Remembering Life in the Village

Last Chance for the Beach

Yesterday was an incredible day! We couldn't believe how beautiful the weather was, and how warm it had gotten again. We decided to take advantage of the afternoon, after the kids got home from school.

So, we hopped in the car and headed to our favorite place in Virginia!

Our good friend annA was there waiting, letting us park for free by her apartment, and showed us the best spot on the beach.

We had the best time, ever!!!

Last Chance for the Beach, Part 2

We enjoyed running on the beach and sitting in the sun, as well as watching the birds do tricks in the air and watching the jets fly into the base.

We did a little groovin' and playing frisbee.

And we even attempted to ride the big waves in the chilly water.

Capturing the Perfect Shot

Anyone have tips for taking a family photo without making threats on your children's lives? We desperately need to update our prayer card...but we are having much trouble getting a good photo.

Do you know how hard it is to get all 5 of us looking the same direction with a halfway normal expression on all 5 faces?

We might resort to a photo of just Nathan and I and put a *** on the prayer card with a footnote saying "***by the way, we have 3 kids".

Incarcerated

Asher wouldn't believe us when we told him there were consequences for taking a cookie without asking...then Officer Lester showed up! He dropped by on Saturday while we were having a picnic lunch with my family in PA. We all got that tense "uh-oh, what's this about?" feeling when he pulled up the driveway and "blipped" his siren. It turned out to be my parent's friend who has been riding in their township for the past few months, just stopping by to say hello. So we took the opportunity to get some good your-going-to-jail photos. Nandry would not get in the group picture below...all the kids were a bit intimidated when Officer Lester first got there. Oh, and our kids are finally saying "police" now instead of "gendarmes".

On Display

This weekend we are participating in a mission conference at EBBC in PA. Last night they had an international potluck dinner with lots of yummy food and all the missionaries did a short presentation afterwards. Nathan and I set up a mongulu (Baka leaf hut) in one of their classrooms and invited people in for a visit to the rainforest. I know that our kids enjoyed playing in the mongulu, and I hope that the hut made a lasting impression on everyone that came...even if it's just made of PVC and fabric leaves. Thanks EBBC for hosting us and feeding us and special thanks to the folks that stayed late to help us move the hut to the foyer!