I think I have the "fall bug"... since I've never really lived for any length of time where there are four seasons in a year, I must have caught it from my friends and co-workers! All the same, this week I had an irresistible urge to eat pumpkin pie. I bought a squash last week, which was designated for making "pumpkin bread" but got turned into pie instead. I don't think anyone in my family minded... pie of any kind is always a big hit at our house.

Kevin's enjoying riding motorcycle whenever he gets a chance. Someone gifted him a pair of boots, which has made riding even more fun (and safer, by my standard!). He rides with some amazing guys who have experience in different kinds of riding, enduro and trail riding. As missionaries it is sometimes tempting to believe there are "great opportunities" our kids are missing out on. But God so often does amazing things, giving our kids amazing opportunities we couldn't have orchestrated if we would have tried!

Garry's desk is a jumble of papers as he finishes the paperwork for annuals on two of our aircraft. It's incredible the stack of papers you have to turn in for every aircraft every year! Kevin and Kaleb have pretty much cleared their desks off, a sign they've finished their school work for the week. Yippee! Weekends are wonderful, aren't they?!

Juliet, my helper, has been on my mind this week. She is a constant reminder how hard life is for so many people. Her son-in-law has recently been threatening his wife with a knife while under the influence of alcohol and/or drugs. Her grandbaby has been sick with a fever, and it's all the family can do to buy medicine. Her father is ailing and is at home where he has been waking up unable to breathe: doctors say there's nothing they can do, so it's watching him suffer. Her husband works on a plantation, and he leaves for work at 4 am. Juliet gets up at 2:30 to cook her hubby breakfast and a lunch to take to work. She gets an hour or so of sleep before getting up to start the day with her daughters who are still in school, then coming to work for me. She's asking for extra hours to make a little extra. Yet she speaks highly of her church and the ways her girls minister to others. She loves God and seeks to do what is right. She works hard and doesn't complain (these are things she's just mentioned in passing). In fact, she seems to accept her life with its complexity and hard work much better than I do some days. She challenges me, and that's a good thing.