Family, Summer 2016

As the summer draws to a close and the school year looms closer I am thankful for our little family of four, our extended family, and a great circle of friends who bless and encourage us. Life in our family is changing as it is in yours, and I thought it might be time to get a short update on our blog.

Kevin is studying at Moody Bible Institute here in Spokane this fall, continuing to pursue a degree in communications. He started classes on Monday and is enjoying his profs and getting to know a few other students. We are enjoying having him live at home and being a part of this journey with him. Kevin also continues to pursue badminton and is investing in the program here in Spokane. Earlier this month he had the opportunity to attend a great training camp in Vancouver, BC.  This summer he has had various jobs, currently with Parks and Recreation. He's enjoyed helping in summer camps for kids and looks forward to working in other areas where Parks and Rec runs programs during the school year. His time quickly fill with coaching, training, and international tournaments.

Kaleb will start his senior year in just over a week. He really enjoyed working at our church camp in Canada for a week this summer as well as connecting with friends in Manitoba. He loves people and loves to encourage and help his friends. On our way back to Spokane  we stopped in Montana to ride a single-track trail Kaleb found online. It was incredibly beautiful and a great thing to do together. Since we returned to Spokane Kaleb has met a number of other riders and has enjoyed hitting some of the bigger jumps and riding with more experienced riders. His next Lego story is nearly scripted, and set building has begun, so the living room once more looks rather like a studio. He also continue to spend time at the local studio where he is currently interning.

Garry is enjoying a couple of weeks in Africa, doing aviation safety audits. The team he has been helping this week has been great to work with and he has shared several stories of all that God is doing and has done in Angola.

I'm thankful to be able to hold down the fort at home. Since we arrived back in Spokane I've been busy catching up on office work, reconnecting with friends, and doing the normal things of life.

We are on an amazing journey together and love the places where God has planted us and the ways He is growing us.

Home and home again

We arrived home in Washington last Thursday after spending a just over three weeks at home in Manitoba. Yes, from home to home it's been. Each place we've lived has become home, and Manitoba has been our home base for nearly 25 years now. Sometimes I think I miss out on having a home, and other times I am reminded that instead of just one home, I have many homes. This summer has put me in the "many homes" mindset once more.

I will try to add a few more posts about our time in Manitoba, but for now a few random thoughts and a couple of photos of our trip back to Washington. We were blessed with sunshine and open roads on the way home. We had decided to do a few fun things on the way, and actually did that! We stopped at a mountain biking train Kaleb found near Butte, Montana and I did my best to keep up with the guys on the beautiful trail. We listened to radio dramas and talked about new memories we made in Manitoba. We had coffee at a local shop in Bozeman. All in all, it was a great trip!

We've been unpacking and repacking as Garry prepares to leave for Africa on Friday. He is going to do aviation safety audits in both Angola and Zambia, a great opportunity to encourage those serving in challenging situations. He is also hoping to learn more about mission aviation in those countries and some of the challenges and joys that are common there.

The other fun we're having this week is meeting new students here at Moody Spokane. Student services hosts several events to allow us as staff to connect with new students, and we signed up to join a couple of those. Monday evening we joined a large group at a local park for a BBQ and on Thursday we plan to head to a camp that is about an hour away to spend a bit more time with new students. These are great opportunities to get to know students and hear what kind of dreams they are entering the program here with.

As Kaleb and I settle back into life here in Spokane and Garry prepares for his time in Africa, we are blessed to know that we are not in this alone. We have a great team of people behind us, cheering us on and praying for us each step of the way. Thanks for being that kind of team!