It's been too long, and once more I'm a bit in a quandary about where to begin. So maybe I'll start with now...

Garry is back at work today and the boys are enjoying another visit from Dustin. We continue to be amazed at the grace the family is receiving after Darrell's passing on just over a week ago. His funeral was a testimony to simply living out one's faith and investing in authentic relationships. His family continues to live the faith they're in the habit of living, and it's beautiful to see.

My parents were able to spend last week with us and we so enjoyed our time with them. I think they remain amazed at the amount of ice cream Kevin can consume in one sitting and the number of things Kaleb can think up in the course of a day. We enjoyed taking them to several badminton events as well as playing games, going out for breakfast, and talking, talking, talking! We were very thankful that they were able to meet many of our friends, and sad that they didn't see other ones. It was hard to say goodbye on Saturday, but a hard goodbye is a testimony to a good time together.

This week we're looking forward to dinner or coffee with several friends. We're also beginning to look into shipping our things to the Philippines and a timetable for leaving Canada.

In the Philippines plans are moving ahead in regards to where to place our support base and helicopter program in Luzon. At the end of the week one of our pilots will be heading to one possible location to look around a bit. Ben and Suzy continue to stay busy with the flight program in Palawan and a new baby. Congratulation, Ben & Suzy! Ben's also working on paperwork for 405, the airplane that we'll take to Mindanao when we return.

Good evening! I realize I haven't been online and posted the photos of our trip that I promised, so I thought I'd just do a quick update before I head to bed this evening.

Our past week was much different than we ever dreamed. Garry's cousin, Darrell Braun, collapsed near the end of a marathon last Sunday. Darrell and his wife Jolyn (who is a cousin on the Barkman side) have four children.On Monday we had the privilege of having their son Dustin, who's Kevin's age, come to our house for the afternoon. One day turned to another as we walked through days at the hospital and here at home with Dustin, hoping and praying, wondering what God's plan was. On Friday God's plan was clear as Darrell breathed his last here on earth. We have shared a small part of the family's pain over this week and have been privileged to be a small part of their support group. We've marvelled at the grace God's given them. We mourn, but not as those that have no hope.

Wow, I hardly know where to start! I'll be posting more photos over the next few days, but first let me update you a bit on our last month or so...

Our trip out east was amazing! We had a wonderful time visiting family and friends. We were amazed and humbled at the generosity of friends. We were blessed by hearing what God is doing in different parts of the country. We were encouraged by our interaction with so many people. Thanks so each of you who made this trip amazing!

We were only home a week before we left again, this time for a few days at a camp to celebrate Garry's parents' 50th anniversary. We enjoyed seeing everyone, though we missed the family that couldn't be there. It was a great time to relax, canoe, jump on a trampoline with the kids, play some table games, and sit by the fire.

Throughout our trip I was struck again and again by the rich heritage we have from our parents. Garry and I were blessed to grow up in great families and to enjoy our time with them!

I'll be posting some different photos and a bit more commentary on our trip divided by dates. For today, though, here are a few photos of our time with family...

And here are some photos of Jonathan and Jenny and their family when we got to see them!

Here are some photos of our time in Pennsylvania with my parents and Gram. Lots of good memories, as you can see!

Here are a few photos of our time with Curtis & Anita and their family. It was so wonderful to be able to spend a few days with them at their home in Maine!

We had a great beginning to our trip! Monday we enjoyed Dad's wonderful German pancakes before packing up and heading south. It was fun to spend the morning together. Then we picked up a slurpee on our way and started driving.

We stayed on smaller roads for quite some time because there wasn't a good way across the Red River. This was a blessing because it meant we got to stop at a lovely park in North Dakota.

We drove through the night and arrived at Patrick and Mary's late in the afternoon on Tuesday. They are lovely hosts and we enjoyed our time with them. The boys got a big bag of wonderful, appropriate gifts that they'll enjoy for the rest of the trip and when we get home! Mary had arranged a coffee with some of the ladies from church and it was neat to meet some new people and see some friends we'd made before.

Now we're at my parents' house in Pennyslvania. My dad is still trying to recover from a bug, and likely pneumonia, that he picked up somewhere. However, it's great to see my parents, my gram, and other friends in the area.

We're looking forward to spending time with friends from Puzzletown Road Bible Church as well!

Wow, another Monday! This morning I've been working on getting a bit organized for our trip next week. We are looking forward to seeing quite a few of you! A few loads of laundry and some time in the office have filled up the morning quite nicely.

Kaleb and his friends set up quite an elaborate train track the other evening.

Kevin is at Garry's parents helping trim some bushes and Kaleb is busy with paper airplanes... more and more and more of them! We will be trying to do a bit more school this week, but today it's nice to do some other things. Garry is packing up his pilot helmet to ship away to be refurbished-- it's amazing what the tropics can do to leather in a relatively short time!

Here are Kevin and some of his friends with parts of their amazing knife and gun collections.

Saturday evening we enjoyed a prayer and worship service at our church. We loved getting together with a smaller group to worship God and spend time in prayer. We were blessed and encouraged by our brothers and sisters.