and given us the ability use our strengths as one. She is the joy of my life and I could ask for no better partner and co-worker in life and ministry.

Tiffany, “Many women have done excellently, but you surpass them all.” I love you with all that I am. I find no greater joy in life than loving and serving you. Thank you for your unrelenting faithfulness, your unwavering devotion, and your truest friendship.

California Here We Come!

Before we left for Oklahoma, we decided that it might be a good idea for me (Tiffany) and the little guys to take a trip home to California at some point during our six weeks in "Cherokee land." We knew Tim's work load would be heavy and we thought that going away would give him a chance to really focus on his studies and for us to get a break from the conditions in Oklahoma. So, at this time I am in California enjoying the beautiful weather and visiting with family and friends. It is very difficult being away from Tim...we will be gone for two weeks and this is the longest we have ever been apart...so this is a bittersweet visit.

Now that Noah is a little older, this is the first year that we have been able to take part in festivites of the season. On Sunday, my parents and I took him out to Avila Barn to go on hayrides and search for a perfect pumpkin in the pumpkin patch. He had a lot of fun and we were able to get some good pictures.

Trying to find that perfect pumpkin

I Found It!!!

Going on a Hayride!

Our days here in Oklahoma

We thought we would give you a little glimpse into what we are doing here in Tahlequah, Oklahoma...

I (Tim) and my friend and partner in this project, Phillip, meet with our Cherokee language helper, Ord Dreadfulwater, (yes, that is his name) every morning for two hours.

Then the rest of the day is spent processing the information and entering it into a filing system on the computer.Phillip and I work together as we try to decide what sounds we are actually hearing in the language.

We will use this data that we gather for phonemic (part of the process in creating an alphabet) and grammatical analysis over the course of our time here.

When we are finished here in Oklahoma right before Thanksgiving we will return to the New Tribes Campus in Missouri and for the next weeks will be working on formally writing up all our findings analysis conclusions.

Tiffany and Micah taking their own picture. I just have to put this in...aren't they cute!!

I (Tiffany) spend the days much as usual, just in not such an ideal situation. It can be difficult at times to even use the bathroom or get a drink of water since both are far away from our room. Noah seems to adjust quickly to anything that comes his way, but Micah has had more difficulty. They say babies pick up easily on the stress of their parents and there was a lot of stress that first week. His sleeping is still not back to normal, but hopefully he will settle soon.

In the weeks before we left Oklahoma I was doing a Bible study with several of the ladies here called, “Calm My Anxious Heart.” This study dealt with many of the things I had been struggling with…anxiety about my kids, the future, living overseas, etc. and reminded me of God’s truth and His grace. One of the first topics in the book was about being content in your circumstances. Wow, did I need to be reminded of that our first week here. We arrived here already a couple days late and so Tim had to jump right into his studies. I was left in a “house” that was not unpacked with a baby and a two year old while I was still very weak from being sick. I realized that I had a choice. I could become bitter and make life harder for those around me, or I could choose to be content. I could not change my circumstances, but I could change my attitude and perspective. The Lord had already supplied the grace that I needed to endure those rough days. That time was a real struggle and I realized that all too often I was depending on myself to get me through instead of the Lord.

Oklahoma at last!

Well, we made it! We arrived in Oklahoma Tuesday evening (Oct. 9th), just minutes before dinner was being served in the dining hall. That evening we quickly unloaded our trailer and began set-up in our new “home.” I had meant to get a before-and-after picture but in all of the chaos that never happened, so you will just be getting the after shots. The room was just what I had expected….big, concrete, and full of old metal bunks. We took a tour of a couple other rooms to see how others had arranged theirs. Things were a bit stressful because it was the kid’s bedtimes and we needed to work fast, but we got it done. We had the dilemma of turning one large room into sleeping and living quarters, with areas that the kids can sleep in, with at least some limit on light and sound. We split our room in half. You can see where we all sleep through our door of mattresses and upright bunk beds.

Noah has his own little corner on one side...

We are in the middle...

And Micah is in the other corner!

It is amazing how many functions a bunkbed can serve besides sleeping. When taken apart or stood on end they can serve as any of the following: a wall, closets, shelves, or a couch!

Our living room...

It took some work and imagination, but I think we are finally getting settled into our new home.

Here are some different pictures of our time here so far...

We are thankful to have bathrooms and showers...they're not the prettiest, but they'll do.

This is the lounge area in our building where we can do things in big groups and most of all the kids can run around and play!

This guy was caught trying to hang out in our room...but that is not allowed! You can see the cap to a water bottle in the picture. We also saw a tarantula outside yesterday and a few days ago we found a brown recluse hanging out in our room, too! I guess company is never hard to find :-)

Noah loves playing with his friends! The sand box is a popular hang out for the smaller crowd.

Well.....

We are STILL in Missouri! We were supposed to leave Friday, but as I mentioned in my last post Noah had come down with the flu. Well, Tim got it as well Wednesday night. We thought we might be able to leave Saturday and so we continued packing, but Micah was sick Friday night. Saturday night we did a last run through on the house, finish laundry, etc. all in hopes of leaving Sunday morning. Well, Sunday morning I am sick! This has been one long and drawn out move. We are getting pretty tired of living in a house full of boxes with most things we need in the trailer. I am feeling somewhat better now so if all goes well we will leave tomorrow, (Tuesday) morning. Praise the Lord for good friends who have our room in Oklahoma all cleaned out for us and many people expecting to help us move in. HOPEFULLY, we will be able to settle in quickly so Tim can catch up on all that he has missed. What a week!


Tiffany

Packing....again!

It seems to be the story of our lives. And to think, we have really just begun! In the four years of our marriage we have lived in nine different homes in four different states. Now we are adding more to our list! This coming Friday, (Oct. 5th) we are moving down to Tahlequah, Oklahoma for six weeks. This is where Tim will be practicing all the linguistic principles he has learned on the language of the Cherokee Indians. We are staying at a Cherokee Baptist conference grounds. We are told that our "home" for this time will be one large room with cinder block walls and concrete flooring.There will be one bathroom for all the men and one for all the women in our building. (About 10 families, more or less) All of our meals will communal and we are on teams to get a turn cooking. I am sure that this experience will be interesting to say the least. The place will be filthy when we get there, (such things as "toilet material" in the showers, etc.) and so we will have a lot of cleaning up to do before we can settle in. Our internet access will be very limited, (we will have to go to a local restaurant) but we will try to post pictures of the experience. Our mailing address will be the following:

General Delivery
NTM Tim and Tiffany Lanier
Tahlequah, OK 74464

We would also appreciate your prayers as we pack, travel, and settle in. Noah came down with flu like symptoms yesterday and we are really hoping that it avoids the rest of us!

Until next time!
Tiffany

Bat Cave!

A friend told us about a bat cave only a few minutes from the school here. So Noah and I went with him to check it out. It was pretty crazy how many bats there were! You felt like they were going to fly into you at any moment.

Our friend Logan and Noah watching the bats inside before they come out. The entrance to the cave was barred.

Birthday!

For my birthday this year we celebrated with our close friends the Gundersons (center) and the Allens (left). We had a great time of talking, playing games and, of course, eating.

All of our kids together!

A Day in the Life....

Wow! I finally get to be on the computer again! Tim has been working almost non-stop on homework the last few weeks and he needs the computer to do this. (Speaking of which, please be praying for the funds for a new computer. The one we have is not able to handle a lot of the things we will need to do in the future between ministry presentations, language learning, etc. It is exciting to know that God knows exactly what we need and will meet those needs in the way HE deems best.)

I thought that it might be good to give everyone a little glimpse of what life is like for us these days. It has been strange for Tim and I to adjust to not being in classes together everyday like we have been used to. After four years of marriage and being with each other the majority of the time, it came as quite a shock to now see so little of each other. Little did we know what a blessing that was! It has also been a good time for me to adjust to having a new little one to take care of and being a full time stay-at-home mom. One missionary lady I talked to said that most moms don't get a chance to really adjust to that until they are on the field and have language learning and culture shock to deal with! I am thankful for that chance now!

A typical day for Tim (Mon-Fri.):

8-12 am: Linguistics class

12-1:20: Lunch

1:20-2:30: Linguistics class

2:30-5:00pm: Work detail (Tim works on the plumbing crew and helps put in new systems and fix the broken ones- both in school buildings and in people's homes)

5:00-7:30pm: Dinner, family time, baths, and putting the kids to bed

8:00- ?: More Linguistics! (They usually have to put in at least two hours of homework every night)

By the time he is finished it is usually quite late and I am already in bed. As for my day with the boys, we keep busy with play-doh, coloring, reading, going on walks, napping, nursing, cooking, laundry, and cleaning up messes. All this to say, we are both worn out by the end of the day. Tim- mentally exhausted from analyzing bizarre languages all day, and me- physically exhausted from keeping up with two little ones by myself most of the time. We would appreciate your prayers for quality time together as a couple and as a family, and for endurance to the end of this semester!

Tiffany

Tim working away at analyzing the Kuman language of the Highlands of Papua New Guinea. (A little taste of what we may someday face!)

"No-No Fruit"

Sunday morning rolled around and I was exhausted from a long night with both boys. (Micah's possible growth spurt and sudden need to eat more, and Noah's new experience with nightmares.) Adding to that, I wasn't feeling well, so I stayed home with the boys and Tim went to church on his own. While Micah napped I decided that it might be good for Noah and I to sit down and read/look at our Bibles since we weren't able to make it to church. Noah has his own picture Bible that is actually quite good. I opened my Bible and began to read, but Noah wasn't going to be satisfied with just looking at pictures, and so he began asking questions. I put my own Bible aside and we began to read together out of his. It now being so automatic to teach chronological, we began with creation and Adam and Eve. It was exciting to see his eyes get big as we talked about the garden and the tree with "no-no fruit." He told me again and again how Eve did a "BIG No-No" eating that "no-no fruit." I then asked him if he always obeyed mommy and daddy. He looked at me and said, "No." We then talked about how mommy and daddy do "no-no's" sometimes too. His eyes got really big and he asked, "Did you eat the 'no-no fruit' too?!" "No," I told him, "but since Adam and Eve did, now all of us are sinners and we do other n0-no's too." I then asked him if he was a sinner. "Yes, I am a sinner." he said.
As soon as Tim walked in the door Noah ran up to him and said, "Daddy, we are All sinners!"

Though this morning was spent only planting little seeds of understanding, it was exciting to see the tables start turning in his mind. Please be praying for wisdom for us as parents as we seek to make disciples for Christ in our children.

Drive-Thru Animal Park

On the way back from our friend's lake house (see below) we stopped at a drive -thru animal park in Springfield. It was a blast! There were all sorts of animals...everything from horses and cattle, to wildebeests, zebra, and bison. Many of the animals roamed free and they would walk right up to your car where you could feed them special treats from your window! The only trick sometimes is getting their heads back out of your car. :)Looking for those animals!

Feeding a horse from our car window

Who knew there were camels in Missouri!

It felt strange having such a huge animal right outside our car window

More hungry animals!

Micah getting in on the action

This donkey was serious about getting fed.
(When I turned around I had another donkey with his head completely in my window!)

Visiting our Friend's Lake House

One of the guys in Tim's linguistics class invited all the linguistic student and their families to stay at his parent's lake house for the weekend. This place was AMAZING! The view of the lake was spectacular and the house itself was luxury that we are not really used to. We had fun visiting with friends and Tim was able to go for a ride out on their boat. My friend, Emily, and Noah's friend, Titus, with Micah.

Notice the three little boys on the couch watching John Deere tractors on a plasma screen tv!

Look at that view!

Bedtime stories

Bathtime!